Buns served to us as we perused the menu were nothing special.

We decided to start with an order of hush puppies with creme fraiche and caviar.  The caviar was decidedly of the ‘stinky’/fishy kind, and did nothing for the hush puppies, which were light and fried nicely – it just didn’t go. I think most people order this for the sheer novelty of the item, as we did, but not because it tastes good.

TC decided to order the shrimp and grits, and seemed to enjoy it… hopefully he’ll share his thoughts in the comments?

We also opted to share collard greens with corned beef – I found these cooked properly and tasty, though the difference of using corned beef as opposed to the more traditional ham hocks or pork was lost on me.

As for the fried chicken.. I was surprised when I requested all dark meat and our server informed me that everything was already portioned, so no substitutions. I didn’t really understand what she meant – but when it arrived, my fried chicken was cold. I don’t mean ice cold, but definitely not freshly fried… odd since we arrived pretty early in the dinner shift (TC mentioned the place gets packed, so we had to go early or wait a long time and I hate waiting).  The fried chicken itself was good, but nothing game changing or amazing. The gravy on the bottom – which commanded an extra $2 if you wanted more – was tasty, but again, not wow-worthy. My chicken was fried properly… but not super flavorful alone or super juicy or anything like what I look for in fantastic fried chicken.  And at $18 for 2 pieces of fried chicken, a biscuit and some gravy… definitely not worth it.

No one’s crown is being removed for BEST FRIED CHICKEN IN NYC, that’s for sure…

Yvo says: The overall experience was fine – our service was pleasant enough, and the place is cute, but I didn’t think anything on the menu particularly stood out so I doubt I’ll be back. I’m actually pretty surprised people raved about the fried chicken here – I mean, yeah, the gravy was good, but that doesn’t make fried chicken rave-worthy. That makes the gravy rave-worthy.
pass for fried chicken

© Feisty Foodie for The Feisty Foodie, 2012. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: fried chicken, grits

I started off with the Samuel Adams Octoberfest beer, which I actually liked as it was pretty balanced.  I’d tried a different fest beer the week before and found it too bitter, but this one was just right, very drinkable. 

We arrived at the right time to enjoy the happy hour, which only lasts until 6:30, but we decided to take advantage of the $5 food specials.  First up: chili cheese fries.  The portion isn’t huge, but that was fine, $5 gets you a small plate of fries doused in chili and liquid cheese.  The chili was negligible and lumped all in the middle, but the liquid cheese had a slight spice to it – tasted like nacho cheese, honestly.  I don’t mean it was spicy, but it wasn’t just plain melted cheese, which was nice.  I’d definitely order this with friends again. 

$5 fried cajun calamari was sized similarly, but that cajun seasoning we were promised was missing.  These could have used that, and a little sprinkle of salt as well, because the breading – which was soft and falling off – had no seasoning of which to speak.  I had a few pieces but gave up pretty quickly as the soft breading was sodden with oil and just made me feel icky. 

While I’m wary of raw seafood at a lot of places, I could see the guy shucking these right behind me, and $5 for half a dozen oysters was hard to pass up.  Unfortunately, two of my three were incredibly bland and flavorless – I don’t even really know why this happens – while the third was briny, delicious, and reminded me why I love raw oysters.  Maybe it’s me; I generally dress my oysters with just a squirt of lemon juice (or cider vinegar and shallots if it’s provided!) and slurp away, so I expect a lot of flavor to come from the oyster itself.  I wound up using a little cocktail sauce, a little horseradish to zazz these up, though that third one did not need any of that, and in fact burst forth with its flavor.  Even so, without a guarantee of deliciousness, $5 a half dozen raw oysters is a really good deal, and I wouldn’t say no to ordering these again. 

At the last minute, I noticed fried pickles on the menu (though not a happy hour special).  TC insisted on ordering them after I mentioned it – probably because he knows I LOVE fried pickles – so $5.95 got us the above basket.  Properly fried, piping hot, with breading that didn’t fall off, these were slightly greasy but quite tasty.  The cajun seasoning that was meant for our calamari apparently ended up on the fried pickles, which gave them a nice zing… but made them different from what I expected.  I enjoyed these, though I couldn’t eat too much because I still had dinner plans and because they were pretty greasy (greasy food tends to sit like rocks in my stomach, so I try not to eat a lot of fried food in one sitting, but if you read my blog, you know I fall into this trap constantly!).  I would not complain if someone else wanted to order them again, but I don’t know that I’d go out of my way to do so. 

Yvo says: I really enjoy Live Bait for its laidback atmosphere, casual feel, love to sit at the bar, and while it gets pretty crowded with CSFB bankers for some reason, the d-bag level is low enough to ignore easily.  The happy hour specials are legit… decent selection of beer… though I wish the happy hour lasted just a little longer! and one of these days, I’m going to have to actually order real food and see how that is.  Oh, and they have frozen drinks – a slushy machine that churns out slightly overly sweet goofy drinks for hot days or whatever, if you feel like drinking something fruity and frozen, why not?  I like that sometimes…
great bar for a drink or two, happy hour, etc. – I’ll continue going here

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Post tags: fried pickles, pub grub

SpB and I met up around Austin Street recently and headed over to 5 Burro Cafe, but it was unfortunately super packed!  So we turned around and headed to MG’s, which was… really empty.  MG’s used to be Mardi Gras, which I’ve written about here and here.  Neither time was impressive nor horrifying (well, that 2nd time was borderline horrifying), and with the new name, I figured new management or at least a new menu…

The bread was the same as I’d remembered it, nothing spectacular but nice to munch on since I was really hungry.

We started off with a basket of curly fries cuz SpB should be renamed FRIES Bear… these were nice and crispy, hot.  Yummy but how do you go wrong with curly fries? 

SpB ordered the etouffee, which she said was pretty good.  I didn’t try any but she seemed happy with it.

As for me, I was trying to find something interesting or semi-healthy but wound up with ‘blackened’ tilapia, veggies, and hush puppies.  The fish was fine enough, a bit dry but nothing a lil squirt of lemon didn’t take care of quite nicely.  But the fish wasn’t particularly flavorful or anything… BUT THE HUSH PUPPIES.  Oh my, the hush puppies… I’d never had real hush puppies before that I could recall, and these were just awesome.  Crisp ‘shell’, fluffy interior, slightly sweet – like the perfect donut bites that I get to eat with my meal, not wait till the end.  Oh my word!  Me like. 

Yvo says: MG’s (formerly Mardi Gras) continues to be an overwhelmingly mediocre, but inoffensively so.  It certainly fulfills a need on Austin Street, to be slightly less than the same as everyone else, and as it wasn’t busy, we were seated immediately, which is a great bonus on busy nights when you just want to eat something quick before a movie or after, even.  It will continue to be on the back-up list; unless and until they improve their food, it won’t move up, but nor will it move off the list, either. 
middle of the road – suits its purpose, but not amazingly so

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Post tags:

On any given Sunday, I take a walk up to Austin St. in Forest Hills for a few reasons.  Partially to get some exercise and fresh air, partially to check out what’s new in the area, and partially just for the heck of it.  It’s a nice brisk walk and there’s always something to buy! 

First stop is always Sakura-ya, especially if I haven’t eaten lunch yet.  I like to wander around inside and browse the Japanese market for all sorts of goodies, most great for bento.  They have a small section of bento supplies, though I find their stuff a bit expensive (and honestly, I think I really do not need more bento stuff!), but they also have Japanese curry bricks (of which I’m a huge fan), frozen udon, frozen gyoza, frozen Japanese treats (such as curry udon), frozen croquettes for frying up for bento or just for lunch… they also have sashimi grade fish (which admittedly does not look as fresh as my markets in Manhattan, so I haven’t bought any of this yet), various kinds of tofu, seaweed salad, even burdock root!  While a lot of their prices are a bit high, I consider it the little premium I pay for being able to purchase this stuff so close to home.  And though I can’t speak to their authenticity, the clientele there tends to be Japanese people – I often hear the store owners speaking Japanese with their regulars. 

What I’ve found myself going back for each weekend, though, is by the register… on the counter.  They sell onigiri, which you know I love, and is a quick, inexpensive, filling lunch or snack.

Spicy tuna, tuna with mayo, salmon, seaweed, and on one recent visit, a shrimp tempura one.  $1.49 except the shrimp tempura one, which was $1.79.  The prices aren’t bad, about comparable with the ones in Manhattan, and the taste is about the same.  Not bad at all, and close to home

On another recent visit, I saw this sitting on the counter as well.  I can’t read Japanese, and had never seen anything like it before, so I shyly asked what it was.  Curry pan!!!  (Bread with curry insides.)  I was so excited I almost dropped everything I was holding to grab one. 

The inside.  It was pretty tasty, though it reminds me of “curry gok” (a Chinese bakery item)… the spicing is similar, anyway, though this was much bigger and the outside chewier.  I would definitely get this again, although I haven’t seen this since then, sadface.

I’ve also seen freshly made croquettes and “pork pancakes” on the counter, it just varies all the time what they have.  I’ve liked the croquette much more than the pork pancake, which wasn’t quite flavorful enough for me, sadly. 

Next, after I scarf down my quick and cheap lunch, I make my way across the street diagonally to Natural Market.

Half of which is an organic, slightly upscale grocery, the other half of which is pretty normal.  Their prices seem pretty normal for this style of store, but I always go straight back to the left, where the “butcher” stand is – I put it in quotes because it doesn’t seem like they will cut all meat to your specifications, I’m not sure.  From the first time I went, I was asking “Do you have duck breast?” and I was told to check back in a few days.  I checked back every week for about 5 weeks – half a duck; whole duck; smoked duck breast; finally:

A bit pricy, but I had the duck I wanted, anyway!  They have a decent cheese selection as well though let’s be honest… Cheese of the World is much better since it isn’t pre-cut and packaged up, just waiting for you. 

In good weather, I might stop by Uncle Louie G’s as I walked back for an Italian ice – I like FDNY cherry the best, with its little bits of maraschino cherries.

I’m forever eyeing this place, wishing it would open already so I could have a fish market.  I’m desperate for a fresh fish market, and a butcher in this area, so if any realtors or businesspeople are listening… please open a damn butcher already.  Thank you.

If I’m looking for cheese, or if I’m with the BF, I might stop by Cheese of the World here, just to grab some stuff for dinner ….. or a living room picnic while watching a DVD … and if we’re doing that, definitely a quick stop by Martha’s to pick up some tarts or cookies!

Ahhh… this is one of only two locations for this chain of Chinese bakeries that are located in non-Asian neighborhoods.  Cheap baked goods and delicious bao is my kind of place.  If you’re familiar with the area, I’m obviously making my way back home at this point… I pick up a week’s worth of breakfast here usually for about $5 – steamed bao from the case next to the register.  I freeze them and just microwave one in the morning for my breakfast, and at 95c a piece, you can’t beat that. 

Last but not least, because the grocery store closest to me (a block from me, literally) sucks big butt, I usually stop by

if I have anything that I know I need, some bread, ground pork, small things.  I don’t like to carry too much back, and I don’t want to push my grannycart all the time  

After all that, it’s time to go home, unload my goodies and start cooking up a storm, whatever moves me! 

In the summertime, I would bring my boyfriend with me and drop him off at the comic book store that is above Corfu Grill, where he’d happily wait until I was done running my errands.  Occasionally, we’d grab a bite to eat at Nick’s – or Corfu Grill – or Mardi Gras – or Cheeburger Cheeburger – or wherever struck our fancy.  And yes, we catch movies over at the Midway all the time.

I’ve told all of my friends this, and I’ll say it again: I love Forest Hills, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to buy a place – young couples or singles.  It’s a great investment and I can’t emphasize how wonderful the area is, with lots of things to do and eat.  I have great expectations for how much more will come in the future, as the bad places are weeded out…

Happy wandering~!!!

Sakura-ya
73-05 Austin Street

Natural Market
72-56 Austin Street

Uncle Louie G’s
72-23 Austin Street

Cheese of the World
71-48 Austin Street

Martha’s Bakery
70-30 Austin Street

Fay Da Bakery
107-50 Queens Boulevard

Key Food
105-02 Queens Boulevard

© Feisty Foodie for The Feisty Foodie, 2009. | Permalink | 15 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Bakeries, Breakfast, Brunch, Cheap Eats, Chinese, Creole, Deli, Duck

BB and I recently had a “date” – she was feeling a bit stir crazy, I think, from cleaning and organizing all day, and I was much the same.  I obliged but asked if we could stay in Queens – Forest Hills, to be exact – and she responded positively.  Hooray for Forest Hills! 

Many months ago, at another friend’s apartment in Forest Hills, we’d tried to order delivery from Mardi Gras only to be told they don’t deliver.  Oddly enough, when we went this night, I noticed that on their specials blackboard outside, there it was in chalk: WE DELIVER.  Oh well!  But that’s how this place landed on BB’s radar.  I’m fairly easy going, so I agreed to return to this Cajun-esque place. 

We started off with the Big Easy platter ($12.95), which contained a nice variety of items: popcorn crawfish, finger lickin’ chicken wings, N’awlins fritters, and Jammin’ Jamabalaya.  The popcorn crawfish, which I’d had last time, was worse this time – I don’t think I had any crawfish.  BB trooped on and found one tiny piece in one, but out of all that, that’s pretty bad. 

The chicken wings were very meh to me, I don’t recall why but I wasn’t too interested in them.  The jamabalaya had a great flavor to it, mildly spicy but grew spicier with each bite…

but the best of this dish was hands down the N’awlins fritters.  Described on the menu as “a delicious blend of shrimp, jalapenos, cheese and potatoes, lightly breaded and fried until crispy” – uh yes they were!  Well, I didn’t actually taste any shrimp, it was mostly potatoes and cheese that I tasted, but hello, that’s right up my alley.  Next time I’m there – or perhaps one day, just walking by – I’m totally getting these by themselves as an appetizer.  $6.95 for the single order – not sure how many that is, but delicious!!!  The cheese sauce that accompanied was pretty darn tasty as well! 

Our main course orders though?  That’s where we made our missteps.  Knowing we were headed to see a movie directly after dinner, we both wanted something not too crazy, something that might not yield any leftovers, something maybe a little light.  All the plates around us were loaded with food – this place does not skimp on food, for the price you get a LOT of food – and we just didn’t want to deal with food coma.  So I decided to get a catfish po’boy, and after some thought, BB decided on the same.  Looks innocent enough up there, right?

BB’s order with onion rings.  Ginormous.  I tried one and didn’t find them seasoned enough, though they weren’t soggy and had a good texture to them.

That’s my plate – supposedly with curly fries.  Umm… I’m not sure this picture captures exactly the emptiness of the fries side.  It seriously looked like someone had eaten half my fries before dropping my plate off.  Had I been hungrier, had we not been going to a movie after dinner, I might have said “No, really, you have to take this back, it’s gross,” but I decided against fussing (and even so, I might not have fussed because I’m a pretty passive diner – choosing instead to write about my experiences later, lol). 

There, that’s a bit better to show you how few fries there are – I hadn’t started eating yet.  Hmm, now looking at that pic, it looks like someone had used my garlic spread as well… oh man, I don’t want to know these things!

In any case, while the fries were tasty, the sandwich was decidely not.  Super fishy in that “I’m not quite rotten but you really don’t want to eat me anyway” way… and just not enough fish to too much bread and too little insides!  I will not be ordering this again, though I don’t hold this one bad dish against the restaurant (since I’ve been there a few times and know there are other items worth looking into).  No po’boys!  It’s the cheapest item on the menu, at $9.95. 

Our service was also decidely off that night – our waitress more interested in teaching the table of tourists next to us Spanish than in telling us the specials - but that’s a lot of places on Austin Street, hit or miss.  She didn’t ignore us, and we had what we needed, when we needed it, so it’s not a big deal… just funny to listen to. 

I will return again… especially for those N’awlins fritters!!!

© Feisty Foodie for The Feisty Foodie, 2009. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Creole