TRATTORIA L'incontro

21-76 31st Street

Astoria, Queens, New York

1-718-721-3532

 

Absolutely a must do and worth going over the bridge for if you live in Manhattan. The restaurant is  traditional looking but warm and cozy feeling, with lovely art work and Italian background music as well. On most Wednesday nights, Mary is in the smaller side room playing Italian love songs, while you are sipping wine and feasting on divine dishes.

 

I have never heard of a list of specials of the evening that is so long, and each dish is prepared from scratch with the finest ingredients from either local farmers or special imports. The Owner/Chef  Rocco Sacramone is a true food artist, each dish is presented beautifully and made lovingly.

 

Even for starters they present you with a sundried tomato puree with great flat bread for dipping, they keep bringing it to you as it goes down so smooth and easy.   The salads are great and the mista salad I love is loaded with interesting olives. The choices of fishes is unlimited, as are the various pasta dishes and meats.  As an example one dish they pride themselves on is

Mezza Luna, which is a  half moon shaped ravioli filled  with mascarpone cheese and pesto with added  asparagus, brandy and a  walnut sauce. It gets better, trust me. You can also eat light, with simple grilled fish, or a flatbread pizza.

 

The prices are more than fair and its a total dining experience. Vinnie the GM is wonderful and really knows his customers and just so warm and friendly. There is also free valet parking as well.  Also very close to the N & Q trains. Don't miss this dining experience...

Convivium Osteria

68 Fifth Avenue ( Park Slope) Brooklyn, NY
718-857-1833

www.convivium-osteria.com

An absolute gem, that is popular among the Brooklyn crowd that knows food, and appreciates an authentic setting with excellent service. Convivium is on the verge of becoming not such a secret. Although it has been around for quite awhile, I feel it’s ready for the Manhattan critics.

It has a Mediterranean influence with a strong accent on Portuguese and some Italian. The owner is from Laos, Portugal in the Algarve region, where they really know how to prepare fish and shrimp. The beef is of the highest quality. Everything is prepared to perfection. Definitely take a look at the menu. The grilled prawn appetizer was amazing; you rarely see shrimp so large. The whole sea bass was perfect. Whatever you order here is succulent and divine.

The wines are outstanding. The setting is so old world Portugal that you may have to remind yourself that you are still in Brooklyn. It has a sweet charm and can be very romantic as well.

As you enter this restaurant you immediately have the feel of the farmhouse setting somewhere in Portugal, or is it Spain or is it Umbria?? Then there is a wonderful wine cellar to dine in as well. Also there is a Garden Room.

Attention to detail, from the furnishings to the very fresh fish, meats and veggies is always the standard at Convivium.

At tip to remember is that they only take cash or AMEX. Try this place for sure and let me know your thoughts. Of course the bathroom was perfect...

A Restaurant Experience

Punta Dura Italian Restaurant

41-15 34th Street (off Steinway)
Astoria, Queens, NY 11103

718-721-2137

R/V/G train

http://www.puntadura.com/

This restaurant is a true step back into time into a far away land. They do have Italian food, but the feel is very Eastern European, as the owners are Croatian and the crowd is very mixed from all over Eastern Europe. A sort of secret about this place, is that it was used in The Sopranos as the scene for the restaurant Nuovo Vesuvio, and when you walk in you feel like you have been here before.



The food is excellent and fresh and a drop pricey for Astoria, but don't let that stop you, as it’s just a fun feeling to be a part of this place. At 10 PM on both Friday and Saturday nights they have live international music, and everyone dances to music from every country. It really reminds me of our trips to Croatia, Italy, Germany and Poland and much more.



The waiters are formal, and the service is excellent. It has the feel of "old world" and definitely not Manhattan. I felt like a fly on the wall seeing how other people enjoy the simple pleasures of life; good food, good wine, seeing friends, and making new friends and dancing and dancing. Around midnight yet another group comes in, a bit younger and more dancing. I admit this place is not for everyone, but I know we'll be regulars. as it brought back lots of fond memories of both trips abroad and times gone by.

American Museum of Natural History in NYC

The American Museum of Natural History


Central Park West @81st Street

New York, New York



This museum is a wonderful way to spend a cold winter's afternoon, especially with a young child. There is so much to see and do that I recommend going in small steps. Don’t try to cover the entire place in one visit. I can't tell you about every exhibit, but I must say that the BUTTERFLY EXHIBIT, is really a lot of fun and so interesting. As you walk into this tropical paradise, you see the most beautiful array of every color a butterfly can be. They land on your head, on your fingertips and whirl around so nicely. They are amazing to study, and they don't bite!



A trip thru the Safari Animals is fun as well, as the backdrop on the various animals gives the feel of being on the plains of Africa. As always, the DINOSAURS make a huge impression, especially on little children. You just can never start too young, or too soon to make this wonderful museum feel like a second home to all that continue to visit.



HINT: There is a coat check for $2.00 per person. On the lower level there is a cafeteria, but to be honest, the food is much overpriced and not too good; I would suggest bringing a sandwich and just buying drinks there, especially if you are with children. As an example, the chicken fingers for a child were about $10 and the fries were extra, a plain lettuce and tomato salad was about $9.



Have fun and share your stories with me...

AMAZING GREEK FOOD IN ASTORIA

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's NestTAVERNA KYCLADES
(GREEK)
33-07 Ditmars Blvd. (at 33rd Street)
Astoria, Queens, New York
718-545-8666
www.tavernakyclades.com

This is a true Greek Taverna! As you sit in the simple but immaculate small dining room amongst mainly Greek locals, you know this is a really great find. The food is about as fresh as it can be, and the fish is brought in daily and cooked to perfection. The salads and veggies are just as fresh, possibly because this place is located next to a vegetable and fruit store. The food is simple but wonderful and served with love. In nice weather they offer outdoor seating too. The appetizers alone can be a meal. It is a huge menu and all made fresh daily. The meats are delicious and interesting as well. The prices are just right and maybe on the low side. Of course a place like this has CLEAN BATHROOMS

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Caffe Taci ( The Opera Caffe)

CAFFE TACI (a true secret of NYC)

I almost hate to share this secret place I love so much. The singers literally sing for their supper.



Also known as the "opera cafe", and originally on the upper Westside, and then down in The Village, Caffe Taci has recently moved to Midtown. Many of its regulars from Columbia Univ and NYU and the "old crowd" just follow Taci wherever it roams.. On Saturday nights there are “professional” opera singers performing, as well as new talen being discovered! It is not uncommon for a diva from the Met to show up after hours and sing, or even for Andrea Boccelli to sing when he is in town. To be at Cafe Taci is the next best thing to being in Tuscany. The singers are always delightful and even if you dislike opera you've gotta fall in love with opera here.



Leopoldo Mucci, the owner treats each night as if it were opening night, and perhaps some new performer will be discovered at Taci. Leopoldo recently celebrated the fourth TACI singer to earn a spot at the Metropolitan Opera.



The food is excellent and well priced, and service is great. The wine list is very good too. I promise you will return again and again. When they sing Ole Solo Mia, tears will roll down your cheeks and you'll be back in beloved Italy, if only for the night. Its just the best of both worlds to be here, to dine with live opera as it was meant to be back many centuries ago in Lucca.



Make sure you call for reservations, and sssh keep this our secret. (212) 866-0111 -or- (914) 456-4376



http://www.caffetaci.com/



You can find Caffe Taci now at Papillion Bistro

22 West 54th Street (between 5th and Madison Aves.)

New York, New York

ANGELINA'S ON STATEN ISLAND

I went to a wonderful restaurant the other night all the way out on Staten Island, which turned out to be not so far away. It was in an old house and had a water view of Perth Amboy, NJ. At first we questioned why we came when we have the New York skyline at our fingertips.

It was evident that dining at ANGELINA'S RISTORANTE was a special treat. Its owner run and managed. Angelina herself is there every night along with Vincenzo. They are a wonderful warm Sicilian couple, you really do feel as if you are dining in their home! You have a choice to dine outdoors on the soon to be refurbished deck, or indoors in the old world style Italian dining room. There is live music there nightly as well, that works nicely with such lovely dining.

Each course is served as if its a formal night out on the town. Its absolutely elegant, yet a very casual feel to the place, and you don't have to be dressed up either. The bar area is also relaxing to sit in. They have a parking lot, and the subway station is right at their front door.

I am definitely going back here..
So visit Angelina's Ristorante
399 Ellis Street
Staten Island, New York
718-227-2900
http://www.angelinasristorante.com/