Earth Friendly Restaurants in Astoria

Happy Earth day, Astoria!  To celebrate this important day, I've given thought to the eco-friendly restaurants in the neighborhood that do Mother Earth proud.  If you have a chance to visit these today, please do, and patronize their business.  What are some of your eco-friendly haunts?

Vesta & Pachanga Patterson - These guys aren't shy about their restaurant's mission, which is to provide their patrons an experience that's inspired by the local greenmarket, giving preference to everything that's fresh and in season.  I like that they often tell you where their ingredients come from, including the specific farms and their locales.  Vesta - 21-02 30th Avenue, Astoria. 718.545.5550.  Pachanga Patterson - 33-17 31st Avenue, Astoria. 718.554.0525

Image by The Brooklyn Grange Farm

Brooklyn Grange Farm - Despite its deceiving name, Brooklyn Grange Farm is located in LIC, boasting "the world's largest rooftop soil farms," growing over 50,000 pounds of organic produce.  A direct supporter of the farm itself, I've been up there on several occasions and have patronized them through their CSA program.  There's always an abundance of something delicious, and the folks who run it are open and welcoming to new volunteers.  That's right, you can even have a go at urban farming yourself!  37-18 Northern Blvd, LIC. 347.670.3660

BareBurger - Everyone who's been to BareBurger can vouch for their environmentally friendly approach, which not only extends to its locally sourced food, including organic meat, but also the eco-chic decor.  It's not uncommon to encounter whimsy embellishments such as light fixtures built out of reused knives, forks and spoons, reclaimed wood tabletops, and the quintessential recycled tin sliding door.  33-21 31st Avenue, Astoria. 718.777.7011, 23-01 31st Street, Astoria. 718.204.7167

Milkflower - One of my recent restaurant faves, Milkflower also supports green business practices.  I love that their interior is adorned with refurbished accents such as reclaimed wood paneled walls, tables made of old police dividers, benches made of recycled burlap and more.  Their wood fired pizza doesn't suck either.  Mmmm... 34-12 31st Avenue, Astoria. 718.204.1300

A Rainy but Delicious Visit to Milkflower

While wasting our time away yesterday on pleasurable things such as museums and delicious eats, Dan and I popped into Milkflower for a casual dinner.  We haven't been in quite a while and were totally craving their blistered crusted pizzas.  Our experience didn't disappoint, and we're already thinking of ways to recreate Milkflower's genius at home.


Shishito Peppers - I love to get these as an appetizer at tapas restaurants, but I've never seen them at a pizza joint.  Dan wasn't so sure, but totally changed his mind when the charred, blistered peppers arrived, along with a side of creamy cracked pepper aioli.  Even though they were light, the peppers did a good job of tiding us over until the next course.  I loved the charred taste of the pepper skin and the pronounced bite from the aioli.  Delicious!

Hawaiian Pizza - Appreciating Milkflower's take on the classic Hawaiian pizza, this came with crispy prosciutto in place of ham, which was ingenious.  The crust was as perfect and bubbly as usual with beautiful little char freckles on top.  A topping of thinly sliced pineapple and jalapeno peppers added more excitement for the eyes and the tastebuds.  Overall, this pie is a total home run, so Hawaiian purists and mavericks, please enjoy!

Service and Cost:
Since we came in right as Milkflower opened, we were pretty much the only people there and therefore received exceptional service.  We were in and out in about an hour, but felt that we could've hung out for as long as we liked.

The aforementioned meal, including a beer set us back about $33 including tax and tip, which is reasonable for high quality trattoria fare. Nom, nom, nom...

Milkflower - 34-12 31st Avenue, Astoria NY 11106
718.204.1300
N/Q Train to Broadway
www.milkflowernyc.com 

Milkflower Brunch is Coming

Image by Milkflower

Loving Milkflower, the still new wood fired pizza joint in the nabe, I was happy to see that they've now added brunch to their repertoire.  Starting on Sunday, September 8th, they'll be serving up brunch specialties including their signature Neapolitan style pizza with an egg on top.  They're treating guests to free pizza to celebrate this occasion so come hungry.  Note that they're no longer BYOB, but you can enjoy their selection of wine and beer that are now officially a part of the menu.

Milkflower - 34-12 31st Avenue, Astoria NY 11106
718.204.1300
N/Q Train to Broadway
www.milkflowernyc.com 

The Taste of a Sweet Milkflower

At last, at last...I've had the opportunity to visit Milkflower last week with Dan and friends, Jennifer and Nuno.  Hearing only good things from Mackenzi and Ivona, I couldn't wait to taste the wood fired pizza deliciousness for myself.  Since Milkflower is still in the process of getting their liquor license, it's currently a BYOB joint, which was more than fine with us.

Atmosphere:
Occupying one of my favorite streets in Astoria, which is the tree-lined, 31st Avenue, Milkflower is located on the popular stretch of restaurants between 33rd and 34th Street.  Its exterior is a bit unassuming, but once you step inside, you'll be glad you came.

I loved the variety in seating from small 2-tops to larger communal tables, which we occupied.  The atmosphere is casual and social, and I love all the refurbished decor such as the blue and white tables made of police barricades.  From what I hear, everything has been constructed by the owners themselves, who originally hail from Jersey but love their new Astoria surroundings.  We're happy to welcome them here, certainly, as they're proving to do things right by Astoria standards.

Food:
We of course came for the pizzas and therefore sampled a few, proving to ourselves and to Milflower just how addicting they are.  But first, we started with apps...

Appetizers - We started with a plate of milky burrata cheese (hence the name Milkflower), which was further dressed with roasted red peppers and lots of sweet balsamic glaze.  The inside was creamy soft and just a perfect juxtaposition with the meat plate we also ordered.

Speaking of the latter, it was on the small side, but the meats were of nice variety, including a jamon Serrano, salame rossa, and spicy sopressata.  To add some nice texture, it was paired with a little bowl of crunchy walnuts and some sweet, mascerated strawberries in balsamic glaze and honey.  It was fun to put these fixins in the center of the cured meats, roll them up and enjoy like a savory/sweet cigar.

Pizza - It was hard to get enough of Milkflower's star component, which was of course the pizza.  Starting with two small pies, we went for the mushroom and the Hawaiian.  Both were awesome and my favorite part was the crust that had a delightful charred flavor.

Even though I expected to like the mushroom pie better, the Hawaiian stole the show, as it incorporated prosciutto and thin slices of spicy jalapeno peppers.  Loving the little bite of spice that often came as a little jolt of surprise, we all thought this pizza was pretty stellar and something we'd get again.

Ending things off with the Green Pizza, with lots of fresh arugula on top, it was the earthiest of the three and a nice way to get your fix of super-food greens.

Dessert - We couldn't leave Milkflower without trying their non-traditional gelato flavors, including a black sesame, a blueberry with fennel seeds and a fior di latte (a traditional Italian flavor of milk, cream and sugar).  The blueberry was my favorite, as the fennel gave it a licoricey aftertaste that added to its sophistication.  All gelato flavors were pretty light and not overly sweet, which was appreciated.

Service and Cost:
It's pretty evident that Milkflower is still getting its footing where service is concerned.  Everyone is very nice and accommodating, but they still need to work on speed and precision, which is OK for a barely month old restaurant.  They'll get there.

Costs are affordable and especially since Milkflower is currently a BYOB.  The aforementioned dinner set us back about $50/couple with tax and tip.

3 Milky, cheesy and stringy Mmmms

Milkflower - 34-12 31st Avenue, Astoria NY 11106
718.204.1300
N/Q Train to Broadway
www.milkflowernyc.com