Indigo is now the Astoria Brewhouse

I couldn't believe it--Indigo bar changed its name to the Astoria Brewhouse.  The name change seemed to come out of nowhere and I decided to inquire if anything else about it had changed.  Interestingly, nothing else is different. They will have new menus with 90% of the items remaining pretty much the same, they're just cleaning it up a bit and getting rid of a few unpopular items.  The decor remains the same and business is as usual - no new management either.

Just wanted to clarify its status in case you were wondering what was up.  Nada!

Astoria Brewhouse - 28-50 31st Street, Astoria NY 11102
718-728-0050
N/W Train to 30th Avenue

Happy Halloween Astoria!

With Halloween this Saturday, I wanted to provide you with various fun and silly goings-on in Astoria. Here they are in no particular order:

718 Restaurant - Their annual Halloween Party officially starts at 11p.m. Come dressed up for a chance to win brunch for two or a Tyku liquor gift set. Dinner will be served starting from 5:30p.m. and they'll feature a special Halloween dessert. 35-01 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria NY 11105. 718.204.5553

Ovelia - Masquerade ball with costumes starts at 11p.m. Best costume wins a fabulous prize and there will also be great music playing so you could shake it. 34-01 30th Avenue, Astoria NY 11103. 718.721.7217

Yolo - While they won't be having a big party per se, they'll feature drink specials, signature pizzas and even play scary movies. 22-55 31st Street, Astoria NY 11106. 718.777.1177

Mojave - Celebrate Halloween Latin-style at Mojave. A costume party complete with music, dancing and prizes is in store. And if you're up for some real partying, you can take advantage of their $30 all-you-can-drink special from 11 p.m. - 2 a.m. 22-36 31st Street, Astoria NY 11105. 718.545.4100

Indigo - Shaking things up a bit, Indigo's Halloween festivities start on Friday with their annual costume party and karaoke. There's no cover to get in and winner takes home $150 in cash. 28-50 31st Street, Astoria NY 11102. 718.728.0050

Cavo - Their 10th annual super-grand Halloween bash will begin at 11 p.m. Come in costume, as prizes are enticing (up to $4,000 in value). 42-18 31st Ave, Astoria, NY 11103. 718.721.1001

Central - This is a party you're not going to want to miss, with stilt walkers, flame-throwers, magicians--oh my! Dinner service starts at 7 p.m. and the party starts at 11 p.m. Arrive in your best costume and prepare to dance your hiney off. 20-30 Steinway Street, Astoria NY 11105. 718.726.1600

Studio Square Beer Garden - While their food and drink offering will remain unchanged, they're boasting a Halloween costume contest, which will go on all day. You could start drinking at noon and hang out all day. 35-33 36th Street, Astoria NY 11106718.383.1001

Gleason's - In addition to their drink specials, a costume party with a handsome prize of $1,000 in cash could be in your future. 33-08 Broadway, Astoria NY 11106. 718.626.5393

Bistro 33 - Yummy food can't come at a better price with this 2-for-$10 menu special on Halloween. Costumes are encouraged! 19-33 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria NY 11105. 718.721.1933

Sweet Afton - Will also be hosting a boisterous Halloween costume party where winner gets a fab prize--an all you can eat & drink evening for two at Sweet Afton. Break out the face paint! 30-09 34th Street, Astoria NY 11103. 718.777.2570

More - Want more options? Here are couple of great ones compiled by my colleague Meg from Joey in Astoria.

Happy Halloween Astoria!

Indigo - Sliders, Nachos, Oh My...

Indigo - 28-50 31st Street, Astoria NY 11102
718-728-0050
N/W Train to 30th Avenue
www.indigobarnyc.com

I mentioned my visit to Indigo last week for Sunday night football. This past Sunday, we went back again, along with our friend Grant and in-laws, Josh and Diana. We wanted to make a good impression with Indigo, as our "regular" football hangout is Blondies on the Upper East Side. It's hard to break the spell with Blondies, especially since they make the best wings and waffle fries I've ever tasted. But Indigo definitely stood on its own and our friends were impressed. Here are some of the new things that we tried:

Sliders - These were not your typical thin, limp patties that I've seen pass for sliders at other joints. This was real, good beef that was juicy and topped with warm melted cheese and sauteed onions. The fixins made them a lot more substantial and I definitely felt that they tided me over before my entree arrived.

Besides the mini cheeseburgers, the sliders platter also included mini pulled pork sandwiches, which tasted just as yummy as they looked. The meat was of a good quality and I liked the barbecue sauce that was used--tangy but not very spicy. I'd highly recommend splitting this dish between 4-5 people. We were very pleased.

Cowboy Nachos - Another one of our starters, we were delighted to see that the chips, the chili and guacamole were served separately. While I don't mind when they pile everything on top of the chips, they tend to get soggy, which ruins them after about ten minutes.

The first nice touch right off the bat was that the chips were toasted, making them super crunchy and slightly warm. The beef chili, which was presented in a deep porcelain dish was flavorful and the beef was once again fresh and delicious. The mixture of cheddar and jack cheeses was pleasant in the chili and not too overpowering. While it got a little runny towards the end, the flavors were just great and we didn't mind a little drippage. The guacamole was also good but not too remarkable.

Chicken Club Wrap - This was my dish, as I wanted to try something different from last week's turkey burger. Unfortunately, it was a mistake and I should've stuck with the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality. It's not that there was anything horrible about it, it was just uneventful. The tortilla around the meat was too thick and hard to bite into, while the chicken was breaded too heavily. On top of that, the overall effect was dry and I had to dip my wrap into the ketchup several times. The great thing about this dish was that the side of fresh-cut fries were even better than last week.

Service and Cost:
The waitstaff was very quick and attentive. I liked our waiter and waitress--they were both friendly and took care of us. I never felt as if I was waiting for an especially long time.

We ended up racking up a big bill when we factored in all of the beer. For the above appetizers including fried mozzarella sticks and 4 entrees, we paid about $35 each, including tip. Not unreasonable in my opinion. I'd suggest to check it out for football Sunday.

2 Mmmms

Celebrate Halloween in Astoria

Image by www.celebrating-halloween.com

With Halloween just around the corner, I thought that you'd find the below happs useful when making plans. The good news that most restaurants don't charge a cover and booty shakin' is almost always involved. Have fun!

As my Joey in Astoria colleague, Meg mentioned, Mojave will have food, dancing and an open bar from 10:30p - 2a. The party officially starts at 10p and there is a $50 charge for this all-inclusive evening. 22-36 31st St, Astoria, NY 11105, 718.545.4100

Indigo will have a costume party at 9p or 10p. There's no cover charge and prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. 1st place gets $250 in cash! They'll also have a DJ and karaoke too. 28-50 31st Street, Astoria NY 11102, 718-728-0050

718's annual costume shindig starts at 10:30p. They're offering a seasonal dinner, which starts at 5:30p and the party will continue until 4a with DJ Leon on the ones and twos. Ladies drink 2 for 1 from 10p - midnight and drinks generally range between $4-$9. 35-01 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria, NY 11105, 718.204.5553

Cavo's costume party is definitely glam and they go all out--especially with the prizes. 1st prize winner gets a 4 night hotel stay in Vegas and the 2nd and 3rd prizes aren't too shabby either. The party starts around 9p - 9:30p and there is no cover. 42-18 31st Ave, Astoria, NY 11103, 718.721.1001

While Ovelia won't be offering any food specials, they are having a masquerade ball, which starts at 11p. 34-01 30th Avenue, Astoria, NY 11103, 718.721.7217

Interested in a more private affair? Contact Bar 36 for their private Halloween party, which starts at 10p. 36-05 30th Avenue, Astoria, NY 11103, 718.715.4420

Feast on a scary soup and sandwich combo at Cafe Bar, where a 1/2 sandwich and soup is only $9. They'll also have a DJ spinning some spicy Cuban beats. 32-90 34th Avenue, Astoria, NY 11103, 718.204.5273

Want to keep your Halloween low-key? Visit Locale where there are no specific specials but you will be able to gawk at all the staff in costume. They have cute waiters so it might be worth it. 33-02 34th Avenue, Astoria, NY 11106, 718.729.9080

Indigo - Bar Food That Doesn't Disappoint

Indigo - 28-50 31st Street, Astoria NY 11102
718-728-0050
N/W Train to 30th Avenue
www.indigobarnyc.com

The first place that we hit after our big trip was Indigo. We were absolutely starving after our long flight--and with nothing in the fridge, we decided to elongate our honeymoon fried food gorgefest. We headed to Indigo to catch the remains of the Giants game and to have ourselves a good ol' fashioned American burger.

There were lots of burger, club and wrap choices but we decided to go for the semi-healthy, semi-gluttonous turkey burger with bacon. To say that it was the best turkey burger that I've had in a while would not be a lie. Here are the deets:

Turkey Burger (with a side of bacon) - This dish was a feast, complete with homemade fries with crunchy skins, thick slices of tomato and onion as well as cranberry mayonnaise on the side, giving it that Thanksgiving-ey touch.

The meat itself was wonderful--juicy and thick, this was no small burger. It was a generous portion that filled you up nicely and the lightly toasted sesame bun was also a plus. The bacon, perfectly crispy and chewy was pure indulgence--once you bit into it, the smoky crunch was just divine. It brought a smile to our tired, jet-lagged faces.

The cost of the burger was reasonable. It's normally priced at $8 but we payed $10 a piece because of the bacon.

We were so impressed by Indigo that we've already made plans to go again this Sunday with Josh and Diana for Football watching and maybe some yummy brunch. I've had their waffles before and they're damn gooood--I'm already looking forward to it.