Taverna Kyclades

Taverna Kyclades is your first stop for what Zagat calls "perfectly cooked seafood at a modest price". Step in and immediately feel at home as our friendly staff cater to your every need. Enjoy brilliant dishes made with the freshest ingredients including seafood brought in every morning from the fish-market.

It is always a good sign when a restaurant is crowded, you know right off that it has got something going for it. And in Astoria, in a Greek place, you know it is authentic. Taverna Kyclades is right on my corner, all the way out in Astoria, on the last stop on the N train, yet it is always packed, and gets amazing reviews. I'll have to add mine to that list — even after the up-and-down experience we had at dinner.

Reservations aren't accepted and with my parents in town, we came around 8:30 to put our name on the list for a table. There's no bar, or real waiting area, so we stood on the sidewalk, waiting almost an hour for a table. I eventually got a few menus for us to look at and ordered a round of drinks to hold us over. Eventually we got an outside table and sat down to dinner.

It was worth the wait. We started with a few appetizers, including Fried Calamari, Fried Squash and Eggplant with Garlic Dip, and Pan-Fried Greek Cheese. Note the 'fried' theme. All these dishes were great — to start, I love cheese, and the fried cheese was salty and chewy and hot, with a spritz of lemon juice it was delicious. Along with these appetizers we ordered a carafe of Greek red wine which was good, and reasonably priced.

Continuing our fried theme, we ordered a plate of fried sardines (mom's favorite) as an entree, along with a Swordfish Kebab with Vegetables. I'm not the biggest sardine fan, but these were good even with the bones. The swordfish was tender and moist.

Then, as we were each sampling our variety of dishes, and as the restaurant continued to be very busy, a waiter ran by our table, knocking the entire carafe of wine over and into my white linen shirt. It was a mess, and I quickly went to the bathroom to clean up. As I was walking back to the table, the manager approached me to ask how they could help me with my shirt, and offered to clean it and replace it. By the time I returned to the table, the waiter had cleaned up the mess and replaced the carafe of wine. A few minutes later they quietly gave me some cash to buy a new shirt. So really, even with the unfortunate circumstances, the staff handled it very well, and luckily for me, I was able to get my shirt clean just by soaking it overnight in a little laundry detergent - so in the end we came out ahead!

Even with the spill and the wait, I was really happy with this meal, and I'm sure I'll be back the next time I'm in the mood for some good seafood. There's lots more on the menu that I'd like to try, and plenty of what we had, I'd order again.

Koliba

Welcome to Koliba, the best Czechoslovak restaurant in the New York City area. We offer authentic Czech and Slovak dishes and drinks. Come and enjoy our casual and friendly atmosphere, and get a feel of a true central European dining.

Koliba is the second Czech restaurant my grandmother recommended in my neighborhood. I've jogged by it several times before, but it always seemed closed...turns out my Monday jogging route corresponds with their one day off. I was coming home late from work and thought I'd take the long way home and see what the menu had to offer.

The restaurant was homey with a cabin-like atmosphere; there was lots of Czech paraphernalia on the walls–wooden toys, mounted game, plates. The space wasn't very large, I'm guessing there were seats for about 40 people and a small bar. The menu is short, and it seems they focus on a few standard specialties. If you want a 'special order' they advise there will be a longer wait for preparation. Everything was modestly priced, the most expensive entree being $16.75, and most closer to $10-12. The imported Czech beers were cheap too. I had a half-liter BrouCzech for $5.

I ordered beef with cream sauce (pictured) which was simple but tasty and hearty. It was three slices of pot roast with plenty of gravy. There was a lemon slice with cranberry or boysenberry jam for garnish, and a plate of dumplings on the side. I'm not certain Koliba is "the best Czechoslovak restaurant in the New York City area" but they do a nice job serving good food at a good price. Maybe it'll just become my 'regular' bar!

Just Arthur's

Just Arthur's is a traditional Italian restaurant on the corner of Steinway and Ditmars in Astoria. I went there for dinner with V, because we've jogged by a few times, and a friend said it's pretty good. Before we headed out, I searched for reviews, and found one so glowing I thought the reviewer was paid to write it and a few others that were more in line with what I thought (after dinner).

The service was friendly and food was good, but not anything really unique that blew me away. V had a penne dish with sausage. I enjoyed a few bites, and as leftovers the next day with some added cheese, it was great. I had meatloaf, something I figured I wouldn't make at home anytime soon, served with mashed potatoes (real) and corn (from a can). It was pretty good, but not too memorable. The side salad was iceberg lettuce with a few cucumbers, carrots and cherry tomatoes--and the largest glob of ranch dressing ever.

Overall: good for a low key and relatively cheap dinner in the neighborhood, but i probably won't be bringing many out of town guests.

Agnanti

Agnanti meze was founded in December 2002 in Astoria, the heart of the Greek culture in New York. This family oriented restaurant, offers an outdoor patio in the summer overlooking Astoria Park, and a cozy atmosphere with a fireplace in the winter.

What a surprise. Many times I've jogged past this small corner restaurant, next to Astoria Park, just a block from the river, and almost a mile from the last stop on the N train...I thought it looked quaint, quiet. I convinced V to walk down there to dinner on Saturday night, not expecting a wait, let alone a crowd. As we approached the restaurant, I thought there was some kind of emergency because there were so many people congregating outside. As it turns out, Agnanti is a hot spot! The space is small, probably seating 50 max, and there is no bar area, so if you're waiting for a table, you're waiting outside. The crowd was diverse: older couples, families, and an odd number of pregnant women, I think there were three at one table.

I was happy we decided to go and the food was great, but there were a few downsides to our experience. First, I was lucky V was willing to wait with me for a table. We stood outside for at least an hour. Our name was never on a list, the hostess just knew what order to seat people.

Things got off to a better start once we were seated. I figured out it was a Greek restaurant (I couldn't tell by the name or decor, and there wasn't a menu outside). We ordered a few appetizers and smaller items instead of main entrees, starting with Saganaki. This is a traditional Greek cheese baked in a dish and served with a lemon wedge. You just eat it, and it was very good, and very cheesy. You can't go wrong there. We followed that up with Mushrooms Kalitsounia, homemade dough wrapped around mushrooms and herbs. These were amazing. Kind of like little raviolis, they were hot, crispy, creamy, and salty all at the same time (sounds familiar).

I then had an order of mussels which were seasoned with a white wine sauce and sprinkled with feta cheese. They were great, and a nice dish to take your time eating and enjoying. I shared a few with V, but she was busy enjoying the swordfish, which was a little dry, but flaky and really very steak-like. It was quite good. Both were reasonably priced too. I found it surprising that the seafood was less expensive than the meat and poultry dishes.

So all the food was great. The odd thing was the service. We waited forever to get in and then our food was brought out so quickly we felt rushed. Perhaps because we were one of the last seatings, the kitchen was closing down. Then, after our rushed meal, our server never came around to see how things were, offer coffee or dessert, or even the check! We waited another half hour before flagging someone else down to get the bill. Then after paying, by credit card, they told us to tip in cash. I needed to make change to leave a proper tip, but the server never came by again...I felt bad leaving a measly tip, but there wasn't anything I could do. The food was good enough that I'll give Agnanti another try. Next time I'll make a reservation, and hope for the best.

Watawa

Watawa is a little Japanese restaurant around the corner from my apartment. I've seen it there since I moved in but never had an opportunity drop in for a bite. Late one night after most of the other restaurants on the block had closed, V and I were looking for sushi and Watawa was still open. It was a good choice, and not just for late-night eats.

I've only relatively recently gotten in to sushi, and still I'm pretty much a novice, sticking to tuna rolls and other simple dishes. I did the same here, but the rolls were well prepared and the slight twists the chef added were a nice touch. This sushi was very good, I'd say because the layer of rice was minimal, allowing me to better enjoy the roll's contents. The tuna and avocado roll was very good, and the spicy tuna roll (which wasn't too spicy) had a little addition of crunchy tempura crumbs rolled up inside. The presentation was simple and the service was relatively quick, though we waited a while for our order to be taken and for our drinks to arrive.

A few other comments: the decor was nice and simple. Lots of bottles of while and sake around the restaurant, and an otherwise clean atmosphere. Our waiter was good and easily handled my special request (sure, adding avocado isn't that complex). I'm happy I finally dropped in to Watawa; when I left, I took the delivery menu. I'm sure I'll order (or drop in) again.

Fatty's Cafe (2)

Back in February when I first tried Fatty's Cafe, I said I'd be back. And so it goes. The second time around, I was still amazed that this little place that's "totally off the beaten path" was so crowded and so pleasing, in so many ways. Because I've been there before, I won't go into the atmosphere etc, just the food and service.

The Saturday night crowd meant we had to wait a few minutes at the bar for a table, but we were seated quickly, we barely had a chance to have a glass of wine. The restaurant is so small that I believe in the first 10 minutes we were there we interacted with every member of the staff. And they were all very friendly.

After a positive experience with the grilled cheese last time we asked what today's special was. Our waiter didn't know, but did his best to try to convince us to order it as a mystery appetizer. We were tempted but ended up going with the black bean bowl again. For the main course I was tempted by the hangar steak (see Central Kitchen), but we went with the previously tempting burrito, and the "charity burger," $2 of which goes to charity (I forgot to ask to what charity it goes, but I still feel good about my choice).

The burrito, "A big fat tortilla stuffed with rice, beans, peppers, onions, cheese and steak" was good but nothing special. (I think I just wasn't in the mood for Mexican; good thing it was V's order.) It had some strong flavors and the meat was tasty. My bites seemed to have a lot more rice than anything else.

The burger is served with avocado, tomato, sprouts, garlic aioli, anejo rum ketchup and blue cheese. I went without the bun and just ate the burger with knife and fork. The combination of flavors was amazing. It is quite a list, but I really enjoyed tasting it all in every bite. The flavors and textures made for a dinner that was definitely not just about the burger, but about how it all came together. On the side were sweet potato fries. They were crispy, salty and sweet, making for a great contrast to the softer and more savory burger.

Once again, a dinner that puts Fatty's as one of my favorite spots. The food was cheap but good, the service was friendly, the atmosphere is great, and as a bonus, it is within walking distance of my apartment. You can't ask for much more.

SoHo Cafe & Grill

SoHo Cafe & Grill isn't even in SoHo. It is a little restaurant near my Astoria apartment. Situated below "The Rock" fitness center, from what I can tell, it caters to that health-centered crowd with fresh juices and other health-food. Ironically it was the waffle-fries on the take-out menu that enticed me to try it out. I've eaten there s a few times now and am still not sure how I feel about the whole experience.

The first time we were there we tried wraps including the California Shrimp Wrap with avocado, mesculin greens and sundried tomato; and the Sicilian Wrap with grilled chicken, mozzarella, peppers, and lettuce. Both wraps were slightly off in one way or another. The shrimp was little baby shrimp that wasn't particularly appealing, while there was so much chicken in the other wrap we had to take at least half of it out just to eat it, though the mozzarella was very fresh and added a lot to the wrap. Really our favorite item was the black bean salad served on the side.

On a second visit I had a delicious and filling Cobb salad. It had plenty of shredded chicken, a good coating of dressing, large chunks of avocado and a good portion of bacon. It was probably more than I needed to eat, but at least seemed healthy! I saw but didn't try the tuna melt, which looked more like it came from my toaster oven at home than from a restaurant's kitchen - it was on thin sliced plain bread and had what appeared to be process American cheese melted on top. It was served alone on the plate - a little garnish would have gone a long way toward changing my first impression of the dish.

One other complaint about SoHo Cafe is the clatter of the juice machine. On our first visit we were seated right next to it and the noise was understandable but annoying. On our second visit, we were seated almost as far from the machine as we could get and it was still noisy and irritating to talk over while enjoying our meal. I guess I'll occasionally drop in for something at this conveniently located and affordable cafe, but I don't plan on dining-in much more.

WAVEthai

I've had take-out twice now from WAVEthai and it meets my approval. Just a block from my apartment, the little restaurant doesn't have huge crowds dining in its well decorated dining room, but the food is great as take-out. I'll have to keep checking to see for when it is crowded because that's when I'd like to dine in. There's something about eating-in in an empty restaurant that is unsettling.

I've tried the pad Thai, which I can't say much about in terms of criticism or glowing praise - it was good, a nice big portion (there's always leftovers), and got the mix of flavors and textures down well. I do wish it came with a lime wedge instead of lemon, but that's nothing.

I also tried the peanut curry with chicken. If you don't know what this is, it is almost like a stew or stroganoff, served over rice, or it can be eaten almost like a soup. As take-out it comes in a quart size plastic bowl. The curry had a nice spice to it and I really enjoyed the peanut flavor. The string beans, broccoli and carrot in the mix were a good balance with the chicken.

One nice thing about the menu is the pricing, basically all dishes can be prepared with any choice of meat, poultry or seafood, and each meat sets the price. Chicken is $9. Not a bad deal for a filling and pretty healthy meal. Next time I'll try something from the wok.

Family Corner

I dropped in to this little diner on the corner of 21st Ave and 31st St. this morning after moving my car for the alternate-side parking. I can't comment much on the food, I had a breakfast sandwich that was tasty, but the atmosphere and people really make Family Corner a nice place. The cooks were friendly, the guy who rang me up was friendly (he may have been the owner), and all together everyone seemed nice. Plus, the rest of their diner-esque menu looks appealing for a quick bite now and then - each category on the menu is a 'corner,' like the Breakfast Sandwich Corner, the Omelet Corner, the Sandwich Corner, etc etc. They cooked up my order very quickly, and it came to $2.15 - not bad, and they offer delivery.

Fatty's Cafe

Totally off the beaten path is a place we are sure you'll return to whenever you need to get away. Fatty's is the cheapest getaway in the city, great food, cocktails, atmosphere...

Fatty's Cafe was recommended by a friend and my guess is that if it weren't for that, I'd never have even set foot in this restaurant that now is on my list of "places to become a regular."

When we walked in the door, my first impression was good, I noticed an interesting mix of people, including families, some couples and small groups and people at the bar, a good crowd for a Sunday night too. The little place was almost full. My next thought was that everything on the menu would be vegetarian, it just gave me this sort of hippie vibe. That would be good for a diet at least.

The problem with a diet is that you have to eat healthy food, and on a lot of menus that limits you to the salad. And a lot of the time making a unique salad is a challenge, so it just seems like a waste to order the salad when there's so many other truly unique things to try on the menu. Such is as it was at Fatty's.

My impression was way off - there were definitely meat items on the menu, and it all looked very good. We ended up ordering several appetizers or "goodies" rather than main courses. here's how they ranked:

First, The Grilled Cheese of the day was, if I remember correctly, a sandwich with zucchini, mushroom and red pepper. I may not have the ingredients exactly right, but I know that it was delicious. And cheap.

Second, The Black Bean Bowl (not on the linked menu) was a hot bean dip with what I believe were house made chips. It was covered with sour cream and scallions. Amazing. We practically scraped the huge bowl of dip clean.

Third, Empanadas. We had one cheese and one beef. They were good but nothing amazing, to me.

Fourth, Fatty's Calamari was unique, almost a tempura style with a puffier fried breading. It didn't stay very crispy but was otherwise tasty. It came with an alioli dip which we enjoyed.

I'm interested in trying the burrito, and perhaps their build-your-own salad...and the burgers look great, as do the sides. I'll definitely be bringing others in on this little secret down the street from my apartment. Am I getting repetitive saying I'll be back? I guess I'm going to have to try more than one restaurant a week. I will have to remember to bring cash, as we found out, almost too late, that they don't take credit cards.

Finally, I found out who Fatty is - but I'm not telling.

Mezzo Mezzo

Mezzo-Mezzo might mean “half and half,” but this place gets the whole Hellenic taverna thing right. - Time Out New York

Valentines dinner at Mezzo Mezzo was cool, literally. Each of the five courses of the fixed price meal were delicious but some could have been served hotter. My guess is that a lot was pre-prepared for the menu and the holiday and was simply waiting under heat lamps - the service of each course was speedy and right about on time if a little early.

The lobster bisque had enormous chunks of lobster meat and was quite tasty. I wished it were warmer. The salad was nothing special, but tasty and refreshing before the stuffed portobello mushroom caps. These had a crab/cornbread stuffing with some melted cheese on top and were very tasty. I expected the mushroom caps to be larger (just 2.5" across) but in a five-course meal, portion size is important and this was just right.

The main course was "flounder stuffed with crab" which used the same cornbread/crab stuffing as the mushrooms. Very tasty, a little sweet, a little buttery. I found a few bones in the fish, but nothing outrageous. We also got mixed vegetables and mashed potatoes making it a very filling course. I brought home leftover fish, which was great for lunch the next day. Finally, baklava for dessert was flaky and sweet and delicious.

The service was friendly and the manager/owner even came by to see how the meal was. He seemed like a good person to know (I saw him offer another table a free round of drinks). The decor was warm with log-cabin style exterior walls and heavy wooden tables and chairs. The stone/brick walls added to the look. Apparently the weekend scene is big too with bell dancers and what appeared to be a dance club upstairs.

Ditmars Gyro Place

The first place I went to eat after stepping foot off the moving truck, this restaurant, on the corner of my block will definitely become a standby for me if only because they serve Halloumi. This Cypriot goat cheese doesn't melt - it browns on the grill and is so tasty it ranks as one of my top 3 favorite cheeses of all time. You can order it as a side or it comes on some sandwiches (though in rather thin slices). I feel like you really lose the taste of the cheese if you eat it with bread or many other flavors, so I prefer to eat it alone. Other good food is the gyro, which I believe is available on the spinning rotisseries in chicken, lamb and beef (or pork, not sure which).

I felt like the service is friendly and welcoming - you can take-out or sit down to eat. It is one place where I hope they begin to recognize me, I'm guessing I'll be dropping in a lot at least!