Good Eats at the US Open

Even though good food at the US Open is certainly hard to come by, as over-eager tourists bum rush the Food Village, devouring sub-par food, there are a few things worth writing home about. If you’re at the Open this year, I highly encourage you check them out:

Morris Food Truck – Known for their grilled cheese sandwiches, the Morris Food truck comes to the Open by way of Brooklyn. I loved this cheery addition to the day’s festivities, and I must say that it’s run really well.

There’s a separate area where you get a good view of the menu and actually place your order. After just a few short minutes your name gets called at the actual truck and you get your perfectly melted cheese beauty. There’s four different grilled cheese sandwiches to choose from and they all sound great. Sure they’re expensive (you’re at the US Open after all), but comparatively speaking, the prices are okay.

After some consideration, I went for the Gouda sandwich with thick pieces of smoky bacon that were nestled inside. Overall, it was a total home run, as the cheese was perfectly gooey, tangy and just generally tasty. I appreciated the well done exterior on the bread, as I like my grilled cheese on the darker side too. It made for some attractive photos to boot!

You can find the Morris Food truck in front of Court 17 at the stadium or on the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn on most days.

Sandwiches by Parm at the Heineken House – At first, I can’t say I was totally enthused about checking out a branded environment in an already commercialized sporting event, but the Heineken house won me over. Located also right outside of Court 17 on the rooftop of a nearby building, the Heineken house offers a welcome respite for visitors, during this over-crowded event.

A nice, spacious bar welcomes you as you walk in, complete with a picnic table area, a mini pro shop with Heineken swag as well as some games and a cute photo booth. The Parm sandwich area was easy to spot, and similar to the food truck I just described, you first put in your order at the counter and wait a few short minutes for your food to come out.

It didn’t take me long to decide on the Godfather sandwich, which boasted a few generous hunks of fresh mozzarella, basil and tomato on pressed garlic bread. A bright green jalapeno found itself wedged in between the two halves of the sandwich, decorating it beautifully. Overall, the sandwich was delicious, fresh-tasting and made of good quality ingredients that’s a rarity at this event. Kudos Heineken!
 
I hope you get to visit these two eateries while the Open is still going on til this coming Monday, September 8th.

Scrumptious Bites at Astoria Bier & Cheese

Any evening that starts with a visit Astoria Bier & Cheese is always welcome, and that's exactly what we did the other night before going out to The Barn (more to come on that soon).  Loving the mild weather on Friday, we looked forward to getting some beers and eats, and then situating ourselves in the Broadway location's outdoor garden.

Beer & Food:
Deciding on a six pack variety of microbrews including two types of Founders' ales, the Alagash White Ale, Bell's, a fruity strawberry ale and two IPAs, we enjoyed the beer mash up.  It was great to bring these back to the garden area, and whichever beers we weren't drinking at the time were stashed up front to ensure they stayed cold.

Meat Plate - Made up of four fresh cured meat varieties chosen that day, Dan ordered this pretty selection and we all enjoyed it together.  On the slab, you'll notice sopressata, salami, the house country pate and the mortadella. All meats were sliced super thin and accompanied by teeny cornichons, grain mustard and a nicely toasted baguette.

Banh Mi Sandwich - A big fan of banh mis in general, I was curious to see how this one would stack up.  It arrived warm and crispy with a bevy of delicious things such as the country pate (again), Berkshire bacon, and a layer of crunchy veggies such as pickled carrots, zucchini, onions and fresh cilantro. The bread was also thin enough that it didn't leave me feeling too full, yet having said that, the portion is generous enough to share with someone.

Service and Cost:
The service at the counter differed a lot from the actual food prep, which took a very long time to finish, or so it seemed because we were very hungry.  The sandwiches came out at odd times and we couldn't figure out the method to the madness.  If you're a stickler for good service, I'd recommend dining indoors.

Costs are expensive, given the simplicity of the offering, but you are paying for the quality of the ingredients and the atmosphere.  The aforementioned food items and the six pack assortment set us back about $70, including tax and tip.

2.5 Mmmms

Astoria Bier & Cheese - 34-14 Broadway, Astoria NY 11106
718.545.5588
N/Q Train to Broadway
www.astoriabierandcheese.com

Burger, Beer, Fries Special at The Sandwich Bar

I'm a sucker for a great burger + beer special, especially on a Thursday to get you in gear for the weekend!  I spotted this one today at The Sandwich Bar, which is strategically located close to other places of drink, including MP Taverna, which also boasts a great Happy Hour special.  Try one, try both - whatever strikes your fancy.

The Sandwich Bar - 33-01 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria NY 11105
718.777.1078
N/Q Train to Ditmars Blvd (last stop)
thesandwichbarny.com

More than just Meat at Queens Comfort

Tonight was special, as I went out to support and celebrate the accomplishments of one of my favorite food blogger comrades, Bradley Hawks. For those of you not familiar with Bradley’s work in the food world, it’s quite remarkable how he has his fingers in so many honey pots, and I always marvel at how much he juggles. Not only does Bradley write and edit BORO Magazine, he’s also a contributor to the Village Voice, writes his own blog, guest posts on We Heart Astoria, and takes beautiful photographs for many local restaurants in Astoria and LIC.

Probably known most famously for the latter, Bradley’s photos always entice, tease and make the mouth water. In fact, tonight’s celebration was all about his photography, as Queens Comfort proudly showcased some of Bradley’s best works.

Aside from marveling at the beautiful shots of sushi, burgers, pizza, sandwiches and the many other wonderful foods that serve as muses for Bradley’s photography, Meg and I also enjoyed some quintessential Queens Comfort eats. After a long day, we were both loving all their little indulgences and concurred that the quality of everything we had was great.

BBQ Tofu Sandwich – Seeing an enticing picture of this sandwich from none other than Bradley, I was excited to see it on the menu and went for it. It didn’t disappoint, and in fact far surpassed expectations, as it was a beautifully composed dish with fried tofu, crispy slaw, a tangy Siu Hauu sauce, enveloped in a buttery brioche bun. The tofu was really crunchy on the outside, decked in a golden fried crust, and it was tender and substantial on the inside. I love how that sauce permeated into the little nooks inside the tofu that gave it a very delicious Asian flavor.

Donuts – The first thing we smelled when we came in were the donuts, and they looked divine to boot! We loved watching them be prepared - first the glaze was added and then they were topped with a little fried donut hole.

There were two varieties we tried including the Oreo and the PBJ. I preferred the latter, as it was glazed first with some creamy peanut butter and then topped with a light strawberry jelly. The inside was cakey and wonderfully soft, while the outside was a little crunchy. Although it was tempting to finish completely, I had to hold myself back so I can try its Oreo companion. Even though I liked it a lot, I thought that the Oreo cookies could’ve been more prominent in the donut, and there wasn’t much going on in terms of the creamy white filling. I felt this donut wanted to achieve that nostalgic Oreo-ness but only got there halfway.

Service and Cost:
Despite it being a busy night at Queens Comfort, the service was pretty quick. Even though it would’ve been nice to refresh our waters and get us some more napkins, the actual food came out in good time, and we didn’t have to wait long for the check either. Overall, the staff is friendly and pretty laid back. I felt that we could’ve hung out for a while even after we finished eating.

Costs are affordable, but know that it’s still a cash only establishment. I paid a total of $16 with tax and tip for my sandwich.

3 Comfortable Mmmms

Queens Comfort - 40-09 30th Avenue, Astoria NY 11103

646.597.8687

N/Q Train to 30th Avenue

www.queenscomfort.blogspot.com 

Yummy Specials at Astor Bake Shop

Image by Astor Bake Shop

Image by Astor Bake Shop

Always intrigued by what Astor Bake Shop has going on, I've recently also told you about their savory offering.  Dan and I enjoyed their classic Astor burger, and the French Onion soup was delicious too, that now I'm always keeping an eye on their menu and social media to see what specials they've got going on.  

This weekend's Facebook posts got me excited, as I spotted a healthy looking quinoa salad and a crunchy on the outside, and gooey on the inside Cubano sandwich.  The former boasts tons of earthy ingredients such as kalamata olives, cubes of feta, cucumber, cherry tomato, all dressed with a light scallion vinaigrette.  It sounds like a yummy side dish but can also substitute for a light main course for lunch.  

The Cubano on the other hand is total indulgence, with fresh roast pork, black forest ham, melty Swiss cheese and some sharp Dijon mustard to give it some kick.  It looks quite large and can be a nice thing to share with someone else, together with the quinoa salad too.  

Ok...now I'm totally salivating.

Astor Bake Shop - 12-23 Astoria Blvd, Astoria NY 11102
N/Q Train to Astoria Blvd

718.606.8439

www.astor-bakeshop.com