Astor Bakeshop's Seasonally Delicious Brunch

After a fun and informative tour of the Welling Court Mural Project, as part of Open House New York Weekend, Dan and I headed over to to Astor Bake Shop for some brunch.  We haven't been in quite a while and were looking forward to their wholesome dishes, which haven't yet disappointed and today was no different.

Open Faced Omelette - Topped with seasonally delicious ingredients such as cauliflower and eggplant, the open faced omelette was a vegetarian's dream.  Even though Dan is far from being a veggie, he loved this dish and commented on how fresh and flavorful it was.  I had the pleasure to taste it as well and especially loved the cauliflower, which was cooked al dente.  As you can see, the dish also came with a side of hash browns and salad, which made it a complete meal.

Tomato and Egg Skillet - I was quickly sold on this dish after reading its description on the menu and noticed two of my favorite ingredients - tomatoes and avocado.  Ultimately, it was really simple but made of high quality ingredients such as fresh eggs, bright, locally sourced veggies and a freshly crisped tortilla.  While the eggs were a bit overcooked for my liking, the roasted veggies in the skillet made up for it and created a beautiful balance of flavors.

Carrot, Cucumber and Ginger Juice - Even though I was all set on coffee, I noticed a few fresh fruit juice options, which took my interest. I ordered this one and loved its bright orange color and vibrant flavor, which wasn't at all enhanced with sugar, and for this I was grateful.  The ginger was subtle but you can still taste it after each delicious sip.

Service and Cost:
Unlike some of the other times that I visited Astor Bake Shop, the service now was totally on point.  We didn't wait long for anything and felt very well taken care of, noticing that everyone else was also experiencing good service.

Costs are reasonable, especially given the high quality of food and service and set us back about $15 each including tax and tip.

3 Mmmms

Astor Bake Shop - 12-23 Astoria Blvd, Astoria NY 11102
N/Q Train to Astoria Blvd

718.606.8439

astor-bakeshop.com

St. Paddy's Day Astoria Sweets Round-Up

Looking forward to St. Paddy's Day tomorrow, it's nice to see there's tons of options to choose from as far as good beer and savory eats are involved.  But in addition to all the hearty foods, how about something sweet for this festive holiday? Who's feeling lucky?

La Guli Pastry Shop - I'm loving their sweet bevy of St. Paddy's inspired goodies such as cake pops, choco lolly pops, green cupcakes, cookies, and more.  29-15 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria. 718.728.5612

Frank's Bakery - This traditional Italian style bakery carries all your St. Paddy's treats such as Irish soda bread, green frosted cupcakes, cream puffs with little green jewels and other treats.  36-02 30th Avenue, Astoria. 718.726.7813

Astor Bake Shop - Admiring their beautifully constructed Irish soda bread, you can get both sweet and savory Irish food at this beloved bake shop.  The former boasts plump pieces of currants and fragrant caraway seeds.  12-23 Astoria Blvd, Astoria. 718.606.8439

Martha's Country Bakery - There's plenty of green to be found here, as Martha's has decked all their regular cupcake flavors in St. Paddy's decor.  You can find everything from chocolate, cappuccino, banana, strawberry, Oreo and vanilla cupcakes with a new, Irish twist!  They also have green and white cookies in place of black and white ones tomorrow.  36-21 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria. 718.545.9737

Brooklyn Bagel - Want a festive cream cheese alongside that bagel? Enjoy Brooklyn Bagel's pistachio cream cheese in honor of this holiday.  35-05 Broadway, Astoria. 718.204.0141, 36-14 30th Avenue, Astoria. 718.777.1121, 35-09 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria. 718.932.8280

A Very Sweet Valentine's Day in Astoria

With Valentine’s Day just days away, you may be still be pondering about what to do in Astoria. Well…there’s plenty, and this round-up is just a little taste of it. Find a bevy of other options on my giant post of love on We Heart Astoria.

Astor Bake Shop – Chef George and his team always whip up something lovely and delicious, such as these fun, cheeky love cookies. 12-23 Astoria Blvd, Astoria. 718.646.8439

Sweets First – I loved seeing this bevy of colorful cupcakes they’ve whipped up for V-day. Mix and match them with some cake pops for your special someone. 35-04 35th Avenue, Astoria. 347.741.4488

Tufino – There’s a major swoonfest going on around this lovely V-Day pasta, including special heart ravioli with housemade pesto, truffle cream, or vodka sauce filling. You can get them from this Thursday to Sunday. 36-08 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria. 718.278.4800

Woodbines – Moving over to LIC now, I was excited to learn about Woobines' V-day menu full of classic favorites such as steak au poivre, stuffed filet of sole, chocolate lava cake and more. See full Valentine’s Day menu here. 47-10 Vernon Blvd, LIC. 718.361.8488

Homemade sweets – I always enjoy making a special something for Dan and suggest putting a little love into your sweet treats. My personal favorites include: A Lemon Rosemary Tarte, Apple Croustade (pictured above), Bacon Chocolate chip Cookies, Old Fashioned Homemade Chocolate Cake

New Year's Day Brunch in Astoria

As we're all getting excited for New Year's Eve tonight, with lots of amazing options to celebrate, I'm already thinking about tomorrow's meal. Naturally.  Here are a few options to whet your appetite.  Hope you all have a wonderful and safe New Year's Eve, and all the best in 2014.

Sugarfreak's Cajun brunch will be starting at 11 a.m. tomorrow, so get your fix of shrimp and grits and bananas foster French Toast.  36-18 30th Avenue, Astoria.  718.726.5850

The Queens Kickshaw is really brunchin' out with a double header brunch, both today from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. and tomorrow from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.  There's no reason to wake up early!  40-17 Broadway, Astoria.  718.777.0913

The Astor Bake Shop will be ringin' in New Year's with a festive brunch prix-fixe anytime between 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. which comes with a complimentary mimosa.  12-23 Astoria Blvd, Astoria.  718.606.8439

Ovelia is hosting a hangover brunch tomorrow as well.  They'll have their signature Greek dishes such as Yia-Yia's Omelette and stuffed French Toast, but also tasties like these. 34-01 30th Avenue, Astoria.  718.721.7217

Grand Cafe's classic brunch $13 prix-fixe will be available tomorrow from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.  Including all the basics such as omelettes, burgers, salads and other comforting dishes, your meal will also come with a complimentary cocktail and a coffee or tea.  37-01 30th Avenue, Astoria.  718.777.7321  

Gluten Free Eats in Astoria

My recent gluten free diet has actually opened up my world to new, delicious eats, and even though I have to be more careful about what I consume, it's a lot of fun discovering places around Astoria that help cater to my special diet.  Here are a few of my faves, so if you're also a gluten free individual, here's where you can get your fix:

Astor Bake Shop - Just take a look at these beautiful cupcakes - it's hard to believe they're gluten free.  Chef George has created these with special care, as they're made up of flourless chocolate cake and a super dark chocolate frosting on top.  I love how elegant and luxurious they look!  12-23 Astoria Blvd, Astoria.  718.606.8439

Ovelia - My gluten free eating friends love to frequent Ovelia, and now so much more so because they've added lots of gluten free items onto their menu.  Some of the GF highlights include spicy kafteri spread (feta with spicy peppers), creamy skordalia, their signature loukaniko sausage and so much more.  Check out the full dinner menu here.  34-01 30th Avenue, Astoria.  718.721.7217

The Strand Smokehouse - Dan and I had an awesome time at this meat lovers' paradise today, and I got pretty full without even thinking about about a morsel of bread.  The spicy chorizo sausage, the homemade beef jerky and the maple glazed pork belly were among my favorites.  The brisket was pretty solid as well, and don't miss dressing it with their signature BBQ sauce.  25-27 Broadway, Astoria.  718.440.3231

Parrot Coffee Market - I popped into this specialty market on Ditmars yesterday and found plenty of Gluten Free options.  In the mood for a nice breakfast today, I invested in a package of Bob's Red Mill pancake mix, which totally did the trick.  Dressing it up with bananas, which I placed into the batter, as well as on top of the pancakes, it was a big hit with hubby.  31-12 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria.  718.545.7920

An Astorian Thanksgiving - It's Coming!

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, so I thought I'd start to think about it early this year, seeing as I completely glossed over Halloween.  It's nice to see a lot of businesses in the nabe are planning early, and all the themed menus and fun offers are getting me excited.  Here's a few to get you started.

Koliba - Even though it's probably not the first place you think of for a Thanksgiving meal, I expect that it'd be delicious.  Their Thanksgiving menu includes traditional things such as turkey with all the fixins, but they also have Slovak/Czech style dishes on the menu.  You'll find this dinner to be a prix-fixe, ranging from $15.75 - $24.75.  31-11 23rd Avenue, Astoria.  718.626.0430

Cavo - I like visiting Cavo on special occasions, since it feels kind of celebratory and a little fancy, too.  Taking a peek at their Thanksgiving menu, I spied yummy things such as roasted butternut squash soup, oven roasted free range turkey, brussels sprouts, chestnut cranberry stuffing and more.  42-18 31st Avenue, Astoria.  718.721.1001

Astor Bake Shop - Everyone knows that ABS is totally worth its salt when it comes to dessert.  They've been baking up a storm with seasonal treats and are taking pre-orders for Thanksgiving seasonal pies.  This rustic apple beauty certainly caught my eye.  12-23 Astoria Blvd, Astoria.  718.606.8439

Vesta - These guys always do a great job of hooking you up for Thanksgiving, whether you choose to dine in or take out.  I found the take out option pretty cool, as they feature an entire Thanksgiving feast to-go (including their signature, Baby Jesus Cake) for 8-10 people.  Find out what Thanksgiving Foods are included here.  21-20 30th Avenue, Astoria.  718.545.5550 

John Brown Smokehouse - Further on the topic of a take-home Thanksgiving feast, how about something with a smoky, bbq twist? JBS has a few tasty options for you, including a whole pecan smoked turkey with sides and a special order of pecan or pumpkin pies.  Prices vary based on how many mouths you want to feed.  Email them directly to find out more and to place your order.  10-43 44th Drive, LIC.  347.617.1120

New Veggie Dish at Astor Bake Shop

As fall is almost here, I'm loving all the heartier foods available on local menus.  I noticed this lovely veggie option available today at Astor Bake Shop, which made me hungry.  Check out this beautiful stuffed baby eggplant, featuring quinoa, red pepper, onion and mozzarella cheese.  

In case this doesn't whet your appetite, there's always their signature burger, which comes on a fluffy brioche bun and can be topped with your choice cheese and bacon.  The latter is deliciously thick, lean and smoky - I highly recommend it.

It behooves you to get a seasonal dessert too such as their fruit and nut tarts and pumpkin desserts.  Rumor has it that they've got a lot of other seasonal sweets and drinks in stock.  Hope you enjoy your visit.

Astor Bake Shop - 12-23 Astoria Blvd, Astoria NY 11102
N/Q Train to Astoria Blvd

718.606.8439

astorbakeshop.com

Quick 4th of July Astorian Round-Up

Image by La Guli Pastry Shop

Happy 4th of July Astoria!  Hope everyone has a fun day planned, either at home or if you're spending it away.  In case you're hanging around the nabe, I wanted to provide you with a quick, little food game-plan.

Singlecut Beersmiths - Fun times! Singlecut will be hosting a special 4th of July trivia night tomorrow starting at 8 p.m.  There's plenty of communal tables that are great for hanging out - so bring your family, bring your buddies and brush up on your fun fact knowledge with a cold one.  19-33 37th Street, Astoria.  718.606.0788

Brunch - There are lots of restaurants in the nabe featuring a special 4th of July brunch including the Queens Kickshaw, Ovelia, El Ay Si and others.  The Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden will have special Karaoke night tomorrow starting at 7 p.m.

Dessert - While you may find some bakeries observing the holiday, others such as the Astor Bake Shop and La Guli are open and serving up some patriotic treats.  Just have a look at La Guli's pretty red, white and blue cookies and cakes.  

Something homemade - If you're spending the 4th at home or at a friend's house, consider making something homemade and special.  A few recommendations that have gone over well for me are this chocolate peanut butter ice box cake, these chocolate chunk with a hint of sea salt cookies, and perhaps some messy (but still very delicious) brownie ice cream sandwiches.

Hope everyone has a great 4th of July!

3 Delicious Summer Eats in Astoria and LIC

To go along with news of summer food gracing restaurant menus, here's a brief round-up of some new dishes surfacing in Astoria and LIC.

Image by Alobar

Alobar's Grilled Octopus - This beautiful summery dish of grilled octopus, tasso & corn succotash, roasted tomato and watercress caught my eye. I love the colors in it - they just scream summer - and appreciate the grilled preparation. 46-42 Vernon Blvd, LIC. 718.752.6000

Image by Astor Bake Shop

Astor Bake Shop's Watermelon Juice - Sweet and natural, this watermelon juice will surely wake your senses and refresh you at the same time.  It's great to see that Chef George is always thinking of something new to surprise guests with.  Something else that piqued my interest are his recently made blueberry peach pies.  Mmmm.... 12-23 Astoria Blvd, Astoria.  718.606.8439

Image by Bear

Bear's Beet Chips - Although I don't have a picture of these, I think the description will say it all - light and crispy farmer's market beet leafs that are tempura battered and fried.  Also in more good Bear news, they're now offering food delivery from Tuesday - Sunday between 6 p.m. - 10 p.m. 12-14 31st Avenue, Astoria.  917.396.4939

Astor Bake Shop's 3rd Annual Pie Eating Contest

Can you believe that Astor Bake Shop is turning 3 years old? To me it seems like they've been a staple in the neighborhood forever.  Their treats are among the best in terms of quality ingredients and also quite beautiful in aesthetics.

To celebrate their little milestone, Astor Bake Shop will be hosting another pie eating contest this year, which promises to be a lot of fun.  I mean, who wouldn't want to eat their delicious pies and potentially get rewarded too?  There's a few ground rules to know about, but overall it'll be a race to the sweet finish line.  Wussies..stay home!

3rd Annual Astor Bake Shop Pie Eating Contest
Sunday, June 30th at 2:30 p.m.

It's free to sign up and contestants will compete in three categories.  The first person to finish their pie in its entirety wins - no assistance from utensils or your hands allowed.

Sign up for this event here, and good luck!

Astor Bake Shop - 12-23 Astoria Blvd, Astoria NY 11102
N/Q Train to Astoria Blvd

718.606.8439

www.astor-bakeshop.com 

Memorial Day Mini Round-Up

With Memorial Day almost upon us, lots of folks will surely be out of town, but some will also enjoy this holiday locally.  If you fall into the latter category, you may want some quick suggestions about the goings-on around town.  Here are three recommendations to help get you started:

Queens Kickshaw - These guys will be open all day, and starting things off with brunch from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. and continuing with dinner service from 5:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.  I highly recommend stopping by, especially since Ben & Jen have recently updated their dinner menu.  Mmmmm spaetzle...40-17 Broadway, Astoria.  718.777.0913

Astor Bake Shop - Whether you're looking to start your day here on Monday or to stop in for a hearty lunch, they'll be serving delicious specialties such as homemade BBQ ribs and fresh strawberry lemonade.  Their burger is pretty stellar too, in case you haven't yet tried it.  12-23 Astoria Blvd, Astoria.  718.606.8439

Beer Subway Series - Even though this beer battle doesn't take place in Queens, it's great to come and show support for Queens beer, including SingleCut of course.  Stop in at the Bronx Ale House from 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. on Monday to enjoy beers specials, and to watch baseball as well.  216 West 238th Street, Bronx.  718.601.0204

Yummy Specials at Astor Bake Shop

Image by Astor Bake Shop

Image by Astor Bake Shop

Always intrigued by what Astor Bake Shop has going on, I've recently also told you about their savory offering.  Dan and I enjoyed their classic Astor burger, and the French Onion soup was delicious too, that now I'm always keeping an eye on their menu and social media to see what specials they've got going on.  

This weekend's Facebook posts got me excited, as I spotted a healthy looking quinoa salad and a crunchy on the outside, and gooey on the inside Cubano sandwich.  The former boasts tons of earthy ingredients such as kalamata olives, cubes of feta, cucumber, cherry tomato, all dressed with a light scallion vinaigrette.  It sounds like a yummy side dish but can also substitute for a light main course for lunch.  

The Cubano on the other hand is total indulgence, with fresh roast pork, black forest ham, melty Swiss cheese and some sharp Dijon mustard to give it some kick.  It looks quite large and can be a nice thing to share with someone else, together with the quinoa salad too.  

Ok...now I'm totally salivating.

Astor Bake Shop - 12-23 Astoria Blvd, Astoria NY 11102
N/Q Train to Astoria Blvd

718.606.8439

www.astor-bakeshop.com 

Neapolitan Lasagna at Astor Bake Shop

Recently discovering the amazing savory offering at Astor Bake Shop, I was excited to hear that they’re now serving some good ol’ fashioned Italian staples such as eggplant parm and lasagna. The latter especially caught my eye on their Instagram feed, as it looked cheesy, well browned on top and saucy in the middle. They’re calling it their Neapolitan style lasagna and it’s available all this weekend. Sounds like a perfect thing to try on a Sunday afternoon or evening – reminds me of a traditional Italian style dinner. And frankly, who doesn’t love that?!

Astor Bake Shop - 12-23 Astoria Blvd, Astoria NY 11102
N/Q Train to Astoria Blvd

718.606.8439

www.astor-bakeshop.com

Astor Bake Shop's Burger...At Last, My Love Has Come Along

Since we both had a day off today, Dan and I were excited to spend some qt together over brunch and going to MOMI.  Brunch was first of course, and we originally planned on going to check out Sanford's, as I've heard that since its revamp, it's stepped up quite a bit.  To our chagrin (and I guess a testament to its excellence), it was totally crowded with a 40 minute wait for a 2 person table.  That, unfortunately wasn't going to cut it, so we headed out to check out an alternative by Dan's request - the Astor Bake Shop.

While I've been here on many occasions, I haven't actually sat down to a proper meal, and also hadn't had the pleasure of indulging in their legendary burger.  It was time.

Food:
We knew why we came, and right away zeroed in on the burgers.  I had my eye on the signature Astor burger, dressed with a special sauce, while Dan went for the classic burger with bacon.  We got some other goodies you see here along the way, and wanted to give you the scoop about each one:

French Onion Soup - Dan ordered this as an app, and it was awesome.  Not only did it look gorgeous, it tasted great too, with an earthy oniony broth that wasn't at all heavy and two pieces of crusty peasant bread submerged into it.  Topped with some melty gruyere, there was certainly an element of decadence (as there should be), but I was happy to see that the chef didn't overdo it.

The Burgers - This was of course the piece-de-resistance of our meal, and both burgers were absolutely stupendous.  I know it may sound lame to say, but my favorite aspect was the fluffy, buttery bun that was just a pleasure to grab on to and that hugged all the substantial ingredients inside the burger.  But don't get me wrong...it's not only about the bread, the meat patty was beautifully cooked and so, so juicy.  I liked that it was seasoned well but kept relatively simple, and nothing about it was over the top.  Something else I appreciated was the zesty little side salad that came with it, as opposed to fries, which always unnecessarily fill me up.

Dessert - How can we not get dessert here?! The display case was simply taunting us - especially those stunning lemon meringue pies.  We got one, naturally, and dug into the crunchy, buttery dough, the tart-yet-still-a-little-sweet lemon curd and the sticky, well done meringue.  It was the perfect size and gave just enough of that little sweet kick we were craving after the burger.

Service and Cost:
While the service was pretty good, I'd recommend a little more of it, especially on a busy day like today.  Although we didn't feel like we had to wait too long for anything, it was sometimes hard to catch our waiter's attention, as he juggled his time between the desserts counter as well as serving tables.

Costs are wallet friendly and set us back about $48 total with tax and tip.  Dan also got a bottle of Prohibition ale, fyi.

3 Mmmms

Astor Bake Shop - 12-23 Astoria Blvd, Astoria NY 11102
N/Q Train to Astoria Blvd

718.606.8439

www.astor-bakeshop.com 

Food Awesomeness at SITE Partay

Tonight was truly an awesome evening, as I got to attend a fabulous soiree, organized by my friends Mackenzi and Meg at Mackenzi's store, SITE.  The party was in honor of Meg's fabulous Queens foodie bible called the Food Lovers' Guide to Queens, which she worked so diligently on.  I truly love this book, as it does a great job of really respecting Queens' food scene and letting all its many gems shine.  We're all so proud of the work that Meg has done for the community, which was proven by tonight's huge crowd of supporters.

I also wanted to thank Meg for putting yours truly into her book, by listing Fooditka as a trusted food resource, but even better by putting one of my near and dear family recipes into its pages.  The recipe is for our Ceresnova Bublanina (or Slovak cherry cake).  Bringing the recipe to life at the party by serving up the cake, people seemed to really enjoy it and I was so happy to relay the nice feedback to my mom, who helped me make this particular cake.

The Food:
In addition to this, there were so many other amazing local treats featured tonight such as Astor Bake Shop's sweets, Sac's Place pizza, pasta and meatballs, as well as Il Bambino's paninis.  Everything was a total hit and people really stuck around to enjoy the food and chat with their Astoria neighbors.  I was happy to see new connections being made and a few reunions too.  The food no doubt, was a uniting factor and it wasn't just once that I heard someone commenting on the buttery king cake, the fudgy cookies or the bodacious meatballs.  

Thanks to my friends for putting on such a lovely affair and to my gracious and fantastic Astorians who make these type of events so worthwhile.  Also, if you're looking to get your hands on Meg's book, look no further...and enjoy!

A Few More Valentine's Day Doings

Image by Teaspoon Bakeshop

Since Valentine's day is almost upon us, and you've probably already read my original round-up of things to do, there's still so much more, so I wanted to send a gentle reminder.  Here are 3 other last minute things you can treat yourself and your loved one to:

Teaspoon Bake Shop - Although not in Astoria, Teaspoon's delectable treats are totally worth the trip to Bayside.  With things like their signature cake balls (pictured above) in flavors such as red velvet, triple chocolate chunk, banana chip and more, you an put a smile to your honey's lips.  They also have gorgeous chocolate heart cookies, pink heart macarons and all sorts of cupcakes.  36-41 Bell Blvd, Bayside.  718.224.4626

Astor Bake Shop - Always in the festive mood, Astor Bake Shop is making some pretty awesome-looking, tongue-in-cheek goodies for V-day.  I spotted pics of cute little sugar cookies that say naughty things such as "Sexy Time," cupcakes that say "sweet talk" and other indulgent yummies.  12-23 Astoria Blvd, Astoria.  718.606.8439

Astor Room - What's sexier than the plush atmosphere at Astor Room?  It's perfectly intimate and a great place to bring your loved one, especially because the menu sounds sinful.  Think local fried oysters, black sea bass with chantarelle risotto, surf and turf, and sweet endings such as bittersweet chocolate dipped strawberries.  Throw some live music into the mix, and you've got a winning combination.  34-12 36th Street, Astoria.  718.255.1947

Looking for more ideas? Check out Mackenzi's awesome V-Day post on We Heart Astoria.

Christmas in Astoria Mini Round-Up

Image by Astor Bake Shop

Happy almost Christmas, Astoria.  I hope everyone is looking forward to the holidays and that you have some nice things planned with friends and family.  For those of you enjoying it in Astoria and still need something to do, here's a a mini roundup of some great neighborhood eats.

Bear - Enjoy a wholesome, traditional Christmas dinner at this cozy neighborhood resto.  A four course meal will set you back $45/person and you can take advantage of three seatings, including on the earlier side at 3 p.m. or at more traditional dinner times at 6 or 8 p.m. See full dinner menu here.  12-14 31st Avenue, LIC.  917.396.4939

Vesta - Their customary Feast of the Seven Fishes is happening again this year with an impressive 5-course prix fixe, with a pistachio crusted wild striped bass as the "fish"course.  The legendary Baby Jesus Cake will be available for dessert, and is totally worth every calorie.  $65/person (add $20 with wine pairing).  21-02 30th Avenue, Astoria.  718.545.5550

Mojave - Serving their regular menu items on Christmas Eve, you can enjoy a sophisticated Southwestern meal until 9 p.m. so if you're looking for early dinner plans, this is a great option.  Some of my favorite menu items here include the roasted plantain empanadas, shrimp fajitas, and the motherroad roadhouse chili.  22-36 31st Street, Astoria.  718.545.4100

Via Trenta - A delicious option if you're in the mood for modern Italian food, they'll be open til about 11 p.m. on Christmas eve.  Highly recommending their burrata cheese salad, any kind of salumi, and of course their 12 varieties of crusty pizzas, you'll walk out happy and satiated.  36-19 30th Avenue, Astoria.  718.545.2090

Astor Bake Shop - If you're staying in for Christmas or going to a friend or family member's house, it's always nice to bring a festive dessert to cheer up their sweet table.  This beautiful cranberry quince tarte (pictured above) certainly caught my eye!  12-23 Astoria Blvd, Astoria.  718.606.8439

Last Minute Thanksgiving Pies from Astor Bake Shop

Image by Astor Bake Shop

Happy Thanksgiving Astoria!

I woke up this morning, scanned my Instagram and saw these gorgeous pictures of freshly made pies from Astor Bake Shop.  I just had to share them with you, as they're available today at the bakery, while supplies last.  They look pretty handsome in that case but will look even better at your Thanksgiving table - I'm a bit jealous actually, as I still have yet to perfect the art of a perfect looking pie.  Here's what you can expect at Astor Bake Shop.  Happy eating!

Sweet Potato Pie
Apple Pie with 3 varieties of locally grown apples
Classic Pumpkin
Chunky Pecan
Chocolate Gran Marnier Cheesecake

They're open til 4 p.m. today so go in and treat yourself to something nice and sweet.  Hope everyone has a great day with their friends and family.  All the best to you!

Love, 
Fooditka

Astor Bake Shop - 12-23 Astoria Blvd, Astoria NY 11102
N/W Train to Astoria Blvd

718.606.8439

www.astor-bakeshop.com 

Queens Restaurant Week is Here!

Image by Astor Bake Shop

It's officially here! Queens Restaurant week is here, and contrary to its name, this restaurant promotion actually goes on for 2 weeks - from October 8-11 as well as October 15-18.  While you probably won't get to them all, this is surely a great opportunity to try new restaurants that have been on your list for a discounted price.  The offers of each place vary but some restaurants are featuring 3-course prix-fixes for just $25, and in some cases, I've even seen a 2 for $25 deal.

Astoria is of course a part of this with the following restaurants participating.  I've starred the ones I like most, but if you're in the mood explore beyond Astoria, here's the full list of participating restaurants.  Enjoy and bon appetit.

Astoria Restaurants Participating in Queens Restaurant Week:
Astor Bake Shop**
Da Franco Italian Restaurant
Fayrooz Cafe
Giuliana's Pizzeria
Mojave**
On the Nile Cafe
Ponticello Ristorante
Telly's Taverna
The Astor Room 
Zenon Taverna**

Mother's Day Round-Up

One of my favorite family holidays is here – Mother’s Day! I love spending the entire day with my mama and we typically do a fun activity either in the nabe or in the city, however not this year, as I’m heading overseas to Japan. But I’ll be thinking of her no doubt. For those of you lucky to spend the day with mom, here are a few fun things to do:

LIC Market – Treat mom to brunch at this awesome, seasonal restaurant/general store. Mom will love the relaxed vibe, and you’ll be able to sample some of their new spring items, which feature local and seasonal fruits and veggies. Brunch goes from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. LIC Market - 21-52 44th Drive, LIC. 718.361.0013

Vesta – Not only do they have their typical brunch favorites on the menu such as the warm bankie and hangover pizza, but you can also come by for dinner and treat mom to a nostalgic baked lasagna dish, oozing with cheese, homemade tomato sauce and fresh herbs. The wine here is thoughtfully chosen and provides a delicious pairing with all the dishes. Vesta – 21-02 30th Avenue, Astoria. 718.545.5550  

Astor Bake Shop - If you'd like to keep things casual yet still very special, consider taking mom to this awesome sweet shop that will not only impress you with its pastries and decadent treats, but also a special Mother's Day prix-fixe brunch menu.  On it, you'll find nostalgic finds such as Eggs Benedict, Strawberry Stuffed French Toast, a Flank Steak and Egg sandwich and more.  The menu consists of 3 courses for just $22.95/person.  Astor Bake Shop - 12-23 Astoria Blvd, Astoria.  718.606.8439

Bear-Also featuring a special brunch for Mom, you won't be disappointed by their inventive options such as a gorgeous lox & croissant/cucumber sandwich, lobster omelette, strawberry fried cheesecake and more.  My personal fave is their scallops and eggs dish, with large, perfectly seared scallops embedded in fluffy eggs.  Bear - 12-14 31st Avenue, Astoria.  917.396.4939

Mojave - For some Southwestern flair, Mojave is a great choice.  Mom will get special treatment with a complimentary Viva La Mama cocktail with fresh strawberries.  She can also bite into unique dishes such as the signature Carne ala Tampiquena that actually originates from an old Mexican Mother's recipe.  Pretty neat!  Mojave - 22-36 31st Street, Astoria.  718.545.4100