Summer 2020 Programs » Baroque Opera Workshop » Good Eats
Food in Flushing!
Though I’m the string instructor for the workshop, I like to think that I am most qualified in the eating department. Flushing is full of good eats, and here are some of my recommendations.
V=vegetarian options C=cash only
M=meat options
Within walking distance of the school:
Halaal cart (M C)
Location: corner of Kissena and Horace Harding
South entrance to the school on Kissena
Hours: if they’re there, they’re open, if they’re not, they’re not…
Halaal carts seem to have replaced the NYC hotdog stands as the vendor of choice these days. I love getting the “mix” (lamb and chicken) on rice with a little bit of hot sauce and a little bit more of the white sauce…the white sauce is divine, but probably will contribute to the clogging of your arteries.
Gino’s (V M)
Location: 65-01 Kissena Blvd. (718) 939-4474
Hours: 11am-10pm
For good, solid Italian food-pizza, eggplant parms, pasta, etc. Gino’s is the neighborhood place to go. A friend introduced me to their spinach, artichoke, sundried tomato slice that I keep getting when I’m really hungry-one slice is a complete meal. You’ll feel like you’re at the Jersey shore (at least I do, having grown up in Toms River, NJ and wishing I were Italian) without the sugar sand and salt smell of the ocean.
Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins (V M)
Location: 65-30 Kissena Blvd. (718) 358-4031
Hours: they seem to always be open…
New Wok Chinese (V M C)
Location: a few shops down from Dunkin Donuts, I always pass by it and have to backtrack because it is so nondescript.
Hours: ?
It has no décor, or maybe I should say, negative décor, which keeps some people from stopping in. But the food is really good-my favorite: shrimp with hot pepper and peanuts-the uniformly cut up pieces of celery, bamboo shoot, and broccoli stalks are just perfect with the shrimp.
Student Union:
For a variety of things to eat…
A 15 min. bus ride away:
Take the Q17, Q34, or the Q25 at the corner of Kissena and Horace Harding Expressway to Flushing Main Street.
Spicy and Tasty (V M C)
Location: 39-07 Prince St. (718) 359-1601
Hours: 11am-11pm
This is probably the best Szechuan food in all the boroughs. I recommend trying anything in the display box as you walk in (just point), but in particular:
*Shredded dry bean curd with celery: There is something about the herbed oil that makes the dish so subtle and special. Plus, I think that Chinese celery is a vegetable/herb that is underappreciated in the West! When my friends who live in the woods of New Hampshire come and visit, they always make a trip out here to bring back multiple cartons of this stuff.
*Sesame noodles: okay, so this may seem like a “vanilla” item to order (I mean, why bother when it’s something you get for free when you make a delivery/take out order for >$10 at any other Chinese place?), but it is really really good here.
*Bamboo in spicy sauce. I love bamboo shoots and these are oily, a little spicy, and
just good plain junk food.
*Cucumber in sesame oil sauce: with all the spicy foods on the menu, you’ll want this as a palate cleanser.
For main dishes, I really like the small pieces of chicken on the bone: very spicy/very tasty with bits of Chinese celery. I always forget what it is called so I just describe it to the waiter and they figure it out. The smoked tea duck is also really good.
Warning: if you the odor of smelly socks wafts by your table, chances are that you are sitting near someone who has ordered the stinky tofu. I’ve never had it, but locals love it. It is the “authentic” Flushing food experience…your nose will acclimate to the smell…
Bangkok Thai Cuisine (V M C)
Location: 38-04 Prince St (718) 353-1888
Hours: call them to check the times
What to say, this is a great place to get good Thai food at reasonable prices. When I came here with Christa and friends, someone in the table got the green curry noodle soup and we all wished we had-so cheap, so verdant, and so yummy! Their pad see ew, is the best bargain I’ve had in nyc because they don’t skimp on the veggies.
Fay Da Bakery (M V C)
Locations: 41-60 Main Street (718) 886-4568
136-18 39th Ave. (718) 321-1759
Hours: 7am-8pm
I’m more a savory person than a sweet, but this place is great. All kinds of weird/good pastries and a standard good milk tea.
FYI: Check out the article the New York Times did in 2008 called “Let the Meals Begin: Finding Beijing in Flushing” to find more fantastic food finds.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/dining/30flushing.html?_r=1&ref=street_food_in_new_york
Let us know other good eats that you come across so we can add them to the list for next year!
 |
Summer 2020 Festivals and WorkshopsBaroque Opera Workshop |