Best Take-Out in Astoria and LIC

Since the weather doesn't seem to be cooperating on days like these, it's best to stay indoors and hunker down. However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't enjoy the delicious eats offered by neighboring restaurants.  Here's a quick run-down of some of my faves - what are yours?

Seva - It was so nice to see Gramercy Tavern's Chef, Miroslav's Uskokovic's Astoria recommendations in which he mentioned Seva for best take out.  I tend to agree, as they offer an easy online delivery system, and are extremely generous with their take-away portions.  One personal dinner will easily tide you over for two nights.  30-07 34th Street, Astoria.  718.626.4440

BareBurger - Always in the mood for BareBurger, you can't go wrong with something like the Roadhouse or the spicy Habanero Express burger.  Even though fries are outstanding, I'd recommend having them in the restaurant so they're super fresh.  They've added a new burger to the menu, which is the Southern with pepperjack cheese, applewood smoked thick cut bacon, pickled green tomatoes and fried onion.  33-21 31st Avenue, Astoria.  718.777.7011

Crave - Dan and our friends in the nabe often turn to Crave for a late night snack.  Their delivery is pretty consistent, and you can order comfort food such as a delicious Cuban sandwich, various chips and dips, as well as their signature Crave  Bowls, or my personal fave, the poppable falafel balls.  28-55 36th Street, Astoria.  718.726.4976

Watawa - If you love sushi, Watawa is a must and I've never been disappointed with their in-house or take-out dining.  Some of my favorite rolls are the most simplest such as the yellowtail scallion, spicy tuna or the eel avocado.  33-10 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria.  718.545.9596

PFC (aka Palace Fried Chicken) - Some of the best fried chicken and hot wings come from this micro chain located both in Astoria and LIC.  The chicken is without a doubt a must, however, steer clear of the pizza.  I unfortunately speak from experience.  44-45 21st Street, LIC.  718.433.1661.  21-02 36th Avenue, Astoria.  718.729.4811

A Perfect Astoria-Style Picnic

It was hot the other day.  I mean really really hot, and despite this, I decided to meet Dan during his lunch break and have a picnic in Central Park.  Picking up a few Astoria provisions along the way, we had ourselves a lovely Astoria-style picnic, except in that "other" borough.

Pita Pan - I love me some Pita Pan for many reasons, one being that it's inexpensive, relatively healthy and easy to eat.  For our picnic, I order two things, including their signature marinated chicken skewers (each one is only $1.65) as well as the falafel plate, which came with 5 large falafel balls, tahini sauce and warm pita.  It was tasty and kept well in my picnic bag and made for good left overs too.  37-15 30th Avenue, Astoria.  718.204.1633

Watawa - Although we probably had enough to eat with Pita Pan's order, I couldn't resist getting a few sushi rolls and went with an order of spicy tuna, eel avocado and yellowtail scallion. I didn't know this, but since I got three, it came at a special price of $11, which is part of Watawa's lunch special (even on the weekends). The whole thing also comes with a side of miso soup and a salad. Overall, a fabulous value and food that traveled relatively well.  33-10 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria.  718.545.9596

Astoria Bier & Cheese - Ending things off at this specialty beer & cheese shop, I went for only the beer and got a peach wheat ale (RJ Rockers Son of a Peach) with a floral finish as well as a traditional pilsner (Abita).  Picking them up right before the picnic was a good idea because they kept cool and the Abita was a 22 oz so we kept it going for a while.  34-14 Broadway, Astoria.  718.545.5588