Cinco de Mayo is here (tomorrow) and although the weather might not cooperate, the neighborhood restaurants and bars are breaking out all sorts of good specials that are worth checking out.
Specials
Mojave - Live music will get things started along with a complimentary first round of margaritas or sangritas with dinner. 22-36 31st Street, Astoria NY 11105. 718.545.4100Margaritaville - The casual Mexican eatery will feature $4 shots of tequila, $20 buckets of beer (any beer) but the food offering won't vary from the everyday menu. 38-01 Broadway, Astoria NY 11103. 718.777.1707
Luna de Juarez - This boisterous Mexican cafe will host a party with live music, giveaways and 2-for-1 drinks for happy hour from 5pm - 8pm. 25-98 Steinway St, Astoria NY 11103. 718.274.4350La Vuelta - LIC's Latin bistro will turn it up for tomorrow's holiday with $5 margaritas, $3 tequila shots and their scrumptious-sounding and gently priced grub. 10-43 44th Drive, Long Island City, NY 11101. 718.361.1858Blackbird's - It's all about the drinks with tequila shots, margaritas and mojitos on special for $6. The food is just OK but the atmosphere is friendly and comfortable, a good place to grab a drink. 41-19 30th Avenue, Astoria NY 11103. 718.943.6899
Ovelia - Although far from Latin, they'll have Mexican menu items tomorrow and will offer $4 Negra Modelo and Corona beer, $5 sangria, margaritas and tequila shots. 34-01 30th Avenue, Astoria NY 11103. 718.721.7217
Gleason's - The newly opened bar on Broadway boasts a $3 tequila and Corona special. It's a good opportunity to check out their new diggs. 33-08 Broadway, Astoria NY 11106. 718.626.5393Business as Usual but Still NoteworthyEl Boqueron - Although the menu and the drinks will be the same as usual, they make a mean sangria (pictured above). If you're looking for a quieter, tamer Cinco de Mayo, you'll find it here. 31-01 34th Avenue, Astoria, NY 11106. 718.956.0107Los Amigos - One of the more authentic Mexican restaurants in Astoria, it's good but not fancy. The food and drinks are already cheap, so there's no break in price. I do think that it's worth a visit. 22-73 31st Street, Astoria, NY 11105. 718.726.8708Mundo - This cozy fusion restaurant will feature a shrimp casserole tomorrow and serve their yummy sangria, priced as usual. 31-18 Broadway #E, Astoria. 718.777.2829
Enjoy celebrating!
Tomorrow's St. Patty's Day promises to be a fun celebration in the neighborhood, as many Irish and non-Irish bars/restaurants are having a multitude of specials. Check them out for both drinks and Irish-style grub.
Dillinger's Pub and Grill - Although their menu isn't final yet, they'll serve traditional dishes such as corned beef, shepherd's pie and even fish and chips. Drinks will be priced as usual. 46-19 30th Avenue, Astoria NY 11103. 718.267.0900
Il Bambino - Don't be fooled by its Italian-sounding name, the owners of this great paninoteca are actually Irish. They'll feature a special cabbage and corned beef soup to celebrate St. Patty's Day. 34-08 31st Avenue, Astoria, NY 11106. 718.626.0087Blackbird's - The partying will start at noon and won't be over until late into the evening. They'll serve complimentary corned beef sandwiches from 1pm - 7pm and a plethora of drink specials such as $4 Guiness pints, $3 Bud Light and green beer pints as well as Irish whiskey shots for $4. 41-19 30th Avenue, Astoria NY 11103. 718.943.6899The Quays Pub - A quaint Irish pub on 30th Avenue, they'll offer authentic Irish music, $2 pints of Coors Light and Irish food such as bacon, cabbage and potatoes. 45-02 30th Avenue, Astoria NY 11102. 718.204.8864Cronin and Phelan - Although the drinks will be priced regularly, they're featuring a special Celtic menu with all the irresistibles such as Irish lamb stew, corned beef on rye, shepherd's pie and much more. 38-14 Broadway, Astoria NY 11103. 718.545.8999Sunswick - Lots of partying will be going on here til late evening hours with Irish dishes such as shepherd's pie, cabbage and cheap beers. 35-02 35th Street Astoria, NY 11106. 718.752.0620
Irish Rover - Who would've thought that with a name like that, there would be absolutely no specials going on here. They didn't seem happy to speak to me so I guess that it won't be a Happy St. Patty's Day for them. Try it if you're still so inclined. 37-18 28th Avenue, Astoria NY 11103. 718.278.9372
Stove - Known for delicious Irish grub, you could always hit this place up for killer fish and chips and shepherd's pie. Not sure yet if there will be drink specials but like any good Irish establishment, they serve Guiness. 45-17 28th Ave, Astoria, NY 11103. 718.956.0372Beer Garden - Although far from Irish, the Beer Garden will be celebrating St. Patty's Day with $3 beers, shot specials and green beer. Nazdravie! 29-19 24th Avenue, Astoria NY 11102. 718.274.4925Fatty's - Again, not an Irish establishment but they'll serve Jameson and Guiness at $5 a pop. Enjoy their yummy grub while there - it's not Irish but it's still delicious. 25-01 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria, NY 11105. 718.267.7071
Happy St. Patty's Day Astoria!
Blackbird's - 41-19 30th Avenue, Astoria NY 11103718.943.6899N/W Train to 30th Avenue
www.blackbirdsbar.com Because I've heard a lot of great things about Blackbird's, I've been wanting to check it out for some time. So when I found out that a local singer, Suzy Sellout, who by chance happens to work with me was performing there, I took it as a sign and went. Although Dan and I enjoyed the music, the food was mediocre at best.Atmosphere:Blackbird's is a welcoming place - from its cheery exterior to its cozy interior. It's very much set up like a bar--a narrow main room with bar seating as well as casual tables surrounding it. The walls are decked with kitchy memorabilia that you'd see at a local bar or even a diner. But the coolest part is that the back is set up for live performances such as the one we saw last night. While the acoustics could be better, it provided a comfortable place to enjoy a good live show--and the best part was that it was free.Food:After much hype, the one thing that I was dying to try was Blackbird's grilled cheese. Both Dan and I ordered it and while he liked it, I was underwhelmed. Here's why...The Avenue Grilled Cheese - Although this sandwich sounded and looked impressive, served on fluffy white Texas toast and stuffed with American cheese, bacon, fresh avocado and tomatoes, it was just mediocre. I thought that the bacon smelled funny and tasted too greasy--it wasn't crunchy enough for me and didn't have that lovely smoky taste. The cheese was a disappointment because it was American - blech. I'm not a fan of artificial processed cheese and this is exactly what it was--Velveeta heaven. The avocado and the tomatoes were yummy though and as fresh as could be. Something else that completely repelled me was my side of slaw. I usually love a good, crunchy slaw but this one was the last scrape of the barrel. Our server literally told me that they "found" some extra slaw before putting it in front of me. The taste and smell was terrible and reminded me of garbage. While my side dish was unacceptable, Dan's fries were delicious and crispy. I should've gotten those. What was I thinking?Beer - We each got a tall glass of beer to wash down our grilled cheese. I ordered the Gruut, a Belgian amber ale while Dan got the Coney Island Lager, considered to be a hybrid beer. I loved the full bodied taste of the Gruut, which was slightly sweet and caramely. Dan's was flavorful as well but more on the bitter side--and he was happy with that.Service and Cost:I wasn't thrilled in this area either. Our waiter seemed confused and disorganized. He didn't know the menu very well and was a little too casual with us. We waited about 20 minutes for grilled cheese, which was too long for a simple sandwich. I just didn't understand what the holdup was. Overall, the service definitely needed servicing.The prices were moderate. For two sandwiches and three beers, we paid about $42 including tax and tip. While this wasn't expensive, the fact that I wasn't happy with my experience made me resent it a bit.1.5 Mmmms
Cinco de Mayo is here (tomorrow) and although the weather might not cooperate, the neighborhood restaurants and bars are breaking out all sorts of good specials that are worth checking out.
