Husband Father Chef in Astoria New York
Wednesday night was the Edible Queens Uncorked event at The Foundry in LIC, NY. So much food, so much wine and so little time. Let’s focus on the highlights and big news from the evening.
The event was hosted by Leah McLaughlin, the wonderfully personable and charming owner of Edible Queens. Leah is a true believer in all things Queens and might be the borough’s biggest booster.
Now for the news.
There’s a lot going on in the ‘hood these days.
Walking up 30th avenue last week one couldn’t help but notice the smell of smoke in the air. Heavenly meat smoker smoke. Our noses led us to an open door at the still under construction Butcher bar. They were testing recipes and the owner invited us in. Mathew introduced us to the chef and a bunch of guys standing at the counter wolfing down, I mean delicately tasting, a variety of smoked bbq products. We sampled burnt ends that were very juicy and tender, brined turkey which had a gentle deliciousness and finally bbq brisket which made me smile even though the chef was unhappy with this particular test specimen. The house made bbq sauce was pretty darn good too. If you need to know more then I guess you might want to know that the place looks good too. Lots of wood and diamond plate, butcher stuff and a nice backyard. There are seats inside and out back. Honestly, if the meat proves to be as good as the test then who cares about the decor.
When I need my Rotisserie chicken fix there is only one way to go. Peruvian style with a lot of cilantro sauce on the side. Where to go is another question. Living in Queens, New York offers up many places to find such fare but if you want the mother lode head on over to Jackson Heights. Specifically on Northern blvd. and Roosevelt ave from 76th to 90th streets. There you will find Peruvian restaurants serving up the best ceviche, seafood, whole roast chickens and the most amazingly chartreuse green cilantro sauce poured from large pitchers into glasses and placed on the table along with your meal. This stuff is crack in a cup.
I first stumbled on SugarFreak in Astoria about a year ago. They were only a quirky interior then, but recently they opened their New Orleans-influenced culinary doors to the world. Here’s my story of a recent visit.
Location: 30th avenue Astoria, New York Food update for March 26th 2011 Coming soon we can expect to see a restaurant featuring Southern food from the Louisiana region. I hear that there will be some pretty amazing baked goods and desserts happening there so get your insulin lined up. The rumor mill is buzzin’ about [...]
Warning: If you hate bagel scoopers, do not read this post. You may hate me for it. I will still like you though. I took my son to Brooklyn Bagels on Broadway by 35th street in Astoria this morning. It’s my favorite local spot for a classic New York bagel. The bagels have a great [...]
The bowls are served in minutes and come with lots of good stuff to add on your own. A mound of bean sprouts, basil, mint and lemon wedges. You add whatever you like and then squeeze on some condiments such as Hoisin sauce, red wine vinegar and a choice of hot sauces. I prefer the house chili sauce and JB like the Sirachi.
Inspired, I purchased a bar of LA Burdick’s dark chocolate. This would be a special dessert for my wife later on that night. I spent the next few hours finishing my errands and thinking about what to serve for dinner. A simple and light meal to balance out the dessert I had planned would work best. I made a stop at the cheese shop and green market.
