Astorian Weekend *New Year's Edition* - 01.01.09

Happy New Year Astoria!

We hope that you had a fun and eventful evening last night. And while you're probably still recuperating from last night's celebrations, we wanted to bring you the latest and greatest happenings for this New Year's weekend.

There's a new Greek taverna in town, which replaced the old Anna's Corner and the more recent Athens Taverna. The new eatery is called Psitopolio Ta Vlahika and it offers pretty much the same type of cuisine as its predecessors but at more competitive prices. They've refurbished the space so it looks brand spankin' new. 31-01 23rd Avenue, Astoria. 718.545.4000

Enjoy a lovely brunch at some of our Astorian favorites:

Ovelia - For $10 - $13 you'll get a hefty brunch entree with a coffee and a morning cocktail. One of my favorites here is the tiropita toast, which is a flat bread made with feta cheese. 34-01 30th Avenue, Astoria. 718.721.7217

You can never go wrong with Grand Cafe's $11.50 brunch special (pictured above), which includes adorable little breakfast muffins, coffee served with a delicious pirouette cookie, a morning cocktail and an entree. 37-01 30th Avenue, Astoria. 718.777.7321

And don't forget to check out our latest brunch favorite, Vesta. Meg provides a great recap of their dishes here. Personally, I can't wait to try their hangover pizza! 21-02 30th Avenue, Astoria. 718.545.5550

Another fun activity for this weekend is shopping--especially on Ditmars.

Check out Inside Astoria for their 50% holiday sale, where you can get cool holiday cards and funky home items. 37-20 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria. 718.956.4000. Nook n' Crannie also offers unique, gently used vintage furniture. 29-18 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria. 718.204.8399. Or get some fun jewelry on sale at Mimi's Closet . 21-10 31st Street, Astoria. 718.726.0971.