Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Monday, February 27, 2006
more Rockefeller Center ephemera...
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Balkh Shish Kabab House
Is that 'badass-kissstan'? From the looks of this unassuming Afghani restaurant tucked away under the elevated N/W tracks, you would think so. Apparently named after a neighborhood near Kabul, this storefront eatery is the real deal, from the delightful cardamom tea served on little beaded trivets to the distinctively tasty hot sauces placed on each table.
Hot sauce madness! Seriously, it was good with just about everything. Roasted bell pepper tinged. There was also a green cardamom sauce but I liked the spicier (red) one better.
Meat samosa appetizers here are different than the Indian samosas with which we're familar and fans of-- there's no potato or peas, only a smidgen of seasoned ground beef in a small triangle of deep fried dough.
Scallion "turnover" appetizer was the best part of the meal (although it came last, after everyone else's had come and gone). Crispy, hot layers of deep fried scallion pancake-like goodness served with an herbed yogurt dip.
Ashok dinner, steamed vegetable dumplings with yogurt. My husband was fairly disappointed with how the scallions "overpowered" the delicate dumplings who were themselves a bit bland and unremarkable. So sad.
Kabab combo platter for one: chicken, beef, and lamb from skewers served with basmati rice (has raisins and sweet carrots) and side salad. Only gripe? $10 for a "single" serving combo is mostly a mountain of rice; although the rice is yummy, I could have settled for a bit more meaty meat.
Balkh Shish Kabab House, 23-10 31st Street, Astoria
718.721.5020
New Locale
Ever since its subtle entry into our neighborhood, I've been attracted to the large black-framed windows and painted brick chic of Locale. After eluding us for awhile (we were turned away the first time because they were taping some tv show pilot), we finally partook of their vaguely mediterranean-style bistro fare. The ambiance is the highlight of the experience.
Besides having a reasonable (but not inexpensive) wine list, the modestly-sized restaurant has a respectable appetizer selection. Our absolute favorite was the fried artichoke dish with lemon vinaigrette dipping stuff. Unfortunately my pressed sandwich (basically grilled chicken panini) was mediocre at best; they gave me cold bell peppers on it despite my order for grilled tomatoes. The foccacia bread was solid but the chicken breast was slightly fatty and only leukwarm. The aioli spread was overly oily and reletively flavorless. For something like $8-$10, its an express train to disappointment-ville. However, my husband had the proscuitto and bel paese panini and that was fairly good. The laudable desserts seemed well-respected by the other patrons, so we indulged in the bananas-flambe crepes (no flames on show though). Rich and creamy, buttery but fluffy, it was excellent.
It seems Locale is a viable option for small plate appetizers, cocktails (elegant and well-appointed bar), and desserts but sandwiches are hit-or-miss.
Locale, 33-02 34th Avenue, Astoria
718.729.9080
Besides having a reasonable (but not inexpensive) wine list, the modestly-sized restaurant has a respectable appetizer selection. Our absolute favorite was the fried artichoke dish with lemon vinaigrette dipping stuff. Unfortunately my pressed sandwich (basically grilled chicken panini) was mediocre at best; they gave me cold bell peppers on it despite my order for grilled tomatoes. The foccacia bread was solid but the chicken breast was slightly fatty and only leukwarm. The aioli spread was overly oily and reletively flavorless. For something like $8-$10, its an express train to disappointment-ville. However, my husband had the proscuitto and bel paese panini and that was fairly good. The laudable desserts seemed well-respected by the other patrons, so we indulged in the bananas-flambe crepes (no flames on show though). Rich and creamy, buttery but fluffy, it was excellent.
It seems Locale is a viable option for small plate appetizers, cocktails (elegant and well-appointed bar), and desserts but sandwiches are hit-or-miss.
Locale, 33-02 34th Avenue, Astoria
718.729.9080
Friday, February 24, 2006
Dentist as Matchmaker? Only in Manhattan.
So we got this in the mail the other day. At first glance I wondered why my dentist would send me a reminder card when I had just been in for my checkup last week... but then, upon further inspection I saw that it was yet another bizarro idiosyncracy of living in this city.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Northwestern Queens: Land of Winos?
I am part of a small but nerdy slice of society-- what my friend Scott Eastman affectionately coined as 'data junkies'. Addicted to data. Maybe its my useless academic training. Maybe its my asianness (I'm actually not very good at math, thank you very much). Whatever it is, I love charts, graphs, histograms, plots, tables, et cetera ad infinitum. I found this glorious bit of esoteric data on the DOHMH website. Am I the only person that surfs around public health agency sites? Don't look at me that way. I couldn't make this data up, even if I were a prominent Korean stem cell researcher! (ouch.)
Who would have guessed that our very own Astoria might out binge-drink the average booziness for all five boroughs??! Well, the dudes regularly outside Mary Maguire's at 9am might.
Who would have guessed that our very own Astoria might out binge-drink the average booziness for all five boroughs??! Well, the dudes regularly outside Mary Maguire's at 9am might.
See-thru restrooms + upscale comfort diner fare = Soho standard
Need a deceptively swank pit-stop amidst your Spring Street shopping spree but don't want to throw down freakish amounts of cash? Bar 89 on Mercer is your best bet, with their storied buffalo hot wings and gussied-up burgers conveniently located off the boulevard of skinny jeans.
Yes, the semi-transparent magical bathrooms are overrated.
No, the drinks are not that good.
Bar 89, 89 Mercer Street (between Spring and Broome)
212.274.0989
Buffalo wings plate: meaty, tangy, but not really that spicy. The criss-cut waffle fries and cut veggies are totally rad.
Their southwestern/tex-mex/salsafied burger: its my own fault, really since I simply cannot resist most dishes involving avocados. Medium-rare THICK cut patty with pickled jalapenos, salsa, avocado (paltry as usual), lettuce, tomato, onion, and jack cheese on a nice bun... buns are so important, don't you think? Totally underrated. I mean, not everyone can do a brioche bun burger, I know, but seriously the sesame-seeded-crumbly-dry-crimes-against-humanity that usually pass in diners is really offensive. All in all, der burger was pretty yummy (and reasonable) at $11.50 including more waffle cut fries.
Yes, the semi-transparent magical bathrooms are overrated.
No, the drinks are not that good.
Bar 89, 89 Mercer Street (between Spring and Broome)
212.274.0989
Buffalo wings plate: meaty, tangy, but not really that spicy. The criss-cut waffle fries and cut veggies are totally rad.
Their southwestern/tex-mex/salsafied burger: its my own fault, really since I simply cannot resist most dishes involving avocados. Medium-rare THICK cut patty with pickled jalapenos, salsa, avocado (paltry as usual), lettuce, tomato, onion, and jack cheese on a nice bun... buns are so important, don't you think? Totally underrated. I mean, not everyone can do a brioche bun burger, I know, but seriously the sesame-seeded-crumbly-dry-crimes-against-humanity that usually pass in diners is really offensive. All in all, der burger was pretty yummy (and reasonable) at $11.50 including more waffle cut fries.
Opium Chic
In Hipster Denial
How lame is this? Its so lame I didn't even know how lame it was.
Gud Stuf!
Yay!! Thanks to the magnanimous astorians.com and all the great foodies I've encountered on it, I've got my very first link/blog review! I've got great company, as floozigrl also posts some other fellow Astorian blogs and sites of interest. Check it out. She's GUD.
Gud Stuf NYC: Links for an Astorian weekend.
Gud Stuf NYC: Links for an Astorian weekend.
Saturday, February 18, 2006
I heart street food! -- Part Two
More offerings from the corners of midtown-- land of the lunch carts! I used to think that midtown was a barren godforsaken place of over-priced delis and stuffed suits. But that was before I discovered the plethora of exemplary street vendors and their tasty wares.
Moshe's Falafels on the corner of 6th Ave and 46th Street (just past the Diamond District hoopla) is yet another fine purveyor of great food at dirt-cheap prices, saving midtown office slaves everywhere. And its seriously Kosher, too. woo-hoo!
For your hard-earned $3.75 (and some wait time in a long line), you get four perfectly golden and nutty falafel balls (hehe) stuffed into a huge pita along with lettuce, tomato, pickles, onion, tahini sauce, and homemade hot sauce. Its probably enough to feed three small children but office work is so strenuous that I ate the whole thing. Yummmmmmm. The falafel is pretty great: hot and fresh out of the fryer, they are only lightly tan colored and very crispy, unlike the almost-charcoal abominations you get at some places. My only critique? Stop holding back on the pickles and tahini sauce, Moshe!
Moshe's Falafels on the corner of 6th Ave and 46th Street (just past the Diamond District hoopla) is yet another fine purveyor of great food at dirt-cheap prices, saving midtown office slaves everywhere. And its seriously Kosher, too. woo-hoo!
For your hard-earned $3.75 (and some wait time in a long line), you get four perfectly golden and nutty falafel balls (hehe) stuffed into a huge pita along with lettuce, tomato, pickles, onion, tahini sauce, and homemade hot sauce. Its probably enough to feed three small children but office work is so strenuous that I ate the whole thing. Yummmmmmm. The falafel is pretty great: hot and fresh out of the fryer, they are only lightly tan colored and very crispy, unlike the almost-charcoal abominations you get at some places. My only critique? Stop holding back on the pickles and tahini sauce, Moshe!
Eric and Annie's Day Off
Hookey days are highly underrated. As grassroots proponents of hookey-ness, Eric and I endeavored to keep the fight alive for all cubicle jockeys everywhere and ditch the workday on Wednesday in order to do important things like eat Cuban sandwiches, walk around, and of course take a nap.
Ferris Buellers we are not, but we still made the most of a beautiful day and discovered yet another neighborhood culinary gem: a colorful and spacious cafe serving kickass treats of my latin american brothers and sisters. We got two Cuban sandwiches ($4.25/ea), two batidos (fruit shakes at $3-$4 each): mango and mora (blackberry), an empanada de carne (beef and pork), and a papa rellena to share. Now I may be talking crazy but the food there is better than most fancy-schmancy latin-themed places I've tried in the city. AND two people can eat (stuff their faces, really) for less than $20 total... what gets better than that?
Latin Cabana
34-44 Steinway Street (between 34th and 35th Avenues, amongst the car repair garages), Astoria
718.729.3900
Ferris Buellers we are not, but we still made the most of a beautiful day and discovered yet another neighborhood culinary gem: a colorful and spacious cafe serving kickass treats of my latin american brothers and sisters. We got two Cuban sandwiches ($4.25/ea), two batidos (fruit shakes at $3-$4 each): mango and mora (blackberry), an empanada de carne (beef and pork), and a papa rellena to share. Now I may be talking crazy but the food there is better than most fancy-schmancy latin-themed places I've tried in the city. AND two people can eat (stuff their faces, really) for less than $20 total... what gets better than that?
Latin Cabana
34-44 Steinway Street (between 34th and 35th Avenues, amongst the car repair garages), Astoria
718.729.3900
Monday, February 13, 2006
Let it snow ...and then snow some more
Monday, February 06, 2006
From a bathroom window somewhere on Madison Ave near 33rd Street (dentist's office)
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Anthropologie's marshmallows
About me
- I'm Annie
- From New York City, New York, United States
- I'm not from here. But this you probably knew. This is an extended stay as I pass through. I document these days in eclectic ways, in the interests of science, travel, and love. And sandwiches.
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