Restaurant experiment: Montas Restaurant

Montas

54-55 Myrtle Avenue at St. Nicholas Avenue

Ridgewood, NY 11385

718-386-0387

Montas looks like a real diner.  You know, one of those stand-alone deals?  Freestanding restaurants aren’t all too common in NYC, and Montas looks the part of the diner.  Location scouts think so too since Montas will soon play a supporting role in the new Kevin Smith movie which would be exciting except I don’t like Kevin Smith movies.

However, I do like fried chicken.  There is a KFC nearby so I was tempted to go get some Colonel’s secret recipe but Montas won out.  So therefore it was only natural to want fried chicken at Montas.  Actually I was still recovering from a cold, and fried bird is comfort food for the body and soul, no doubt.

I’m pretty picky about my fried  chicken, and I actually was rather satisfied with this offering.  The skin was rockin and the meat was not dry.  Very impressive.  Plus two of my favorites: limes and onions.  The mofongo was fine as the rice and beans.  It’s hard to mess those things up.  Dave and I actually ordered rice and beans as a side, making it a double, and adding the plantains into the mix.  Food galore.

The waitress came around before we had decided what we wanted to ingest.  She then returned two or three times with diminished frequency and gave up on us, not coming back for what seemed like eons.  The service after ordering was scarce.  The gal wasn’t mean or anything, but let’s just say it was a good thing we weren’t in a hurry.  But I do give points for the spotless bathroom, raunchy mixed drink names, and the celebrity/baseball players theme.  Heck, there’s a drink called the Sammy Sosa, and I saw under a photo of A-Rod.  Not that I’m a huge baseball fiend, but I think I secretly like theme restaurants.

Restaurant experiment: Nan Shian

Nan Shian

38-12 Prince Street at 38th Street

Flushing, NY 11354

718-321-3838

AmyL and The Geneticist had been to Nan Shian before so it had Amy’s stamp of approval.  We’re mad about soup dumplings, and apparently this is the place for ‘em. 

We survived the 7 train and found the restaurant without any problems.  It was easy to find since it was the one with the line out front.  You know a place is popular if its sign isn’t even in English.  The wait wasn’t too long, but prepare yourself for a small dining area and your new family: good old communal seating.  Unless you’re a party of six or so.  I spent a lot of time checking out what the couple next to us was chowing down on.

Amy never steers me wrong.  We started with hot sweet soymilk.  Of course we had to order the soup dumplings which Nan Shian is famous for.  These are special dumplings popular in Shanghai, which, as the name suggests, have piping hot broth encased within the skin, along with the meat.  Amy had a handy trick for cleanly eating these guys.  I secretly snickered at the man and woman who let all the yummy broth leak all over the plate. 

And we simply had to order the scallion pancakes.  These have to be the best I’ve ever eaten!  Love love love the crunchy exterior.  Those flabby soft ones are ick.  These sure were not ick.

However, I’m lukewarm on the shumai filled with rice (wha?) and gyoza (not crispy enough).  I guess it’s pretty obvious that I like my skins/wrappers crunchy, huh?

Cash only.  And then I got Pinkberry later.  What an Asian way to spend the Fourth of July!

Restaurant experiment: Shake Shack at Citi Field

Shake Shack

Citi Field, 12301 Roosevelt Avenue

Flushing, NY 11368

http://www.shakeshack.com/

I must say that the Shake Shack at the home of the Mets doesn’t quite replicate the experience of the original Shake Shack.  Though both places, you wait in a long line for your burgers.  Zing!  Here, the wait clocked in at about 35 minutes.  Standard.

I paid around $16 for the double Shackburger and a shake.  Yikes.  Though it’s Major League Baseball, so what can you expect?  I have fond memories of a nearly $10 hot dog from years and years ago. 

I guess this is going to turn into an article on how Shake Shack Flushing is different from Shake Shack Flatiron.  The orders come out much faster (no buzzer doodad), and I couldn’t request onions with the burger though later I realized I should have checked out the condiments stand for possible onion treasures.  The edges of the beef patty were burnt, but the double is definitely substantial and heavy (nixed fries since I’m not too into the crinkle cut).  McRae and I had to sometimes take breaks in between burger bites.

Here’s the new part of the review: the shake.  Since I’d never sipped a Shake Shack shake (say that ten times fast), I was looking forward to the experience.  The Citi Field SS has only vanilla and black and white shakes. the latter being I guess half chocolate and half vanilla.  Do you want to consume a week’s worth of sugar in one cup?  Then the shake is for you!  Wow, that was sweet overload.  I lamented that strawberry shakes were absent from the menu and joked that there were only 1.5 choices since vanilla is part of the black and white.  Maybe I should have ordered vanilla though it could have been just as sweet.  Kora agreed with me regarding the shake sweetness.  At least it wasn’t runny.

Let’s go Mets!

Restaurant experiment: Locale

Locale

33-02 34th Avenue at 33rd Street

Astoria, NY 11106

718-729-9080

http://www.localeastoria.com

Woo hoo!  My triumphant return to Astoria.  Too bad it was marked by dreadful rain.  But, if I correctly recall high school English classes, rain/water symbolize rebirth and cleanliness.  Okay, that doesn’t quite fit here.  Cleansing myself from the draggy work week?  Something like that.

Dayna suggested this place which she had been to before but not in quite some time.  Locale is randomly thrown into a more residential area of the neighborhood.  The restaurant is airy and modern, with black and while themes going on, white sheer curtains, silhouettes of people splashed here and there.  The hostess looked like an old roommate of mine.  She took our wet umbrellas for us and ushered us to a corner two top.

The seating is sort of tight, but the place wasn’t as full as it could be or normally would be.  Our waiter came over and recited a long list of specials.  Naturally I forgot most of them, and then I was impressed that the guy could memorize them all.  Hey Locale, that’s a sign your specials are too much.  Print them out or something.

The complimentary bread came with olives in olive oil.  I ordered a farfalle affumicate which was bow tie pasta in a brandy sauce, with peas and smoked salmon.  That dish was $13.95.  Here’s the visual.

Notice all that cheese on top?  Yeah!  I love extra cheese.  The pasta was fine.  Perhaps I should try making this particular dish at home.  Dayna ordered soup, and the bowl was as big as her head.  Her chicken marsala looked appealing as well.  She asked for her food to go along with a slice of lone bread which didn’t get eaten earlier.  The waitress returned and said she had given Dayna extra bread.  How sweet!

Because Mother Nature is a big meanie, it began pouring again as we left Locale.  No matter.  The meal just pumped me up for the rest of the evening (hello, sangria).

Restaurant experiment: Krolewskie Jadlo

Krolewskie Jadlo (King’s Feast)

66-21 Fresh Pond Road at Palmetto Street

Ridgewood, NY 11385

718-366-6226

http://www.krolewskiejadlo.com/ (This is the link written on the business card I picked up, but there isn’t anything there.)

Even though I’ve eaten in Queens a decent number of times (the number can certainly be upped!), I’m still astonished by what values, edible-wise, are to be found in the people’s borough, as a girl I met referred to it. Value value value value. Manhattan needs more of that.

Krolewskie Jadlo reminds me of Medieval Times, but I have never been to Medieval Times, so it’s how I would imagine Medieval Times to be but on a much smaller scale. The first dining area is all high ceilings, knight’s suit of armor at the entrance, long wooden booths, chandeliers, and fake brick decorations. There is another seating area in the back. Tom and Wayne both ordered the sampler plate ($11) which included items like pierogis, stuffed cabbage, potato pancakes, and kielbasa. I wasn’t sure if my stomach was up for that hearty task, so I wimped out and played it safe with the beef goulash ($8) which came with mashed potatoes and a choice of two sides; I opted for the peas and carrots and cucumber salad. As we waited, bread came out, along with homemade pickles and a mysterious spread looking vaguely like condensed cream of mushroom soup. It was oily tasting but strangely addicting.

As I expected, Wayne’s and Tom’s plates were massive, and I don’t think they finished everything. I couldn’t even finish all of my goulash, even though I did fill up on the appetizer bread. The cucumber salad and peas and carrots were basic but pleasing, and I cleaned all traces of them from their plate. The goulash was quite tender, like something that had been thrown in the crock pot at low for eight hours. Its downfall was the lack of kick, of flavor, since I needed to shake salt all over that. A little too cautious for my tastes. The potatoes needed salt too. Maybe the cooks just forgot seasonings? Tsk tsk.

Regarding all the Polish places I’ve been to which happen to not be on the island (okay, only two), I’m going to have to go with Teresa’s over Krolewskie Jadlo. Lazanki, it’s time you and I got to meet up again, and by meet up, I mean eat up. I looked for noodles on Krolewskie Jadlo’s menu, but no noodles were to be located. Sad face.

Restaurant experiment: Tastee Corner

Tastee Corner

3020 30th Avenue between 30th and 31st Streets

Astoria, NY 11102

718-274-7704

I must be very thickheaded when it comes to eating in Queens. I’ll get to that in a second. Anyway, it was a dreary day and of the hour called brunch. I tried this place out with Max who had been championing it for a while. The name is not a misnomer; it is actually on a corner. They should spell it Tastee Cornerr. The Corner that is Tastee was filled with folks, but we lucked out and scored a booth which featured a picturesque view of the subway entrance and the ginormous package store across the street. There was a half-chewed bite of I guess what used to be a sandwich on the windowsill, grossness.

The service was efficient and well-meaning but often would show up to our table with things meant for other tables, suddenly remember that we didn’t want that stuff, and then dash off. The menu was standard NYC diner menu, meaning large and in charge. I usually order a burger but was strangely in a breakfast food mood and settled on two bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches. Here’s where my brain messes up. I saw that each sandwich was under $4, and in my Manhattan head, I conclude that those sandwiches must rival the size of a raisin and opt to order two to satiate my digestive system. Fail! That was too much food for me. I again had to leave Astoria with a to-go baggie tucked into my belongings. This will not happen again! No matter, I had lunch for the next day.

Was Tastee tasty/tastee?  Sure, why not?  The sandwich temperature could be a little hotter, but no big deal.  As I’ve mentioned before, if cheese and bacon are involved, I’m basically a happy camper.

Tastee Corner doesn’t offer freshly squeezed OJ. A minus.

To answer your question, no, I did not get to evaluate the bathrooms at this food purveyor though I suspect by the simplistic decor, they wouldn’t be too Meatpacking District.

Restaurant experiment: Ovelia

Ovelia

3401 30th Ave at 34th Street

Astoria, NY 11102

718-721-7217

ovelia-ny.com

I’m an iota jealous of Max since he’s a regular here. I’ve always sorta kinda wanted to be a regular at some food provider but I think I’m doing it wrong. The sandwich shop I go to nearly ever week seems to not know me at all. Sad. Sob. Our waitress greeted my dining companion warmly during this weekend brunch, and she knew what drink he wanted. See, that’s the bomb.

Astoria eateries are so quaint. They all seem to have glamorous bathrooms and turn into loungey dance club-esque joints at night. Here at Ovelia, we were seated adjacent to the DJ booth, and since Ovelia’s on a corner, the space was flooded with light and offered views of the fleeting flurries.

I ordered a tiropita toast: a sandwich of sorts which was crispity crunchity granny smith apples, cream cheese, and bacon enclosed between two slices of grainy feta bread, and I got a Greek salad as a side. The salad had generous bricks of feta in it, score! It’s a cinch to make me happy: use cheese. My stomach rebelled, and I had to take half the tiropita toast home with me. The food portions in Queens are impressive; I’ve been living in Manhattan too long.

Bummer: the faucet in my bathroom was out of order.  But it was still a snazzy bathroom regardless.

Restaurant experiment: Omonia Cafe

Omonia Cafe

32-20 Broadway between 32nd and 33rd Streets

Astoria, NY 11106

718-274-6650

omoniacafe.com

Continuing our whirlwind tour of Astoria, the team of Max, Lily, and myself migrated to Omonia Cafe which I hadn’t tried but Lily and Max had. As they were discussing the place, I thought it was Ammonia Cafe, like the cleaner. They warned me that it had a clubby atmosphere. The bakery which looks like a bakery is attached to the restaurant which during the day is normal, but at night, it transforms into a colorful glowing establishment with techno music pumping in the background. Stare at the bar; it’ll change through all colors of the rainbow.

The menu, handbook sized, has a lot of food options. Since we were here for dessert only, there were options aplenty for us, including a section of Greek desserts, most of them being variations on honey, phyllo, custard, and nuts. I went with the politiko, again because I liked the name, very political. It was generously sized, with lots of custard and the leaves of phyllo swimming in honey. Maybe a bit too sweet, but it was fine. I guess I like more crunch than drench. Lily let me try some of her coffee. Can we say potent?

I must give props to Omonia for having the niftiest bathroom sinks I’ve seen in NYC. The sinks are practically flat pieces of stone, with only a subtle concave just under the faucet. Almost an optical illusion. If you come here, be sure to wash your hands.

Restaurant experiment: Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden

Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden

29-19 24th Avenue between 29th and 31st Streets

Astoria, NY 11102

718-274-4925

bohemianhall.com

Ooh, the first Queens place to be written about here! So this joint is almost notoriously popular in the pleasantly warm times of the year (meaning not now) since it boasts a generous outside patio. But now that Old Man Winter is making himself known, sitting on the patio isn’t really a sane option. Max and I sat in the dim bar (there is also a restaurant section), pouring from a so-called pitcher (small it was) of Hoegaarden and nibbling buffalo wings which were so-so. A bit dry but kicking, spice-wise. Lily showed up, and we all ordered some dinner. I went with the chicken paprikash. While all the Czech items on the menu sounded palatable, I couldn’t decide as is often an issue with me, and the dealbreaker was the dish with the coolest name. Paprikash! Our mysterious waitress who had been popping up less than we would have liked, informed me that these weren’t garden variety dumplings. Adventerous me said whatever.

They came out with the chicken and resembled pieces of bread. We were all slightly flummoxed. Lily even asked the waitress to make sure that the bread was the dumplings. Yup indeed. Chicken paprikash is basically like chicken in gravy. Or chicken and dumplings if you will. Creamy gravy coats the chicken, and you can swish your bread, er, dumplings, around in it. The bread was very moist and soft, so maybe they were dumplings after all. Way filling. I had to take a break before I could down the dumplings.

The Beer Garden is on our radar now; we’ll have to return when we don’t have to wear gloves and scarves and hats. Hey, it was my first Czech food experience, very neat! But yeah, the Bohemian Beer Garden is a place where you don’t go for the food. Beer first, food second.