Astoria and LIC NYE Round-Up

Image by Little Vintage Cottage Blog

It's almost here!  New Year's Eve is on a Monday this year, which breaks up the week so nicely.  How are you all planning to spend it? I'm providing you with a mini round-up of NYE activities in case you haven't made up your mind.  Please feel free to add to the list in the comments section.

Ovelia - Ringing in the new year with style and of course flavor, Ovelia will feature a 5-course prix-fixe dinner, with decadent specialties such as jumbo lump crab corn bisque, balsamic and maple glazed octopus, walnut crusted mahi mahi and even fried cheesecake!  $75/person - reservations recommended.  34-01 30th Avenue, Astoria.  718.721.7217

LIC Market - Always planning something intriguing and delicious, LIC Market will also feature a special prix-fixe dinner, concentrating on some interesting and local specialties, such as stuffed cabbage, milk poached day boat cod, Nantucket bay scallops and more.  There are two seatings, one at 6 p.m. which is $65/person and another at 9 p.m. where you'll really get to ring in NYE at $95/person.  21-52 44th Drive, LIC.  718.361.0013

Bistro 33 - If you're looking for something a bit more intimate, Bistro's park-side location will do the trick.  This charming eatery will be preparing a very special 3-course prix-fixe meal on New Year's Eve, also with two seatings - one at 6 p.m. and the other at 8 p.m. Prices vary, ranging from $65/person to $75/person for each respective seating.  Sample dishes include a braised venison osso bucco, roasted pork tenderloin, an ancho chili rubbed tri-tip and more.  19-33 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria.  718.721.1933

Bear - For something really special, enjoy your evening at Bear with an "Old Russian Aristocratic Table" style dinner, where you'll have your table set with many dishes such as salads, hors d'oeuvres, main entrees, and drinks.  I couldn't believe how affordable this all is, at just $45/person or $60/person with an open bar option til midnight.  The party starts at 10:30 p.m. and goes on till about 4 a.m. See the full menu here.  12-14 31st Avenue, LIC.  917.396.4939

Thymari - Love Mediterranean food? You may want to consider celebrating New Year's at Thymari, which sounds like a great value.  Five hefty courses, including soup, salad, meze, a main course and dessert is only $55/person and also comes with a glass of celebratory champagne.  The menu sounds fantastic and includes dishes such as a goat cheese and fig salad, pan fried feta rolls, duck breast with sour cherry sauce, baked quince with creme fraiche and more.  See full NYE menu here.  32-07 34th Avenue, Astoria.  718.204.2880

Astoria Halloween Mini Guide

Hi Astoria!

I sincerely hope that everyone is doing well and has survived the big storm with minimal damage.  In a time of  need and when our community needs us most, it's important to support our local businesses, as commerce has been severely affected, and especially our beloved small businesses.  As we give our local heroes some much deserved props, here are some fun things you can do to help, starting tonight on Halloween.  Hope you have fun doing it!  There's also another fun round-up of things to do tonight on partner site, We Heart Astoria.

Bear - Stop by for their Halloween/Hurricane special featuring deviled eggs with mackerel, a cucumber sandwich on focaccia bread, a fabulous homemade pumpkin pie and much more - all these items are just $5.  12-14 31st Avenue, Long Island City. 917.396.4939

Veslo - Sure their big Saturday night Halloween partay is over, but they're fully open for business tonight and serving their delicious Dalmatian specialties such as octopus salad, an Adriatic shellfish combo, goulash, gnocchi in a hearty veal sauce and more.  32-11 Broadway, Astoria.  718.728.0549

Sac's Place - Featuring fun Halloween menu specials, come in for dinner and enjoy their homemade, comforting dishes such as bocconcini mozzarella with red & yellow roasted tomatoes; spinach fettuccine with ham, peas & mushrooms in garlic oil; grandma Dorothy's homemade apple pie and others.  25-41 Broadway, Astoria. 718.204.5002

Thymari - Ring in a lovely Halloween dinner at this modern Greek taverna.  They're not only known for their delicious Greek meze but also for fancy cocktails, including an apple cider martini that's available now (and especially for Halloween).  32-07 34th Avenue, Astoria. 718.204.2880

BareBurger - All BareBurger Astoria locations have been reopened, so why not go in and enjoy a fabulous burger and a shake in costume?! Bring the kiddies along with you and treat them to a cubby meal, served with your choice of carrot sticks, apple slices and fries (and an organic juice box).  33-21 31st Avenue, Astoria.  718.777.7011; 23-01 31st Street, Astoria.  718.204.7167

Fun Dinner Special Tonight at Thymari

Image by Thymari

For those of you who stayed home this weekend, there's plenty to do.  Beside the U.S. Open, and the eats around it, which I'm totally addicted to, there's other things to munch on right in our neck of the woods.  I was excited to see this awesome special on dinner at modern Greek restaurant, Thymari.

Enjoy 20% off on all dinner entrees today all night long.  

This includes their lobster as well, which looks fabulous.  Other things I really enjoy here are their soutzoukakia (Greek meatballs), kolokythokeftedes (crispy zucchini fritters) and their variety of Greek spreads (aka Pikilia).

If you go, do let me know what you think of the lobster.

Thymari - 32-07 34th Avenue, Astoria NY 11106
718.204.2880
N/Q Train to Broadway
www.thymari.com

Thymari's Summer Menu Items

Just last week, I started telling you about a scrumptious summer menu from Bear Restaurant, but now I'm going to switch gears a bit and talk Greek food.  Just the other day, I noticed some seasonal summer menu items at Thymari that caught my interest.  What I love about Greek food is that it's really great in the summer and keeps you feeling refreshed and definitely not weighed down.  Here are some of the seasonal menu items you can enjoy there this summer:

Fresh grilled wild sardines
Chilled octopus salad
Salad with ouzo-scented sauteed shrimp
Homemade Greek pies, made with flaky phyllo dough, stuffed with feta, grilled chicken, spinach, or leeks 

And even though it's not special to summer, I personally really enjoy their kolokythokeftedes, which are zucchini/feta croquettes.  Served pipping hot, and crispy on the outside, they're a decadent treat that goes well with a very cool and refreshing tzatziki sauce.  The portion is large so make sure you share them with friends.

Thymari - 32-07 34th Avenue, Astoria NY 11106
718.204.2880
N/Q Train to Broadway
www.thymari.com

Thymari - The Verdict is Still Out

With our friend Moses in town last week, we were all excited to get together and give him a piece of what he's been missing in Astoria while living in Portland.  Being that he's Greek and naturally an expert on Greek cuisine, I thought it'd be fun to try Thymari, given that he loved its predecessor, Philoxenia.

Overall, the experience was fun and memorable because it was a nice get-together between great friends, but some of the food left something to be desired.  Not all of it, but still some of it proved to be a work in progress for most of us.  

Atmosphere:
Not changing things around too much from its predecessor, we saw this as a good thing, as the large, spacious dining room remained, along with all its modern furnishings.  The exposed brick walls and wooden beams are wonderfully rustic and convey a cozy vibe that somehow reminds me of the islands, especially with the open windows giving off a nice breeze from the outside.  The lighting is soft and atmospheric, and I could see how it can create an intimate vibe for couples.

Besides the interior dining room, there's also a small sidewalk space outside you can enjoy, but I think the inside is a lot more charming and special.  It feels more Greeky!

Food:
Since we were really in the mood to enjoy a true Greek-style dinner, we ordered a few mezedes and shared everything.  I love doing this because I love Greek food and also enjoy tasting a whole lot of things including dips, meats, seafood, veggies and other specialties.  My dining companions were totally on-board.

Pikilia - A sampling of different dips such as tzatziki, melitzanosalata, tyrokafteri and skordalia, it was a nice way to start the meal but it wasn't some of the best stuff I've had in Astoria.  I thought the tzatziki and the melitzanosalata were delicious, garlicky and fresh, but the skordalia and the tyrokafteri were just so so and a bit bland.  They didn't really differentiate themselves from the bunch, which is not usually the case.

Horiatiki Salad - Even though this was really simple, it still stands out for me as one of the best dishes of the night.  All the veggies including super ripe, blood red tomatoes, huge chunks of feta and buttery olives made this a much needed, refreshing preamble to the main meal.

Sotzoukakia - These are the meatballs you see above and they were one of the stand-outs (this confirmed by our Greek expert Moses).  Incredibly moist and flavorful, they were spiced with cumin and fresh mint, and covered in a spectacularly rich, homemade tomato sauce, further topped with a creamy Greek yogurt sauce.  Totally satisfying and worth getting again!

Octapodi Psito - This was the grilled octopus dish, which we were really looking forward to but that only half delivered.  It looked gorgeous, but once we bit into it, it was on the chewy side and the flavors were too muddled, as Moses said.  They failed to keep the dish simple and clean, as it should be.

Kalamari - We chose to get the fried calamari, which was a no brainer.  Even though it tasted nice, I think it was a bit too greasy and thick.  Personally, I prefer when the pieces are thinner and daintier and also when I get a lot of those wiry tentacle pieces, which I unfortunately didn't see here.

Dolmades - Stuffed grape leaves, with bulgur wheat, pine nuts, mint and diced apricots, it sounded better than it tasted.  When I bit into one, the flavors I just described were muddled, and all I tasted was the thick bulgur and not much else.  I was really excited for the apricots particularly, but didn't really get a feel for them at all in this dish.

Kolokythokeftedes - Ordering these by mistake, it was the best mistake we made.  Piping hot zucchini and feta fritters, they were tender and the cheese melted beautifully on the inside.  A perfect combination of rich and earthy, they were even better when paired with the cool tzatziki.  Each bite made me think of being on an exotic Greek isle.

Dessert - A bonus treat we received from the chef, it was another surprising stand-out.  A cold dessert, consisting of a yogurt mousse cup, topped with an amaretto walnut mixture, it was wonderfully refreshing and clean tasting.  Not only did it do a great job of cleansing our palate after this diverse meal, it didn't leave us feeling weighed down and was a total hit that I'd get again in a heartbeat.

Service and Cost:
The service was really nice here, as our waiter knew a lot about the menu and was just generally really attentive, making sure all was OK during our entire experience.  I liked that they let us linger around and chat as long as we liked, and we felt totally welcome and relaxed, which is something I'd return for.

Costs are moderate, and for the meal I just described to you (with drinks), we paid about $46/person (including tax and tip).

2 Mmmms

Thymari - 32-07 34th Avenue, Astoria NY 11106
718.204.2880
N/Q Train to Broadway
www.thymari.com

Happy Father's Day Round-Up

Just a friendly reminder that Father's Day is this Sunday!  I'm personally very excited, not only to celebrate with my Dad (pictured above) but also with my 91 year old grandfather, who is visiting from Slovakia.  I can't wait to spend the day with both of these role models in my life, and I hope you take the time to honor the special men in your life as well.  In honor of the big day, I wanted to provide you with a few suggestions for treating your Dad, Grandad, Uncle, Brother, or whoever you choose in the right way.

Cavo - This is a pretty awesome deal, as Dads eat FREE on Father's Day.  The way it works is that Dad receives a free combo entree, which includes a 10 oz. hangar steak with lemon shrimp scampi, served with steak fries and a charred tomato.  You must have at least four persons in your party to take advantage of this deal, and reservations are strongly encouraged.  42-18 31st Avenue, Astoria.  718.721.1001

Thymari - The still newish Greek food joint on 34th Avenue and 32 Street (old Philoxenia space) will be serving their dinner menu all day on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.  Special to this day in particular - Dad can also get a Kreas Pikilia (meat platter) with pork, country sausage, chicken and beef sliders.  Manly plate, I must say...and a complimentary beer for Dad with dinner also comes with the deal.  32-07 34th Avenue, Astoria.  718.204.2880

Christos Steakhouse - I usually recommend this for a Father's Day treat, as it's absolutely wonderful for a special occasion, and there's no way to go wrong here.  You can treat Dad to a classic Porterhouse or Ribeye and a plethora of mouth-watering sides such as smoked feta mashed potatoes, cream spinach, lobster mashed potatoes (with huge lobster chunks) and their signature dessert, Baked Astoria.  41-08 23rd Avenue, Astoria.  718.777.8400

Bear - If Dad is more adventurous and curious to taste some inventive eats, I suggest a visit to Bear, who feature a Sunday supper (it starts at 5 p.m.), right after their Sunday brunch which you can also take advantage of that day.  If you join for dinner, you can expect rich, delicious delicacies, that are seasonally appropriate, such as a New England Clam Bake, a slow-roasted Long Island Duck, pork ribs in a house cherry-plum BBQ sauce and more!  12-14 31st Avenue, Astoria.  917.396.4939

Sac's Place - If Dad is more of a traditionalist, Sac's is a great choice for some classic red-sauce Italian food. They excel in coal oven pizza, which comes in six different styles, including a Mama's old fashioned pie.  Pasta staples such as Manicotti, six types of ravioli, two types of gnocchi and plenty of meat dishes are also a sure way to satisfy Dad.  Reservations are recommended, as Sac's gets busy.  25-41 Broadway, Astoria.  718.204.8724