Celebrate Cinco de Mayo in Astoria and LIC

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. 718.545.4100

Margaritaville - 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. 718.274.4350

La 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. 718.361.1858

Blackbird'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. 718.626.5393

Business as Usual but Still Noteworthy

El 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. 718.956.0107

Los 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. 718.726.8708

Mundo - 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!

Mexican Brunch at Luna de Juarez

Luna de Juarez is featuring a weekend Mexican Brunch Buffet for $9.95. I've been here twice for dinner and the food is solid--I prefer the traditional tacos and enchiladas vs. some of the more inventive dishes but overall, the quality of food is good. Below are the specifics of this deal - check it out.

Mexican Brunch Buffet - $9.95
Includes one Mimosa
Every Saturday and Sunday from 12:30pm - 4pm

Enjoy and let me know how you like it!

Luna de Juarez - 25-98 Steinway St, Astoria, NY 11103
718.274.4350
N/W Train to 30th Avenue

Celebrate New Year's Eve in Astoria

Still need last minute ideas for New Year's Eve? Don't fret because there's lots going on in Astoria. Just take a look at this sampling of New Year's Eve specials--and this is just the tip of the iceberg!

Enjoy the evening at Mojave where $65 per person will get you a 4-course dinner prixe-fixe, an open bar, a DJ and a midnight champagne toast. Mojave - 22-36 31st Street, Astoria. 718.545.4100.

Ovelia's New Year's Bash will start with dinner, which doesn't have specific seating times and will cost you $40 per person. An open bar will follow from 10pm - midnight, which will set you back $50 per person or $80 per person for a dinner/open bar combo. Ovelia - 34-01 30th Avenue, Astoria. 718.721.7217

There are two New Year's options at Mezzo Mezzo. One offers a four-course dinner in the downstairs dining area for up to $45.95 and the other features dinner, Greek music and live belly dancing in the upstairs dining area for $95 per person. The latter also includes a glass of wine and midnight champagne toast. Mezzo Mezzo - 31-29 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria. 718.278.0444

Want to ring in the New Year in 80's fashion? Dine at Vesta for their New Year's Eve Feast, where $65 per person will get you a 5-course dinner, party favors, classic 80's tunes, live broadcast of the Times Square ball drop as well as a midnight champagne toast. Vesta - 21-02 30th Avenue, Astoria. 718.545.5550

Although dinner at Cavo is fully booked, you can still enjoy their $50 per person open bar, which starts at 9pm. Cavo - 42-18 31st Avenue, Astoria. 718.721.1001

Dinner at 718 includes three seatings--5:30pm, 7:30pm, and 9:30pm--but there's no prix-fixe so you're free to order whatever you like. There will also be a DJ for you to shake it! 718 - 35-01 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria. 718.204.5553

Bistro 33 will have two dinner seatings, one at 8:30pm, which features their regular menu and another at 9:30pm which offers a New Year's Eve special menu for $75 per person. Enjoy a glass of sparkling sake and midnight champagne toast with the second seating. Bistro 33 - 19-33 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria. 718.721.1933

In the mood for New Year's mariachi? Visit Luna de Juarez between 8:30pm and 10pm. Dinner will be offered at regular prices. Luna de Juarez - 25-98 Steinway Street, Astoria. 718.274.4350

While the intimate space at Mundo is fully booked for the 9:00pm dinner seating, the 6:30pm seating is still open. It features a 4-course dinner at $65 per person. Mundo - 31-18 Broadway #E, Astoria. 718.777.2829

Have a fun and happy New Year Astoria!

Luna de Juarez - Quality Mexican at Great Value

Luna de Juarez - 25-98 Steinway St, Astoria, NY 11103
718.274.4350
N/W Train to 30th Avenue

Dan and I paid an impromptu visit to Luna de Juarez last night, after my intense craving for Mexican food. We were famished after a hectic day of shopping and needed something filling to tide us over. The food not only satiated us, it was absolutely delicious and came at a great value. Here are some of the dishes that we tried:

Mole Chicken Enchiladas - This is my favorite type of enchilada because it uses dark chocolate in the mole sauce. The last time I had it was in Austin and it was pretty phenomenal. Luna's version proved to be a fierce competitor with a smoky flavor and significant kick. The delicious white chicken meat that was nestled inside the tortillas was perfectly shredded and seasoned. I was also able to choose two sides with my enchiladas and so I picked tostones and refried beans--both solid. If you like fried plantains, you'll love tostones.

Soft Chicken Tacos - Dan ordered this and it was also excellent. The portion was gargantuan and reminded me of a fajita platter. I liked it slightly better than my mole enchiladas because it was milder. The chicken was tender and seasoned nicely, and the yummy fixins such as fresh guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream and grilled onions further dressed this plate. Dan prepared each taco with care and he was able to get about 8-10 small servings out of the entire portion. If this isn't a great deal, I don't know what is.

Margarita - One of his beloved drinks of all time, Dan ordered a frozen lime margarita. He said that similarly to the food, it was of great quality and significant size.

Service and Cost:

The service was outstanding. As soon as we walked in, we were welcomed by a personable host who seated us and even held my coat while I got situated. Throughout our meal, the excellence and attentiveness continued--when I accidentally dropped my knife, it was replenished within seconds, without me having to ask.

Besides the lovely waitstaff, there was a boisterous mariachi band that played for about a half hour. They livened up the atmosphere and made our experience even more fun.

Luna de Juarez offers competitive prices. For the dinner that I just described, we payed about $36 without tip. The enchiladas were $15, the chicken tacos cost $13 and the margarita was $6. Not too shabby considering the generous portions that were enjoyed.

3 Mmmms

Cinco de Mayo is Here - Celebrate it, Astoria Style!

Image by www.buycostumes.com

Cinco de Mayo is a fun holiday and a great reason to go out to eat, drink and celebrate. Whether you're Mexican or not, makes no difference--below check out four Astorian restaurants bringing you their own version of a fiesta.

Mojave - This modern Southwestern eatery is the sister restaurant of NYC's Agave. They're celebrating Cinco with live music and a free margarita with dinner.

22-36 31st Street, Astoria, NY 11105. 718.545.4100
N/W Train to Ditmars Blvd (last stop)

Luna de Juarez - An authentic Mexican joint which makes great enchiladas. Luna is offering a free cocktail (any cocktail) with dinner and they'll have live music as well, so you can shake it!

25-98 Steinway St, Astoria, NY 11103. 718.274.4350

N/W to Train to 30th Avenue

Cafe Bar - Although this laid-back, art deco lounge is not having an official "Cinco de Mayo" special, they are having 2 for 1 drinks from 5-7p.

32-90 34th Avenue, Astoria, NY 11103. 718.204.5273
R/V/G Train to Steinway Street

Ovelia - I know, Ovelia is Greek but they serve a mean margarita. Check 'em out and take advantage of their happy hour special. $5 wine, $4 beers and $6 cocktails from 5p-8p.

34-01 30th Ave, Astoria, NY 11103. 718.721.7217
N/W Train to 30th Avenue

Feliz Cinco de Mayo Astoria!