Grey Dog Coffee

In search of a lighter, healthier, dinner one night, we wound up at Grey Dog Coffee, known in the neighborhood for its friendly service and relaxed atmosphere. Upon entering, we were slightly confused, wondering if we should wait to be seated, seat ourselves, or order at the counter. We eventually ordered at the counter, chose our seat, and then the food was served to us. The people watching was great as the crowd was very diverse. Even the servers had their own eccentricities that made the experience unique.

The food is standard fare, including sandwiches, salads, burgers, and breakfasts. We each tried a salad: the Cobb salad, and the seared tuna steak salad. All of the ingredients were very fresh and combined to make a great dinner salad. The portion was big enough to be a satisfying meal. Each was served with a piece of onion focaccia bread. I liked that they automatically served my dressing on the side, and that they would probably have allowed us to sit there all night if we wanted to.

All in all, a great spot for a light meal or a cup of coffee (except I don't like coffee).

Written by V.

The Crooked Tree

The Crooked Tree is a creperie a few blocks from our new apartment on St. Marks Place between First Ave and Ave A. Since we've moved, we've been looking for a place to replace one of our Astoria favorites, Euro Delights, where we regularly went for crepes.

We each ordered a crepe, me the sopressatta and mozzarella, with red onions, and V the mushroom and goat cheese. Both were (in our opinion) more authentically French - thin and modestly filled. The flavors were unique, I liked the mushroom crepe better, but the salami in mine was good and the cheese was fresh. Were were also served a little salad on the side which was nice.

The restaurant is small (like pretty much everything in the East Village) with a casual and comfortable decor. There are bottles of wine decorating one wall, and random things from a Spider-Man figurine to a giant jar of Nutella decorating the other. You can see the kitchen in back and an angled mirror on the wall enables you to see each crepe being prepared. Really the best thing about the atmosphere is the smell: butter. I don't think The crooked Tree quite matched Euro delights, but it certainly deserves a place on my culinary radar.

Cafe Deville

Cafe Deville is a great looking French bistro on 3rd Avenue. I've walked by it a number of times coming home from work. The street-side tables and the bar seemed rather enticing. Unfortunately it didn't meet our expectations.

V and I dropped in to try it out on a cool Saturday afternoon. Maybe it was the wrong time of day or something because the service was spotty and slow, but the place was fairly crowded, at least around the front windows. Our server honestly could have been high on something; he was twitching and skittery, and only came to our table twice; once to take the drink order and once to take the food order. At the end of the meal we had to flag him down after waiting for quite a while to get our check. We spent that time debating how low to tip.

The food was good, but not great. I ordered the hangar steak, which came with onions (they seemed like they came straight out of a pot of French onion soup) and mashed potatoes. The steak was fairly tender but its flavor was a little off. V had a cheeseburger which was very thick though a little over cooked, it also came with fries. Sadly, perhaps, the best deal of the meal was the $1 oysters we started with. That's one thing I'd go back for. Otherwise, it wasn't that good, and as I mentioned, the service was poor. I think the only other thing I'd attempt if we went back is brunch, which I've read pretty good reviews of.

Around the Clock

Around the Clock is a simple restaurant with a simple idea: bar food and breakfast 24-hours a day. The restaurant is across the street from our apartment. I walk by just about every day and usually don't have much reason to stop in, but this weekend with its blazing heat and humidity seemed like a good time to drop in for a cheap pitcher of beer and a snack. We ordered the chicken wings, which were unremarkable and a bit small, but fit the bill especially for $5. The nachos were better and equally cheap. They come with lots of cheese, black beans, sour cream and guacamole. The service is a little slow, but it doesn't cause much of a problem. The decor isn't much either, kind of grungy looking and mismatched. I wouldn't call Around the Clock a bar (though it has a full bar), I'd say it is a great before- or after-bar place. Great for preventing a hangover, or curing one, I'd guess too.

Grand Cafe

Grand Cafe is another Greek place in Astoria, surprise. I've walked past multiple times and I always see people enjoying big salads and other good looking food. We dropped in for a bite to eat and were pretty satisfied. The decor was nice, nothing amazing, they have a revolving door which i found amusing because every other window/door was open to enjoy the outside air. We sat at a window and had a nice view of the people walking by. Because the salads were always so appealing, I tried the cobb salad, and V had the portobello salad. My only complaint was the dressing which was too mustardy for me, I prefer blue cheese or ranch, but still it was a nicely composed salad. V's salad was "quite delicious" the best part was the cheese, she said. It came with goat cheese, yellow, red and green peppers, and of course the mushroom. She ate everything, except the lettuce, but really the toppings are the best part - I guess there wasn't any dressing on it (or it was on the side). They served a nice pile of pita slices on the side which were warm and fresh from the grill, giving them a nice, subtly charred flavor. The prices were pretty reasonable for the area, about $12 for a salad, and we added a bottle of wine too. I liked it. I'll go back someday.

Athens Cafe

Athens Cafe is one of the best Greek places in Astoria. You can sit there for hours on end and enjoy watching people walking by with a cup of coffee or a beer without any trouble. We were there from 8 p.m. till about 1:30 a.m. this night. I think our waiter was happy to have us because we ordered plenty of wine and food as we sat and talked throughout the night.

You can tell this place is authentic because it is always crowded. When we arrived the crowd was watching a Greek soccer match, with everyone waving flags and wearing yellow AEK jerseys.

We ordered a dip sampler which came with four traditional dips: one with feta, another with dill, and two others I can't remember. Oddly there wasn't hummus. The portions looked small, but we had to order extra pitas to finish it all.

Next we tried a "Greek Pizza" which was served with feta, halloumi (my favorite), Greek sausage and tomatoes. It was pretty good, but the pizza wasn't very large around and the crust wasn't too sturdy, so I had to eat my slices with knife and fork. The sausage was fairly dry, but had a nice flavor.

Dessert was the traditional loukoumades, fried dough balls glazed in honey and sprinkled with cinnamon. They remind me of the state fair. The portion was huge - we had the plate on our table for hours and still didn't finish everything. This definitely isn't the healthiest dessert, but divided between 3 or 4 people, it is a good treat.

Really the best thing about Athens Cafe is the atmosphere and the attitude of the place. You can sense the friendliness and the community. It is always crowded, and the food is always good. I've been there many times, and I'm sure I'll be back many 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.

Dumbo General Store

While wandering through Brooklyn's Dumbo I noticed a little cafe/bar whose sidewalk chalk board noted, "Kitchen open till 11 AM." It was 7 p.m., I thought I'd check it out. As I walked into the Dumbo General Store, I definitely sensed a hipster-vibe, but the place had a nice atmosphere. There was cool, if loud, jazz music playing, vintage tables and chairs, a seating area with a sofa and arm chairs for chatting over a cup of coffee, and an actual store in the back, selling art.

I took a seat at the bar to get a drink, and dining alone I asked what was best on the menu. The bartender suggested going for half a panini and half a salad, and recommended the goat cheese salad and roast chicken panini. I took him up on that and was definitely pleased. The salad was very flavorful with very rich and creamy goat cheese on top.

The panini was amazing. So often I have a sandwich where the bread drowns out all the other flavors, even if the bread is good, it needs to be in the right balance with the other flavors, and this sandwich got it spot on. The bread was crusty and crunchy, the chicken and tomatoes were complimented very nicely with a "special herbed citron mayonnaise" that reminded me of the mustard sauce from Max Brenners, and all together the flavors and textures came together perfectly.

And to boot, I told the bartender about the sign outside, which was supposed to read "Kitchen open till 11 PM," and he gave me a free beer. I tipped well and my total was still only $20.

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!