Motorist mistakes new gastropub The Shady Lady as a drive-thru

Just some of the fantastic sharing plates at The Shady Lady

UPDATE: The owners have confirmed they will reopen this coming Sunday

The Shady Lady | 34-19 30th Ave, Astoria | (718) 440-9081 | Open daily for dinner and late night

Opening a new restaurant in New York City can pose countless unforeseen road bumps, but the worst is when someone mistakes your new restaurant for an actual speed bump. Two nights ago, a motorist did precisely that, driving his car directly into The Shady Lady, which recently opened on the corner of 30th Ave and 35th St. The owners have posted a sign on the windows which reads, "Unfortunately someone thought we had a drive-thru. We will absolutely RE-OPEN ASAP and look forward to seeing all of you soon."  Fortunately, no one was injured.

Such an unexpected hiccup could be a huge setback for any new business, but the team at The Shady Lady seems determined to reopen for business. A message from the chef anticipates the reopening as early as this Sunday or Monday. If you have yet to stop by, this would be a perfect time to welcome them to the neighborhood and show some Astoria support. I was fortunate enough to meet the team and sample the food on a few occasions during their soft opening. It seems to me that this place has got something pretty special going on. Not your typical bar food, this gastropub is cranking out some impressive plates.

First cousins Louie Sparagis and Billy Pappas have been inseparable best friends since the age of two, so when Sparagis decided to open a new restaurant—Crave—in Astoria with business partner Marinos Argyros (the two opened Nikitas Place in White Plains in 2001), it only seemed natural to team up with Pappas, who had graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1997 and built his career in such kitchens as the Waldorf-Astoria and Rainbow Room.

Now just 2½ years after the successful introduction of Crave, it seemed the right time to open a restaurant that could showcase the full range of the team’s abilities. This time bringing along high school buddy, Chris Prilook, as a partner and General Manager, The Shady Lady was built by hand, using no outside contractors, including all of the tables, beams, and the bar, using reclaimed wood.

Only one television screen, above the bar, plays silent films, the entire concept intended to foster socializing and interaction amongst friends, with a global menu focused on plates intending for sharing.

Pork Wellington

Juicy, tender, pork tenderloin medallions are encrusted in mushrooms and dijon, then baked in a flaky pastry crust.  Served two to an order, this is one of the most delicious dishes on the menu and a must-try.  

Meatloaf meatballs are served on a pedestal of chive whipped potatoes.  

Foie gras terrine (made in house by Pappas) is paired with cashew butter and port wine gelee for a sophisticated PB&J.  Rock salt crystals cut the richness, and spread on toasted buttery brioche, it's a remarkable blend of textures, flavors, and colors. 

Mini sandwiches for sharing include these lobster tacos with lime aioli, sriracha, and pico de gallo

Mac and cheese carbonara and lobster pot pie are highlights, as well as several sliders, and oysters on the half shell. 

This French Onion Pizzette is bubbling with fontina and gruyere blanketing rich caramelized onions, served with roasted bone marrow.

Thai chili glazed buffalo wings sprinkled with sesame seeds are available spicy or even 'diablo style'.

Crab cakes are made with jumbo lump meat in a spirited brandy remoulade, served with nuggets of actual roasted corn on the cob.

Brunch service is anticipated to open very soon, but this plate of biscuits and gravy is available all night  for $6.  Pappas makes the most exquisitely flaky, moist, delicious buttermilk biscuits which are then topped with a sausage and bacon country gravy.  Breakfast for dinner never tasted so good!



It would be well worth your while to place an order for this classic chocolate soufflé with vanilla bean ice cream and fresh strawberries about twenty minutes before you are ready to devour it, as this favorite always demands a little extra love in the oven.

While the sharing plates are unparalleled, the cocktail list is worth a strong look, with concoctions like a basil julep or a ginger habanero margarita. Check out the whiskey carafes available, as well as a notable beer selection (including Single Cut on draft, of course).  There is even a weekday shady hour from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. where guests can enjoy unlimited half price well drinks, beer, and wine with any food purchase.

Oficina Latina: a progressive dinner along the Pan-Am Highway

Paella de Mariscos at Oficina Latina

Oficina Latina  (24 Prince Street, NYC; (646) 381-2555; www.oficinalatinanyc.com)

Oficina Latina is anything but your typical biker or NASCAR bar, tucked inconspicuously on a more introverted stretch of Prince Street in Nolita.  But just beyond the garage door (which opens to the street in warm weather) sits an unofficial museum to the Pan American Highway during the 1950s, colorfully adorned with racing helmets, old black-and-white photos, mechanic 'trouble lights' dangling from cords coiled around exposed pipes, and a whole gallery's worth of vintage memorabilia evoking the spirit of the elusive highway during its heyday.  By sunset each day, the entire space is rip-roaring with a crowd of fans of a different sort.  These are fanatics of some particularly innovative cocktails, a killer tapas menu, and a versatile casual environment suited for intimate couples and groups alike.                                                                                      

Beyond the bar and communal tables sits is a more intimate dining area near the back

Just as the decor evokes a nostalgia for the spirited raceway, Executive Chef Eric Gaitan's menu reads like the itinerary for a progressive dinner running the full span of highway between Central and South America. Contemporary tapas from the nations along the highway are denoted with abbreviations on the menu,  with culinary roots from Monterrey in Mexico all the way to Buenos Aires.

Begin with a Peruvian ceviche of fresh tilapia with pink grapefruit segments served with crisp yucca chips, ideal for sharing.  Must-trys are the Venezuelan arepas, available with chimichurri short ribs, vegetables with white bean spread, or these salmon arepas--grilled spinach masa pockets stuffed with tender pink Scottish salmon crudo with buttery avocado, tangy pickled tomato skin, and sharp green onions.

The flavors at Oficina Latina are strikingly familiar, just executed to delicious perfection.  The camarones al ajillo are larger than life whole shrimp that arrive on a sprig of rosemary atop a wooden carving board.  The piquant spices and garlic gently glaze the outside of the sweet and succulent shrimp.  And if seafood is up your alley, the calamari is remarkably tender--jazzed up in a surprisingly subtle chile de arbol marinade, and then grilled.

A bartender muddles fresh lime for a caipirihna

But the tapas is by no means the only arena where the use of peppers is prominent.  Co-owner Paolo Votano, a notably charming Italian (who one particular evening roamed the floor in a denim mechanics suit with multiple pocket chains and a distressed ponytail like a tattooed Formula One playboy), has developed a seasonally-evolving cocktail list that loves to tease the balance between sweet, sour, and spicy by combining several fruits and peppers.

Weekday happy hour from 4-7 can be quite lively at the front bar, featuring buy one get one drinks.  But the drinks, even at full price, are some of the best Latin-inspired cocktails around.  Consider a mango peppercorn caipirihna or a prickly-pear-serrano-ginger mojito made with tequila.  Or purists may keep it simple, choosing from over 100 tequilas and mezcals, or over 100 rums, piscos, and cachacas.

After a few of the specialty cocktails and a starter or two, consider some of the larger plates, still excellent for sharing.  Warm, fresh mini tortillas are piled with daily roasted suckling pig, slivers of avocado, and a dollop of creamy garlic-serrano dressing.  These tacos should be award-winning, with crispy caramelized skin coating rosy, juicy, lean shreds of pork.  They are excellent.  Other delicious meats are served Argentine churrasco-style, like chimichurri skirt steak, a rich and crispy coated morcilla Colombian fried blood sausage, to a simple buy juicy, jalapeno-cilantro marinaded slow-roasted chicken.  Be sure to ask for extra tomatillo compote on the side, like a sweet, tangy green tomato marmalade that is fantastic judiciously slathered over any or all of the grilled meats.

For a sweet finale, desserts are drawn from the same pool of inspiration as many of the mixed coktails, with highlights such as a dulce de leche cheesecake with prickly pear and blackberries, or a playful lychee-serrano panna cotta with coconut ice cream and a drizzle of guava sauce.  Or for a slightly more sinful cap to the evening, try the irreverently plated 'Passion & Love' (Votano has it tattooed on his arm), the house signature shot of Venezuelan rum presented with three cut lines of cocoa powder, cinnamon, and brown sugar for dusting the orange wedges.

                                          
Whether for a cocktail, snack, a date, or a large gathering of friends, Oficina Latina holds the rare ability to captivate and satisfy almost any mood or palate.  So the next time you find yourself traveling downtown, it's definitely worth a pit stop at the very least.      

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Octopus balls & noodles with jelly round out new menu at HinoMaru

Takoyaki are like piping hot seafood-stuffed zeppoles topped with dancing bonito

When HinoMaru (meaning "circle of the sun" -- a nod to the Japanese flag) first opened on Ditmars just a few months ago, it caught the eye of noodle enthusiasts everywhere, especially considering the lack of slurpable options in Western Queens.  Although I genuinely enjoyed that initial visit where I sampled two of the eight regional ramen, alas with the breath-stifling heat of summertime came a lack of desire to lower my face to a steaming bowl of pork broth with a monkey-shaped fish cake.  But during a recent trip to Spa Castle, after watching a gaggle of sauna-soaked lunchtime ladies (with fluorescent green head towels wrapped into princess leia nuggets on each side) vigorously sucking down noodles like famished baby birds, I developed a hankering for a return visit.  Little did I realize that my sophomore meal would spark two more return visits within the next 72 hours...

When HinoMaru first opened, Chef Koji Miyamoto had told me that the menu would be gradually expanding, offering a few specials and introducing new dishes as the restaurant slowly eases into a rhythm.  To say I was surprised at how much this little noodle shop that could has grown in just a few months is quite an understatement.  The menu now includes all of the original regional soups and dishes, along with the addition of a chalkboard of daily specials, as well as a whole second printed page of nearly twenty Japanese tapas-style plates and seasonal noodle and rice bowl additions -- almost all under $10.

These softshell crab niku man (steamed buns) with scallions, cucumber straws, and sriracha mayo were some of the most delicious bao buns I have enjoyed.  The crunch of the breaded shellfish tucked into that heavenly soft (see how even the slightest fingerprint dimples the bread in the top bun?) Pac Man-shaped rice flour bread was simply fantastic.

The steamed nikuman are also available stuffed with spicy crab, tender pork belly, and even tempura shrimp.

And how much fun is this summertime strawberry ramune drink?  See how the bottle is "pinched" creating a figure 8 shape?  A glass marble is secured at the mouth by the pressure of the carbonation.  A little pushcap is served with the bottle, which you press into the marble until it pops down, and rattles around the upper drink chamber as you pour the soda.  Neighboring tables watched in amusement while we clumsily struggled to open this children's soft drink, but the refreshing result was worth it.

As if the variety of regional staples on the regular ramen menu aren't enough, the specials are wildly varied and interesting.  One of my favorites is this uni ramen, the noodles tossed in a very light parmesan cream, with a generous heap of sea urchin on top, along with fish cakes and nori shreds.  Like a seafood carbonara, it is undoubtedly one of the most original ramen dishes I have enjoyed, and wonderfully delicious.

Because piping hot ramen doesn't exactly strike a temptation in the stuffy New York City August heat, this cold seafood ramen is a refreshing departure from traditional noodle dishes.  Served chilled, a haystack of noodles is loaded with butterflied sweet shrimp, calamari rings, slivers of salmon sashimi, sea urchin, and shimmering dollops of a yuzu-soy-seafood jelly.   As you mix the jelly into the noodles, it melts, creating a delicate and playfully flavorsome glaze of Asian citrus and seafood, making this a very special dish.

A spicy jalapeno citrus base lays the flavor foundation for a unique shrimp ceviche, greenified with creamy avocado slivers and large chunks of red tomato and onions, sweetened with tangy cubes of fresh mango.

Jalapeno and mandarin orange studded salmon sashimi arrives on a bed of field greens. 

The menu also includes some less traditional and surprising dishes, like these browned, scored links of kurobuta sausage.  These bershire pork links are served on a bed of satsuma potato puree, a golden sweet potato whose rich color symbolizes wealth.

Vegetable small plates range from a cubed watermelon-tomato salad with yuzu vinaigrette, to sautéed cauliflower, seaweed salad with sweet corn, and this tender bowl of miso nasu--eggplant drizzled with a sweet miso glaze.

The menu now even boasts east and west coast oysters, though when we visited they only had Long Island oysters available--which were extremely fresh.

Alongside daily ramen and small plate specials, fantastic lunch deals rotate throughout the week, sometimes including a beautiful bento box like this with juicy chicken terriyaki, crunchy coated Japanese fried chicken, and a steamed pork nikuman.

Expected sweet endings include chewy, frosty orbs of various flavored mochi, but a delicious surprise includes this wonderfully silky coconut panna cotta, topped either with strawberries or diced mango, like a heavenly creme parfait.

The service is impeccable.  The prices are extremely affordable.  The space is pristine, and surprisingly spacious with several communal tables in a large back room, and a sweet graffiti garden patio in back.  Considering so many Americans seem to equate Japanese cuisine exclusively with sushi or chicken and vegetables flying across a flaming table, HinoMaru is an exceptional introduction to just some of the lesser known culinary delights of this fascinating country's kitchens and street food carts.

HinoMaru * 33-19 Ditmars, Astoria * 718-777-0228 * http://hinomaruramen.com

A SOUPer Winter Menu at Il Bambino

(Check out the recipe for this Roasted Pumpkin Soup below)

Il Bambino (34-08 31st Ave)


An edited version of this article appeared in the November issue of BORO.

“Someone could call themselves a chef for 30 years, and still never really understand flavor,” says Darren Lawless, chef-owner of Il Bambino, the beloved paninoteca and tapas bar—one of only three restaurants in Astoria to place in the “extraordinary to perfection” bracket in Zagat’s most recent rankings, with a food score of 26.  “[At Il Bambino] it’s all about flavor and technique…” he passionately explains in a cheerful Irish lilt,  “…knowing how to transform a carrot into a roasted carrot salad.”  The secret?  Quality ingredients and superb technique at extracting and layering flavors.

Most of the dishes at Il Bambino have only a few simple ingredients, but one bite of a panini or a spoonful of the daily soup, and it doesn’t take a food critic to recognize something special going on here.  The split pea and prosciutto soup is really only four main ingredients: peas, prosciutto, onions, and carrots.  Sounds simple, right?  Chef Lawless first sweats the prosciutto, drawing out the savory juices, to which the onions are then fed, until rendered sweet and translucent.  Next, the peas are cooked into the base, like a risotto.  “So much goes on before we even add water,” smiles Lawless, who never uses stocks.  “I always want the featured ingredient to shine through.”  Herbs are only added at the very end, allowing the heat to release the oils just in time to serve.  Vegetarian soups are given just a touch of cream for heartiness, or maybe even a pureed potato to add a velvety smoothness to the body.

While the soups hibernate throughout the summer, their resurrection each autumn is highly anticipated.  On a typical day, the restaurant can easily sell over one hundred 16 oz. servings.  The price for these gourmet ephemeral gems comes to $7.08 after tax, and each portion is accompanied by a toasted crostini slathered with homemade basil pesto, ideal for dunking.

(The Notorious P.I.G.)

Along with this year’s seasonal soups comes the extension of brunch to Fridays, as well as Saturday and Sunday.  New, cleverly-named breakfast panini include the Sir Oink-a-Lot (with sweet sausage), Wake & Bake (with “smoked” mayo), Sweet Ass (prosciutto and fig spread), and the Notorious P.I.G. (smoked bacon, eggs, artisan cheddar, and truffle spread).

(Assorted crostini--these mini sandwiches are exploding with exquisite flavors)

Daily specials this season have included a panini of smoked chicken with bacon mac & cheese.  Among the lineup of upcoming soups, patrons can anticipate the following: smoked tomato bisque (the best seller, usually featured Wednesdays and Saturdays), roasted pumpkin with sweet spices and fresh thyme, split pea prosciutto, potato with roasted mushrooms and garlic, potato-cauliflower with toasted almonds, and—for when it’s really cold—a sweet sausage minestrone with ditalini pasta.  “I froze some of this last year, and bring it out when ever my boys get sick,” smiles a visibly golden-hearted Lawless, who seems to treat his family and staff with the same loving attention he does each of his recipes.

____________________________

Chef Lawless graciously shared the recipe for one of his most popular soups below:

Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Nutmeg & Moscato

Ingredients:

7-8 lb pumpkin
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 large potato, peeled and roughly chopped
2 oz of unsalted butter
1 pint milk
1 cup moscato or dessert wine
1 pint heavy cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
freshly grated nutmeg
salt and white pepper

Preparation:

Prepare the pumpkin by cutting it into quarters, and then into eighths. Remove seeds, and separate the meat from the skin (discarded skin). Cut pumpkin meat into smaller chunks and set aside. Melt the butter in a large pot, over medium high heat. Add onion and cook for 10 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the pumpkin and potato, and cook for 10 more minutes. Add the moscato, and boil to reduce by half. Add the milk and cream and simmer, covered, for 1 hour (or until completely soft and very tender). Puree the soup, and season with salt and pepper, freshly grated nutmeg and chopped fresh thyme.

Yields 6 servings.

Some Im"press"ive Changes at Il Bambino

(Truffled egg salad with speck crostini)

Il Bambino (34-08 31st Ave., Astoria)

I often receive several text messages a day from friends asking for interesting food recommendations that range from "I am at 76th and Columbus and just need good pizza..." to "I am with a lactose intolerant vegetarian friend who also doesn't eat bread, citrus, or anything green, and we need something under $15 in SoHo."  But I would have to say that if one were to archive all of my bizarre text messages, one of my most frequently recommended suggestions is Il Bambino in Astoria.  It is not at all uncommon after recommending it to a friend for me to receive a message the following week saying, "oh my, I have eaten there four times in the past seven days... wow."

If you have been, then you already know what makes it great.  If you haven't, then you really are missing out on something special.  Think paninoteca wuzzled with a tapas bar that also offers a fantastic selection of affordable wines.  The outdoor space is cozy (enjoy it while the weather permits), and long hours allow for everything from a hearty brunch with lots of friends to a cheese plate with preserves and wine with someone special in the evening (open until at least 10pm; midnight on weekends).

(smoked bacon, goat cheese, & spicy mayo crostini)

The seasonal menu recently changed, leaving some of the classics, bringing back old-time favorites, and introducing some new ones.  The crostini come two to a plate, which makes them ideal for choosing a few different ones for sharing.  The panini are absolutely enormous, and perfect for splitting, as well.  And trust me, you will want to share a variety of plates here; entree envy can be extremely intense, because everything served is beautifully delicious and deliciously beautiful.

The best news?  Brunch is now three days a week: Friday, Saturday, & Sunday from 10:30am - 3:30pm.  Brunch features a special menu of hilarious titles that actually make you want to read the full menu: Piggy Got Back, Sir Oink-a-lot, Sweet Ass (prosciutto & fig), The Fun Guy (with mushrooms... get it? Funghi!) Pictured above is the Notorious P.I.G. with scrambled eggs, smoked bacon, artisan cheddar, and truffle spread.

One of the newest panini additions features smoked bacon, garlic roasted potatoes, truffle aioli, and parmesan.  Other exciting ingredients appearing throughout the menu include cappa ham, piquillo peppers, BBQ creamed onions, fried eggplant, rosemary ricotta, and apricot butter.

The bread is made exclusively for Il Bambino at Gian Piero Bakery, and cannot be purchased outside of the store.  It grills to the best outside crunch giving way to a wonderfully chewy and moist inside.  A greater selection of gourmet panini would be difficult to find.  All ingredients are sourced locally (cheese from Murray's on the Lower East Side), or made fresh on the premises.

Besides the panini, you can create your own antipasti selection, or choose from tapas and salads.  Something I order every single time I take someone for their first visit is this potato salad, with sliced fingerlings tossed in truffle mayo, with fried shallots, a drizzle of basil pesto, and a snowfall of pecorino. It is the best potato salad I have ever enjoyed, without any contest.

The new menu also brings the return of one of my old favorites, the smothered tomato, a hollowed tomato stuffed with tuna confit blended with marie rose with preserved lemon.  A delicious, light, but filling meal all by itself.

You won't find them on the menu, but be sure to ask about the homemade desserts.  The red velvet cakes in the showcase are tempting (and that frosting is insanely wonderful), but the panna cotta has me dreaming about it.  The flavors vary, but a most exquisitely creamy and delicate panna cotta (vanilla bean, above) sits in a pool of homemade strawberry sauce, with chilled cornflake clusters dipped in chocolate.  Even if you think you are full, trust me, these are worth it.  Even the peanut butter rice crispie treats coated in chocolate are fantastic.

The staff is one of the best in the neighborhood.  Each table has a small glossary on it, making unfamiliar cheese and charcuterie accessible while avoiding the embarrassment of asking, "what's this???"   Il Bambino delivers.  I also call ahead on my way into work to place an order, swing by and grab it, and then watch my Manhattan friends drool at the gourmet goods as they all enviously ask where I got it.  "Astoria," I smile.

* * * * *

Insider's tip:  don't forget the spreads are available on the side for $1.  The basil pesto is killer.  When I order for delivery, I sometimes even ask for two sides of it that I use the next day to toss into my pasta or spread on a sandwich.

Monday nights any wine bottle of $35 or more is 1/2 off with food purchase of $15.