We take the same picture every year at the St. Demetrios Greek Festival, and it looks like this. An urban-idyllic glow, soft sepia hues, a crowd of festival-goers suspended in time, raising forks to mouths, the festival’s frenzy of activity and din of conversation quieted by the medium of photography.

The odd thing is that the photo we snap each year – even at the very moment it is being shot – is simultaneously the defining image of my memory of the event.  If it is possible to take a contemporaneous, in-the-moment photograph of a memory, this picture is evidence of that phenomenon.

This picture is also my defining image of Astoria. Two weeks after my own personal ‘discovery’ of the neighborhood (each person has their own narrative of a place), we glimpsed the formidable spokes and metal carriages of a Ferris Wheel, erected in bizarre proximity to the facade of a cathedral. Now how does one not investigate that?

What we found when we arrived was a clamorous riot of people, spilling out of the festival’s tent onto the sidewalks, shifting foot to foot on long lines for carnival rides and a bountiful buffet of Greek food, and shouting over the sheer roar of it all to be heard by family and friends. It was the smell of the souvlaki on the grill and the gyro spinning on its spit that drew us into that fray, which we might have otherwise eschewed. And we were rewarded with one of the best, biggest and most affordable meals I have ever had, with the opportunity to eat it out-of-doors, and with the neighborhood enveloping us.

Some related musings on what to order: Get the gyro with everything.  And the honey-soaked, cinnamon-dusted Loukoumades, or Greek donuts – the “small order” holds over 15 of these beautiful sweets for a mere $4.  Also the flaky Tyropita, a large but delicate filo puff stuffed with feta.  The Souvlaki, too, this year provided raw and cut for grilling from the festival’s neighbors, the Souvlaki King of Astoria.  Maybe if you have room, the raft of Galaktoboureko, overflowing with sweet custard. This year they have even added a beer tent, affixed to a beer truck, pouring Coors Light, Sam Adams, Brooklyn Lager and Blue Moon.

The St. Demetrios Greek Festival is something to see for yourself, and I encourage all Astorians to go. Because who knows, perhaps within the chaos of it, you’ll sense some of those things that make our neighborhood interesting and good. The mix of young people and elders, the celebration of culture, traditions, food, and a sense of fun and civic pride. Maybe you will take a picture of it and right at that second burn into your memory the enduring beauty of it all.

And on the topic of temporality, below is a Loukoumades photo essay bonus:

Church and School volunteers making Loukoumades

The hot, fresh Loukoumades at the St. Demetrios Greek Festival in Astoria

The End

Visit the festival this weekend, Saturday & Sunday, 1-11 pm, and 31st Avenue and 30th Drive

The crowd at Queens Taste 2013 on May 16th at Citi Field

An avid fan of Queens cuisine, I jumped at the opportunity to try some of the classic eating establishments that I am ashamed to say I had not yet visited. Our first stop was Woodside’s own Ottomanelli & Sons, a serious butcher shop and purveyor of wild game since it was founded in 1932, which also happens to make one of Queens’ best burgers. We tried a Bacon Cheddar Burger, that defied expectation by having hearty chunks of bacon and sharp cheddar cheese cooked right into the meat patty itself. Prepared medium and served on a soft potato roll, this burger bite left us wanting to head straight to Woodside to devour their Jalapeno Cheddar Burger and Belgian Fries.

The best Mozzarella ever from Leo’s Latticini/Mama’s in Corona

Our next stop was to Corona via a Queens Taste table overflowing with the Italian offerings of  80-year old local institution Leo’s Latticini/Mama’s. Here I encountered the best mozzarella that I have tried in New York City. They ladled ripe tomatoes swimming in olive oil and basil over the creamy homemade cheese to recreate a fresh, brilliant caprese salad. They also had samples of their famous sandwiches and Italian desserts including mini cannolli and crisp mini biscotti, all of which were exceptional. My favorite, however, were the round rolls of prosciutto bread, with a slightly crisp crust, and a soft, flaky interior dotted with generous cubes of savory prosciutto.

Delicious mini cupcakes from Rudy’s in Ridgewood

For dessert we dropped by Rudy’s Bakery and Cafe, which arrived at Queens Taste via Ridgewood, Queens. Rudy’s has been a Ridgewood staple for over seven decades, and for the last three decades with a single family at the helm. While they are arguably best known for their German pastries, at Queens Taste they were showing off their more recent addition of popular confections like red velvet whoopie pies with cream cheese frosting, and mini cupcakes.  We sampled a chocolate cupcake bite with a creamy dollop of salted caramel icing. Salty pretzel pieces and a caramel drizzle topped off this truly excellent sweet.

Queens Taste 2013 was also a great night for some of our borough’s emerging entrepreneurs and small business start-ups, many of whom got their start at QEDC’s Long Island City-based Entrepreneurs Space. I was especially enamored of chic-a-peas, an addictive crunchy, baked, seasoned chickpea snack. The product’s founders, Dave and Darren, suggested they would be great on salad – which they would – but I would be more likely to eat them obsessively by the handful. This Queens success story will soon be available via Fresh Direct.

Astoria Coffee’s Dennis receives the Queens StartUP Business Plan Competition Award

And an already great evening got even better when we heard the announcement that Astoria Coffee won the annual Queens StartUP Business Plan Competition. Astoria Coffee has plans to create a warm, welcoming community meeting space that features excellent beverages, including espresso-based drinks, hand brewed pour over coffee, and a well-developed tea menu. They are currently scouring the city for the best baked goods to accompany their high quality beverages, and may even feature some local Queens bakers. While they look for just the right brick and mortar location in Astoria, you can take advantage of the whole bean coffee delivery for their single origin beans, or stop into local boutique SITE to buy some. Be sure to follow them on Facebook and Twitter for news and updates.

I hate being in photos but will make an exception – cause I got to meet Soraya Sobreidad!

The night ended with a Queens celebrity sighting when I got to meet a local food legend and Jackson Heights resident, Soraya Sobreidad, the Queen of healthy Puerto Rican cooking, and one of the Queens Tastemakers for the evening. Recently profiled in the New York Times’ City Room Blog, Soraya’s ‘FIERCE’ Cooking Show has generated huge following on local public television channel QPTV, and on You Tube. This was the perfect ending to an event that celebrated the exuberance, inventiveness, diversity, skill, and creativity of our borough, all of which was on display at Queens Taste 2013.

The King himself, Freddy Zeideia, casually made the announcement via Twitter last week, and that very same night the new cart was up and running. The new location is open weekday nights from about 6pm to 10pm, and on weekends until midnight (“or later”) to feed the waves of hungry commuters tumbling out of the 30th Avenue station, as well as the cafe and bar night-revelers on that bursting at the seams strip of Astoria.

The King of Falafel and Shawarma’s new cart on 30th Avenue

The new cart has a nearly identical menu to the original, with the exception of kabobs. Try their famously crispy, oblong falafel, of course, but don’t miss the perfectly seasoned chicken and rice – and say “yes” to the salad of pickled veggies on the side. On days when I am super snackish, I go for the “Freddy’s Junior,” chicken and kefta over basmati rice doused in tahini (hot sauce optional, but highly recommended by the King). And I am excited to report that my favorite dishes are just as fresh and delicious at the new spot as they are at the well-loved Broadway cart.

Get the Chicken and Rice

The King of Falafel and Shawarma has received well-deserved accolades, including a 2010 Vendy Cup (proudly displayed near the original cart on Broadway) and the Vendy People’s Choice Award, but the Astoria locals lined up at all hours seems like the true measure of success. So it is only a matter of time before the line is stretching along 30th Avenue, as the smell of some of New York City’s best falafel and shawarma fills the air.

Astoria Video Bonus! My deep and abiding phobia of being on camera is mitigated by the fact that Freddy, the King himself, gives me a hug in this video.

Non-Profit Nerd Bonus! Each year, the Vendy Awards rally New Yorkers from every borough to enthusiastically endorse their favorite local street vendors on a food event mainstage. But did you know that the Vendy Awards are a fundraiser for The Street Vendor Project of the Urban Justice Center, a great non-profit that advocates for the economic and legal rights of our city’s food vendors? Support their work anytime here.

Native Roasters, Colombia Coffee – check out the date stamp!

Native Coffee imports green coffee beans from around the world and roasts them in small batches in a five-burner propane roaster. Brian then stamps each bag with a “Roasted On” date so that you know exactly when your beans were roasted. This week I sampled their Colombia La Arboleda, which had been roasted less than two weeks before, on April 19th. An excellent light roast, best prepared in a french press or drip coffee maker, this coffee was bright, fresh, and absolutely delicious.

The fact that Native Coffee Roasters made their retail debut at last month’s Queens County Market seems highly fitting.  Since last April, the market has been providing support and coordinating locations for the city’s entrepreneurial food vendors to get their products directly into the hands of Queens residents. This Sunday, May 5th, Native Coffee Roasters will be selling their whole bean coffee at the Queens County Market’s Food & Brew event at SingleCut Beersmiths in Astoria. They will have their signature NYC Diesel on hand, a seasonally variable blend highlighting South and Central American beans and some additional roasts as well. They will also be debuting a new Cold Brew, perfect as the temperature begins its slow climb toward summer.

Queens County Market & SingleCut Beersmiths present Food & Brew – photo credit: Astoria Haiku

Also fitting is the fact that this month’s Food & Brew edition of the Queens County Market will be at SingleCut Beersmiths, which has displayed a true commitment to developing relationships with local shops and food vendors like Astoria Bier and Cheese, The Savory Pie Guy and many others. This weekend they will debut their latest ‘lagrrr,’ Hank, a Juniper-tinged beer brewed specifically for the Strand Smokehouse and the SingleCut taproom. They will also unfurl their brand new awning, and have added some outdoor picnic table seating, further transforming the brewery into vibrant community gathering place that it has already proven to be.

Keg Tag for HANK, SingleCut Beersmith’s latest brew – photo credit @mikeanzz

When I met Brian last week, he told me about how he had to literally go across the country in his epic quest to secure a coffee roaster, and, without the opportunity to apprentice anywhere, he used books and videos on YouTube plus his own considerable coffee knowledge to learn to roast. It’s not surprising then that the Astoria community, the Queens County Market, and SingleCut Beersmiths are excited to support his dedication and determination to create something great. We value that here in Astoria.

Queens County Market Food & Brew Event – Sunday, May 5th, 1pm to 5pm, SingleCut Beersmiths, 9-33 37th Street in Astoria

Connect with Native Coffee Roasters – On Twitter / On Facebook

Inside MP Taverna

Chef Psilakis also knows Astoria. He grew up coming to Astoria all the time, because Astoria was – and still is – the Greek cultural hub of New York. And his love of the neighborhood never faded. In his recent Guide to Greek Food and Ingredients in New York City penned for Serious Eats, he revealed that he scours the shops of Astoria in search of the best and most authentic Greek ingredients to use in his recipies. And it turns out that he shops where we Astorians shop, and loves the places that we love, including Titan Foods, Euro Market, Plaza Meat Market, Artopolis Bakery, and the Souvlaki King of Astoria. On his Twitter page, Psilakis happily shouts out local business and celebrates the fact that Astoria’s own SingleCut Beer is now on tap at MP Taverna.

Refreshing Bulgar Salad at MP Taverna

The first thing you’ll notice about MP Taverna Astoria is the impressive design. The ground level is wide open and windowed, an invitation to wander in off the street, and take a seat at the long, cool marbled bar stocked with an impressive list of over 50 wines by the glass and over 70 beers, tapped and bottled. The second level is a study in contrast, with plush leather chairs, chandeliers affixed over each table, and a more intimate, even romantic atmosphere. This is a place for good long talks over the 120 plus whiskies that grace the menu. One hundred additional seats will be added when a patio opens up for the warmer months.

Abundant wine, craft beer and spirits at MP Taverna

While the atmosphere at MP Taverna is everything a New York restaurant needs to attract a following, the food takes us right back to Chef Psilakis’ Greek roots and to the food roots of our neighborhood, Astoria, albeit with a modern twist. This week I had the honor of stopping by to sample some of the fare, and the short story is that it is fantastic. The Bulgar Salad, a signature at Chef’s Psilakis’ restaurants was a standout, combining the hearty grain with dates, almonds, pomegranate, olives, red onion and pistachio to create a bright, refreshing, surprising first course. The crisp fresh Tzatziki, topped with fresh grilled vegetables, and accompanied by fresh, warm pita triangles is easily my new favorite Tzatziki in a town that is well known for this Mezze. Another Astoria favorite, the spiraling tentacles of the Grilled Octopus, gorgeously presented, achieve new heights at MP Taverna, with a perfect char, a slight chew, and plenty of citrus and olive oil. The fresh Scallops, with cauliflower, sweet dried cherries and brown butter was another surprising, delicious dish.

Scallops, cauliflower, dried cherries. Yes.

And dessert is hardly an afterthought at MP Taverna. We loved the traditional Greek sweet, Galaktoboureko, that was given a new flair with a thin bruléed crust topped with sweet fresh berries and tart, juicy grapefruit. The silky smooth Greek Yogurt with fresh fruit, honey and slivered pistachios was a light, fun, and deceptively easy dessert – there is no way I will ever prepare Greek yogurt this well at home. A warm chocolate walnut cake with vanilla ice cream rounded out the desserts we tried, and was also really incredibly tasty in a simple, comforting, straightforward way.

You’ll never make Greek Yogurt at home again

Perhaps the thing I love best about Astoria is the way it stubbornly refuses to purge its people, traditions, and history, and instead it embraces and incorporates them in both traditional and new ways. Chef Psilakis and his latest venture, MP Taverna Astoria, do the same: honoring and keeping alive the past, while challenging us with new twists and creative interpretations. A chef and a neighborhood that keep the past and present close to their heart, must be a perfect pair. Reflecting on the fact that after so much time spent over the years, since youth, in Astoria, Chef Psilakis said he looks out the window and says, I can’t believe this is Ditmars. We can believe it. We’re grateful for it. We’re glad you’re here and that you never left.

Chef Psilakis at MP Taverna

MP Taverna – 31-29 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria, NY