Here is letter from Waltz Astoria about this Thursday’s art benefit event.

“Dear Waltzers,

We would like to invite you to join us this Thursday evening for the opening of Bridy Designs at Waltz! Silent auction will be held to benefit the WORLD WILDLIFE FUND. Here is a little bit about the artist. As an artist working in multiple mediums Bridy’s vision is  quest for new life in discarded objects. From unwanted paint colors to construction refuse she reveals their additional purpose in her work. Her inspiration and design sensibilities are heavily influenced by architecture, urban landscapes and the abutment of these with the natural world.”

Giving a million thank yous in LIC one thanks at a time…

Stari Most (28-51 42nd St 718.932.7683) restaurant in Astoria pays homage to The Old Bridge by serving up a warm heaping of home cooking. The famous landmark in Bosnia bridges two cities. The famous restaurant in Astoria bridges many cultures. Located on the quiet 42nd street this humble place claims to make the best cevapi in town. Judging by their burgers or pljeskavica, we believe them. Nestled between two toasty pieces of pita bread brushed in oil is a Balkan burger big enough to feed an army. What makes the burger so special? It is is prepared with herbs and spices that American burgers seem to lack. It is big, flat and juicy, often served with ayvar, (minced red peppers) and kaymak cheese (a combination of sour cream , feta and cream cheese). My dining partner and I order two, one regular and one pljeskavica stuffed with mushrooms and cheese. Both were equally satisfying. As Di puts it, “Balkan burgers blow American burgers away!” I concur. To wash it all down we sipped a Bosnian coffee. Much like the potent Turkish brew that leaves behind a bottom of grinds, this espresso drink slowly roused us from our dreamy food coma.

Bosnian espresso brew

Juicy Balkan Burger

I recently got word that one of my close friends is moving to Rego Park (also known to locals as Regostan). In an effort to help her feel at home in her new country, I decided to take a trip to explore the region. Two train rides and one hour later, I was pleased to find myself in a curious amalgam of Asian and Jewish cultures.

First stop- Tandoori Bukharan Bakery and Grill (Rego Park 99-04 63rd Rd 718-897-1071)

dumplings and lepeshka

It’s hard to believe that this unassuming tiny restaurant, set off the main drag of Queens Boulevard, is home to such a vast assortment of delightful dishes. There isn’t much to talk about in terms of decor, but what you won’t be missing out on here is personality and great food. There are several different shish kabab dishes to choose from, like lamb chops, lola (ground meat), chicken, liver, salmon, the list goes on. Soups include borsch, shurpa and the popular lagman, a Chinese inspired soup with hand pulled noodles, meat and vegetables. I opted for the Pelmeni, a fine soup with handmade beef dumplings swimming in a warm broth of vegetables topped with bits of coriander. One part pho two parts pierogi married to create an intoxicating culinary collision of  East Asian and Polish cuisine. Ordered alongside the main dish was a gigantic warm piece of lepeshka. Traditionally baked inside a tandoori oven, this circular loaf of chewy bread is a delicious example of how Russia met India, fell in love and produced a wonderful creation.

As I ferociously devoured my meal, the chef stops at my table and says in his thick accent- “Do you speak Russian? Do you speak English? Our food is Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan… and Jewish.”

That quite sums it up. I couldn’t have written it better myself. But hey, I tried.

Next Stop- Cheburechnaya (Rego Park 92-09 63rd Drive 718-897-9080)

I don’t hesitate to say that Cheburechnaya isn’t known for its ambiance or great service. The You Tube music videos playing on the overhead televisions and the abrupt attitude from the waitress weren’t exactly what you call characteristics of a five star eatery. Despite the lack of atmosphere, I grabbed a seat and proceeded to peruse the unlimited menu, made complete with enticing photographs of the dishes. With plates offering sizable portions of dumplings, meat kebabs, stuffed grape leaves, pilaf, beef brains, I once again found myself caught between cultures where east meets west. A full stomach called for a light snack, so a pumpkin chebureki was ordered with a splash of tarragon soda to wash it down. Much like a savory turnover, this crispy fried dough concoction stuffed with mashed pumpkin and herbs is a great compliment to any dish here.  If you have a smaller appetite, you can lightly drizzle the spicy sauce over your chebureki and you practically have yourself a meal.

chebureki with special sauce

tarragon soda tastes like cream soda

Come join the fun for a great cause!

Greek Omelet and Home Fries

Krave (45-01 Ditmars 718.204.7711) Despite the name of this brand new eatery, it really wasn’t what I was craving at all. Their extensive menu and unlimited mimosas for Saturday and Sunday brunch were enticing, yet the skeptic in me warned that all free things come with a price. I stopped into this place two days after they opened, here is a recap of the experience. Although the decor is nice, much like the food, there is nothing that particularly stands out to make Krave unique. The menu is similar to that of a scaled-down diner. There are many breakfast, sandwich, wrap, salad and burger plates to choose from at inexpensive prices (items average about $7-$10). The brunch menu (that they advertise on the main menu) is not available for another week, so one Spanish omelet and one Greek omelet were ordered from the standard breakfast menu. The plates arrived nice and hot, but the food on the plate was luke warm at best. The proportions were relatively small and mediocre in taste. Although they serve a sizable cup of gourmet Illy coffee, watch your wallet if you are expecting a  bottomless cup. At Krave you will be charged for each cup of coffee, thus adding a few extra dollars onto your tab. Overall the service was friendly, but a little scattered. Needless to say, Krave has room for improvement. The experience wasn’t completely negative, but first impressions are difficult to erase. See for yourself what their brunch or dinner has to offer and let me know how you like it!

Astoria Music and Arts and Stomp & Howl Movement have come together to bring us two days of music in the Far Out festival Jan 29th & Jan 30th , donations for Haiti relief.

From the AMA website-

Haitian relief on Friday & Saturday -

Friday, January 29th Shillelagh
8pm
$5 cover with James Call, Illimanjaro, Mike Benedetto (from RATTRAP BUMPKIN) & Deep Sound Diver

Saturday, January 30th Far Out Festival Part II The Quays
9pm
no cover with The Jamies and Bliminal (the revival!!)

Here are some happenings around town. A little diversion from the weekly grind…

The Jamies (Jamie Stellini The Weekly Song) will be playing a few sets at the Sycamore in Brooklyn Thursday Jan 28th. Check out Astoria’s singer/song writer as she soldiers through her halfway point of 52 songs.

Mix – Astoria’s new gay friendly bar is hosting karaoke night Wednesday Jan 27th. Get in touch with your inner Whitney Houston and belt a few out while drinking some fabulous martinis!

Side Door (next door to and from Bistro33 ) has changed their hours to 10am-6pm For those who are around during the afternoon- stop by for a delicious sandwich and a spicy hot chocolate.

The Crave Shack – (Astoria 25-47 Steinway Street) will soon be opening and according to the awning they will be serving burgers and shakes.

Sage General Store-  (Long Island City) is hosting a new series of cooking classes. Tired of those tv dinners? Sign up! Tuesday, February 2 The Basics—Risotto & Tuesday, February 9 The Basics—a sexy valentine dinner

Cafe Bar- Will be closing temporarily. Join them as they celebrate one last Friday before they renovate. Here are the details from their site- On Friday, January 29 @ 8pm we are throwing a party in celebration of 13 years of Cafe Bar! The Cafe will close at the end of the month for much needed renovations and will reopen approximately a month later with a fresh interior and exterior design and lots of new improvements on the menu and much better service! Let’s enjoy this special evening together with great music, drinks and complimentary appetizers, courtesy of Chef Michael!

Noodles and dumplings at Arirang

Perhaps one of the greatest things about Flushing, despite all of the “Hello Kitties” waving at you through the storefront windows, is the food. I recently came across Arirang (137-38 Northern Blvd 718-661-5454) while cycling through the neighborhood. Arirang is a tiny, inexpensive noodle shop set slightly off the Main Street strip. In this no-frills eatery, your kind server will start your meal with a small plate of spicy kimchi, the precursor to a traditional eastern meal. After you have enjoyed this pickled delicacy, the main course soon follows. A single yet sizable bowl filled with savory broth and handmade noodles can be slurped up for about $10 a pop. The noodles are prepared to just the right consistency in a rich flavorful broth with your choice of chicken, seafood or vegetables. If you want an added boost to your day, you can try the ginseng chicken for a pricier $17.95. There are also daily dumpling specials like the aromatic shrimp and scallion. There isn’t much to the place, the decor is humble yet endearing, the service is nice but communication between non-english speakers can be sparse, and seating is limited. Besides the lack of furnishings, Arirang carries an ambiance all its own because it is authentic. Sidle on in for a low-key weekend lunch with the locals or stop by for a warm meal after the Flushing Lunar New Year Parade.

Much too often New Yorkers devour their beloved Mexican fare with a grain of salt.  Skeptical palates graze the city landscape for that perfectly authentic tortilla, taco, tostada… thus creating the never-ending debate of what is real Mexican food versus what is merely fodder. Tortilleria Nixtamal will give these folks yet another matter to chew on. Situated on a quiet street in Corona Queens set far from the noisy Roosevelt Ave, where Mexican food abounds, this small tortilleria is popular among converse clad diners who enjoy watching the tortilla production in process. The red and yellow picnic tables are reminiscent of Mexican street-food stands. The menu is brief, but exhibits well prepared, inexpensive meals like tamales, tacos, tostadas and soups. They even have a recession special- tamale, pozole and soda for $6. The Chile Relleno with Tuna is a tasty roasted jalepano pepper stuffed with albacore tuna, delicately arranged to resemble a butterfly on your plate. The food here is good and the service is friendly. They offer tours of the tortilla production and there is even a small factory in the basement where they grind the maize. The restaurant touts healthy and natural tortilla preparation. Nixtamal is an Aztec word to describe corn that has been partially cooked and treated with calcium hydroxide (otherwise known as cal or lime). Nixtamal can be used for grinding into masa (or corn dough) used for tortillas (finely ground) or tamales (coarsely ground), or can be kept in its whole form to make hominy, typically used in pozole soup. (courtesy Tortilla Nixtamal website)

Tortilleria Nixtamal (104-05 47th Ave Corona 718-699-2434) is a worthy field-trip for those adventurous borough dwellers and Manhattanites alike. Here you can get a glimpse into how your food is made from the crushing of the corn to the mixing of the dough. As for its authenticity, well we will have to just leave that topic to the corn pundits. Meanwhile I’ll savor my tasty plate for what it is.

Chile Relleno with Tuna

The Daily Grind

Lhaus and Edible Queens teamed up with local businesses to host the first annual Winter Warm-up food drive benefiting the Hour Children Food Pantry. It was a chance to meet fellow neighbors and get a brief tour of one of LIC’s hottest new digs… all while stuffing your face with your favorite local fare. Here is a recap of the day’s events that took place in the lobby of LHaus.

A Room With a View at LHaus

Pasta e Fagioli & LHaus Patio

Beginning the event with a tour of LHaus, I got a peek at the LIC lap o’ luxury. These spacious 1, 2 & 3 bedroom condos seemed fit for a king (note the utensils varnished in gold) I was impressed with the sleek baths deep enough to sink the Titanic in and the ultra sound-proof window panes. For a more in depth tour, click here. LHaus also sells storage space and private terraces. The next move was outdoors to the meticulously manicured garden where guests mingled and I gobbled up a local feast of Pasta e Fagioli from LIC’s Italian eatery, Testaccio.

Sweet Leaf Goes to (Stump) Town

The third stop entailed a caffeine fix. For those who were in need of a pick-me-up Sweet Leaf Cafe gave away samples of the long-time favorite Stumptown coffee.

Searching for some more savories to munch, I spotted some slices of french bread doused in sweet fig mostarda wth goat cheese and veggies topped with olive tapenade, products of the new LIC Market, that is to open this Spring. This locally inspired cafe will serve as a market and wine bar featuring breakfast, lunch and brunch.

LIC Marketeers

After devouring my way through the LHaus lobby, I noticed a pair of very talented women sitting gleefully among the crowd. I made my way over to meet Zora O’Neill and Tamara Reynolds the authors of Forking Fantastic , Queens’s quintessential guide to throwing dinner parties. It was a great afternoon to share with fellow residents and it was all for a good cause. Food is once again the ultimate celebrity guest that brings Queens together!

Tamara Reynolds & Zora O'Neill