first time Queens exploration (with a toddler along)?
We are Manhattanites hoping to do some food exploration in Queens. The only thing that's planned is that we are visiting a sculpture garden in Long Island City and maybe that destination could orient the suggestions as to where to go.
We are open to all ethnicities (although there's a slight preference in some of the group for Asian). One person is adverse to highly hot food. One person loves offal (but others don't so a mixed menu would be good). We are looking less for expensive, formal meals than good basic cuisines and interesting places we wouldn't find in Manhattan (I know that's pretty vague and general). Even a diverse food court would be fine (and fun).
And we'll have a three year old along. Pretty good in restaurants but nothing too fancy.
I guess overall since we always hear about food in Queens we are looking for a couple really special finds that give us a first sense of Queens possibilities.
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Hi adorno!
Welcome! It sounds as though you'll be going to Socrates Park. That's a bit out of the way for many gastronomic options (except for the free samples at Costco next door—not really a memorable introduction to the many fine cuisines of Queens!).
If you're planning to use mass transit, then I guess you'll be taking the N train to the Broadway stop and walking west for a good 15 minutes or so. That trek's a bit desolate and I personally don't know of any amazing foods along the way but other Chowhounders might be more savvy about the area than I am (let's hope they chime in...).
If you have access to a car, a lot more options open up but you'll have to be vigilant in finding a parking space in Queens food meccas like Jackson Heights or (yikes!) Downtown Flushing.
If you ARE going by car, I would recommend visiting Socrates first (parking is usually not too bad around there on the weekends in the AM), then heading to Queens Boulevard where you can park underneath the 7 train in one of the Muni lots between 33rd and 48th Streets. To be honest, I'm not sure what the maximum time limit is on these particular Muni lots (though perhaps some Sunnyside Chowhounders could assist?).
Anyway, parking there opens up the many possibilities of the 7 train—Woodside, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, Corona, and yes, even the Asian Wonderland/parking nightmare that is Downtown Flushing.
Personally, I would recommend hopping on the 7 train to Downtown Flushing and heading straight to the Flushing Mall on 39th Avenue between Prince Street and College Point Boulevard. Upon arrival you can then enjoy the adventure of finding the food court. A friend who is Asian describes the layout of the place as "China Style," which seems to translate as, "Hey look, they put THAT over THERE...hmph, that's odd."
At the food court, there are many interesting and delicious Asian food options to choose from and it's definitely informal and kid friendly. Also, it seems as though whenever I have gone on the weekend, there's some utterly baffling event going on in a space near the food court. Once, it was some sort of martial arts "posing" contest set to pop music. To this day I have no idea what that was but it was certainly entertaining.
Then, I had toothsome hand-made noodles in broth. Yum! (I guess this posting is China Style as well!)
Have fun wherever you go!
Ciao,
Glendale is hungry...
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re: Glendale is hungry
The muni lots, I believe a lot of them have 4 hr limits.
That said, I don't think a good answer for visitors with a toddler is to park at like, 33rd st station, then take a 7 train out to Flushing with a toddler, then back. That'll kill the day and only show you a fraction of the borough--In fact, despite Flushing's many charms, given that they're with toddler, I'd say: skip Flushing. It's too much traffic via car, and too much hassle via train, with a little one. I'm sure there will be those that would disagree, but I'd go LIC, Woodside, Astoria, Jax Heights, Elmhurst, and pass on farther out. And I'd drive around, skipping the elevated train line that we otherwise know and love. FWIW.One idea among many for Adorno:
Agnanti just off Astoria Park in Astoria. Great for those with a car, arguably underrated/unknown by those 'Hounds who don't want to go too far off the subway line (I know, many of you don't mind, yet I can't quite figure why else lesser Astoria Greeks--such as the snoozy Philoxenia--closer to the N train get more love here).
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Agnanti
19-06 Ditmars Blvd, Queens, NY 11105Woodside Cafe
60-06 Woodside Ave, Queens, NY 11377-
re: MarcInSunnysideGardens
janie
Apr 6, 2010 06:06 PM
I never cared for Agnanti, tried it a couple times, found it pricey for portions and preparations didn't thrill me,--but location is good- but it feels so cramped there--but if you sit outside, and order right, guess it could be fun, and then go over to the Park.-Have not tried Philoxenia, so can't compare--
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Agnanti
19-06 Ditmars Blvd, Queens, NY 11105Philoxenia
32-07 34th Ave, Queens, NY 11106-
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re: dietndesire
Tend to agree on Astoria Greek.
Totally disagree on Agnanti.
Hey, I've only been once in 6 months, so maybe it's fallen off.
But I've been at least 20 times, and it's ranged from good to incredibly good.
Tomatokeftedes and the skordalia (not on menu) might be the two most addictive dishes I've tried at any Astoria Greek.-----
Agnanti
19-06 Ditmars Blvd, Queens, NY 11105
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re: MarcInSunnysideGardens
Hi Marc,
All I can say is I distinctly remember some Manhattan friends who visited me in Queens years ago with their (then) three-year old who became absolutely enthralled upon riding the elevated 7 train. I guess it depends on the child.
Also, with a three-year old I wouldn't expect to make it to much more than two locations in a day. So I think Flushing could give folks the most bang for the buck in terms of things to see in one place. That's my take.
Ciao,
Glendale is hungry...
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re: Glendale is hungry
missmasala
Apr 7, 2010 10:03 AM
depends on your three year old. for one of my kids, the 7 train ride would have been the highlight of the day; for the other, a boring snoozefest.
funnily enough, we did this very trip in november--went to the socrates sculpture park and then to dinner in queens (tho we go to dinner in queens a lot, so wasn't that novel) with a carload of adults and children.
we ended up at southern spice (great indian) in flushing. traffic was not bad at all and we got there in about 10-15 minutes. but to my mind, probably the closest neighborhood with great ethnic eats nearby is astoria. do a search on this board for recs are there are many many good places to go. tho it is not the best if you want asian. for that, def try elmhurst or flushing or woodside for thai at sripraphai.
incidentally, there is great a playground on the other side of the costco from the sculpture park--with some unusual play equipment, which might be a fun stop after the park and before the meal, if you guys aren't too hungry.
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re: missmasala
bigjeff
Apr 8, 2010 08:16 AM
if I had a kid, I would make sure they would force them to enjoy the 7 train ride! but really, there are always kids standing or kneeling on the seats and loving the views. sounds like a straight shot to Flushing would be a great trip, and then you could hit up all the new chinese favorites in town: Hunan House, M&T, Northeast Restaurant (that's close to the botanical gardens as well, for a nice walk post-meal).
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Hunan House Restaurant
29-30 Union St, Queens, NY 11354SN New Restaurant
44-09 Kissena Blvd, Queens, NY 11355
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re: adorno
janie
Apr 6, 2010 06:00 PM
obvious but best suggestion, if you haven't been is to definitely go to Sripiphrai for Thai in Woodside, it arguably the best Thai citywide and the atmosphere is great, as well as extremely child friendly--they also have a lovely garden out back, not sure if they have it opened yet, but since we're headed for lots of warm temps, they should--just don't go on a Wed because they're closed--it's about a 10 min drive from the sculpture garden--(be careful there by the way, because sometimes toddlers run close to the river edge and can fall onto the rocks or into the water, it is not blocked off--my son who's now 4 was running there a couple years ago, and I had to be extra careful with him----There are tons of posts about Sripiphrai and suggestions of what to order--not sure how adventurous an eater your child is, but mine likes the chicken satay, and coconut rice, among other fried stuff---the food there is great, and they are very nice--just try not to go on the weekend, it's a mob scene--weekdays before 6pm are good, they are open for lunch as well....
Not sure how many meals you are looking to do, or if this is a one day excursion, or one of many--but definitely check out Cannelle Patisserie for dessert, really excellent french pastries--little informal sit down cafe and bakery in East Elmhurst--very close to Grand Central, so if it's your last stop, easy to get on and get back to the city quickly..prices are much lower than Manhattan and quality is top notch..lots of posts on it--just do a search---your toddler will be happy there as well---it's easy parking in a strip mall (sort of), and parking lot--parking is pretty easy at Srip on street with meters--have never had a problem...
Toddlers are not so easy to run around to a lot of different eating spots and not get bored or irritable, so, 2 different spots and 2 different meals, might be enough??
You could also venture into Astoria and hit several different places there, lots of good food shopping spots for takehome stuff, but if you're then going to eat somewhere you wouldn't want to keep perishables in your car--but lots of good Greek speciality shops as well as Sorriso's which makes wonderful fresh mozzarella among other good things--you could also get sandwiches to go, (sal, kris, and charlie's in Astoria) and go to Astoria Park where the kid could run around--and have a picnic and a real Queens experience, and then hit the greek specialty shops and get stuff to take home--
You basically need to decide if you're looking to try one particular restaurant that might not be in a neighborhood that offers that much otherwise to hang around, or go more for the neighborhood experience--and just kinda walk around to get the flavor of it...
So, you could definitely hit up Spicy and Tasty for Szechuan in Flushing, or some of the Canonese places (if you're a group you could sit upstairs at Spicy--not sure what your kid could eat there--mine eats the sesame noodles--they're not that spicy---or certainly one of the many Cantonese places that are often recommended--if you're more adventurous and the language barrier doesn't present an issue to you, you could check out the malls in flushing, but again, not exactly toddler friendly in terms of comfort --high chairs needed, etc.....
Southern Spice http://southernspice.net/about.aspx
http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2009/02/dosa-dosai-nyc-flushing-queens-southern-spice.html
they're closed tuesdays --In Flushing as well--and also very close to the Hindu temple, and they have some events coming up that might be fun especially music wise for the kid in tow--
http://www.nyganeshtemple.org/home.htmthe Indian spot gets a lot of love here, have not been myself as I've been on a restricted spice diet for awhile. :)....but, this would probably be fun and casual inexpensive and child friendly...
Let us know how the excursion went--Queens is very sprawling, so there are good things all over the place--having a car will make it easier for you to get to them quicker..
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Cannelle Patisserie
75-59 31st Ave, Queens, NY 11370Southern Spice
1635 Hillside Ave, New Hyde Park, NY 11040-
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re: janie
Mandymac
Apr 8, 2010 05:18 AM
If they were unrestricted for cuisines, Southern Spice and Spicy and Tasty would be my top recommendations--but since there is a child and a spice-adverse friend I would scratch them off, especially So. Spice. Instead I might steer them to Korean or Greek food. Wouldn't grilling at the table and making lettuce wraps be a blast for a kid? Kum Gang San is awesome.
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Kum Gang San
138-28 Northern Blvd, Queens, NY 11354Southern Spice
1635 Hillside Ave, New Hyde Park, NY 11040
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