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. 

Foodista's Yin Yang Pizza

I've mentioned that we're trying to eat better here in the Foodista household, and that often means inventing new, healthier alternatives to some of our favorite foods. Pizza is of course one of them and despite not eliminating red sauce altogether, we made a "Yin Yang" pizza - using a 1/2 and 1/2 approach, creating a "naked" and traditional pizza pie in one.

The "naked" half was simply dressed in olive oil, paper-thin slices of potatoes, fresh sage and red onions. It resembled and tasted more like focaccia bread than pizza--but that was fine with us, and I actually preferred it.

The second half was snazzier and included marinara sauce from Mezzetta Napa Valley Bistro, with wine (Napa Valley Chardonnay) as an added component. I also sprinkled it with Mezzetta Napa Valley Greek Kalamata olives, which added more body and sweetness from the Cabernet Sauvignon that was incorporated into it. Leftover potatoes and red onions were also sprinkled on top and the overall effect was a more substantial, "meatier" pizza, although no meat was present. Try it my way or add some of your ingredients of choice.

Foodista's Yin Yang Pizza

Ingredients (Serves 2)
1 lb of pizza dough (store bought or homemade - I use Rose and Joe's, which is super affordable at $1.25/lb)
1 tbs or 2 generous glugs of olive oil
1 small bunch of fresh sage, chopped (you can use other fresh herbs of choice like rosemary or thyme)
1 medium new potato, sliced in thin (almost translucent) slivers
1 tbs of red onion, sliced thin
2 tbs of marinara sauce (I used Mezzetta Napa Valley brand)
1 tbs of kalamata olives, sliced (I used Mezzetta Napa Valley olives)
1/4 cup of monteray jack cheese, shredded (you can also use mozzarella, grueyre, whatever you like)
A handful of coarse corn meal
Salt and pepper to taste
A pinch of sea salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Roll out pizza dough to desired shape - it can be round or even square. I like a round rustic pie, and it doesn't have to look perfect. Sprinkle corn meal on the bottom to prevent it from sticking.

Divide pie in half by brushing one half with olive oil and leave the other one for the marinara sauce. Top the olive oil side with slivers of potato, onions and fresh sage. Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

For the other half, top with marinara sauce, cheese, olives, leftover potatoes and red onion. Season with pepper if you like but it doesn't need more salt.

Place the pie into the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes, slice and serve. It's delicious to alternate your bites between the red and the "naked" slices - indulge and enjoy!

Rose and Joe's - Amazing Ham Bread

Rose and Joe's is one of my favorite bakeries in Astoria. They have an amazing selection of specialty breads at reasonable prices. Olive bread is one of my favorites there but I also recently discovered their baked ham bread, which is phenomenal. You can buy it in two varieties: a round loaf with a hole in the middle or in a traditional baguette shape. I tried the baguette because it was cheaper and we devoured it really fast--as in, gone in minutes.

Baked Ham Bread:

This beautiful bread caught my eye when I was pointing to the olive loaf that I originally wanted. It had generous chunks of baked ham sticking out of it. The ham was well done around the edges, which I love. Once I cut it up, I saw that the ham was not only on the outside but also nestled deep inside the moist dough. How scrumptious! We didn't even need to put anything on it, except a drizzle of good olive oil and coarse sea salt. I also served some of it that night to friends in the same way, with a small dish of olive oil, salt and pepper. They loved it and before we could get our hands on seconds, the bread was gone. It's official, I loved this bread even more than the olive loaf. The cost of it is reasonable at $2.25/baguette. I urge you to try it for a casual snack or even for some laid-back entertaining.

Rose and Joe's Italian Bakery - 22-40 31st Street, Astoria NY 11105
718.721.9422
N/W Train to Ditmars Blvd (last stop)

Rose and Joe's - The Best Olive Bread in Town

One of my favorite types of bread is olive bread. I've bought it many times in various bakeries around NY and while they're all pretty good, they have a tendency to be a little oily. Last weekend when walking by Rose and Joe's fantastic bakery on 31st Street, I discovered a different type of olive bread that I'll surely be back for.

Rose and Joe's Olive Bread:

Instead of the standard loaf that's usually sliced, Rose and Joe's offers a crusty olive baguette. It comes with both green and black olives and I chose the black--they're sweeter. Wonderful is not even the word! Besides the dough being soft on the inside and as crunchy as your teeth could handle on the outside, the olives were perfectly dispersed and were of very good quality. I tasted more than just olives in the dough and I think that there were sun-dried tomatoes added too. Just divine! Although I intended to make a panini out of it, I just couldn't toast this delicious bread so I ate it fresh with mozzarella and Hungarian sausage. However, if you have leftovers the next day, I'd suggest that you use a toaster or a panini press.

The cost of the olive loaf couldn't be better--$1.89 for this baby is definitely worth it. Next time, I'm going to buy more than just one and freeze it.

While I haven't yet tried the pizza at Rose and Joe's, it seems very popular. There was a long line in the store with people waiting for their pizza and they seemed enthusiastic. It'll be the next thing to try on my list...

Rose and Joe's Italian Bakery - 22-40 31st Street, Astoria NY 11105

718.721.9422

N/W Train to Ditmars Blvd (last stop)