Wikipages Blog

Stamatis has been in the process of renovating a building right across the street to become their new location. One of the most famous Greek restaurants in Astoria, this popular establishment has been packed with people, as if everyone wants to get the most out of their old favorite before it moves. Their new spot has looked finished for a while now, but still hasn’t had its grand opening yet. Hopefully, their faithful customers will be happy with the change.

Last night, I visited one of my favorite restaurants in Astoria: Zenon Taverna. Located on 31st Avenue, Zenon serves delicious Cypriot and Greek food in a warm atmosphere. I first learned of the place through a friend, who had dated a Cypriot boyfriend in college, who had introduced her to the place. I fell in love with the restaurant from my first visit.

At Zenon, you can order one of several meals, which involve a whole selection of cold and hot dishes. I’ve always ordered the Vegetarian Meal, which includes a variety of tasty dips, salads, grilled vegetables, and (of course) haloumi. I love being able to eat a little of a lot of different things. It just seems to be the best way to eat. As my sister used to say, when she was little, “the chicken room is full, but the dessert room is empty”. Well, too much of one thing is just too filling for me. But this eating style is perfect.

I’d been craving this restaurant for a while, when a friend and former Astorian suggested we go out last night. So we met up at Zenon and it was everything I hoped it would be. My friend was amazed at the amount of dishes included in one meal. As dish upon dish was brought to our table, we tried to maintain a slow eating pace as the menu suggests. Everything was delicious and the price for the full meal came out to a mere $25 each.

With a contented, satisfied feeling, I looked around at the (slightly cheesy) paintings of Cypress on the walls and thought that I must go to Cypress soon. Any place with such good notions on food is definitely worth a visit.

Last night, I tried a place I’d often passed, but never sampled: Dumpling Man. Located in the East Village, this place has always intrigued me with its eye-catching, adorable dumpling icon. On our way to the Public Theater to see King Lear, we wanted a quick bite to eat and Dumpling Man was perfect.

The menu is not terribly extensive. They serve veggie, pork, chicken, and pumpkin dumplings, steamed or seared. We got veggie for me, pork for Ben, and pumpkin to share. When I first took a bite of the veggie dumplings, I thought they had given me beef. I spit it out and Ben asked if they had confused our order. It turns out it was “wheat protein”. Good for you, I suppose, though I was not a huge fan. Just not what I was expecting.

The pumpkin dumplings were covered in honey and very sweet and delicious. Although it was all so filling, it was up to Ben to finish most of it.

We watched one of the women working with the dough to make the dumplings, all done in view of the diners. Very cool. Definitely a fun place for a quick bite!

It was my birthday last week, so yesterday my parents, my sister, her husband, and Ben’s parents all came into Astoria to have an early dinner with Ben and me. At Ben’s suggestion, we decided to go to Trattoria L’Incontro, the best Italian restaurant in the city according Michael Halberion, former owner of the Steinway Mansion.

The restaurant is located just a block from the subway. Of course on Sunday, this block was full of treacherous icy pools and slippery slush, which I’m sure the parents enjoyed walking through. The entrance is odd, since there is an entrance on Ditmars, but not open to the public and then there’s the main entrance on 31st. The interior is lovely, forsynthias greet you as you walk in. The place has high ceilings and walls with large paintings of the Italian country-side.

We all sat down to a comfortable table. The restaurant was fairly crowded for a Sunday afternoon. The waiter came over to tell us the specials and, to our surprise, it took nearly ten minutes for him to do so. I couldn’t pay attention after a while. But the menu itself had many delicious sounding pastas and salads to choose from.

I ordered a goat cheese salad in a raspberry vinagrette and a pasta with basil and tomato. We spent the dinner talking about childhood plays and family memories. The food was delicious, but filling. I barely finished half my meal!

We strolled past Freeze Peach on the way home and picked up some tasty Chai to drink with the cake that my mother had baked. We all came back to our cozy apartment, and enjoyed the cake and the company. It ended up being the perfect family Sunday dinner.

Ben and I met up with our friends Mairead and Tess at a place I’d heard good things about: The Smorgas Chef on Stone Street. This is my favorite part of the Financial District. A pedastrian street, old buildings, a good place to go out.

A tiny spot, The Smorgas Chef has a clean decor which Tess rightfully described as reminiscent of IKEA. Well, having always enjoyed my time in Ikea, I took that as a good sign. Mairead, who’s part Swedish, said many places in Sweden have similar decor. To which I immediately said to Ben, “We need to go to Sweden.”

The menu is a bit limiting for vegetarians, but there’s at least one vegetarian option. I, however, have recently started eating fish, so I went for the grilled salmon. There is a decent Prix Fix Menu of $30 for an entree with salad and desert. There’s also a good deal for Tuesdays where entrees are two for one. I forgot this until the end of the night when we were all happily surprised with a perfectly reasonable bill.

With delicious foods and Ikea atmosphere, this was definitely a good place to catch up with friends. I’ll be visiting it again in nice weather, when the restaurant has tables outside in the street.

Ben and I had a lovely Valentine’s Day right in Astoria. We decided to go out to one of our favorite restaurants for dinner: Mezzo Mezzo. It’s a tasty, slightly pricey Greek place not far from the subway.

While the weather was pretty brutal on Wednesday, it was warm and cozy inside the restaurant. Mezzo mezzo has a bit of an odd decor with carved wood and almost a cabin lodge feel. A contrast to the Mediterranean menu.

We sat upstairs, which is normally quieter, with a nice view of the street. There’s a fake fireplace, which still adds to the warm atmosphere despite the slight cheesiness. We ordered a selection of appetizers, as usual. Haloumi (grilled goat cheese), of course, Greek salad, a selection of dips and spreads, and sausage for Ben.

The food was delicious, as were the two glasses of Savignon Blanc I drank. All in all, a romantic Valentine’s Day.

I’m home sick today with a cold and a sore throat. The cruel weather and dry heat have worn me down. And when I’m sick, I take my mother’s advice. Drink lots of liquids and eat lots of soup. Though I don’t eat the chicken noodle soup I grew up with; I settle down with a nice bowl of Udon noodles from Kwang Noodle House.

Located in Astoria, Kwang is a tiny little noodle shop that opened a couple years ago. It’s run by a very friendly couple who by now know us as regulars. They serve delicious noodles, miso soup, sushi, bento boxes, and bubble milk tea. It might grow into an eat-in restaurant, but for now you can pick up this yummy food or have it delivered.

I, personally, am opting for delivery. No way I’m going out there today.

I’m a big brunch fan. Ever since college, where it was the only decent meal that the cafeteria served, consisting of eggs, pancakes, donuts, french toast, and served until 2 in the afternoon (which is good since, during college, I just barely woke up before that time). Luckily there are some places within walking distance I can stumble over to now on a lazy Sunday for some delicious, thoroughly fatty food.

My favorite spot in Astoria for brunch has got to be Igloo. Igloo has an inviting interior, with windows, booth-seating, a garden-type room, and an outdoor courtyard, great for summer brunches. The menu is pretty broad, with tons of different omelet options (which I’m always tempted to get, but can never finish), smoothies, flavored coffees, and the usuals (pancakes, french toast, etc.). They also have plenty of lunch options, but I’m a firm believer that the first meal of the day should contain traditional breakfast foods: eggs, starch, and donuts.

Ben and I love to stroll over to Igloo for a brunch treat and sip our coffee, do some people watching. The food’s a little pricier than most Astorian establishments, but well worth it, in my opinion. Then an after breakfast walk to Astoria Park or the Steinway Mansion. Leisure should not be confined to one’s college years after all.

While I love many restaurants in the city, if someone asked me what’s my favorite, my answer would still come fast: Republic.

Republic is a popular stop for the young hip of New York. But I pride myself in having discovered it on my own. My first year in New York, after returning from a trip to London, I wondered if I could find a New York restaurant similar to Wagamama’s, my favorite London restaurant. The decor there is white, modern and stark, with long communal tables and benches. The service was short and snappish. And the food–huge bowls of delicious noodle dishes. I thought there must be something like that somewhere in NY.

So I did research. Looked up noodle shops online. I came across a review of Republic which likened the placed to Wagamama’s and I thought “this is it.”

Republic is firstly a good bet for dinner because of location. With so many subway lines, Union Square is convenient to get to from practically anywhere in the city. Right across from Union Square Park, Republic offers a great meeting spot and a park to stroll around in after your meal.

The place’s interior has a similar vibe to Wagamama’s: modern clean, simple. But a little more edgy. A little more color. A little more of huge photos of people eating noodles. And at their long cafeteria-style tables, there is a little shelf underneath where you can put your coat or purse. Ingenious.

The menu has plenty for vegetarians and meateaters alike. My favorite’s the Tofu Udon, with lovely miso broth, tasty seaweed, and delicious noodles. I’m getting hungry just thinking of it. But fear not, there’s chicken and beef available. And they make a yummy cosmo.

Then there’s the price. That dish I just described will fill you up for under $8. Not bad for a chic place in the city. Good to know that I don’t have to travel to London to eat cheap noodles at my favorite restaurant.

In the heart of the West Village is a little Italian place. But it doesn’t specialize in the usual starchy pastas or typical Italian carbohydrates. It specializes in gluten-free food, as stated in its name: Risotteria.

Risotteria is a tiny place with a funky vibe. The menu includes pizzas and various risotto dishes, catering to vegetarians. My favorite is the goat cheese risotto. Super tasty, though very filling. The food is relatively cheap and definitely delicious. The place can be crowded on a weekend afternoon, but it’s worth a bit of a wait.

It’s a perfect place to meet friends for lunch, particularly those that are vegetarian or on a budget.