Taste of Woodside: Grammy Nominated Mariachi Music & A First Class Repast

Latin Grammy Nominated Mariachi Band Serenades Local Woodside Restaurant Feast

November 16, 2015 / Woodside Neighborhood / Woodside Restaurants / Queens Restaurants / Queens Buzz.

On Thursday I made my way to cover the Taste of Woodside at Gulshan Terrace at 59-15 37th Avenue in Woodside. It was a dry, pleasant November evening as I arrived along with a host of other attendees.

Inside the Gulshan Terrace event hall there was a bar off to the left and the ticket table off to the right. Straight ahead was a large open space that was populated with tables and chairs and an elevated stage. And off to both the left and right were the serving tables of the restaurateurs. I felt like I had arrived at the wedding reception of a young couple … but I had not.

Instead I was greeted by a young-at-heart couple of Woodside on the Move Board Members. Jim Daley wasted no time in making me feel quite welcome and Joanne Smith made me feel right at home … like I was one of the family. Before they had become too dispersed, I was able to gather the full Woodside on the Move Board for a photo, which is included at the end of the report next to the thanks and appreciation section.

This was the fourth annual Taste of Woodside, and tonight I would have the opportunity to sample the food of fifteen restaurants from Woodside. But alas, I was not able to sample all of them in the allotted time.

What follows here is a brief sampling of the foods I was able to sample at the Taste of Woodside. I have included a few photos of the fifteen Woodside restaurants at the Taste of Woodside and a video of the music performed by an all female Mariachi band.

Taste of Woodside: Grammy Nominated Mariachi Music & A First Class Repast

Latin Grammy Nominated Mariachi Band Serenades Local Woodside Restaurant Feast

November 16, 2015 / Woodside Neighborhood / Woodside Restaurants / Queens Restaurants / Queens Buzz. Continued.

Donovan's Pub - Irish Pubs Woodside

First up was Donovans Pub, a landmark Irish Pub and Restaurant in Woodside that was serving Shepherd’s Pie. The taste included peas, carrots and ground beef atop a bed of mashed potatoes. A hearty Irish fare served by one of the ‘new’ owners who bought the landmark restaurant a couple years ago. Donovan’s Pub is located at 57th Street and we did a review of the Woodside restaurant a number of years ago.

Empanada Monumental - Mexican Restaurants Queens

At the Empanada Monumental table bumped into NYS Assembly Member Michael Dendekker who had a smile on his face in nodding approval of what he’d been sampling at the Taste of Woodside. Both he and NYS Senator Michael Gianaris made a few remarks at the opening of the program. Empanada Monumental is located at 64th Street and Roosevelt Avenue.

I sampled all four of Empanada Monumental offerings which [clockwise starting at lower left] included an empanada, a bola de yucca, a quipe and a capricho. The empanada is a Latin fried turnover filled with meat, vegetables and / or cheese. The bola is a cassava ball, which had a moist soft texture and a filling of chicken, beef or cheese.

The Quipe was perhaps one of the most interesting delights of the evening as it has a dense dry texture and is made of whole grain, beef and an added mix of spices and herbs. The quipe came to the Dominican Republic near the turn into the 20th century along with the Lebanese immigrants. And last, but not least, was the Capricho which is made with potato and chicken dough and stuffed with cheese and then filled with either cheese, chicken or beef. All were very nice and make good appetizers, snacks or meals.

The Copper Kettle - Irish American Restaurants Woodside & Sunnyside

The Copper Kettle was next along the culinary wall of Woodside fare, and they were serving a Chicken Pot Pie and Conchiglie Pasta. The chicken pot pie was served with a gentle flaky biscuit atop it. The quality of the biscuit was heralded the news that this was no ordinary pot pie for inside there was a hearty mix of chicken, carrots, peas and other vegetables and herbs all put together in a symphony of succulence.

This taste delight was followed by the Copper Kettle’s conchiglie pasta which is a wheat pasta made in the shape of shells and cooked al dente which shows a certain flair for the flavorful. The pasta was mixed with carrots, broccoli and parsley [see photo at right]. The Copper Kettle is located on Skillman Avenue at 51st Street in Woodside.

As you can imagine, no single person would be able to sample the bounty provided by the Taste of Woodside. This is, of course, good news for all the people who attended the event that night, the fee for which was only $30 - and it included seating, and as you will soon see – top notch Latin entertainment.

La Flor Restaurant Woodside & Sidetracks Restaurant Sunnyside

I stopped by the tables of La Flor restaurant and also of Sidetracks. La Flor is one of the more established restaurants in Woodside, having a reputation for providing good fare, a pleasant ambiance at a competitive price. I have frequented the restaurant many times and it’s located along Roosevelt Avenue at 53rd Street in Woodside.

And Sidetracks restaurant is also one of the more established restaurants in the community. Sidetracks is located on Queens Blvd near 46th Street and has long been the favorite of friends for an after work repast or drinks.

Casa del Chef - Fine Dining Woodside

The Casa del Chef is located on 64th Street between Roosevelt Avenue and 39th Avenue in Woodside. The restaurant is fairly new and owned and operated by Ecuadorian Chef Alfonso Zhicay who has worked for other accomplished NYC Chefs, including one from Bouley in Manhattan.

Tonight Alfonso was serving Brook Trout with Sunchokes and three varieties of sweet potatoes. The brook trout was cooked to that fine line between moist and dry and the seasonal root vegetables were a hearty complement without distraction from the main fare. And Chef Alfonso had added a light sprinkle of vinegar to lift the entire ensemble [see photo at beginning of story].

Mariachi Flor de Toloache - Mariachi Bands Queens

It was at this point that we were treated to a performance of mariachi music by the band Mariachi Flor de Toloache. As you can see in the video, they’re an accomplished group that brings alive the joyful culture of our Mexican neighbors. It’s worth mentioning that the Mariachi Flor de Toloache, which is an all female mariachi band from Queens since 2008, was recently nominated for a Latin Grammy Award in the Best Ranchera Album category. Salud.

Ottomanelli Burgers Woodside Queens

I crossed the room to continue my journey into the wonderful world of the Woodside restaurants. My first stop was the F. Ottomanelli Burger. The Ottomanelli’s have been operating a butcher shop at 60th Street on Woodside Avenue for decades and perhaps even longer. A few years back they opened a burger and fries place. I sampled the Chipotle Burger, which was a medium rare burger with a bit of spice added to it. I ate it without the catsup, so I could enjoy the beef and added spice flavors.

Adelita Restaurant - Mexican Restaurants Woodside

Adelita Restaurant is reportedly leading the ‘Mexican Recipe Revolution’. Adelita Mexican restaurant is located along Roosevelt Avenue at 52nd Street and they were serving flautas and quesadillas. Unfortunately, as I was running short of time, this was to be my last sampling of the marvelous morsels served at the Taste of Woodside. I sampled the quesadilla which was a soft doughy tortilla filled with cheese and topped with guacamole [see photo at right].

Woodside Restaurants at Taste of Woodside 2015

As I was exiting I met the exhibitors of Renacer Restaurant, which is a Bolivian restaurant at 67th Street and Woodside Avenue, only a few blocks from Ottomanelli’s Burger and Fries. The Peking BBQ Restaurant is at 58th Street and Woodside Avenue. Sean Ogs and W Café are both run by the same owner. Each place has a different ambiance and they are located on the same block which is on Woodside Avenue near 60th Street. Sean Ogs is a warm traditional style Irish pub with cathedral ceilings and fireplaces, while W Café is a modern American café. Payag Filipino Restaurant is located along Roosevelt Avenue at 51st Street in Woodside. And the Sri Pra Phai Thai Restaurant located at 64th Street along Woodside Avenue. Lastly, but not least, there were the beverage vendors Laguntas Beer Corporation of California and Jin Brothers Wine & Liquors at 51st Street along Skillman Avenue in Woodside.

All in all a great feast with plenty of culinary choices and a great way to sample the fare of the local Woodside restaurants while contributing to the coffers of Woodside on the Move which is a 39 year old non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in the neighborhood of Woodside Queens.

Many thanks for Woodside on the Move for organizing the event, Gulshan Terrace for hosting it, the 15 local Woodside restaurants and 3 beverage providers to serving up great fare and the Mariachi Flor de Toloache band for the musical entertainment. In the photo above are [from left to right] Jim Daley, Al Volpe, Joanne Smith, Adriana Beltran and Bob Piazza who is the President.

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Turkish Cooking Classes in Queens

Cooking Class Mixes Culture, Cuisine & Comedy In Comfy Klatch

February 6, 2013 / Sunnyside / Food in Sunnyside / Queens Buzz.  I attended an evening cooking class offered by the Turkish Cultural Center in Queens. They offer one cooking class each month, wherein they teach Turkish cuisine. Seating is limited to about fifteen; and you don’t have to be a member or Turkish to attend. In fact almost all of the people in attendance were not Turkish, and there were a couple of males in attendance too.

My interest in Turkish cuisine has grown over the past few years, as Sunnyside and western Queens has become a small magnet for Turkish immigrants. Turks have a long history of culinary achievement and a number of them have opened grocery stores and restaurants which have become quite popular in their neighborhoods [see review of the Turkish Grill restaurant in Sunnyside].

Click here to read our report and view our photo slide show of Turkish cooking classes in Sunnyside Queens.

Turkish Cooking Classes in Queens

Cooking Class Mixes Culture, Cuisine & Comedy In Comfy Klatch

February 6, 2013 / Sunnyside / Food in Sunnyside / Queens Buzz. Continued. I had attended other events hosted by the Turkish Cultural Center in Sunnyside, and was invariably served Turkish food prepared by the female members of the Turkish Cultural Center, so I had some notion of what to expect.

When I arrived one of the female hosts, dressed in traditional Turkish clothing, was serving tea in uniquely curved, glass tea cups. I sipped the tea without adding any sugar or milk, and so it had a small bite to it, but well within the range of my tastes, and it evoked memories of travels abroad. In the photo to your left is a member of the Turkish Cultural Center in Sunnyside Queens, serving tea to the participants of a Turkish cooking class.

Old Fashioned & Old World Hospitality - Cultural Exchanges In Queens

Another woman had served everyone a lentil and wheat pilaf, seasoned with parsley, scallions, tomato paste and pepper. I could taste the flavorful scallions and pepper, which were muted by the lentil paste and cracked wheat. The tomato paste and parsley were more for coloring and ornamentation than for flavor, as they were scarcely perceptible. She explained to me that she knew people had come from work and likely hadn't had time to eat anything.

I found myself thinking about how I could easily get used to this kind hospitality; and how in American culture we’ve let slip some of the old world charms still practiced by many of the first generation immigrants. It seems to me that in our frantic pursuit of American modernity … we've thrown out some of the baby with the bathwater ... but I digress.

Turkish Cooking Classes In Queens - TCC Queens

Our teacher, chef and host this evening was Sila Asa. She’s a young Turkish mother who’s a spunky blend of Turkish and American character. She’s fluent in both languages, and like the Turkish women who assisted her, showed great knowledge of the nuances of the culture from which she came, as well as the milieu in which she now lives.

In the photo to your left is Sila Asa, the chef / instructor of the Turkish cooking classes given at the Turkish Cultural Center in Queens.

Turkish Cooking In Queens - Stuffed Pepper With Ground Beef

The first dish Sila would show us how to prepare was a Stuffed Pepper with Ground Meat. The ingredients are: 1 lb of small Italian peppers, 2/3 lb of ground beef, 1 onion chopped, 2 tomatoes chopped, 2 tbsp of tomato paste, 1/3 cup of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

Instructions. She mixed the ingredients in a large bowl, except the tomato paste and the peppers into which the stuffing would go. Wash the peppers and cut off their tops and clean out the seeds. Stuff the peppers and place inside a large pot. Mix the tomato paste with water and fill the pot with the water and tomato paste until the water is up to about half the pepper height. Then cook for about 40 minutes atop the stove until the peppers are soft and the meat is cooked. See photo slide show below.

Turkish Cooking Classes - Cultural Exchanges At Their Finest

Sila had a pretty lively running commentary with the audience. About a third of the class were returning attendees, so there was some comfort and familiarity that spread throughout the room as the evening went on. Sila reminded me a bit of a talk show host, like a mix between Oprah and Cathy Lee. Part of her repartee included comments like, “I had hoped to get sick this winter, so I could lose some weight”.

The audience contributed to the lively banter, sharing food experiences of their own. One member of the audience talked about how she had eaten tongue while traveling in Europe some time ago. And another woman chimed in that she’d eaten tongue too, which she thought might have contributed to her becoming a vegan.

Turkish Cooking Classes In Queens - Baked Pasta w/ Bechamel Sauce

It was onto the Baked Pasta with Bechamel Sauce. The ingredients for this delight included fresh penne pasta [250 grams = 9 ounces] which had been boiling on the stove while Sila was making the Stuffed Peppers. The other ingredients include: 4 tbsp of butter, ¼ cup of flour, 1 cup of milk, 2/3 cup of feta cheese crumbled, ¼ cup parsley chopped, 2/3 cup of mozzarella cheese [for garnish] and salt and pepper to taste.

Instructions. They had washed the pasta and drained it before bringing it into the room. Sila then melted the butter, added the flour and stirred for about 3 to 4 minutes before adding the milk slowly into the mix. Add salt and pepper and then turn off the heat and let cool for 3 to 4 minutes. Then add the feta cheese and parsley and toss it over the pasta in an ovenproof dish. Sila liked to use pyrex glass cookware. Lastly insert it into the oven with a cover on it and bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the top turns brown. Be careful not to overcook it. We heard tell that it’s one of the most flavorful home cooked pasta and cheese dishes that can be easily made.

The banter in the room had become contagious as the audience started kibitzing with each other about all sorts of things. Sila wondered aloud if anyone was paying attention. In this age of multi-tasking, I could tell the audience was simultaneously watching Sila work, while they carried on with a number of side conversations.

Learning About Turkish Culture & Cuisine In Queens - TCC Queens

So onto the last dish, the Tea Biscuits with Chocolate Pudding Dessert. Sila believes in using only the best ingredients, some of which she gets from her mother-in-law who lives in Turkey. She mentioned the tomato paste as an example of something she had been sent, which doesn’t include a lot of additives. This triggered quite a running commentary from various members of the audience about finding good ingredients in a genetically modified food world, where the packaging has a long list of ingredients the likes of which only a scientist might know.

The dessert ingredients included: 2 packs of tea biscuits, 2 cups of milk, 5 tbsp of flour, 2 tbsp of cornstarch, 1 cup of sugar, 3 tbsp of cocoa and 2 tbsp of vanilla. The vanilla was a dry powder that didn’t contain alcohol. It was labeled in Turkish, but apparently made by a German company [someone recalled that the German company had purchased a Turkish supplier].

Instructions. Sila mixed all the ingredients in a pot and started whisking them into a soup-like texture before she turned on the heat. She told us it’s easier to get the ingredients to mix before they are heated, than after. Then she turned on the heat and continued whisking until the mixture became a pudding which she poured over the tea biscuits in the 9 x 13 or 3 quarts glass pan. You can build several layers with the tea biscuits, adding the pudding as you go up and you can include nuts too, but she didn’t because she knows many people have nut related allergies.

Cultural Exchanges In Queens - Turkish Cultural Center In Sunnyside

And so it was. I didn’t have time to stay and enjoy the fruits of Sila’s labors, but it all looked very, very good. Turkish cooking classes cost $25 for a single outing; and $20 per class if you sign up for more than one class. The classes are held monthly, usually on the first or second Wednesday of the month [depends on holidays and scheduling] and the season ends in June.

It’s worth noting that Istanbul, Turkey was the seat of some of the greatest empires of the western world: the Eastern Roman Empire and the Ottoman Empire. Thus the Turks are well known for their cuisine which has been highly cultivated for well over a thousand years. And as they say in Turkish Afiyet Olsun [bon appetit].

This program was sponsored by the Turkish Cultural Center in Queens, just off the corner of Queens Blvd and 45th Street in Sunnyside. It's easy to get to via the #7 subway line - just get off at the 46th Street station and it's a two block walk. Click here for the Turkish Cultural Center business listing which includes a map and a link to their website.

Photos of Turkish Cooking Class in Sunnyside Queens

The following slide show contains photos taken at the Turkish cooking classes in Sunnyside Queens. Click here to go directly into the photo album containing photos of Turkish cooking classes in Sunnyside Queens.

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Quaint - Restaurants In Sunnyside

Quaint Casual Dining In Sunnyside

Sunnyside Neighborhood / Sunnyside Restaurants / Queens Restaurants / Queens Buzz. Quaint is well named. In the dictionary quaint is defined as 'having an old fashioned attractiveness or charm'. The restaurant provides an comfortable atmosphere ideal for conversations with good friends. The restaurant probably seats no more than 30 to 40 people, including the outdoor seating space in the back. The bar area and the outdoor patio provide dimension to the friendly, neighborly atmosphere. The open grill imparts a certain sense of theater and provides the diner with a hint of expectation.

Quaint Menu - Restaurants In Sunnyside

One Friday night I went down there with an old friend for a late dinner. My friend was recovering from his journey via the airlines. Quaint's menu appears to be chosen with consideration for both one's taste buds and one's health. Many of the appetizers are salads, but calamari is included as well as mussels. I had the roasted beet salad with walnuts, while my friend had the calamari. I tried some and it was cooked just right: it still had a bit of chewy texture and the fried coating wasn't greasy. As for the beet salad, the beets were flavorful and light, complemented by the mix of blue cheese and walnuts.

The Quaint courtyard, shown in the photo to your left, is open during the warm weather.

Quaint Service & Wine - Sunnyside Restaurants

It was quiet that night so the service was spot on. We could see where the cooks were in preparation of our entrees, so we could actually manage our wine consumption in tandem with the cadence of the meal. We had the house wine, which was a flavorful California cabernet.

Main Courses - Salmon Ratatouille & Hanger Steak

My friend had the salmon ratatouille and I had the hanger steak and mashed potatoes. We exchanged samples of each. The hanger steak was cooked to a pink perfection and had a soft juicy taste to it. The mashed potatoes slid down nicely too. The salmon was nicely done, and left mostly to stand on its own, but complemented by the ratatouille. All so very healthy, I didn't mind having an extra drink. We passed on dessert, given the late hour, but Quaint offers a 'healthy' selection of after dinner drinks, of which we took advantage. We each had a sambuca which topped off our repas. The name really works as the restaurant appears to be run in a very thoughtful and comfortable way.

Quaint - Restaurants In Sunnyside Queens

Click this link to view a map of Quaint - one of the restaurants in Sunnyside Queens. Click this link to obtain the contact info and website url for Quaint Restaurant & Bar in Sunnyside Queens. Click this link to view other restaurants in Sunnyside & Woodside.

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