Failed by Dolce Vita

This post was originally published a year ago, under the title "Dolce Vita Has Begun To Fight, Let Us Not Fail Them!"

Dolce Vita has undergone a radical transformation, and are no longer endorsed by this blog.

Men, and women I suppose, it is time to stand for what is right in Queens. It is time to stand and fight. Fight like dogs. Fight like cats. To fight like folks in search of a nice place to have a good cup of coffee and a crisp Italian cookie.

Allow me to tell you of Dolce Vita, a place where the battle is being fought. They are winning the war against corporate invasions. They are fighting the battles of grimy bathrooms and stale pastries. And, they are winning.

There's room to sit while you strategize your next move against the enemy - in these lovely, plush red settees.

Plot all you will, while nourished by some of the finest looking pastries and custom made cakes this side of Madison Ave. (Nita's is a close second on those cakes, she wins hands down on her donuts and coffee rings. But, we won't bring the Romanians into this - except to say that, have you noticed how much that one girl looks like Kirsten Dunst? I mean, in an Eastern European, I've been working since 4AM kind of way. But, still...)

Starbucks might burn one day. Soon. If all goes well.

These Fresh Pastries alone might kill other less satisfying pastries in the nabe, leaving us with little to do but pick up the bloody crumbs off of the floor of Aubergine and The Grind.

Oh, and the prices! Fantastic! $3 for a cappucino and free biscotti - Claire and I were given Pistachio with chocolate.

And the pastry chef sat with us while she made a birthday cake that was really quite amazing.

Mission Accomplished!

Fast Food Nation

Where’s the Beef? Unfortunately, it’s in Queens. Corporate fast food god’s like McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s and others have touched the hearts arteries of one too many Sunnyside residents.

To my heart’s dismay, in the past I have not been a total food snob. In fact, when I’ve needed a quick bite, I too have partaken in the Whopper Jr. “fun.” But each time, I have been distracted by the overwhelming number of people partaking in the same “fun.” There are youth groups, grandparents bonding with grandchildren, teenagers on their cell phones, and once I overheard a Spanish lesson going on at the Burger King on 41st. The excitement is surreal—it’s like watching high-heeled women at a free sneaker give away during the black out of ‘03.

I don’t know about you, but I love our little donut shops, our cute coffee spots and my sushi being served in a boat. And this all comes without the fear of a scary man in a King costume lying next to me in the morning.

If we want our favorite haunts to stay open, it would be wise to spend our hard earned time and money at the small, charming, delicious mom and pops we have been blessed with before the “man” takes over our nabe with another flame-broiled hotspot.

Cafe Cuteness on the South Side

My friend is newly pregnant & suffering from hideous morning sickness, so I put together a care package for her. She lives in Park Slope, which makes her a long-distance friend, so I figured I better mail it otherwise she'll have had the baby already by the time we see each other.

What a lovely day for a walk! My iPod mini playing the latest episode of Filmspotting, I strolled down 47th Avenue all the way to our hellhole of a post office on 44th. Just as I'm about to pay for my package (thank goodness I was using the machine & hadn't waited in line for a surly teller), I have a mental flash. To my wallet. Sitting on the dining room table.

I leave the PO and call Wesley to tell him how stupid I am. He tells me he's just about to leave for Hackensack (don't ask), and he can meet me at 43rd St and 48th Ave and hand off his wallet on the way to the BQE. Beats the pants off of going back home.

Instead of walking back down 44th St, I decide to take 43rd & stop in at the library. A sign caught my eye: "Free Wireless." I stepped inside the Dolce Vita Cafe on the corner of 43rd Street and 48th Avenue, and discovered a gorgeous, welcoming environment that immediately made me want to order a Limonata and a pastry. I couldn't stay today, but I'm going to go back there ASAP to write up a full review. In the meantime, read this article from the Queens Chronicle.

Aint Nothin’ Scary About This Yeti

A Yeti can be defined as - a legendary large, hairy, humanoid creature said to inhabit the Himalayas. Thanks for the nightmares. But now to us 11104’s a Yeti is simply one of the newest restaurants to hit Sunnyside, Queens—Yeti of Hieizan.

Yeti of Hieizan, as I prefer to call, “Yeti,” (because I have no idea how to pronounce “Hieizan” and want to appear culturally/globally aware) is doing its damnest to bring our neighborhood fine Japanese & Nepalese cuisine in a chic setting—and it’s succeeding.

The place is brand spankin’ new. I saw a UPC code stuck to the side of a booth once. Ok—not quite, but it is really basking in its new car smell glory. The shiny cherry wood floors, the adorable booths draped with blowfish curtains and tiki lights, the elevated private booths where you can take your shoes off and eat on the floor (really, this is much cooler and classier than I make it sound) and cocktail bar— this place invested a pretty penny in seating alone.

And the food, (which I have primarily taken in the Japanese side), has amazing presentation and is delicious to boot. Go pork gyoza dumplings! But I digress.

So, there’s nothing to fear but fear itself—welcome to the ‘hood Yeti.

Yeti of Hieizan
43-16 Queens Blvd
Sunnyside, Queens
www.yetiofhieizan.com

How To Run a Business Into The Grind

Remember when we wanted Starbuck's on Queens Boulevard to burn? I sure do. Remember too, when our first Mom-and-Pop coffee shop opened? It was called The Grind. Those were good times. We had a place to go to and a place to point a finger at.

Not so much anymore. We can still point at Starbuck's all we want and say that, even if hipster gentrification seems a ways off - corporate gentrification is at our door. But, Mom and Pop are letting us down as well.

The Grind is coming to a screeching, filthy, understocked halt. And, slowly, to boot.

Several recent visits have shown the place to be heading down the tubes - with slow service, dirty tables, no napkins, no coffee stirrers, no smiles, loud music, no change and no fresh pastry. Don't get me wrong - I like a place with some personality, and I'll still stop off at The Grind and suffer through to get the occasional coffee, but dang, man, if you're going to run a business that sells coffee, do it well and do it quick.

I give the place three months tops.

Toxic Brooklyn

Williamsburg is our favorite whipping boy 'round these parts, but we do have friends who live there and in Greenpoint. And for running outside, McCarron Park is the closest option if you have a car.

Those of us on the wrong side of the tracks and on the edge of Sunnyside where it becomes Long Island City know how close we are to Greenpoint--and that smell. We might not want to associate ourselves with the values that Williamsburg/Greenpoint have come to embody, but the environmental issues that are affecting that neighborhood are close enough that we should care.

Watch this online doc to learn more.

Community Supported Agriculture in Sunnyside

Got this announcement by way of the Sunnyside yahoo group email digest:

Tomorrow, Wednesday, April 18th 2007 7-9p, marks our second sign-up party of the season at The Grind, 39-24 Queens Blvd.

We are very happy to announce our very special guests our farmers Matt & Maggie from Golden Earthworm Farm!

Tomorrow's event will be a great opportunity to:

-sign up for this year's growing season
-meet your neighbors & your local farmers
-ask questions and find out more about our csa and Golden Earthworm Farm

Event flyers are available for download at www.sunnysidecsa.com and you can also download the mail-in registration form on the website.

Signup will end May 15th, so if you are thinking of joining, sign up soon!

CSA stands for "Community Supported Agriculture." I've been interested in the Slow Food movement for some time now, but wasn't sure if it translated to Queens. I'll be at the Grind tonight finding out more about it. We're big fans of Mother's for produce, but the way Wesley goes through lemons and I go through Lindt 70% chocolate I imagine we'll still be sending business their way.

Sripraphai Don't Preach

Last weekend Wesley and I were blessed with a visit from two friends willing to make the trek from their chic digs on West 11th Street. Brave souls, they--the 7 train wasn't even running. So we picked them up at Courthouse Square and ferried them to Woodside for Thai at Sripaphai, one of the more well-known restaurants in Queens.

We easily found street parking, then endured a 20-minute wait for a table. Really not a big deal, as we were happily chatting and people watching. The downer came when we were seated--at the same exact moment as 5 other tables of four or more in our section. As a result, our service was glacial at best--one entree didn't arrive for over an hour after ordering.

Despite the delay upon delay, the food was astonishingly good. We started with shrimp dumplings, fried calamari, and chicken satay. I especially enjoyed the peanut sauce that came with the satay; it was a perfectly silky texture and had peanut flavor without making me want to reach for the jelly.

For entrees, we shared a pad thai that wasn't afraid of the dried shrimp (little pungent bits sprinkled throughout), sea bass in a lemongrass sauce that was hearty enough to be a soup, steamed chicken breast with basil sauce (presentation left something to be desired, but taste was supreme), and green curry with beef. The last was rich, smooth, with each of the flavor elements discernible yet harmonious. Dished up with coconut rice and the whole meal was a winner.

We retired back to chez Claire-Wesley for dessert: a chocolate mousse cake from Nita's and great conversation.

Sripaphai
7 train to 69th Street
Map

Penne alla Vodka Smackdown: Marabella vs. Mediterraneo

Boy, do I love penne alla vodka (with grilled chicken, natch). Macaroni and cheese for grownups. It's one of my favorite comfort foods and, like chicken tikka masala, I've yet to master it at home. Every time I try I end up with the most disgusting looking sauce you've ever seen in your life--and I'm a pretty good cook. Just check out how fat Wesley is for proof positive.

Last weekend I really, really wanted penne alla vodka for dinner, so I picked up the phone and promptly had a brain fart. Do we like Marabella or Mediterraneo? One is for pizza, and the other is for pasta, but I can't for the life of me remember which is which.

Marabella, I bet that's the one. I call, they know my address, I place my order, I wait thirty minutes for the sound of a moped and the doorbell 30 seconds later. I pay, I tip, I rush upstairs, absolutely famished. I open up the take out tin.

My penne alla vodka with grilled chicken looks like pasta primavera with chicken bits. It looks nothing at all like the penne a la vodka I've been thinking about for the last 30 minutes.

Thinking that maybe they sent me the wrong order, I call up Marabella and ask. They put the owner on the phone.

"It's just that it doesn't look like penne alla vodka. It's all--white."
"That's what our penne alla vodka looks like."
"Okay..."
"Did you taste it?"
"No, because I thought maybe it was wrong."
"You should taste it. My son ate two bowls of it today."
"Um, okay."
"You don't like it, you call me back."
"Okay, thanks."

I tasted it, and you know what? It was pretty good. Different, not tomato-ey like I like, but good. I decided to call them back:

"I'm the lady who called earlier about the penne alla vodka? I ate it and it was really good and I'm sorry for doubting your penne alla vodka."
A pause, then--
"Okay, thanks!"
Click.

Last night I ordered the penne alla vodka that I really wanted from Mediterraneo. The sauce is nice and pink, cheesy but not overly so. On top is a chicken breast, pounded, grilled, and sliced--very tender, and perfect for soaking up the extra sauce. I may have been wrong about Marabella, but I was more than right about Mediterraneo.

Winner: Mediterraneo, aw yeah.

Mediterraneo:
46-21 Queens Boulevard
718-433-1100

Marabella
4107 Greenpoint Ave
(718) 786-4635