You may be asking yourselves, does Astoria really need another Greek restaurant? Well i'm here to tell you- why the heck not?!?!?! Especially when its money baby, money! It's on *gasp* 30th Avenue the home of "Cafe Central" oddly enough, and its a welcome addition.I decided to try it out with a few friends last week and was so pleasantly surprised. The decor alone is enough to write up an entire post on, but since i know little of interior decorating i'll just say it's modern (the fiber optic bartop) with a touch of old world (the weird knotted ropes dangling behind the bar). Onto the food...
It was soooo hard to decide on 2 apps, the menu was so enticing. As much as i wanted to try their homemade sausage, the troops outnumbered me so we ended up with calamari and grilled octopus. I haven't had octopus that tender since... i can't remember when! The calamari were pretty darn perfect. No grease at all! Also tender and the breading was perfectly seasoned. Along with apps, we got a plate of bread, warmed and spiced pita and a garlic spread on toasted rolls. YUM indeed.
Being the fan that i am of pork, i was drawn to the pork souvlaki. You get a choice of sides- potatoes, fries, beets or broccoli rabbe. I went with the greens. They were so-so but the pork itself with the tzatziki were delicious. The soft warm pita soaking up all the juice was precut into bite sized pieces, prefect for each piece of meat.
Onto the salmon. An actual "human sized" piece. My boyfriend is a salmon fanatic and being the big guy that he his, probably could have used a larger portion (he's gotten used to the other greek grill houses where you get a ginormous portion), none the less, he was very happy with the flavor of the dish. The fries were done well - i think its important to put that it because i have found alot of places undercook or overcook them!
After the lovely meal we were gifted with what i would classify as my favorite greek dessert so far- zeppole's in honey! That's what i call them anyway... so delicious and warm with some cinnamon on top- to die for :) Oh how my belly thanked me.
I can't forget to say that the service was really nice. Busboys and waiters all very attentive and sociable. They have a handful of wines by the glass and a pretty decent selection by the bottle. Reasonable prices for everything. You might notice a difference when you compare what you get for your money here as you would in alot of the other typical greek spots in Astoria, but i think its definitley worth it. No need to gorge yes?
I'll be going back soon to try their famous sausage and maybe just go to town on the appetizer menu!
There's a blurb about them here. Enjoy!
Ovelia
It was soooo hard to decide on 2 apps, the menu was so enticing. As much as i wanted to try their homemade sausage, the troops outnumbered me so we ended up with calamari and grilled octopus. I haven't had octopus that tender since... i can't remember when! The calamari were pretty darn perfect. No grease at all! Also tender and the breading was perfectly seasoned. Along with apps, we got a plate of bread, warmed and spiced pita and a garlic spread on toasted rolls. YUM indeed.
Being the fan that i am of pork, i was drawn to the pork souvlaki. You get a choice of sides- potatoes, fries, beets or broccoli rabbe. I went with the greens. They were so-so but the pork itself with the tzatziki were delicious. The soft warm pita soaking up all the juice was precut into bite sized pieces, prefect for each piece of meat.
Onto the salmon. An actual "human sized" piece. My boyfriend is a salmon fanatic and being the big guy that he his, probably could have used a larger portion (he's gotten used to the other greek grill houses where you get a ginormous portion), none the less, he was very happy with the flavor of the dish. The fries were done well - i think its important to put that it because i have found alot of places undercook or overcook them!
After the lovely meal we were gifted with what i would classify as my favorite greek dessert so far- zeppole's in honey! That's what i call them anyway... so delicious and warm with some cinnamon on top- to die for :) Oh how my belly thanked me.I can't forget to say that the service was really nice. Busboys and waiters all very attentive and sociable. They have a handful of wines by the glass and a pretty decent selection by the bottle. Reasonable prices for everything. You might notice a difference when you compare what you get for your money here as you would in alot of the other typical greek spots in Astoria, but i think its definitley worth it. No need to gorge yes?
I'll be going back soon to try their famous sausage and maybe just go to town on the appetizer menu!
There's a blurb about them here. Enjoy!
3401 30th Ave. (at 34th St.)
718-721-7217
WONDERFUL review! The pictures are delectable too. I can't wait to go. Porky souvlaki, here I come!
ReplyDeleteThe photos of the food came up really huge on my computer for some reason. God, I wanna take the train to Astoria and get some of that good-lookin' grub. Of course, I'm in Boston so they'll be closed by the time I get there.
ReplyDeleteRhea
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