Ali El Sayed - 5 Questions

NEW FEATURE!!!

At the end of every month, we are going to be spotlighting a different Astorian. We will be asking the same 5 questions, with I'm sure- greatly varying answers! This should be a fun and interesting addition to our regular posts and I for one, am looking forward to meeting all the interesting people. For our first installment, I thought who better to kick this off then one of my personal favorite local character's, Ali El Sayed. Here we go:

WHO: Ali El Sayed
Chef/Owner, Kabab Cafe (25-12 Steinway St. at 25th Ave)

Question #1 Were you born here? How has it changed? If not, where were you born and what brought you to Astoria?
Well, I was born in Alexandria, Egypt. I came here in 1978 and have been in Astoria almost 20 years and 18 years in this location.

Question #2 What is your favorite thing about living in Astoria?
(He looked at me with a look of wide eyed wonder, like DUH what a stupid question!)
Astoria itself, my favorite part is that the people make Astoria. Very interesting, don't you think?

Question #3 What is your number one go-to restaurant in Astoria? (other then his own)
Malagueta! The Brazilian guy, I love it. But the new Crepe guy is great too, you know- the French guy (he means Cafe Triskell)

Question #4 Best kept local secret that you don't mind sharing?
He answered with a chuckle- Mombar! (favoritism? maybe maybe not. I 100% agree on his brother's place being a gem) He's a great guy- he does good stuff and it's still a secret! But if you are hungry at 3 in the morning- and only at 3 in the morning then you have to go to Roti Boti.

Question #5 What would you like to see happen in/for Astoria in 2008?
What I really wish is that the restaurants in Astoria would not be segregated. This would help the community more. On one block you would have French, Brazilian, Egyptian all together. In 10 years? Oh yeah, it's gonna happen. I want Astoria to be the food capital of New York. What makes Astoria is flavor- you, me- no big fancy restaurants.

There you have it, our first 5 questions answered. Do you know a special Astorian who you think would be a good fit would want to sit for some questions? An interesting shop owner, a wise landlord, a great boss, an up and coming entrepreneur? Send over a quick note and maybe they can be one of the next 11!

Astorian Weekend Edition 31.01.08

Are you ready for some Football?! Well, I guess if you're from here or not, as long as you are living here, it will probably be a very entertaining weekend out and about with everything Giants.

I'd say if you're going for the typical grub, get out to McCann's- EARLY! I do love their wings.

Sunswick is having an Abitas beer promo & drink specials. They have awesome nachos, if you are looking for a winner. They didn't yet have the details for game day last night, but I'm sure there is some food thing they'll be offering. Can't go wrong with their zillion beers anyway!

• Check out the new face lift at Il Bambino.
• Sit around and grab a grilled cheese at Oleput.
• Or if the weather is cruddy: Enjoy Astoria on Flickr!

Update on Oleput :)

OK, so maybe they have their liquor license maybe not. Apparently it's still going through some red tape or something. I don't mind really as long as they are staying open so I can catch up on snack time!
Stopped over last night to check out the new diggs and found it quite cozy and warm (specially on such a blustery night) AND with the new menu. So now we can enjoy some freshly grilled cheese sammies along with the soup of the day (yesterday was mushroom bisque yum) and/or light salads. wow wow wow, let me know what ya'll think!

Astorian Weekend Edition 24.01.08

Oleput (31-13 Ditmars) reopened! I heard a rumor that the liquor license is in... let's check it out tonight!

Saturday stop in at Waltz at 8pm for some goodies and a "I'm New to Astoria: Meet and Greet Party". Go and represent the neighborhood and show some love to the newbs.

Seeds of Love are at it again with raising more cashola for a special family in need. This time the awesome crew at Curves (36-10 Ditmars) are setting up shop in North Astoria Saturday afternoon. They'll have tons of brand spanking new gear for you all to purchase and they still need donations as well, so check their website for the deets on how to help!

Try the Post Holiday Food Based Cleanse and Restoration at The Yoga Room (32-32 Steinway St) his Sunday! I did a full on cleanse a couple of weeks ago and I'm a fan. Maybe this one will be just as good? I'm willing to bet it is. From their mailer: "You will get to prepare, taste and take home recipes that will help you start the year with the clear, balanced energy needed for the cold winter months." It's 1 to 4 p.m. and $45.

There's a Sunday brunch being put together by the peeps over at Out Astoria at Locale (33-02 34th Ave). I know a couple of the members; a good time is pretty much guaranteed. Let them know you're coming in advance!

P.S. I finally made it to Mojave (22-36 31st St) and was quite satisfied. Hope to have them in the neighborhood for awhile so I can try more of the menu!

Astorian Weekend Edition 18.01.08

Well, to be honest, there are not really any Astoria events happening this weekend - most calendars are empty! However, it is a 3-day weekend for a lot of us, the 21st being Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. MLK Day is very important, so here's a little history about it.

On your day off, maybe go out for lunch. Here are some of my favorite places in town to have lunch:

Il Bambino
Luna de Juarez
Sunswick
Wave Thai

I also noticed today that La Guli Bakery (29-15 Ditmars Blvd) is still serving gelato, which is very cool (no pun intended). So if you are craving ice cream in this chilly weather, La Guli is for you. And did anyone hear the Mr. Softee truck last week?

I also wanted to remind you about the free wifi at Time Cafe, and I learned that Tell Astorya Cafe also has free wifi. So, take your laptop out with you this weekend for some sippin' and surfin'.

The MOMI is also showing a couple episodes of the serial Captain Marvel. I love watching shows at Tut's Fever. Be sure to visit the Museum itself while you're there - it is so cool!

Perhaps the best thing to do this weekend is sleep in! Enjoy your long weekend.

Time Cafe

This morning I went to Time Cafe for brunch - and it was great! $12 gets you a drink (mimosa, bloody mary, or juice), coffee/tea, mini muffins, and a main. I thought it was a pretty good deal, as everything was delicious. Plus, great service! They are really nice people there.

I was very happy with my mushroom, pepper, and fontina fritatta and my dining companion was pleased with his burger. The coffee was fine, slightly better than average NYC coffee. I loved that they served fries with breakfast. Oh and the mimosa was terrific! So was the pineapple juice.

The space was lovely, with comfortable chairs, interesting colored walls, and plenty of books to read. They have free wifi, too. And there was a nice jazz trio playing in the corner.

I'd totally go back for brunch, and would like to check out their other offerings. Highly recommended. It's a definite must try!

I took a few shots, too!

Time Cafe
44-18 Broadway in Astoria
http://www.timecafeny.com/index.php

Oleput Reopens Tomorrow!

Just heard it thru the grapevine - Oleput is opening tomorrow, Saturday the 12th. Hooray! Dang, it took long enough. Word on the street is that they got their liquor license, and they'll be offering beer and wine, along with savories like cheese and sausages. Plus everything else they had before (sweets). It all equals one big YUM.

If I can, I'll mosey over there tomorrow, check it out and bring back a report.

Astorian Weekend Edition 10.01.08

On your way home tonight you should stop in at A Town Hall Meeting - To Address Community Concerns at The Museum of the Moving Image (36-01 35th Ave) from 7:00 to 10:00pm. Along with Michael Gianaris, you'll find over a dozen New York City agencies in attendance ready to "try" to answer your questions and concerns.

Shop your way into the weekend at SITE (35-11 34th Ave) before its sale ends on the 21st. They are trying to make room for spring things already by marking down all furniture and lighting 20%!

Saturday at 4pm, join the gang from Transportation Alternatives Queens Committee in celebrating their 1 Year Anniversary at Sunswick (35th & 35th). They've done a lot with their freshman appearance on the scene. Definitely check them out for some greener transportation options!

Later on Saturday, Flux Factory (38-38 43rd St) is having a Closing Party & Catalogue Launch.
The NY NY NY event is described as "new and old treasures from the heart of the most loopy city - New York City." Sounds like a good time to me!

Sunday at noon at The Chocolate Factory (5-49 49th Ave) check out Tere O'Connor Dance - Rammed Earth. Buy your tickets ASAP; apparently this is a hot one and seats are extremely limited. For $15 each, you get to observe dance derived from architecture?! Fitting for an area where new structures pop up seemingly overnight.

Angelo & Son's Bakery

Tonight I went to Hellgate Social to witness the Guitar Hero play time. They bar had set it all up - guitar, drums, and mic - for anyone to play Guitar Hero. My original intent was to just watch but I got roped in, and boy was it fun! I did ok, not great, but had lots of fun. I can see how the game was such a popular seller this past Christmas.

On the way over to HGS, I spied the brightness that is Angelo & Son's Bakery. They've done some renovations it seems, including the neon. Angelo & Son's provides the bread for Sal, Kris and Charlie (the Sandwich Kings), and it's pretty good. Looks like they are going to have a cafe element to the bakery, which will be nice. That part of town is a bit lackluster compared to other parts, so bright, cheery places like that are a nice addition to the area.

Angelo & Son's is located at 22-09 Astoria Blvd.

Agave is Mojave

This past weekend I pointed out the new restaurant under construction by the Ditmars stop on 31st Street. Well, they're open as of tonight! They've named themselves Mojave and apparently it's fantastic! There's a lot of chatter about it over on Astorians, so check it out. We'll be by soon and will bring you our own review as well.

Nice to see something really different and good come to town!

KrisTees Big Winter Sale

Passing on info from KrisTees to you:

Hello Friends,
This weekend begins the start of KrisTees BIG WINTER SALE.
All items are 30-50% off including clothing, hats and scarves as well as select jewelry.

In addition, starting this weekend and ending next weekend, ALL JEANS will be $95.00 as a special promotion. This is really a very special deal for our customers because all our jeans are made of Italian denim with uniquely designed stitch detailing. Our denim lines include Brown Label, Deener and Ranahan. Especially with this cold weather, it is a good time to take advantage of this promotion and get a new pair of jeans for yourself!

We'll see you this weekend!

Astorian Weekend Edition 03.01.08

Welcome to a new year! We hope you had a great New Year's Eve/Day and got a chance to rest before heading back to the grind. Here at Joey in Astoria we're excited about this new year full of many possibilities. We'll keep you updated on the comings and going of the neighborhood as best we can. Speaking of new in the neighborhood, I got a chance to try Luna de Juarez over the holiday weekend and was very happy with the food. Everything we had was delicious - I really recommend getting the guacamole, which is made table-side. It's so fresh and the molcajete they make it in (at least the one we had) is in the shape of a pig! Totally adorable. The chocolate tres leches cake is amazing, too. Definitely give it a try.

The new place on 31st Street near the Ditmars subway station is shaping up, too. I peeked in the other day and it looks fabulous. Conventional wisdom says it will be an Astoria location for Agave restaurant, a popular latin/southwestern place in the Village. We will keep you updated on this exciting restaurant development in town.

On Friday at 8pm, Waltz (23-14 Ditmars Boulevard) presents the early jazz, swing, and blues stylings of The Blue Vipers of Brooklyn. They perform songs from 1920's and 30's and original tunes. Come enjoy the unique sounds of guitar/vocals, upright bass, washboard percussion, and trumpet, paired with 4-part vocal harmony.

The beginning of the year also brings us MulchFest at Astoria Park! Stop by January 5 and 6^th from 10-2 p.m., bring your holiday trees (real ones, minus the ornaments) to the Astoria Park parking lot, and get your trees chipped. It’s a great environmental reuse for the tree and you can even walk away with a bag of mulch from your very own tree if you like!

We expect to see more going on in as the year progresses, and we'll bring it to you! Enjoy the start of the new year.

Happy New Year Astoria!

Last year we ended off '06 with a summary of Astoria's biggest ups and downs , it worked out so well we decided to bring you the key hits and misses of our Astorian Adventures, the 2007 edition: (in no particular order...)

• Go to spot for random movies & drinks- Hell Gate Social.
• Lil Bistro 33 became Bistro 33 in a new location and one of our all time favs.
• Le Petit Prince closed but to fill the void we got Patisserie la Brioche D'Or & La Marjolaine
• We became inundated with Mexican & Japanese restaurants
• The fires in Greece brought about action in the neighborhood
• 36th Ave became the place to be or its getting there anyway! (Aces, Cafe Triskell, Arepas Cafe & more)
  
• Meister-burger tastiest burger- Sparrow
  
• Architectural Horror- Castle Astoria & Alpha/Omega- hard to believe i know, but it's a TIE!!!
• Biggest treat - pie a la mode from Oleput
• Weirdest opening... 7/11?
• Quirkiest event at the BG - Harry & the Potters played for the muggles!
• Biggest brush with big stars was of course the return of Peter Parker to Queens with Spiderman week
• Strangest date spot became White Castle on Valentines Day!
• Alien vs. Predator? No! Wine vs. Beer - wine bars invade Astoria in 2007 (Crescent and Vine, Rest-Au-Rant, Vino di Vino)
• Astoria stepped into greener ways with the addition of Turbines in the East River
  
• JIA's new best friend: NY Magazine, who linked to us more than anyone else - thank you!
• Best and most varied wine tasting: Vine Wine. Runner up: Waltz, which held a number of wine tastings this year.
• Funnest place for little gifts: Marco Polo Gift House
  
• Best new restaurant has to be of course, Il Bambino. I seriously doubt you will ever hear a negative peep out of us! We love Darren and the gang, keep up the delicious work :)
  
• Most important friend to animals continues to be Francis's Friends- remember them if you're in a "donating" mood!
  
• Best place for free giveaway art was and is Silver Age Comics, which holds Free Comic Book Day every year
  
• Best place for free public art: Socrates Sculpture Park
• Best new crepes: Cafe Triskell
  
• Dumbest suggestion for Astoria had to be creating a parking lot over the Grand Central Parkway.
  
• The tastiest gyro to touch these lips all year were from BZ Grill
  
• Oddest crime committed in Astoria: Finger twisting
  
• Rose and Joe's continues to entice us with the tastiest Sicilian slice!
  
• Best non-bakery pizza: Sophia Loren at Michael Angelo's

So there you have it, some good- some not so good, but all ours! We hope you have had a wonderful year here in our lovely nabe and that you continue to take advantage of all Astoria has to offer in 2008. Have a happy and a healthy wherever you may be and see you around hopefully!

Astorian Weekend Edition 27.12.07

OK kids, here we go. We here at JIA have gotten a little comprehensive list of all the go-to events in the neighborhood together for you. There should be something here to fit everyone's taste and budget... Get your clean duds out cause there are things to do and people to see this long weekend! (Yeah, ok, so these are all on Monday night, but you can hit these places up anytime you want! Give any of them a try any night.)

•Bistro 33 (19-33 Ditmars Blvd.) is having a pre-fix dinner with two different seatings is what I am told. There isn't info on the website since it is still under construction, but because I have fallen in love with this place- I would say, just give them a call for the 411 and get in on it whatever it may be! If you're looking to eat magnificently on the last day of the year, look no further!
• Brick Cafe (30-95 33rd St.) is doing a dinner and/or bar party. For the bar part of it, there is a $25 cover at the door starting at 9:30pm which covers your first drink as well. The restaurant opens at 6 for the first and less expensive of its two seatings. The second seating at 9pm also covers your entry to the bar party- so there you go, two birds with one $80 stone.
• Cavo (42-18 31st Ave.) also has a bash to offer at $150 per person for 4-course dinner (3 seating times- 7, 8 & 9pm) If you don't want to eat, there is also just the party option which will set you back $50- but it's a cash bar, so not much of a deal. They've got their menu up for perusal too.
• Central Lounge (20-30 Steinway) A cool $50 will get you entry and an hour of open bar. They have food and drink packages too if you are looking to splurge. The place is so cool looking that this could be the perfect reason to head all the way up there.
• Hell Gate Social (12-21 Astoria Blvd) Our always dependable good time go-to, doesn't disapoint with a no cover night full of music and entertainment. You don't even have to rush out there, the party goes from 10pm straight til 10am. There may even be a White Castle run for the munchies :)
• Locale (33-02 34th Ave.) looks to have a low key and delectable eating event with two 5 course seatings, (6pm $90 pp and 10pm $100pp). Just last week I was told that I need to go there for some delish Italian, this would be a great opportunity to see what gives.
• Riccardo's (21–01 24th Ave.) fills you up for $100 per adult and $60 per child. This may be a good all around party option for those of you toting some smaller folks :) They've posted the menu too if you want to make sure it fits your taste. If you want to get out of dodge before all the hubbub- they've also got a "matinee" option that doesn't sound too shabby.
• Waltz Astoria (23-14 Ditmars Blvd.) asks everyone to come decked in silver and gold. Dance and be merry from 9pm on.

Holiday Fun at Kristees

This week, I got a mailing from Kristees and thought I'd pass on the info to you:

• KrisTees Gift Certificates are available at the store.
  

• For the Christmas holiday we are marking down our fun novelty tees starting at $25 up to $32.
  

• Select items are on sale up to 40% off.
  

• Extended holiday shopping hours this weekend - 12noon to 9:30PM.

• Also, do not forget to stop in the store and pick up the Astoria Shopping Guide Map, which lists other great boutiques in Astoria, as well as new restaurants and bars! [I've seen this guide and it's very nice! -ed]
  

Have a wonderful Christmas and Happy Holidays!!!

Astorian Weekend Edition 20.12.07

Well, this is your last weekend to shop before the big day! A number of local Astoria places are having sales, too. Candy Plum (30-98 36th St) has a special on earrings - with every purchase of $50, receive a free pair of selected earrings! They also have gift certificates. The Museum of the Moving Image (36-01 35th Ave) is holding a store-wide sale with discounts of 10% (and 25% for Museum members) - they've got collectibles, books and DVDs (that Bladerunner DVD looks particularly good!). And Vine Wine (12-09 Jackson Avenue) in LIC is offering a 15% discount on cases (their Wednesday night tastings are pretty great, too).

For wellness related gifts, head over to the SPAce website (29-09 Ditmars) and order a gift card online! I hear very good things about the massages there, and their haircuts are extremely reasonable and well done. The Yoga Room (32-32 Steinway) is offering a number of discounts through December 31, too, for you and a friend.

For good eats, stop by Mundo (31-18 Broadway), which also has a new art exhibit up. They've got some new menu items, and the same wonderful ambiance. And gift cards! Il Bambino (34-08 31st Ave) just celebrated their one year anniversary in town - I was there last night and the food was delicious, as usual. They've been making soup lately, and the butternut squash soup I had was phenomenal. I've heard lots of good things about their other soups as well (I believe they change daily). Finally on the eating front: fantastic meatballs. The newly opened Philoxenia (32-07 34th Ave) makes excellent, almost tubular shaped meatballs (in a Greek style) which are very good, and Cassino in LIC (47-18 Vernon Blvd) makes some of the best Italian meatballs I think I've ever had. Really nice people run it, too.

This weekend also marks the Winter Solstice. This marks the shortest day and longest night of the year, and that just means more sunshine will come our way each day, bit by bit. Happy Eid, too!

Carnitas Taco

Carnitas Taco
Originally uploaded by The Flooz

Yum!
We interrupt the regularly scheduled weekend blog to give you the heads up on some good tacos :)

Meg was kind enough to swing by my place this weekend with some Al Pastor tacos in hand from the relatively new La Flor de Puebla. Well- they were so darned good (and spicy!) that i thought i'd go in myself and investigate the goods.
Went in yesterday and was pleasantly greeted by 5 year old Stephanie- the owners daughter and after i put in my order for 3 carnitas tacos and 3 cheese & chicken taquitos, we sat and chit-chatted about Bratz and Christmas balls for about 10 minutes while they cooked up my meal fresh!
Got some queso crema and green sauce on the side and $8.50 later, was home chowing down on some damn fine food. I'd put these tacos on par with the taco truck maybe even, hahaha!
The taquitos were a bit dry for my taste, but the cheese ones were pretty tastey.
Go check em out on the weekends and they have tamales- i'm planning on it this Saturday.

La Flor de Puebla
Astoria Blvd bet Steinway and 38th St

Astorian Weekend Edition 13.12.07

It's jammin at the Beer Garden (29-19 24th Ave.) on Thursday. Astorian band, CatGut does their holiday jam session thing at 7 p.m. Any excuse to have some dumplings is a good one- and there's no cover :)

Crafts and jewelry everywhere! At Waltz (23-14 Ditmars) there will be more goodies from the Astoria Craft Collective... in case you missed them 2 weeks ago. Stop in from 11am-5pm. Too far to walk to in the cold? Maybe the Jewelry exhibit & sale by Glykomaraki at Grand Cafe (37-01 30th Ave.) is closer! From 12:30 to 3:30pm enjoy over 85% off retail prices... and the burgers there are delish...

Tis the season all weekend at Loveday 31 (33-06 31st. Ave)! In the spirit of the holidays, all red and green items such as 60s coats, 80s boots, and many more will be 20% off this Saturday and Sunday!

Astorian Weekend Edition 06.12.07

Dang it's cold! But I have to admit, the snow has been very pretty and I enjoyed the manageability of the first snowfall this winter. However, it will warm up a little this weekend, for which I'm grateful. There's a lot going on this weekend!

Thursday brings us lots to do. At 7 p.m., Hellgate Social (12-21 Astoria Blvd) is hosting an artist reception for the exhibit 2 Live & Paint in Astoria. This new exhibit features the work of Ralph Almeida & William C. Lindsay. Bar 36 (36-05 30th Ave) is again hosting their Martini Thursdays - $2 off every martini on their menu (or create your own). Can't beat the free snacks, too! I just wish their website was more useful. Island Cafe Bar (35-15 36th St) has Jazz every Thursday evening from 7 p.m. to midnight.

If you're not into the bar/cafe scene on Thursday, head over to Laguardia Community College (31-10 Thomson Ave.) in LIC for the opening celebration/reception for the exhibit Edge of the City, the Waterfront Paintings of Gregory William. From 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m. meet the artist and enjoy the art.

Starting on Friday, stop by the Brickhouse Ceramic Art Center (10-34 44th Drive) for some holiday shopping. They are holding their annual holiday sale and open house Friday through Sunday. They offer one-of-a-kind handmade crafts from jewelry to ceramic. Their hours are Friday 4-8 p.m., Saturday 2-8 p.m., and Sunday 12-6 p.m.

Saturday night Hellgate Social presents a night of Japanese punk rock! Expect live music by The Yuharis, Uzuhi, and B.C.P. Conversely, Waltz (23-14 Ditmars) presents a twist on karaoke - jazz! Come and sing in front of a live jazz band. Set list will be provided, sign-up is at 9 p.m. and the show starts at 9:30.

Find some calm on Sunday at Grace Lutheran (31-20 21st Ave) for a weekly Buddhist meditation with Luis Villalon. The subject for this weekend is The Healing Power of Love. Beginners are welcome.

A friend of mine told me all about Rest-au-Rant, a new wine bar on 35th Ave and 30th Street. He told me, Essentially it's a wine bar, with about 30 wines, so far, though they're aiming to increase that number to 50. They also have tasty beer on tap, from Germany, New Zealand, Hawaii, Belgium, France, Weissbier and a slew of others. They also offer hummus, cheese and fruit platters and paninis. Definitely worth a try. And best food I've had out this week was at Sparrow (24-01 29th St) - their burger, which is excellent, was particularly good, as were the fries and olive plate. Don't forget to try the hot chocolate - warm, chocolately, and creamy, perfect on a cold evening.

Photo credit: Harris Graber on Flickr via a Creative Commons License

Astorian Weekend Edition 29.11.07

Here we are, heading into the last month of 2007! And to think- there is still new stuff to do and places to discover :)

I have gone ahead and flavor tested the new Luna de Juarez (25-98 Steinway) restaurant for you all and am pleased with the results! Wrote about it yesterday! They have a little room for improvement, but are definitely worth a visit on your way home tonight.

When the sun goes down on Fridays, you should go up! Upstairs that is... and I quote "housey vibes, the chillest friends, some comfy couches, a fireplace, breakdancin', happy hour, sugar sweets!, city sunsets, food food, 'i can feeeeel it !' music ...served fresh ^.)" If that piqued your interest, then go find out what they are talking about at AeroTropic :World Series (31-29 Ditmars Blvd.)

The Seeds of Love fundraisers are back for a holiday helping! They had an outdoor event but now with the cold and all, they've gone indoors -- Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Steinway Reformed Church (41st St. at Ditmars Blvd), find a ton of clothes, shoes and bags for you to snap up. Get a little more into the holiday spirit by bringing an item or two from their wishlist and help make some child's wish come true

Sunday - over at Waltz (23-14 Ditnars Blvd.) you can find all types of goodies from the Astoria Craft Collective. IIn my opinion, this is the best way to shop for the holidays this year -- no crowds and super original (local) stuff. Meg got a sneak preview this week to share with you all. Take a gander at some of the originals before running out there!