Seva, my new bud off the avenue

I decided to take myself out for dinner last night.
I was flying solo so I thought it a good opportunity to try something that I know my other half doesn't like at all- Indian. Been hearing all kinds of good stuff about Seva Indian Restaurant (30-07 34th St) and since it's on my way home, it won out. I had no idea how affordable it would be!
Walking up to the place I saw the sandwich board outside letting me know that there is a prix fixe dinner if I was so inclined. You'll never believe it, but it was only $12! Granted no drink included but it's BYOB! This just kept getting better.

There was only one other couple in the place when I got there so service was super fast and attentive (but they were so sweet, I have to believe they are always like that) but it was early- 6:30ish maybe? That changed by the time I left, it was almost full. The menu was the perfect size. Not too overwhelming and not too crazy, especially for someone with very little Indian cuisine knowledge. Seeing as how what wanted was also on the meal deal menu, I went for it...you knew I would ;)
One veggie samosa, chicken saag and basmati rice, gulab jamun and I had to throw in a rosemary naan with a refreshing glass of limeade. So what that this put me over my $12 quoted price- I WANTED IT ALL!!!!

The kind sir went to put in my order and then "gifted" me with papadum and 2 sauces. I think he said one was mint and the other tamarind? Whatever really, I loved it. Proceeded to devour it.





Out came my little samosa puff on a little pool of the 2 sauces mentioned above. I am kidding when i call it little. My big healthy sized samosa was enough to split- lucky for me there was noone to split it with ;)



Glory be, that naan was huge hot and tasty. The little pots that held the chicken and the rice were adorable. At first glance I was like, wow I can see why it's affordable. But after digging in and getting fuller and fuller by the minute I started wondering who the hell could eat a full dinner portion?!?!?! I fought the good fight and only ended up leaving half my rice and 1 scoop of chicken and sauce. Sad I know, but I needed to finish the glorious naan and my dessert still to come!


I am very unfamiliar with any and all Indian desserts. But seeing as the description for the other one likened it to rice pudding (which I detest) I had to order the gulab jamun. They describe it as Honeyed dumplings, cashew stuffing, rosewater, cardamo. Craptastic! I'm glad it wasn't really plural, there was one huge zeppole type cake in a dish swimming in a pretty aromatic sauce with some shredded stuff on top. This was maybe my favorite thing of the night. I could do some damage to a platter of these. Serious.

The place is a must for everyone. Not kidding. Couples, groups or solo like me. They've got something for everyone and super affordable. My whole dinner after tax was $18.50. If I were not the glutton that I just described on here, there would have been enough for lunch the next day. Alas, I 'll just have to go back.

Seriously.
Loved it.
Yup, it's good.

Seva Indian Restaurant
30-07 34th St (corner of 30th Ave)
718 626 4440

El Jamon, don't sleep on it!

El Jamon (25-51 Steinway) has got a lunch special fit for a king I tell ya! To my surprise, I went in for a nice Sunday afternoon lunch and was offered the new lunch special. Now I've gone there a few times before and been very satisfied with both the food and the service every time, but now there is even more of a reason to like the place, 3 courses for $12.95! (You can add a fourth for another couple of bucks but that would be gluttony). Needless to say, I had lunch for the next day...

I didn't take too much of a close note on all the options but there are 2 or 3 for each course. While you are looking over the menu there is always a nibble or two brought out by the sweet wait staff, this time was no different. We got toast with a ceviche flavored fish of sorts, maybe sardine? Also two little croquettes (I had a lunch date, i assume they will always bring out one of each person). I then of course looked over the lunch menu - which is available every day mind you.... but I forget the times (sorry!) and found great options.

I settled on Hogaza de Lomo (melted manchego cheese topped with grilled marinated pork loin and piquillo pepper) as my appetizer. Here I am thinking OK, I'll get a piece of toast with some smidge of pork- yeah right! This could really have been enough for me at this point. I was already starting to daydream about my lunch of leftovers for tomorrow! The flavor of the pork was so nice and tangy. It had a nice red tinge to it too, you could see the seasoning had worked.

So now comes the big one. My main was the Chuleton ala Brasa, a 10oz. grilled rib eye with cabrales cream sauce served with poor man's potatoes (they are kinda like home fries but better). I couldn't believe this was a "lunch" portion! They have the 16 ounce version on the regular menu and it goes for $20- that's craziness I tell you CRAZINESS! No joke, I started in and tried to make a dent and pretty much fell in food lust with the whole thing. The potatoes where nothing to scoff at either, they were under there just sopping up the cheese and meat juices, I'm not much of a potato person and I killed these- for reals. Over half of this plate ended up for lunch the next day. Filling isn't the word.

Is there room left for anything? Damn right there is! When it comes to their Chocolate Mousse, I can always make room. What kind of review would I be able to give if I didn't go all the way with my 3rd course?!?!?!? I really do love the simple homemade mousse they have here. I get it every time I'm there :) It's got flecks of shaved chocolate in it and they serve it with these little fried puffs of some sort of not too sweet fruit goo. Hahahaha I know my description sucks but hey, I'm a foodies not a proper writer!!!! But you get it right? Go try it for yourself, give me the better description- I'd love to hear it!


Yup, that's my review. The place is adorable and the people are sweet. The food is good and you get more then your money's worth (especially on this incredible lunch deal). I'd like to see this place stick around, it will now be my go-to steak place when I get the hankering thats for sure.

Keep an eye on the Luna

Last night I felt the need for Mexican. It could be because of all the talk on here and in the neighborhood in general, that Luna de Juarez is open and looking to please.
This Mexican (slightly fusion) restaurant has been open about a week now in the old Santorini spot on the corner of 28th Ave & Steinway St. The actual decor and ambiance of the place is quite nice, very comfortable and warm. They even have a chiminea at the entrance with candles burning it. The front of the place has a few bar tables mixed in with regular seating to create a very chill area. It definitely lends itself to a casual hang- maybe for the free wi-fi and/or a slice of cake and some coffee.
The most stand out thing to me from the get go and throughout the evening was the people. Everyone was so sweet and welcoming, the service was impeccable. I felt like royalty! If there was a lack for anything- they were on it right away. Our server for the night was Roosevelt- gotta love the name, and the guy was even better! He was so nice and patient and super informative and open to all my questions. The basic round up is- the cuisine is all authentic Mexican from Mexico City and most everything is made fresh in house.

Now for the food of course.
Since we are trying to behave with the overindulgence's while dining out- we decided to share everything. This is also a good way to go when you want to try several things. Right away I was intrigued by the table side guacamole making option on the menu, but since we were already noshing on chips and interesting salsa (its a much more mashed avocado with tomatillos and other peppers) we decided to go with the very interesting Stuffed Avocado (Aguacate Luna de Juarez $9.95). This is apparently a very traditional dish from the region and it did not disappoint. Be sure to have more chips on hand for all the avocado goodness! The massive appetizer is stuffed with shrimp, cheese, squid & corn and sits on a creamy wine sauce.
Next on our list was the Signature House Salad (Ensalada Luna de Juarez $7.95) tortilla strips & goat cheese on a bed of mixed lettuce with a guajillo pepper vinaigrette. It was fresh and tasty and I could have eaten alot more of it all by myself..
I love the smell of steak on the grill so I had to go for the Steak Fajitas ($16.95). They come with all the regular fix-ins, but the guacamole and the tomato salsa was really really spot on. The meat could have been a bit more seasoned in my opinion- luckily though, when you put everything together and wrap it up in the tortilla it all comes together in a delicious smorgasbord of flavors! We wanted a bit more kick so I asked Roosevelt if they had any hot sauce. He brought us what looked like the same green salsa that came with the chips but he told us it was just the hot part of it without the avocado. I'd call it mild tomatillo salsa, it added great flavor with minimal punch- it worked fine for me.
This alone filled my dinner partner and I up more then I would have imagined! Roosevelt would not accept that, he really wanted us to try the tres leches cake. He sent us home with a complimentary slice... that I am sitting here eating while i type this :)

Go eat.
This place has to iron out a few "taste" kinks but I have high hopes for these guys.
Authentic Mexican close to home sounds good to me!

Luna de Juarez
25-98 Steinway
Astoria, NY 11103
718.274.4350

Bistro 33 and me...perfect together

OK, I already knew I was lucky to live in Astoria - one of New York's great food Meccas - but I didn't realize how lucky until last Monday, October 8th. I was one of thirty or so lucky foodies invited to preview the Fall menu at Bistro 33 (19-33 Ditmars Blvd.)

My good friend and fellow foodie, Chef Jonathan Forgash from Astoria's own Start Struck Catering, set up the Chef's tasting menu. He and his friend, Bistro 33 Chef, Gary Anza, recently spoke about how to get some locals introduced to the grub the chef's been cranking out for all these years. Sometimes you just need a little nudge to go for something new you know? I've never been about French cuisine Per Se, but the fusion part got my attention - and also the sushi (one of my weaknesses). So prior to the Fall menu preview, Jonathan took me there for dinner as somewhat of a tease I think! He was already working the idea of the tasting out with Chef Gary and was looking for my opinion. It was so, so, so, good, I knew this tasting was going to really wow everyone lucky enough to be in on it

I could sit here and tell you about the great new space they've got up on Ditmars, or how local artists painted the original artwork adorning the walls, or even the fact that they have an awesome selection of sake (peach infused sake anyone?) and Japanese beer- but why would I do that when you know I'm all about the FOOD!!!!

Let me get my food porn out of the way- I'll walk you through it :)

Included in our incredible price was one drink of the alcoholic variety- wine or beer- I ordered the Pinot Grigio (Alverdi, Italy) since i saw that there was going to be alot of seafood- i liked it. Then came course after course of incredible dishes...

We wet our whistles on plates of Edamame with the perfect amount of salt (you'd be amazed how many times I've had to ask for salt!) And what a heaping portion- everyone at the table thought we'd be sharing a plate when in fact we each received our own. I can't really go into Edamame now can I? Umm... reheat and serve? No complaints.




I guess this would be considered the first course- Salmon Truffle Tartare on an egg noodle crisp topped with Ikura (Salmon Roe). You could have knocked me over with a feather! I was asking for more from everyone around me- silly me was hoping someone wouldn't be into salmon or something and I would be able to help them out so as to not insult the Chef...wrong. Everyone loved this. It was so delicate and no crazy over salty explosions of roe in your mouth. Really, it was wonderful.

The opening was followed by Grilled Shrimp with a lime aioli dipping sauce followed. I was intrigued from the get-go when I saw this plate. Not a lemon, but a grilled orange was used to hold the aioli. We were then instructed by our gracious servers to squeeze the oranges with the sauce directly over the shrimp and eat that way. The lime and orange citrus burst combination was incredible, such a refreshing flavor. I could kill a heaping plate of this.

Roasted Sweet Pork with sauteed baby shitake mushrooms & grilled scallions was perhaps Annie's favorite. As hard as it was to pick one that night, the pork was so tender and flavorful- I can understand her choice. I'll just add that the mushrooms and scallions were cooked perfectly and played in nicely as a bed to absorb all the yummy juices from the pork!

Sautéed Scottish Salmon atop thyme roasted potatoes with a black summer truffle beure blanc. Maybe the shrimp were my favorite- or maybe it was this to die for salmon! ding ding ding... we've got a winner. A perfectly cooked piece of moist salmon was heavenly. The accompaniment was nothing to scoff at either. Tiny little toasted taters floated in a indulgent beure blanc. This dish... wow. Please don't be afraid of the perfect crispy skin on there either, you're taste buds will thank you!

5th in line for our ready-to-burst bellies, Spicy White Tuna Asparagus Sushi Roll topped with white tuna & avocado. I have to confess- the Chef had sent us out this dish the previous time I was there as a surprise "hey look what i'm working on" kind of thing. The sushi at this place is really spot-on, and the combinations they come up with are all incredible.

Rounding out the night of decadence- Chocolate Espresso Stout Ice Cream on a fudge brownie. I don't normally make it to dessert because I tend to overdue on the savory - but this time, how could i say no? Lucky for me, my companion took off early and I was stuck with his desert... not a lick went to waste. Something about the stout kick in the melty ice cream and the warm gooey brownie to soak it all up- it's the best sweet I've had in quite some time.

I suggest a nice long walk home after a meal like this!

The long and short of it? Get a party of 33 friends together who are up for the Chef's tasting menu and give Gary a call and see what he can do. Or just get your butt over there now, I mean come on- they are open every night..with brunch on the weekends, too. Take your pick from the menu- you won't be disappointed!

Pictures galore on Flickr

My peeps in the hood :)

If you didn't know it before, you know it now- I am Portuguese. First generation born in the US. I grew up in NJ in a very very very Portuguese neighborhood where the food shopping and eating out was very authentic. For 25 years i took for granted all the fresh and delicious homemade offerings at my fingertips! Moving to NY, even though it is only an hour away- left me craving mom's cuisine. Yes there are tons of Brazilian restaurants around but as good as they are, that's not the real deal. Well my friends, that's all changed now. Arcos (33-05 Broadway) has opened! There had been some chatter of a new place opening and that ...it would be a Portuguese restaurant. After stopping over there to verify this, I saw it with my own eyes! That was 2 weeks ago. This past Sunday April 1, they opened for business. Last night on my way home i decided to stop in and check it out. Chef/Owner Joe came out of the kitchen to talk shop a little. Oh how happy was I to be able to talk food in Portuguese! Half the time I don't know what the English translation of most of the dishes are anyway, so it was a lot easier to gush about them all in the original language.

I don't have a whole lot to say yet, i plan on really scrutinizing the menu and tasting more then any girl watching her figure should, but i couldn't leave without getting one of my favorite dishes to go- Carne de Porco a Alentejana. It's little pork cubes and potatoes and clams (and sometimes shrimp and chorico too) in a zesty/garlicky brown sauce served with rice and a squeeze of lemon. It was quite tasty indeed, but since i had a very specific quality in mind, i don't think it quite hit the 5 star mark i was hoping for. It should have come with some bread and a wedge of lemon for sure, you can't eat Portuguese without bread! And the side of mashed potatoes-although good, were redundant with the lightly fried potatoes in the dish proper. I loved the rice! oh how i loved it. It was perfect!!! The clams were yumm too (if a bit large). Lastly, the pork pieces tasted great but i think they should have been smaller. All the parts of the dish should be uniformly about 1 inch square (imo). All in all, for $11 it was a great dinner. More then enough to share too. Not enough for 2 meals, but definitely a good shareable dish.

They don't offer delivery yet, but you can call ahead for carry out. I had a menu but darn it if i didn't forget it there! It was much smaller then the huge selection for dining in, but it had a wide variety of offerings for sure. Liquor- not yet, another new place that has to wait forever and a day for their license! Good news is that most Portuguese wines fall way under the $10 mark for decent dinner pairings and more and more local stores are carrying them. Bring a couple!

So yeah, i am extremely happy about Arcos in Astoria. Already planning a big party with my closest 20 friends to really test out their menu. If you've never had Portuguese, please go and enjoy. Some of it may not be pretty (we've been known to leave a head on once or twice) but you can be sure that its made with love and will warm your heart.

I promise you more pictures, price points and my honest pros and cons for sure.

Arcos Churasqueira
33-05 Broadway, Astoria
718-204-2142

New Feature-- A review of Aces Restaurant

Aces

36th ave between 32nd and 33rd Street

You know, I am one of those eaters who likes a sweet pea flan as much as a Jack in the Box taco in the right circumstances. I appreciate food from both sides of the tracks, if you will, as long as someone has loved it just a little before it has been dropped on the plate that I eat it from. But I tell you this-- if someone has loved the food a lot, even if it has other flaws.... well then, I am forever in their thrall.

This is the case with the new Aces. Three sets of my friends had directed me here by the time I finally made it in. A bitterly cold Saturday night found me sitting at the bar, alone, and waiting a bit too long to be greeted and offered a drink. (who does a girl have to fuck around here to get a drink?!??!!) But the waitress in me could see that it was just a case of too many customers and one too few waiter types. Truthfully, it was all I could do not to just get up and help them with the room, but I refrained and was glad I did, because it now means that I get to go back and be "the nice lady who tips well" instead of "the impatient lady who had to jump in and waitress because she could not wait for that cocktail."

So, indeed my bartender did arrive, and graciously offered me a drink. I chose a glass of wine, something I realize now was not a mistake, but not my strongest decision. I should have had one of his cocktails. His meaning the bartender/owner, Miguel. The reason being is that he is a damn good bartender, and in a city this big we fall into a false sense of complacency thinking that surely most bartenders are good, but let me tell you straight-- they are NOT. A truly good bartender is almost too good to be true, and you should shower your money and affections on the few who come along. Subsequent visits have brought many Mojitos, and although I have strong feelings about making a bartender use so much fresh mint in the dead of winter, (out of season!!!!) I can get over them for this mojito. He loves that sucker like nobody's business, and you the lucky drinker are thus rewarded. Not only that, but his old fashioneds are damn good too. A drinker's paradise.

That night I ate an app of Risotto-- with Huitlacoche!!!! In Astoria. Dude, huitlacoche is a fungus that grows on corn in Mexico and is deeeelicious. It is also curiously not present at most restaurants save high end fussy in Manhattan. What a treat to have it here. Creamy risotto-- not too wet, not too dry, with mushrooms and that black funk. Oh yeah. I finished, happily, and slid off my barstool into the night.

In other visits, I have had the clams, cooked in a white wine, butter and chorizo broth that we loved so much we upended the bowl and drank it, (good thing we have no shame) and this fun take on the french frisee et lardons salad, this one with long leaves of Romaine lettuce, poached egg, lardons and a crema fresca dressing. Springy and bright, that salad, plus the added bonus is that after you have broken the egg and it has oozed all over the lettuce, you can use the leaves as a shovel and scoop up the bits of everything else with your hands. It seems uncouth, but truly it is genius. A late night dinner brought the butternut squash soup, a tad salty but good, a gorgeously marbled Ribeye with a rosemary scented jus and some potato puree, and a crusted skate wing with a little too much balsamic redux on the plate but plenty of love nonetheless. And, I would like to mention, I believe that the skate was only $15 and the ribeye $20. That is a steal no matter how you look at it.

So, go see these guys. Take a night off from dining in the glossy halls of manhattan and do a little business in your neighborhood. The drinks are well mixed, the food is simple and well prepared and there is love going on your plate and in your glass. You can get the best, most expensive ingredients in the world and the hottest customers and the best press, but at the end of the day, it is only the guys who truly care about feeding you that make the difference. Go go go to Aces!


Aces: 36th ave between 32nd and 33rd Street
Open 7 days a week for dinner only
Cash only for now.

Pros: food is excellent and off the beaten path. Fresh, well thought out menu with stuff you want to eat. Reasonable prices, large portions, GREAT bartender, owned and operated by people who truly care.

Cons; service can be a bit slow-- kitchen could tighten time between courses. This should improve over time.

Even more Greek greatness

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
3401 30th Ave. (at 34th St.)
718-721-7217