Probably moving from Park Slope to Forest Hills, should I be depressed?

[Kerry]

Right now I frequent the yummy places on 5th Ave. I am tentatively moving to Forest Hills near Rego Park.

[bigskulls]

well, you could try following Nancy Reagan's advice and "Just Say No," but, as in real life, that doesn't usually work. At least its not Jersey....

[Kerry]

oh no, that doesn't sound promising...

[Ian]

I worked in Park Slope for 2 years and lived in Forest Hills for 12. You won't be missing out on much foodwise by leaving the Slope, especially if you have a car and/or are adventerous about exploring Queens. Search this board for around 10,000 posts on Forest Hills cuisine.

On the brighter side, you'll be getting out of a pretentious neighborhood filled with annoying yuppies to join a much more down to earth and diverse community. You'll be fine! (unless you're into bars that is....FH lacks good ones like the Slope...but that's the only downside I can see)

[Kerry]

I've never made it out to The Gate and Loki and Great Lakes and Southpaw and etc. etc. etc. so I guess I'm more of a food-lover than a bar-lover!

[caren r]

You can't get more diverse than Rego Park.
We were in Pio Pio today on Woodhaven (Peruvian). The food is great. The diners were as diverse as the neighbhorhood and all into good eating.
On the same block are two other Pollo a Braso places, one located within an Irish pub.
Our favorites are Mickey's, Golden Pond (we eat dim sum, and never had dinner there), Nick's and Cabana.
Tom Cat delivers daily to the cheese shop on Austin street and the Natural Food Store on Austin.
We buy fresh bread at Jay Dee, a Jewish style bakery now Russian owned. We also get Russian bread out of the clay ovens at Rokhat, on Austin at 65th Road. The bread is wonderful if eaten immediately, but doesn't hold too well.
We have good produce and grocery stores. I find the Met store on 63rd Drive surprising good for produce and it stocks interesting ethnic items.
Andres also has the best croissants I have tasted outside Paris. His mother is the lady behind the counter. She isn't as mean as she sounds.
The neighborhood has its pluses and minuses. The variety of food is definitely a plus.

[Kerry]

Do you think that Rego Park is a better bet food-wise than Forest Hills?
Anyway your suggestions sound scrumptious :-)

[Mike R.]

Think of FH & RP as a continuum...Queens Boulevard the tie that binds.

[tigerwoman]

"On the brighter side, you'll be getting out of a pretentious neighborhood filled with annoying yuppies to join a much more down to earth and diverse community."

Huh - what neigborhood do you live in - Forest Hills has always been snob city...And the diversity is limited... Just look at the public schools mostly white bread, asian and russian - few and far between latino and african americans. Forest Hills is primarily an upper middle class ghetto.

[Kerry]

Well, I like Asian and Russian food...

I guess if I want more Colombian, Brazilian, Greek, etc. I could always travel more easily to other parts of Queens.

[billyblancoNYC]

Settle down, tiger. No need to get nasty.

[Ian]

My comment on FH was in the context of comparing it to the Slope. All these arguments are relative to something else.

But regardless, diversity doesn't mean just black and white. I was the only white American-born male on the floor of the apartment building where I lived on 67th Road for the entire 12 years I lived there (ending less than 10 months ago). The people in the other 11 apartments were Indian, Iranian, Korean, Chinese, Russian, Polish and lord knows what else -- almost all born overseas. My landlord was Korean. That's very diverse. And it's in the middle of Queens, the most diverse county in America according to the census bureau.

If you compare that to Park Slope....ha! The only non-whites I ever saw there were working: black nannies pushing baby strollers, hispanic busboys clearing tables and asians running grocery stores. (I'm referring to the actual geographic boundaries of Park Slope that I knew as a kid growing up in Brooklyn, not the areas that real estate agents refer to as "South Slope" or whatever.) There's diversity in the Park (particularly on the south side near the lake and by the Parade Ground), but it doesn't spill over past Prospect Park West on the Park Slope side, and in fact barely reaches the Long Meadow. (Granted, the Slope is more diverse than Dubuque, but I'm talking about NY standards.)

I think perhaps you and I experienced different parts of Forest Hills. I NEVER met anyone who was snobbish about living in Forest Hills, or was a snob at all. But I'm in Manhattan now. Maybe you should move.

[Kerry]

just curious, did you live on the northern or southern side of QB? (maybe I've even seen the building, I've looked at so many apartments ;-)

And why did you move to Manhattan?

[Ian]

I was on the south side of QB and moved to a bigger and cheaper place in the City.

Another FH/RP neighborhood find is Pita House on Q.B. If you can deal with the somewhat surly staff, they make very good falafel ($3.50 and quite filling) and other "Israeli fast food." They bake their own pita bread and it's wonderful (50 cents each to go).

Tower Diner on QB is recommended, especially for late night delivery. For $10 + tax/tip you can get delivered half a roast chicken, great homemade stuffing, cranberry sauce, salad, potato and vegetable up to 1 AM. (And they never messed up an order in the 200+ times I order from there.) They're better than the T-Bone Diner, though I think T-Bone is open 24 hours a day. Their chicken souvlaki and tzatziki sauce is another favorite. The duck is good too.

Go to Mickey's sushi and say hello to Jennifer, the hostest. Guaranteed that she'll remember your name forever if you say hello to her just once. Mickey does almost everything well, but I'm partial to the yellowtail and Spanish mackeral.

A&J on Austin St. is probably the best local slice. But if you have a car then drive down Woodhaven Blvd. to New Park Pizza in Howard Beach (2-3 blocks south of the Belt Pkwy). Great brick oven slices that are more than worth the drive.

If you want discount beer and soda and have a car then don't buy it at any of the local delis. My favorite beverage distributor is on Metropolitan Ave. one block over on the other side of Woodhaven (I still go there and shlep the stuff into the city). Their selection and prices are about average, but the two middle aged brothers who run the place are incredibly nice guys. You can stop there and just talk for hours if you want. There are probably better places in the 'hood, but I still go there just to see them.

[josh L]

As someone who grew up in Kew Gardens and Park Slope I must say that you are foolishly generalizing entire neighborhoods based on a building you lived in. Park Slope happens to be quite mixed still between different people and income groups. Probably alot more mixed than your neighborhood in Manhattan. Sounds like your the "yuppie" Ian.

[Chorus Girl]

Agreed. The part of Park Slope I used to live in (5th & Carroll) had loads of Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, and Dominicans.

[billyblancoNYC]

They won't be there too much longer, if they are still there at all...

[Kerry]

I think parts of 5th Avenue (as well as Smith Street) will always have a "Latin flavor". There are many blocks where Dominican and Puerto Rican kids like to play music and ride bikes. And there's a beloved old social club next to Sur in Carroll Gardens. Also, 5th Avenue below 9th Street (where Tacos Nuevo Mexico is located) is very diverse as well. There will always be bodegas because people need conveniences.

[josh L]

There's a thing called rent control that keeps places like Park Slope and Forest Hills somewhat diverse.

[tigerwoman]

this is getting as far from food as possible. Let's get back to food and stop slinging our political disagreements around or take it somewhere else.

Anyone else care to suggest some good eats and food sources for our new neigbor and chowbuddy in Forest Hills/Rego Park.

[Mike R.]

Oh, yeah...one more "sleeper" of a place...NUTRIPAN, has dee-dee-li-cious Colombian baked goods and a steam table featuring cheap and Chowhound-worthy arroz con pollo AND their earthy TRIPE stew. It's on Junction Blvd., just north of 57th Avenue...in elegant Elmhurst, hard by Lefrak City.

[JH Jill]

Well, if you're going that far afield, right on 57th Ave. across from Lefrak City is Food Hut which has some tasty Jamaican take-out (there's also a new Golden Krust off Junction). And in the next block of 57th, there's an ugly fried food type of place, (King Rogers, i think), real dingy, that has a pretty good burger and really great thin French fries. And in between, at Giftanco, the Afro-Caribbean store, you can get unusual things like African yam, good deals on rice, and some often smelly foodstuffs from Ghana, etc. but among them are some nice British items like Dr. Horlick's real malted milk powder and some nicely flavored ginger cookies and digestive biscuits. The Food Bazaar supermarket on 57th Ave. and, I think, 99th St. has a fish market in the back, interesting produce and a big selection of Caribbean canned and bottled goods.

57th is technically part of Corona but it's an interesting antidote to the upscale section of Forest Hills. But I love 108th Street in the Central Asian enclave. Try Salute, the Uzbeki place.

[Ian]

Since I never said I lived in Park Slope, you must be referring to Forest Hills as the neighborhood I was "generalizing" about (Right? If not then please don't get a job as a writer). Are you also saying that FH is not ethnically diverse, keeping in mind that diverse could mean more than black and hispanic? I mean, I lived there (not in Kew Gardens) for over 12 years and still go to work in Corona five days a week...I should know a little something about the area outside of the building I lived in, eh? Perhaps as much as you?

And funny you should bring it up, but going by the black and hispanic criteria, where I live now is MUCH more diverse that any other neighborhood I ever lived in (which includes apartments in Bklyn, Queens and Manhattan). At least half my Mitchell-Lama subsidized building is black or hispanic and most of the rest is elderly who've lived there since the 60s. Believe it or not, I got financial relief by moving into a bigger apartment in the city. I'd tell you how to get the same deal but the waiting list is around 15 years.

[RCB]

YES, as a chowhound you will be disappointed. Astoria would have been a better choice. But if it must be Forest Hills it's certainly better than the Bronx or Staten Island.

[Kerry]

Looks like I'll be spending a lot of time in Jackson Heights and Astoria ;-)

Is there any place to get good bread in Forest Hills? Ugh, I'm going to miss Bierkraft...

[Nina W.]

You'll find lots of Eastern European and Russian shops with interesting beer selections, don't worry.

[DeeDee]

And the beer will not be overpriced like at Bierkraft.

[Mike R.]

Kerry said BREAD, not LIQUID BREAD!...try 108th Street for pumpernickel and Afghan-Uzbek/Tandoory bread.

[Nina W.]

Aha! But Bierkraft's mark-up on bread is pretty ridiculous, too.

[Kerry]

you are right, but I'm addicted to the Poilane sourdough :-)
and the eggplant meze, and the Peet's coffee, and the water buffalo milk yogurt, and the Green & Black chocolate-covered butter cookies, etc, etc, etc...

[Mike R.]

I'll go out on a limb here and say that within months you'll have your very own "Whole Foods" in the 'hood...seems like it could work for 1000's of latent, deprived 'healthy' feeders in middle class FH, RP & KG.

[fkerm]

Like Woody allen said - I would love to give you a positive message, but would you take two negative ones instead.

In Forest Hills there are _some_ (as in very few) places of note in my limited experience:

the bar Luceins, right on 71 ave, near the LIRR station, has a nifty bistro type thing in the back known as Dirty Pierres.

Other names to search these boards for:
Cabana, Rouge, 5 burros, Tandoor, Mikeys sushi, t-bone diner

good luck (not moving that is....)

[tigerwoman]

Cabana, 5 burros, Tandoor,

I second those as well. 5 burros is alot of food and fun but crowded atmosphere - good bar scene too

I really like Cabana - forgot about them

Tandoor is good for Indian but I'd rather drive to Jackson Heights.

[Nina W.]

That depends on your perspective. Park Slope (where I just moved from after 13 years) is a lovely neighborhood for many reasons. But it is fast becoming one of the more overpriced, gentrified neighborhoods in the city. There is an increasingly homogeneous population, and interesting food options are on the decline, albeit there are a few good restaurants.

In Forest Hills, you'll find yourself close to lots of wonderful food right there, as well as in neighborhoods nearby. Everything is cheaper. The population is more diverse.

It depends on what you're looking for...

[Kerry]

My Park Slope rent went up almost 50% in a year...part of why I am moving.

Anyway, I thought I saw a Turkish restaurant on QB that looked interesting. I don't know if any of you all have been...

[Nina W.]

Oh, do a search...you'll find lots of stuff!

[Bill C]

WOW a 50% increase in rent. It's no wonder your moving. My rent for small one bedroom reached over $2000 (Manhattan) which was the breaking point. I now live in a great one bedroom cooperative on a tree lined street in Jackson Heights (cost $75K) for just $295 a month maintenance. Lots of good restaurants here and in nearby Astoria, Flushing & Woodside. I like Forest Hills for the shopping on Austin Street but have never dined there. Good Luck.

[josh L]

Hey there are tons of diverse neighborhood with great chow surrounding park slope. park slope has gentrified but the chow has only gotten better. its not like we lost all these wonderful ethnic restaurants. I really don't know how you can say, "interesting food options are on the decline." Where were these interesting spots in the first place?

[Nina W.]

Almost 14 years ago when I moved into Park Slope, the number of Spanish dives with great food on 5th Ave. was much higher. There was even a decent (!!!) pizza slice place a couple of blocks from me. Some little bodegas with cooked food in the back, etc.

And talk about astronomical inflation. Oy.

[josh L]

I basically grew up in the Slope and while I agree that the nabe has dramatically become whitewashed and expensive, I don't think 5th Ave was aever in my lifetime a food mecca. I remember that pizza place. It was ok. Didn't Al Di La move in. I'd say thats a dramatic improvement. I think the only real loss on 5th ave was that bread bakery that was taken over by cucina. And those bodegas serving food- scary!! Nina, how is the slope gonna keep its edge with you gone? Don't tell me you moved to Manhattan.

[Nina W.]

Yes, it's true. Don't make me cry. It's bad enough as it is :-)

Anyway. Those bodegas weren't scary. Well, okay, maybe a little. But once you braved them, there were some tasty treats to be had.

[josh L]

Overall you must admit that neighborhood is much better food wise than its ever been.

[Nina W.]

No! I'll never admit to anything! :-)

I suppose it's really the the loss of the old Park Slope vibe that I lament.

And those empanadas at gunpoint.

[tigerwoman]

while there are some decent places around FH and RP your choices will certainly be more limited than Park Slope or you may have to travel further afield to places like Flushing Chinatown,Jackson Heights, Astoria.

In the nabe

Check out the various Russian Delis and Restaurants, especially be on the look out for lavosh bread (round with seeds) and russian chocolates. Lagman Soup

Bens Best Deli - very good pastrami, corn beef, chicken soup

Pinang Malaysian Food - Eastern end of Forest Hills (going towards Kew Gardens) on Queens Blvd on the south side

The Golden Pond Chinese - Eastern end of Forest Hills (going towards Kew Gardens) on Queens Blvd on the north side. Peking Pork Chops

Carmel Foods (108th Street) Middle Eastern treats, dried fruits and nuts, spices, coffee, pita, salmon caviar, etc etc

Produce Places - the big stores on the south side of Queens Blvd in Rego Park have good selection and prices. Ditto for the three produce stores on 108th Street. The best of the fancy places is Natural just off of Ascan Avenue on Austin Street. THey have higher end produce (and flowers) a decent takeout section and lots of organic and natural type things (more in line with Park Slope yuppie mentality but they are on the edge of Forest Hills Gardens)

Near there on Ascan

Nicks Brick Oven Pizza - and make sure you try their arugula and watercress salad with honey mustard dressing and roasted peppers and sun dried tomato - really outstanding. Pizza is good but it doesnt really rock my boat. They get their fresh mozz from Corona Heights Pork Store (which is a short drive from FH and RP and down the block from the Lemon Ice King of Corona) but are skimpy with it IMO

Bonelle Bakery - very high end baked goods - nice danish and pastries, good cakes, speciality items I've gotten wedding cakes from them all kinds of stuff

Andres Hungarian Bakery - Queens Blvd near Knish Knosh (not sure about the knishes since they changed hands but its a FH institution) Anyway at Andres you must try the cheese danish. Jim Leff and I, among others, rate it the best in the city. Actually all their stuff is really good old world European style bakery items. Expensive and worth it.

Just Like Mothers Queens Blvd. havent been in a while but used to love their chicken soup, schnitzle, perogis, potato pancakes, etc, Polish coffee shop

Oh the Turkish Place on Queens Blvd across the street from Marshalls - Haven't been in a while - we used to love their appetizers - liked the fried liver cubes, calamari, etc. They changed names and last time I was there it was so so - the turkish place in Little neck is much better ditto the turkish places in Sunnyside.

There is an all you can eat sushi place a few doors from the turkish on MOndays and Tuesdays only. We like it. Tho not raw we particulary like the tempura shrimp sushi, at $20 a head for all you can eat, it's a good deal and they are very nice. I have seen others on the board rave about Mickies (near Knish Nosh) for sushi - never been.

Eddies Sweet Shop on Metropolitan Ave gets kudos for decor but personally I am not a fan of their "homemade" ice cream. We are loyal Itgens fans(Valley Stream)and will make the drive.
Also on Metropolitan Avenue I have seen good things about Dees Brick Oven Pizza but have never tried it.

There are some other posts on Forest Hills and Rego Park. For all the vast population and middle to uppermiddle class economy of the area there really should be more great food choices but there arent for some reason the neigborhood just doesnt support it.

[Kerry]

Wow! thanks a lot :-) I can't wait to try Andres Hungarian and am glad there is a Penang.
Well, I guess I feel the same way about 7th Ave. Park Slope (not 5th Ave.) about "there really should be more great food choices" :-)

[JH Jill]

This Malaysian one is Pinang, not a part of the Penang chain, though there is one in Flushing. (It's supposed to have some good stuff though.)

At Andre's Hungarian, try the light cheesecake, my favorite in the city.

[Chorus Girl]

Just an FYI: the staff at Andres can be grumpy in that Eastern European way if (a) they don't know you or (b) you don't speak Hungarian. Great pastry though.

[Ian]

The old lady who's always behind the counter there is a grouch, but dealing with her is worth it for their rugelach! I get a lot of requests for that rugelach. Every time I go out of town to visit family I have to pick up a few pounds for gifts.

(BTW, the line at Andre's was out the door this morning, as it is before most jewish holidays)

[josh L]

I didn't realize that organic produce was in line with "park slope yuppies." I was under the impression that people who were knowlegeable about food and cared about the environment and resented gmo's were attracted by organic food. This is true all over the world.

[Bob Martinez]

"I didn't realize that organic produce was in line with 'park slope yuppies.' I was under the impression that people who were knowlegeable about food and cared about the environment and resented gmo's were attracted by organic food. This is true all over the world."

The organic food also seems to cultivate a self righteous streak too. :-)

[josh L.]

I think thats a rather small way to look at the subject of organic produce. People demand organic and local produce bec/ they know it doesn't contain animal genes or pesticides and it just tates like the real thing. Nothing self righteous about that.

[Bob Martinez]

Thanks for proving my point.

[The Rogue]

Hah! Well said. Laughin' so hard I'm chokin'.

[josh L]

Alot of people feel pretty passionate about the issue. Sorry if it doesn't move you.

[Ian]

BWAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!!!!!!! That's funny. Most of the people at my old office who were members of that co-op left because they couldn't stand the other members. How true.

[Diane]

Congratulations! We have The World's Best Sushi Restaurant -- Narita, just off Austin Street. The sushi there is, for my money, the best I've ever had anywhere.

Further down on Austin you will find Bann Thai, an adorable gem of a Thai res. with great atmoshere and sensational Thai food.

Welcome to the hood!

[Mike R.]

...and here I thought you were a Kensingtonian and we'd surely meet by coincidence at the YUMMY TACO!...well, be only 60% depressed!...you'll pay a lot closer attention to our Queens reporters, learn to love the letters 'E', 'F', 'G', 'R' AND 'V' and the number '7' (like on Sesame Street!) OR you'll DRIVE FARTHER...

That said, keep these names in mind: BEAUTIFUL BUKHARA (108th St.), NICK'S PIZZA (Ascan Ave.), GUM FUNG (FLUSHING - dim sum), KNISH NOSH (67th Rd./Queens Blvd.)-across the street from STARBUCKS where the old Knish Nosh was, BENFAREMO'S THE LEMON ICE KING OF CORONA, AND that THAI place (you know the one!)

Kerry, take stock of your almost-over KINGS County-life, and may your farewell Tour-de-Chow be a fantastic FLIGHT TO QUALITY!!!

Keep in touch...Mike R.

[Kerry]

Thanks Mike! Well I have spent a lot of time in Kensington because close friends live there. So I am always interested in new chow news from the Church Avenue crew!

[stuartlafonda]

Two words for you, Ben's Best. It has the best pastrami in the world. Oueens Blvd. at about 63 rd.

[wayne]

Kerry,

You're graduating from faux ethnic food to real ethnic food by moving. Did the same move (Brooklyn -> Queens) and never looked back except for Vietnamese sandwiches on 8th Ave. The bar scene in Bklyn is better but still inferior to Manhattan (or Sunnyside for that matter) so who cares. As long as Alan Harding keeps Bklyn stocked with overpriced watered-down B.S. joints we'll smile and enjoy the real deal in Queens. Having sampled the Slope & Smith St. restaurants I never quite figured out why so many folks debate they minutia of them. In most cases it's like a debate about which McDonalds serves the better McRib. I predict you'll not return for any of the yuppie chow in Queens once you start discovering their more flavorful, more authentic, cheaper original ancestors in Queens. I didn't.

[astoria]

Yeah, word up, B!

Queens rules!