249579 Tue May 16 16:10:42 -0700 2006 4 19 Outer Boroughs 0 1327248 Okay, so I'm a north Brooklyn dilettante, though I have been known to traverse the length of Coney Island Ave. for all manner of ethnic goodies. As I was driving back from JFK on the surface roads last night -- Conduit, Atlantic and the southern part of Eastern Parkway -- I got to thinking: There must be some killer chow out here someplace. Any ideas? It could be a few blocks on one side or the other of these drags (up by me, for instance, you won't find stuff on Eastern P'way, per se, but lots of good stuff nearby). Thanks, Fred Tue May 16 16:10:42 -0700 2006 0 Fred 1 1327256 It's not exotically ethnic, but the Lindenwood Diner, 2870 Linden Blvd. practically straddling the Queens-Brooklyn border, is one of my favorite diners. They actually have some pretty good Caribbean food on the menu, but the diner standards are way above average. Link: http://www.lindenwooddiner.com Tue May 16 17:05:26 -0700 2006 1327248 0 Erica Marcus 2 1327262 The Lindenwood Diner sounds like a good tip. Not everything needs to be ethnic and exotic! I like a nice diner, tho I don't get to them as frequently as I used to. Can't imagine the old-school joints of yore carrying wi-fi and having their own web sites! I'll look forward to giving it a try. Tue May 16 18:25:05 -0700 2006 1327256 0 Fred 1 1327265 Utica Avenue, Crown Heights, and Nostrand are peppered with killer Island cuisine. Not to mention Lefferts and Liberty Ave. area. Lindenwood Diner has killer fish and grits breakfast. Tue May 16 19:18:09 -0700 2006 1327248 0 rootytootyfreshnfrooty 1 1327288 if you don't mind take-out or eating in a fast food-type setting, here are some good pizza options relatively close to conduit ave: 1) ozone pizzeria 96-15 liberty ave btwn 96th/97th sts, ozone park, queens from conduit ave, get off at the cross bay blvd exit and head north for 1 mile. at the 5-way intersection of rockaway blvd, liberty ave, and cross bay blvd/woodhaven blvd, turn right onto liberty ave (the A train tracks will be directly overhead above liberty). ozone pizzeria is 1 1/2 blocks ahead on the left. the sicilian pizza here is among the best i've had in the entire nyc metro area. they put the sauce atop the cheese, while the crust is crisp and a little flaky, and neither too thick nor too thin. i'm surprised i never hear this place mentioned on these boards; it's really worth a detour. for whatever reason, though, the regular round pizza is decidedly mediocre. seems like sicilian pizza is the only good thing here. as for atmosphere and decor, ozone pizzeria looks like your typical fast food pizza joint. and the neighborhood is pretty shady-looking, esp. at night and with the A train tracks blocking out the sun on liberty ave. 2) new park pizza 156-71 cross bay blvd at 157th ave, howard beach, queens this place is just a few blocks south of conduit ave and the belt parkway. if you're driving southbound, it's on the left. the pizza here is solid but unspectacular; it's fairly reminiscent of the slices at joe's pizza off of bleecker st in manhattan. 3) gino's 158-46 cross bay blvd btwn 158th and 159th aves, howard beach, queens. if you're driving south on cross bay blvd, gino's will be 1 1/2 blocks past new park pizza and on the right-hand side. get one of the sicilian slices here, including the sicilian grandma, sicilian marinara, sicilian grandpa, or eggplant square slice. i think their regular round pies are not as good as new park's. 4) la villa pizza 82-07 153rd ave btwn 82nd and 84th Streets, lindenwood, queens. this is a full-fledged italian american restaurant and pizzeria located right on the brooklyn-queens border, just south of where linden boulevard branches off from conduit ave. of the places i listed, it's the only one with the decor and service necessary to qualify as a "legitimate" sit-down restaurant--for instance, to entertain your parents visiting from out of town. Wed May 17 06:59:53 -0700 2006 1327248 0 surly