Before I left for Peru, I was hungry and didn’t want to (really, couldn’t, with the empty fridge) cook, so I headed over to Corfu Grill to nom on some goodies.  First up: the taramasalata, or cod roe dip, which is sufficient though still not the best I’ve ever had (in all fairness, the best I ever had was in Greece).  Nice chew wedges of pita to dip in it; I’m a fan. 

With my main course came grilled/toasted pita and yummy tzatziki sauce,

a ginormous, tasty salad.  Yum!

My main course: lamb kebabs, which came with the above plus potato wedges, rice, and some large beans that have been cooked down (I like these, but am not sure what’s in it, exactly, besides beans, oregano and maybe onions).  Yum!  Dipped into the tzatziki and layered onto a wedge of pita… so good! 

Yvo says: I really like having Corfu near enough to me that on nights when I just don’t want to cook, I can easily walk over and grab something yummy to eat! 
recommended

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Post tags: Lamb, taramasalata

I routinely receive emails requesting that I come to such and such restaurant for a tasting, but I usually do not accept… because a lot of times they are irrelevant to this blog (really far from the beaten path/hard to get to; too expensive for me to recommend even if it is amazing; or just plain looking for me to rave about their place without really believing in their product – yes, this happens, after I respond that if I go, I reserve the right to not post if I don’t want to, and if I do post, I will post honestly, without regard to the meal being complimentary, and the person doesn’t respond after that… well, clearly they are looking for me to LIE and say blindly they are awesome, and I don’t do that – I can’t – as my friend SpB likes to say, “Your responsibility is to the reader, not to the restaurant, I get that,” and she is absolutely correct), or just because I feel weird about accepting free food about which I write. 

The thing is, as I mentioned earlier this year, I am back in school, and eating out is expensive.  Even at inexpensive places, eating out routinely adds up, and I am just broke.  I’ve always paid for meals/food/whatever appears here on this blog myself, out of my own pocket, money earned from what I call my ‘day job’ (unless otherwise noted – I always make sure to write clearly if something was comped, for whatever reason), and I am not complaining about doing so.  This blog is a labor of love – I love to eat, and I love to talk, so why not combine the two? – but it is severely hurting my wallet now that I can no longer work OT, am paying for school, and just… yeah.  I’m sorry, I’m not trying to whine about money here, I’m just trying to paint a clear picture of what is going on with the blog and why some things may seem like they’ve changed.

In any case, when I received yet another email inviting me down for a tasting – this time for Kellari’s Parea – there was something genuine about the email that I sensed.  Plus it was Greek food, which I adore.  Plus it was actually a place I could afford, even if I paid.  Plus a friend of mine had just told me that morning that I should start accepting the invitations because why not?  I’m a poor student and I should take opportunities as they come to me.

So I did. 

We started off with a big basket of fluffy bread, olives (both SpB, who I invited to join me, and I liked them), salted radishes (new way to prepare them and I really liked these!), and hummus, which wasn’t on the menu (as in, you can’t get an appetizer order, or maybe you can but it’s not on the menu, which is kind of cool).  The hummus was good – a touch oily and very, very smooth – but I like my hummus a little chunkier.  Still, I appreciated that it was nice to munch on these items as we browsed the menu. 

Eventually, we decided on a slew of appetizers. 

Tzatziki with fluffy toasty pita bread.  SpB noted how the bread was still fluffy, not crispy (which she’s had at some places, and does not like), and warm, and I loved the dense texture of the tzatziki.  I had to ask our host what the secret was, and obviously, it’s in the yogurt.  Authentic Greek yogurt, not Greek-style yogurt.  Pretty amazing. 

Tarama(salata), oh how I love thee.  I’ve raved about this dip so many times – it’s cod roe blended with a bunch of things – and how it’s so hard to find a good version that isn’t ridiculously expensive, and is easily accessible.  I’ve found that here.  (The jarred version is ridiculously tinny tasting; it’s suitable/passable if I’m going to mix it with things, like pasta, but it isn’t quite what I want for straight dipping, like with pita bread.)  This was also excellent, letting the tarama (cod roe) flavor shine through without being too starchy (there’s bread and potato in this dip… and it is delicious).  Yum.  I totally dogged this, but SpB may or may not have been allergic, so she was OK with that

Here was our first ‘miss’ of the night – sort of.  Stuffed grape leaves.  The first one I tried was very papery dry (the leaf part) on one side, and then exploded when I bit into it, getting rice everywhere.  There were pine nuts inside, and the flavorings were fine, though nothing amazing, so I was going to write these off until SpB insisted I eat another one to give it a fair shake.  Fine.  I tried another one, and this one’s leaf wasn’t papery/dry at all – but still exploded when I bit into it, which is the sort of thing that annoys me.  Who wants rice all down their front?  But SpB really liked these, commenting that the pine nuts were a great addition to the rice, which wasn’t mushy at all, and she really enjoyed the flavorings.  Clearly, you will like these if your tastes run similar to hers. 

Next up, grilled octopus salad.  After such terrible octopus at Jaleo, I was ready to erase that memory of octopus clean out.  This was excellent – the octopus was firm but tender, the way good octopus is meant to be.  Seasoned properly, with peppers, onions, and assorted seasonings scattered around, both SpB and I really enjoyed this dish greatly, finishing it easily. 

And meatballs!  I was hoping these to be like kofte, the Turkish meatballs I’d eaten previously, but um… this is a Greek restaurant, not a Turkish restaurant, so duh!  (They were called keftedes on the menu!)  These were very soft, tender, almost like a Swedish meatball, slightly sweet (though SpB disagreed with me on that assessment), and really good with the gravy.  Both of us liked this dish a lot as well, and it was soon gone. 

“Authentic saganaki” was an addition by SpB, and boy am I glad she suggested it!  Fried cheese.  What’s not to like?!  I was surprised it came as a slab, but with a squirt of lemon juice to cut the greasiness (it’s deep fried; that can’t be helped!), this was absolutely delicious.  My eyes have been opened to saganaki… I just don’t know if anywhere else will hold up to this version, cuz it was good.  Unfortunately, we wound up eating some, then moving on to eat other items, and cold, it just isn’t as good as hot, so if you order this, eat it right away.  We cut off pieces to eat, and the crispness with the firm cheese, just awesome. 

Our second miss of the night, the lemon potatoes.  I only mark this as a miss because I personally don’t like potatoes prepared this style – big chunks like so, that aren’t fried – even fried, I don’t like steak fries or wedges all that much.  Personal preference.  They were fine otherwise, although the manager came over and suggested they were undercooked, I thought they were cooked properly… just not how I like my potatoes. 

Horta, or mountain greens sauteed.  We squeezed the lemon on liberally, and this was great, cooked till it was soft but not mushy. 

After all of the above, we were pretty stuffed, even with having asked to pack some stuff to go (I haaate wasting food, and I knew I’d eat it if I took it home, so why not?) – they were very nice about this, bringing us a bag full of our leftovers fairly quickly.  But our host quickly came over and commented how we hadn’t eaten any of their main courses, how we have to try two dishes: fresh fish of the day, prepared simply to showcase its awesome flavor… and their signature dish (more on that later).  After hearing him describe it so passionately, and having enjoyed what came before, we both exchanged a glance as I agreed to eat some more.  We were both really full by now. 

SpB is allergic to fish, so I knew I’d have to take care of this myself.  Initially, I took a little bit of the fish from the top right of the picture, where it looked juicy and moist – and was, but the flavor had something I didn’t like to it.  I ate a little bit more.  “I’m really full,” I whispered to SpB.  “What do I do?”  She suggested I try some flesh from the belly of the fish, knowing it should be better, and WOW am I really glad I invited her – because that was where it was at.  The fish was fresh, clearly (you can see their seafood for the day on display on ice in the front; in Athens, it seemed to be very popular for restaurants to have displays of their fresh fish from which you could choose your dinner), but the intensity of this really smacked in the belly area.  Delicious.  I was still too full to finish the dish, but I did take the rest home and ate it the next day for lunch.  A squeeze of lemon was all it needed – it didn’t even need it, but I used it cuz I love lemon – and it was great.  Yummy!  I was really glad at this point that our host had insisted we eat more!

And then we got to their true signature dish, titled Yesterday’s Lamb – so titled not because it’s leftovers, but because it takes 24 hours to cook!  Whoa!  I note here that SpB does NOT like or usually eat lamb – much like my aversion to eating rabbit (though I will, if the circumstances are right); we identify with these animals for our own personal reasons – but she decided to try it to be fair.  First of all… the lamb was super tender, with a gentle flavoring to it.  It practically melted in my mouth; and gamey?  Not gamey at all!  It was really delicious and I was even more glad our host had insisted upon us trying this dish.  We took half of it home, and I gave it to SpB, who… liked this dish.  This is a big deal.  She doesn’t usually eat lamb, nor does she even like it if she does.  I am trying to emphasize to you how good it was. 

A side of grilled asparagus; you can’t go wrong with that!  Well, it was cooked properly, anyway, with a good snap to it.  Sorry for not fixing that stray piece before I took the picture.

After we’d decided that no, we really could not eat any more, so no dessert for us, thank you, they gave us a plate of little cookies.  We tried all of them, and each had our favorites, but you’re going to have to try them yourselves to find yours.    The cookies come at the end of every meal. 

So, what do I have to say about the food?  Overall, it was a great meal.  I could tell you about the service we received, but they knew who I was and you’d probably think they were nicer to me on purpose so I’d say nice things… so instead, I’ll tell you about the service the tables around us received.  The waitstaff was courteous, didn’t ignore anyone, and everyone around us seemed very happy.  Perhaps they appeared at our table a little bit more often than at other tables, but I saw them doing what they are supposed to: filling water, taking orders, smiling, explaining things, and in general, being good waitstaff. 

In the end, I was happy that I’d finally accepted a tasting, if only because it led me to discover a great Greek restaurant in NYC – and there are a LOT of places to try, all the time, sometimes it’s hard to find a good one – but also because it led me to realize, I can’t lie about what I eat.  I didn’t like the grape leaves, or the potatoes, and wouldn’t order those again.  I don’t think I’ll ever lie about what I thought about whatever I eat… it just isn’t me. 

Yvo says: SpB said she’d definitely return and even take clients there for a business meal.  I found the prices reasonable – inexpensive, even – and would definitely return for some more delicious Greek food.  The place has very high ceilings, which gives it a large, open feel, and the food is definitely worth repeat visits, a designation I don’t bestow lightly.  When I return, I will definitely be ordering the tarama… yum! and many of the same appetizers from above.  I think I might try some new entrees though, just to shake things up.  Good stuff, inexpensive, and convenient location just north of Union Square.  And… a certain someone’s apartment (not me… someone famous)
recommended

Kellari’s Parea
36 E. 20th Street
(212) 777-8448

As noted, our entire meal was comp’ed, but this in no way impacted my opinion – the food was good, plain and simple.  I was under no obligation to post anything, much less post a positive write-up, but I understand if this makes you hesitate.  Don’t let it.  Go see for yourself what it’s like.  Seriously, my positive opinion cannot be bought, unless you are Ferrarri, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche… or things like that which won’t get posted on my blog anyway, but if you want to send me a free car, I’ll totally tell all of my friends and family how awesome your vehicles are.  Hah.  But seriously.  I’m not for sale.  Thanks. 

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

A few weeks back, my friend Izzy and I met up for dinner after not seeing each other for months.  It happens often with us; we’ll email a lot for a few weeks, then life grabs hold and away we go… then months later, one of us will think to herself, “Oh hey, what’s she doing…” and then we’ll meet up.  I can’t say it’s always like no time has passed, as we get older, things do change, but I can say that I always have a good time, and I value her friendship, especially insomuch that out of everyone I am friends with, she and I have the most similar (but still completely different) career aspirations. 

I mentioned I’d moved recently, and Izzy was quick to suggest somewhere local.  Surprisingly or ironically, she knew more places in my neighborhood than I do – considering I grew up in this area, and she didn’t, it was pretty funny that she easily rattled off a list of places of which I’d never heard.  I was game for some Greek, though, having just recently hung in my apartment the painting I acquired while in Greece last year, and was super excited to see a few dishes that I crave constantly.

When I arrived a few minutes late (okay, 15), the ever-hungry-but-still-tiny Izzy had already ordered a spinach pie, which was ginormous, and was attempting to work on it.  I took a piece and found it pleasant – I’ve actually never had spanakopita before, I’m not sure why, but I liked this quite a bit.  It wasn’t under- nor over- stuffed, and had just the right amount of spices.

The hummus was fairly standard, a bit tighter than I like my hummus.  I genuinely prefer Sabra brand hummus (roasted pine nut), but I know that’s a personal preference.  I like it very creamy, spreadable, and soft, while this was still tasty, just not as smooth and creamy as I like.  The pita bread was cold, which was a turn off, but tasty nonetheless.

I was especially excited to order the taramasalata, which I’ve blogged about plenty of times.  The jarred kind has a tinny, metallic taste to it, so I was hoping to find a place I could order from cheaply and easily to replace that option.  Unfortunately, this tasted like the jarred kind but thinned out with more yogurt.  The olives added a nice extra kick to it, but in the end, it tasted about the same as the jarred kind, and that’s a no-go in my mind (might as well buy the jarred kind then!). 

see the Sopranos like guy sitting there? lol

I should mention here that the prices were super cheap for all the food we got, and that the proprietor was really friendly.  I walked to the back when I first got there, to check out what was behind the glass cases, and he immediately appeared to explain what each item was.  Though I didn’t snap a photo, they also had “milk pie”, something I had while we were in Greece and though I hadn’t liked it much, PB/MD had, and I haven’t seen it in any stateside restaurants, so that made me feel like the place was that bit more authentic than other places that cater towards the American tongue instead.

the crazy lights that made photos a nightmare

Izzy and I both opted to order the combination platter.  The proprietor, who was taking our order, stopped and said “That’s a LOT of food,” and looked at us.  We both smiled and said “We like leftovers!” and he reminded us again that it was a lot of food.  I think he was amazed that we even thought we could eat that much, but it didn’t sound like that much!

Platters all include a salad… as you can see, this included olives, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, Romaine lettuce, haloumi cheese, mint and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.  I found the salad to be fresh, light and refreshing, though there really was a ton of it.

The platters also came with our own dishes of tzatziki, of course, and more pita bread (still cold).

Izzy chose the Greek sausage and chicken as her meat.  It also came with rice and these giant yuca-like potatoes.  I said, “Maybe it’s salsify!”  It was really dense and starchy, just like yuca… but I’ve been wrong before, so who knows?  I know Izzy liked her platter, though she packed most of it to take home because… yes, it really was way too much food.

My choice of lamb soulvaki and beef kebab was definitely an excellent one.  The lamb had not one trace of gaminess to it – not a hint !!! – which pleased me greatly, and the beef was super delicious as well.  It was cooked exactly right- it still had the signature chew to a kebab, but wasn’t hard.  Seasoned properly and very, very tasty.  I can definitely see myself ordering from here, even going here a few times and bring some people there.  I won’t say it was top notch, I can’t really make claims to its authenticity, but I can say it was pretty darn tasty.

Of course we were too stuffed to order dessert.  My leftovers made it into bento the next day.

Yvo says: A great neighborhood place.  Not destination dining, but hardly anything seems to be these days.  I would definitely go back, as the atmosphere was casual and perfectly conducive to just sitting and chatting with a friend, catching up and gossiping.  With a generous tip, my portion of the bill (for exactly half of everything) came to $25.  Not bad considering how much food we got (totally overordering)… I bet I could go and eat like a king for $15.  Yummy!
recommended

© Feisty Foodie for The Feisty Foodie, 2008. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Cheap Eats, Lamb

Thalassa crossed my radar last Restaurant Week when a few friends wanted to try it. Unfortunately, due to conflicting circumstances, we didn’t go; then, a few months later, a coworker who was born & raised in Athens went and liked it, so it shot to the top of the list. So this RW, my coworker wanted to go… and off we went.

lamb “ravioli” – my coworker and friend both were only meh on this

“octopodi” special appetizer $7
this was really good, surprisingly fresh and crispy on the outside

tuna “carpaccio”
I liked this dish a lot; you can’t see it but there are asparagus tips as well. Eaten with the fennel and the tuna, yum!

the lambchops were alright, on the small side

my coworker’s fish dish; not sure what it was but I know he liked it a lot.
(I didn’t take this picture)

this was the only dessert choice; “citrus parfait”.
none of us were huge fans.

Overall, I was a bit disappointed with the Restaurant Week menu, and that the lamb wasn’t much tastier. Though I don’t think everyone shared my sentiments, I definitely have had better lamb (though admittedly, either myself cooking it or in Greece/Turkey). The place itself was gorgeous though, a huge space well appointed.

Happy Restaurant Week! This was the last of my RW visits.

© Feisty Foodie for The Feisty Foodie, 2007. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Lamb