Mandolin Aegean Bistro – Tasty Mediterranean Eats in Miami’s Design District

In the hopes of escaping the polar vortex part deux, Dan and I spent the week in Southern Florida, including parts of Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and Boca Raton.  I always enjoy visiting this sunny region of the country, which is always accompanied by good friends, family and lots of fun eats.

Before our visit, I reached out to Anthea, a fellow local foodie who I follow on Instagram and who’s also the founder of a vegan cookie company called Om NomNom Cookies.  She has fabulous taste, so I knew I can depend on her for some interesting foodie finds, which she delivered on.  One such recommendation, which I’ll tell you about here is Mandolin Aegean Bistro, tucked away in Miami’s chic Design District.

Atmosphere:
Given my love for Astoria and Mediterranean food in general, I was excited to learn about this Greek/Turkish restaurant and that it was mostly mezze based.  The best part was the beautiful outdoor garden, which was adorned with low trees and plants, which made it feel intimate and enchanted.

We sat at a cozy table in the corner, which gave us a great vantage point for people watching, proving to be fruitful in this trendy Miami atmosphere.  Aside from the beautiful outdoors, the indoor dining room is lovely too, and I can see it being really romantic in the evening – a great place to come to with your special someone.

Food:
Excited about all the different mezze on the menu, we chose to share a few of them and then also took a shared approach for our entrees.  I like that we let the veggies and cheese be the star of the show, with a few opportunities for protein as well.

Turkish Sampler – Unlike the traditional Greek sampler, which often includes tzatziki, melitzanosalata or taramosalata, this one was decked with hummus, tomato walnut dip and fava bean puree.  The latter looked like guacamole, but had a mild and earthy quality to it, which was delicious.  The other winner was the tomato walnut spread – a Turkish version of Italian Bruschetta if you will (but a lot crunchier).

Saganaki Cheese – I adore this melty yet still firm cheese, which is mild in flavor and goes well with pita or the grilled bread they served at Mandolin.  A few generous spritzes of lemon brought it further to life by giving it some zing.

Moussaka – My mother-in-law, Vicki and I shared this Greek comfort food classic, which consisted of sliced eggplant and ground pork, layered with a thick tomato based sauce and a generous layer of béchamel on top.  It’s great to see that the Moussaka is made to order here, as our waitress informed us that it takes about 25 minutes, which was just fine by us, and in the end, we weren’t disappointed.

Classic Gyro Sandwich – A purist when it comes to Greek food, Dan was eager to try this classic gyro sandwich.  He fell in love instantly with the thin sliced lamb, the creamy tzatziki and the perfectly grilled pita.  I had a bite and loved it, noticing that all the right flavors were there and in just the right proportion.

Service and Cost:
As soon as we walked up to Mandolin, we were welcomed by the hospitable staff and sat down immediately.  Although we were very much tucked away in a cozy corner, we never felt abandoned and noticed the close eye the staff kept on everyone.  The wait staff is young and energetic, and suits the overall clientele here well.

Costs are moderate, especially for a trendy part of Miami, with the aforementioned lunch setting us back just $65 for three people, including tax and tip.

3 Mmmms

Mandolin Aegean Bistro – 4312 NE 2^nd Avenue, Miami FL 33137
305.749.9140
mandolinmiami.com

Telly's Taverna Masters Greek Food

A few weeks ago, Meg and I spent some time at Telly's Taverna - a Greek Astorian institution in its own right.  It's bizarre to me I've often overlooked Telly's, especially when I lived in this neighborhood, but after our delicious experience, I can confidently say that won't happen again.

Atmosphere:
Pretty traditional as far as Greek restaurants go, Telly's is set up not unlike a lot of its neighboring comrades.  The kitchen (including grill) is situated up front, accompanied by a more casual dining area, while the whole left side of the restaurant serves as the formal dining room, and it's where all the action takes place, so to speak.

Loving the spacious room that accommodates both large and intimate parties, Meg and I sat at a four top table towards the back.  Even though the front of the room was more appealing, and buzzing with energy, it was quite chilly due to the open windows.  The open air atmosphere is great during warm summer months though, and gives diners a good opportunity to observe the goings on on 23rd Ave.  It's not unlikely to see a lot of large parties dining at Telly's during the weekend or a weeknight, celebrating a holiday or a special family occasion.

Food:
Although we came hungry, we were so not prepared for this giant feast.  Needless to say, we walked out happy and had plenty of leftovers for the upcoming week.

Mezze - Interested in trying a variety of mezze, we went for veggie centric dishes as well as seafood.  The veggies were fantastic, and stood out to me both during this course as well as when paired with entrees.  The green salad and the tomato cucumber salad were fresh and zesty, and topped with plenty of milky feta.  Dressed simply with good quality olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice, it was the perfect way to whet our appetite.

The other big app standouts were the grilled octopus and the gigantes beans in tomato sauce.  I loved the slightly crunchy exterior of the octopus and the melt-in-your-mouth middle, which was cooked just right.  Surprised by the burst of flavor in the gigantes beans, this was a real comforting dish, as it was stewed in a homemade tomato, garlic/onion sauce that conjured up memories of grandma's kitchen.

Main Dishes - Pleasantly overwhelmed by the rich spread of meat and seafood in front of us, we tried a little bit of everything and had a hard time deciding what we liked best.  If I'd have to choose, I'd give the standing ovation to the grilled biftekia and the juicy lamb chops.  Both were simple, but beautifully executed dishes that were flavored with fresh herbs and lemon.  Paired with classic side dishes such as thin Greek chips with oregano and perfect lemon potatoes, they'll satisfy even the most discerning customer.

Although we couldn't finish everything at that moment, we took a lot home, which made for great leftovers - especially the biftekia, which I later tore into salad.

Dessert - I love me some loukomades (Greek donuts with honey) and these looked and tasted impeccable.  Boasting a beautifully golden brown exterior and a soft and airy interior, they were pure heaven with a little bit of cinnamon and honey on top.

Service and Cost:
The staff at Telly's is made up of experienced and friendly waiters who are knowledgeable about the food and pay a lot of attention to diners' needs.  We always felt well taken care of, our glasses of water refilled frequently and our sharing plates refreshed periodically.  It was nice to know that we could hang as long as we wanted to without being bothered.

Costs are really fair given the high quality of food, and Telly's is a restaurant I'd happily return to in the near future:

Mezze - $4 - $16
Meat - $12 - $24
Seafood - $12 - $24
Dessert - $6

3 Mmmms

Telly's Taverna - 28-13 23rd Avenue, Astoria NY 11105
718.728.9056
N/Q Train to Ditmars Blvd (last stop)
www.tellystaverna.com

Happy Hour Snack at Café Bar

Last week, Meg, Mackenzi and I met up with a potential future media partner at Café Bar. I haven’t been in a little while and always look forward to coming here because the food and the drinks are consistently good. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the service, but nonetheless, a good time was had by all.

Since it was still early evening, and just the time to grab a drink and some light snacks, we shared a pitcher of white sangria as well as a large cheese board.

White Sangria – Boasting a $20 sangria pitcher special on Wednesdays, we were intrigued to try the white, as it looked refreshing. Topped with lots of fresh fruit such as apples, plums and peaches, it made for a lovely summer drink that did a nice job of cooling us down. It was also good that the drink wasn’t too watered down, and after about two glasses, we were just about ready for our cheese snack board.

Cheese Board – We were all impressed when a colossal cheese board showed up at our table, decked with simple yet delicious accouterments such as a little pot of honey, chunky blueberry jam, grapes, honeydew and other fixins. There were about 5 varieties of cheeses, including goat, brie, blue, pepper jack and gouda. Even if you’re not a huge cheese fan, you had to respect the spread before you, and the beautiful way in which it was arranged. We all seemed to enjoy it, and I was surprised at how much it filled me up.

Service and Cost:
As I already hinted, the service was a little on and off, as we waited for a few minutes to be approached, then only to receive three glasses of water for the four of us, and so forth. Although it was a tad annoying, it was nothing that couldn’t be excused, and I do see myself coming back for more.

Costs are moderate and include $20 for the sangria and about $16 for the cheese platter.

2.5 Mmmms

Café Bar – 32-90 36th Street, Astoria NY 11106
718.204.5273
N/Q Train to Broadway or R/V Train to Steinway Street
www.monikascafebar.com

Mezze Place - Delicious Dinner Interlude

It's been quite a while since I've been to Mezze Place, and last night was the perfect opportunity, right after Dan and I saw a great movie at MOMI.  We were totally starving and I thought Mezze would hit the spot, which it totally did.  Dan has never been, so I was excited to expose him to this flavorful cuisine, which I'll refer to as mezze fusion.

Although some of the dishes we chose were pretty classic, there were a couple of new things that I wanted to highlight here:

Cyprus Halloumi Salad - Both Dan and I adore halloumi cheese, and it's especially delicious when grilled.  We dug right into this beauty, which boasted gorgeous grill marks and some nice fresh veggies such as greens, red beets, Spanish red onion, haricot verts and quinoa.  Besides being really fresh and zesty, it was hearty too and did a great job of tiding us over.  If I'd order this for myself, it's unlikely that I'd still be craving an entree.

Organic Pargiyot Chicken - Not that I wanted to be boring or anything by ordering chicken - quite the opposite, I had a feeling it'd be delicious here.  Mezze's version more than delivered, as the chicken thighs were tender and deeply flavored by root vegetable broth that also dressed the cous-cous.  Dan who got the short ribs went even as far as to say that my dish was better, which is pretty dramatic to say when in competition with short ribs.

Semolina Cake - Even though we were pretty full, Mezze's gracious staff brought out dessert, consisting of warm semolina cake.  I loved everything about it, including the earthy walnuts and the plump raisins nestled deep in the cake's interior.  A side of cool frozen yogurt gave the dish some nice tang, and you can really taste that this was real, good quality Greek yogurt - none of that fake stuff.

Service and Cost:
Just like the first time around, Youad and Lana were amazingly hospitable and generous.  A full glass of vino, some shots of delicious port wine and that semolina cake didn't go unnoticed.  You get treated as family and we can't wait to come back - I'm so glad that Dan's a convert now too!

Costs are moderate but definitely fair for the generous portions and the quality of food.  For a full course dinner including drinks, two appetizers and two large entrees, we paid about $82 before tip.

3 Mezzzy Mmmms

Mezze Place – 31-18 Broadway #E, Astoria NY 11106
718. 777.2829
N/Q Train to Broadway
www.mezzeplace.com