A thin-crust "Roxanne" slice (meat sauce, ricotta, fresh mozzarella, pecorino, Parmigiano Reggiano, arugula; comped), at a table on the shadier side of the corner. Also shown: "Astoria strong, in this together," window art hand-painted by the ubiquitous Berchman Sydney Augustine, or "Berch."
Nonnas 1977
41-02 Astoria Blvd. South (at 41st St.),
Astoria, Queens
718-406-9779
www.Nonnas1977.com
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Nigerian finger food: egusi (squash-seed sauce with spinach, tomato, chile pepper, and palm oil) paired with garri (fermented, slightly sour cassava). The first is scooped up with a pinch of the second. Mealtime entertainment, nearby: Bangladeshi blacktop cricket.
H/T The New York Times via Kim, @garsleat
Nneji (nn-Nay-jee)
3220 34th Ave. (32nd-33rd Sts.), Astoria, Queens
917-832-7338
www.Instagram.com/Nneji_Astoria
Closed Sunday
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Double-barreled merguez, a sandwich provisioned by the like-named Moroccan market just up the block. Also shown: a map pointing me back to Manhattan; a barge and tug passing under the Hell Gate Bridge.
Tanjawi Halal Sandwich Shop
2561 Steinway St. (25th-28th Aves.), Astoria, Queens
718-726-9262
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In southern Brazil, this cinnamon-dusted dessert is best-known as curau; in the northern part of the country, more often it's called canjica. The default name in western Queens, at least among non-Portuguese speakers: corn pudding.
Rio Supermarket
3215 36th Ave. (32nd-33rd Sts.), Astoria, Queens
718-706-7272
www.RioSupermarket.com
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Sold by the slice, pizza is emblematic of New York City. It's an inexpensive antidote to hunger pangs that can be ordered quickly, and eaten quickly, even on the go. Think of Tony Manero, the John Travolta character in Saturday Night Fever, double-decking a pair of slices while strutting through Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.
At a less bouncy pace, we recently visited Astoria, Queens, in search of good slices. Read more on Culinary Backstreets.
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My first thought, at a distance, was "Irish," but I read too much into that stylized four-leaf double-E. In fact the owners are Tibetan and Nepali, according to the counterwoman, who herself is Bhutanese. From the terse Himalayan section of a menu that features smoothies, freshly blended juices, and bowls of acai: steamed vegetable momo. The all-too-modest hot sauce, I gather, is a house blend, too.
Green Juice Bar & Cafe
2855 31st St. (Newtown-30th Aves.), Astoria, Queens
929-349-2222
www.Grubhub.com/restaurant/Green-Juice-Bar-and-Cafe-2855-31st-St-Astoria/1704635
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Chicharrones aren't always pork rinds. They might also be pollo — chicken — cut into chunks, exquisitely spiced, and deep-fried. You can enjoy them in a restaurant setting, with knife and fork, but chicharrones de pollo are even better at outdoor events, where you can carry them off by the bagful. "Free-range" is good for festival-goers, too.
The Freakin Rican
On the afternoon in question, at one of the many events listed on the proprietor's online food festival calendar
Most other days, at 4306 34th Ave. (43rd-44th Sts.), Astoria, Queens
929-349-1080
www.TheFreakinRicanRestaurant.com
Closed Monday and Tuesday
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(This venue is closed.) "Sambal grilled chicken ribbon" was the one item on the chalked wall menu that wore a double-chili-pepper insignia. Evidently I wasn't a strong advocate for my chili tolerance; according to the check, my order was dialed back to "mild spicy." My consolation was a dense patch of minced garlic.
Culinary Noodle Kitchen
4202 30th Ave. (at 42nd St.), Astoria, Queens
718-606-1898
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Pakistani lunch to go: a shami kebab roll, fat with fried patties of minced seasoned chicken, dressed with lettuce, red onion, and white sauce. Substantial enough that, when posing for a photo, its tail end rested on a sturdy surface.
Previously, while dining in, before the shop changed its name and dessert menu: Zarda is a South Asian dish of sweetened rice stained "yellow" (the literal meaning of its name) by some combination of saffron, turmeric, and food coloring. Elaborate versions, conceived for festive occasions, might sport pistachios, almonds, and cashews; raisins, cardamom pods, shredded coconut, and candied fruit; and rice that is painstakingly varicolored. At this Pakistani corner kebab shop, the more modest zarda shown here would be more likely to conclude iftar, the meal that breaks the daily fast during the month of Ramadan.
Desi BBQ (previously known as New York Pulao Kebab)
36-02 Steinway St. (at 36th Ave.), Astoria, Queens
718-650-1750
www.Facebook.com/Desi-BBQ-Halal-560749671102182
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"We hear it, and smell it, before we see it. At Addy's Barbeque in Astoria, every mishkaki enters the dining room with a sizzle." You want masala fries with that? Read more on Culinary Backstreets.
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Thank you!
