Astorian Weekend Edition 8.1.09

Warm up with a Flamenco performance on Friday at 8:30pm (there is a second performance at 10:30 as well). Watch the American Bolero Dance Company while nibbling on some tapas for the $20 cover. It's at the Auditorium Centro Espanol (41-01 Broadway) but you'll have to give them a call for reservations: 718-392-8888.

There's been alot of talk of a new beer haven in the are, the jig is up. After hosting a New Year's party, looks like Wunderbar (37-10 11th St) is finally having its grand opening this Friday the
9th. This is a good thing during the recession! Open bar from 6 to 8 p.m. along with a yummy buffet. Enjoy some authentic German tunes from a live band the whole while, too!

Who says bigger is better? Not me. My European roots have taught me well that a good espresso can go a long way. Rio's Mania (37-05 28th Ave) makes a fine $1.50 caffeine boost. They are in the old Tell Astorya spot and bring a little tropical warmth at an affordable price. Oh, and if you want a little extra pep in your step, get their acai bowl for $6 and be prepared to share with a friend; it's huge!

On a budget? Cold winter Saturdays bring us the awesomely delicious smoked tomato and parmesan bisque from Il Bambino (34-08 31st Ave). For $5 you get a heck of a bowl full and a crostini slathered in pesto. There are a lot of yums on the menu. So it may be hard, but it really IS possible to eat frugally.

On Sunday while I'm grubbing at my first Sunday Night Dinner party, why not go out and do some fun food shopping? I don't get a
chance to head over to Bravo (34-12 34th Ave) often enough, but it's got such a great variety of stuff. I'm sure you can cook up something exotic and delicious, too.

Top Chef Hits Astoria

Image by bravotv.com

Last night's premiere of Bravo's reality food show, Top Chef featured our very own neighborhood. It was exciting to see contestants of the show's 5th season get off at the Astoria Blvd subway stop and head to our very own Greek supermarket, Titan. Their mission was to prepare an ethnic meal themed to a neighborhood that was chosen for them. Both New York natives, Jamie and Richard competed head-to-head in making a typical Greek meal. Watch the action here!

Also, it looks as if the contestants are living in an upscale high-rise building in LIC. I'm not certain about that but it looked that way from the view out their window. I'm glad to see that people are finally catching on--Queens is cool!

A Project Runway-er from Astoria

Image by bravotv.com

Having things to watch, like quality reality TV (ehem) makes the summer that much more enjoyable. One of those shows happens to be my favorite Bravo series, Project Runway. Now in it's 5th season, the show seems to be coming back to full circle, starting off with the very first food challenge from Season 1. Running out of ideas Heidi? Nevertheless, there is something interesting that's keeping us watching. A fellow Joey reader, Joe sent us an email today about one of Runway's contestants, Stella Zotis. She's a goth, rocker chick who almost got eliminated in the first episode. And..she's an Astorian! Check out her bio below and make sure you tune-in to see how she does in the next episode.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention Joe!

STELLA ZOTIS, 42, Astoria
Fashion credentials: Self-taught, former punk-rock makeup artist; makes custom leather and denim pieces for rock stars.
New York fashion inspiration: "I'm inspired by the New York rock scene, especially at places like CBGB, where I went to my first matinee in 1982, and L'Amours East in Forest Hills, where I went to see the Ramones."
Celebrity you would most like to dress: "I'd love to make a pair of pants for Keith Richards."

Bio by the New York Daily News