A Perfect Astoria-Style Picnic

It was hot the other day.  I mean really really hot, and despite this, I decided to meet Dan during his lunch break and have a picnic in Central Park.  Picking up a few Astoria provisions along the way, we had ourselves a lovely Astoria-style picnic, except in that "other" borough.

Pita Pan - I love me some Pita Pan for many reasons, one being that it's inexpensive, relatively healthy and easy to eat.  For our picnic, I order two things, including their signature marinated chicken skewers (each one is only $1.65) as well as the falafel plate, which came with 5 large falafel balls, tahini sauce and warm pita.  It was tasty and kept well in my picnic bag and made for good left overs too.  37-15 30th Avenue, Astoria.  718.204.1633

Watawa - Although we probably had enough to eat with Pita Pan's order, I couldn't resist getting a few sushi rolls and went with an order of spicy tuna, eel avocado and yellowtail scallion. I didn't know this, but since I got three, it came at a special price of $11, which is part of Watawa's lunch special (even on the weekends). The whole thing also comes with a side of miso soup and a salad. Overall, a fabulous value and food that traveled relatively well.  33-10 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria.  718.545.9596

Astoria Bier & Cheese - Ending things off at this specialty beer & cheese shop, I went for only the beer and got a peach wheat ale (RJ Rockers Son of a Peach) with a floral finish as well as a traditional pilsner (Abita).  Picking them up right before the picnic was a good idea because they kept cool and the Abita was a 22 oz so we kept it going for a while.  34-14 Broadway, Astoria.  718.545.5588

3 Delicious Spring Treats

Image by Brooklyn Bagel

Now that it officially feels like spring, and boy did we need it, everyone is up and about, roaming the nabe.  I love seeing everyone looking all chipper and happy, and it goes without saying that we're now in the mood for refreshing, cold treats.  In honor of spring, I wanted to give you just that - three delicious, cool treats you can enjoy on a warm sunny day.

Cold brewed iced coffee - With so many places to get a flavorful cup of iced coffee, there are a few that stand out to me, including Brooklyn Bagel, Avenue Cafe and The Queens Kickshaw of course.  Take one to go while walking to the subway or enjoy one while sitting down at a sidewalk cafe (Avenue Cafe would be great for that!).  

Gelato or ice cream - If you're looking for a cool, delicious little something, there's nothing like homemade gelato in the nabe.  My personal favorite is the pistachio from La Guli, followed by the hazelnut from Martha's or my new personal favorite, the We Heart Astoria Baklava ice cream from Malu in LIC.  

Healthy smoothie - There's nothing like a refreshing, healthy juice or smoothie to get your day started right, and there are a few places in Astoria you can get one.  Your Healthy Kitchen on 30th Avenue and 44th street will make virtually any juice you like.  Meg, Mackenzi and I tried an amazing concoction with beets, spinach, ginger, carrots and other delicious ingredients, which made this drink really satisfying.  Other good smoothie options include Pita Pan and Create Astoria.

Superbowl Take-Out Eats - Are you ready?

As many are just thrilled about the big game this Sunday, restaurants are no doubt planning big parties with lots of food and drinks specials.  It's going to get wild!  While I usually do a round up of where to go out, this year I'm switching it up by giving you the scoop on the best places to take-in when hosting your own football shin-dig.  Whatever you do, enjoy and let's hope the G-Men bring it home!

Sal, Chris & Charlie's Deli - Want to ring in the Suberbowl with a big sandwich? This is the place to go, as any true Astorian knows they make the most delectable sandwiches in town with fresh, premium cold cuts and great quality cheeses.  The bread is fantastic, sealing the deal on this big time hero.  Pre-order yours pronto to get it in time for the big game.  33-12 23rd Avenue, Astoria NY 11102.  718.278.9240

Key Food - I know what you may be thinking..."Key Food...really?!" Yeah, really.  Their big hero sandwich is also legit and generally more affordable than the full monty at Sal, Chris and Charlie's.  It's packaged conveniently and comes with all your necessary condiments like mayo, mustard, and a side of potato salad and cole slaw.  32-21 Newtown Avenue, Astoria NY 11103.  718.728.9403  

Palace Fried Chicken - One of the best places for wings in Astoria, you can get them as hot or mild as you want to.  They do a nice job with take-out, as the wings arrive fresh and piping hot.  The fried chicken and biscuits are also really delish and make for a perfect football snack.  27-01 21st Street, Astoria NY 11102.  718.932.8855

The Chirping Chicken -For more chickeny goodness, try the Chirping Chicken where the bird is king.  There's tons of football friendly options to choose from such as buffalo wings, chicken nuggets, mozzarella sticks, and whole or half chickens too if you're interested.  30-15 Broadway, Astoria NY 11106.  718.721.7766

Pita Pan - Although not your traditional football grub, I love their take-out options including the healthy souvlaki sticks, chicken or beef gyros and even a variety of pizza if you're so inclined.  I like that they offer a whole wheat option on the pizza and the portions aren't gargantuan if you're trying to tone things down.  Their delivery is pretty quick too, but allow for extra time on Superbowl Sunday.  37-15 30th Avenue, Astoria NY 11103.  718.204.1633

Sac's Place - If you're in the mood for really nice quality brick oven pizza, treat your guests to Sac's.  You can choose from your basic margarita pizza to fancy options with prosciutto, meatballs, gourmet cheeses and more.  Pasta is a nice complement to your order, and since it's pretty filling, it'll go a long way.  25-41 Broadway, Astoria NY 11106.  718.204.5002

La Vita Mia - Another yummy place for pizza take-out, I love the great quality of their dough on their traditional pizzas, but especially on the thicker-crust Grandma pizza.  You'll pay a premium for the latter but it's worth every penny.  Their wings are pretty delicious as well.  28-01 24th Avenue, Astoria NY 11102.  718.267.0310

La Guli Pastry Shop - Making the food at home but still looking for a gorgeous dessert? My colleagues at We Heart Astoria just spotted this beauty from La Guli Pastry Shop, which is making Giants themed cakes in honor of Superbowl Sunday.  Order yours in advance or pick up a couple of spontaneous treats on game day.  29-15 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria NY 11105.  718.728.5612

Make Your Own Big Sandwich - If you're the one making the grub for the shin-dig, consider making your own big sandwich.  For great quality cold cuts, I highly recommend Rosario's Deli, and in terms of bread, you can't get anything better than at Rose & Joe's right across the street - especially their olive bread, it's amazing!  Rosario's - 22-55 31st Street, Astoria NY 11105.  718.728.2920.  Rose & Joe's Bakery - 22-40 31st Street, Astoria NY 11105.  718.721.9422

Bacon Deviled Eggs - You may remember that I first tried making these a week ago for the championship Sunday party and they were a hit.  I love them for a football party because they're bite sized, easy to eat, and the bacon makes them stinkin' delicious.  See my recipe here. 

Best Take-Out in Astoria

While it's obvious that I primarily focus on the in-dining scene in and out of Astoria, today I wanted to shine a light on some of my favorite take-out joints in the nabe.  You know...for days and nights that are so oppressively cold that you can't even make the short trip to the corner deli.  And this winter, it looks like we'll be getting a lot more of those.

Here are my top three take-out places that always deliver (literally and figuratively).

Seva - Not only is Seva a delicious option for dining-in, it's sometimes even better for take out because you get twice the amount of food than at the restaurant. I'm not kidding.  Their $13.50 3-course delivery special is a fantastic value, for which you can get 2 large veggie or chicken samosas, a chicken, lamb, curry or veggie meal with rice and an Indian dessert such as a Mango Lassi or a Kheer (sweet rice pudding).  A group of five of us ordered it last week, getting 2 delivery specials, an extra entree and an order of the rosemary nan, and were were all pleasantly full.  Another cool thing is that delivery can be done completely online, which is super helpful--especially since they give you an estimated delivery time.  30-07 34th Street, Astoria.  718.626.4440 

Balkh Shish Kabab House - Another one of my all-time favorites, Balkh is also generous with delivery portions, and the food is absolutely scrumptious.  If ordering for two, be conservative because it's easy to over-order.  Dan and I usually go for Morgh Kabob and Chicken Kabob combination meal (pictured above).  This hefty meal comes with both white and dark chicken meat and Balkh's special house sauce, which is out of this world good.  But not only is the chicken filling, it comes on a bed of long grain brown rice and a sweet carrot raisin salad, which almost tastes like dessert.  This all for a mere $12.  23-10 31st Street, Astoria.  718.721.5020

Pita Pan - One of Dan's beloved take-out joints (and mine too!) Pita Pan is a fun, tasty and healthy way to go.  We usually go for the souvlaki sticks, which come with tangy tzatziki and also the falafel sandwich.  Portions aren't huge but just the perfect size, and because Pita Pan is relatively inexpensive, a $20 - $30 order can feed up to 5 people.  I haven't had the pizza yet, but Dan tells me it's solid.  37-15 30th Avenue, Astoria.  718.204.1633

Hope you get to try these - and please chime in with your favorite take-out joints.

Dan's 2 Cents - Pita Pan

Unfortunately, your beloved Foodista is out of comission for a couple of days.  She is currenty fighting off a nasty stomach virus that we've labeled "Toddler-zuma's Revenge" as I caught it myself late last week at my neice's 1st birthday party.  And obviously, as husband and wife we share everything so...you get the idea.

So in an effort to pitch in and keep the blog rolling I am going to try and add a little content for you all to enjoy.  And while The Foodista's forte is that of neighborhood sit-down restaurants and brunches and delicious homemade food of which I am often the beneficiary, my experience is more involved with take-out food and the like.  And everyone always says "write about what you know."  Which brings me to Pita Pan.

Anyone who hangs out with me regularly would probably know that Pita Pan is my favorite take-out/delivery place in our beloved Astoria.  Located on 30th Avenue, just west of 38th Street, it's really easy to find, and they deliver all over Astoria.  The food is good, and unlike a lot of delivery joints around, there are relatively healthy options to choose from.  But don't worry...it's not all healthy.  They have fries, burgers and pizza too.

Another plus about Pita Pan is the price.  It's pretty reasonable.  I'd say $7.00 would get you pretty full and $10.00 would get you stuffed.  My typical order from there is 3 chicken souvlaki sticks and a falafel sandwich.  They have pork souvlaki as well if you're into the "other" white meat, and the sticks come 3 for $3.00.  The individual gyro or falafel sandwiches are right around $3.00 also. They aren't huge, but they are pretty nicely stuffed with meat, veggies and sauce, and they roll some french fries right in with everything, which adds a delicious salty crunch to the overall experience.  And if you're really hungry, you can just double up on the sandwich.  I'm actually getting hungry right now as I'm writing.

About the only drawback to the place is when calling to place an order for delivery, they almost always put you on hold as soon as they answer.  And then they almost always forget about you so you end up having to call back.  Sometimes on a busy night this can happen a couple of times in a row.  But as patience is a virtue, it usually pays off with a good meal that is relatively healthy and delivered pretty promptly.  And all for a reasonable price.  I'll leave the official "Mmmm's" assigning to the Foodista herself, but I'm usually quite satisfied with the end result.

Pita Pan- 37-15 30th Avenue, Astoria NY 11103
718.204.1633
N/W Train to 30th Avenue
www.pitapanny.com/

Free Pizza at Pita Pan

Pita Pan is currently running a pizza special, which goes a little something like this:

Get a FREE plain pizza (regular or whole wheat) with an order of over $20

OR

Get a FREE pizza of any kind with an order of over $30

OR

Get 2 FREE pizzas of any kind with an order of over $50

While I haven't tried their pizzas, their gyros are pretty good. Try out this deal perhaps when you're having people over for the big game. For the NFL playoffs for instance...

Pita Pan - 37-15 30th Avenue, Astoria NY 11103

718.204.1633

N/W Train to 30th Avenue

www.pitapanny.com

Pita Pan - Mini Gyros at Mini Prices

Pita Pan - 37-15 30th Avenue, Astoria NY 11103

718.204.1633

N/W Train to 30th Avenue

www.pitapanny.com

I've been a fan of Pita Pan for a while and continue to support them after their move just two doors down on the same block. Make no mistake about it, this move isn't recent, as Pita Pan has been in this spot for almost a year now. The space is welcoming and upbeat with an orange and green color scheme, techno music pumping and mini palm trees blowing in the wind--it's all very Miami-esque.

But what I really like about Pita Pan are its gyros. Since its mini move, the menu has also been revamped, offering smaller portions and healthier alternatives. For example, their gyro is about half of its original size and price. Served on your choice of white or whole wheat pita bread, the gyros come with meat such as lamb, beef and even chicken--stuffed with tomatoes, onions, tzatziki sauce and the piece-de-resistance, french fries. I absolutely love this combination in a gyro, which makes it heartier and authentic--Dan told me that's the way they do it in Greece, incorporating the fries.

On nice days, Pita Pan opens up its front window like most 30th Avenue eateries, offering casual outdoor seating on high tables and stools. Check it out for some trusty Greek fast food--it's the White Castle of Greek food if you will. Below is a sampling of their menu, which you can also access online. The cool thing about their website is that you can view pictures of the food before you order. And...you can even place your order online--now that's good service.

Pita Sandwiches: Served in pita (regular or whole wheat) with tomatoes, red onion, fries and your choice of tzatziki sauce, yogurt, mustard/mayo or Pita Pan sauce.

Pita Pan Gyro - $2.90 (1) sandwich, $5.55 (2) sandwiches

Loukaniko Sausage - $2.90 (1) sandwich, $5.55 (2) sandwiches

Falafel - $2.25 (1) sandwich, $4.25 (2) sandwiches

Zucchini Fritters - $2.50 (1) sandwich, $4.75 (2) sandwiches

Souvlaki Sticks - Your choice of pork or chicken...$3.00 for (3) or $1.50 each

Burgers:

Greek Burger - Feta & kasseri cheeses and tomato with tzatziki sauce in a pita...$5.35

BBQ Burger - Melted Swiss and cheddar cheeses and bacon with BBQ sauce...$6.25

Pita Pan Burger - Avocado, bacon, mushrooms, fried onions and melted cheddar cheese...$6.95

Pizza: Your choice of regular or whole wheat dough

Hawaiian - Pineapple, ham and shredded cheeses...$7.25

Greek - Olives, fresh spinach, feta cheese, fresh tomatoes and shredded cheeses...$7.75

Gyro Lovers - Beef gyro, Pita Pan gyro, chicken gyro and shredded cheeses...$8.25

Mucho Meat - All 3 gyros, bacon, pepperoni, ham, loukaniko and shredded cheeses...$9.25

Panini Wraps: Your choice of regular or whole wheat or panini bread

Breakfast Wrap - Bacon, egg, tomato, choice of cheese and choice of sauce...$4.95

Pita Pan Wrap - Pita Pan gyro, feta, tomato & yogurt...$5.95

Veggie Wrap - Grilled mushrooms, roasted peppers, grilled onions, tomatoes and hummus...$5.95

Croque Monsieur - Ham, your choice of cheese, tomato and light mayo...$4.95

Fresh Fruit Smoothies: $4.95

Energy Elixir - Mixed anti-oxidant berries, blood oranges, bananas and cherries

Tropical Tango - Mango, banana, pineapple juice and fresh low fat yogurt

Honey Berry - Strawberries, bananas, honey and fresh low fat yogurt