C R Y D E R P O I N T 18 MAY DINING OUT Sunday dinner every day Former Parkway Hospital will be converted to condos Photo courtesy Jasper Venture Group Former Parkway Hospital, which has been vacant for six years, will become a residential building. 18 cryder point courier | MAY 2014 | WWW.QUEENSCOURIER.COM THE COURIER/File photo Cascarino’s is so much more than great food, it’s a family legacy. CASCARINO’S BRICK OVEN PIZZERIA & RISTORANTE 152-59 10th Avenue, Whitestone, NY 11357 718-746-4370 Dine-in, Take-out, Free Local Delivery Kid Friendly Sunday - Thursday 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. - 11 p.m. BY THE COURIER STAFF I’m not sure if it was the savory scarpariello sauce, the homemade cheesecake cannoli or the quaint, authentic atmosphere, but I’m now certain that Cascarino’s Brick Over Pizzeria & Ristorante is much more than a neighborhood pizzeria. At Cascarino’s, “every day is Sunday.” This “pizzeria” offers an abundance of entrees, flavorful appetizers and innovative desserts. Chatting with owner Jimmy, I was informed of the detail and legacy within the selections on his menu. His grandmother was the inspiration behind many of the dishes, and Italian influences stressing the importance of simplicity and good, quality food were critical in creating many of the appetizers, entrees and desserts. Chipotle mussels, eggplant caponata, buffalo calamari – this establishment aims to reinvent common Italian classics with southwestern influences and family-inspired traditions. Instead of breading the calamari heavily, Cascarino’s lightly fries the squid and serves it with made-to-order marinara sauce, prepared fresh each and every time. The pasta dishes at Cascarino’s remind me of Sunday dinner at my grandfather’s home. Bolognese sauce- sweet, meaty, simply delicious; rigatoni with eggplant and tomato sauce - an assortment of textures, vivid colors and elegant presentation. The highlight of my pasta tasting was the lobster ravioli alla vodka, a creative pairing of flavorful lobsterfilled ravioli bathed in a sea of rosy, velvety vodka sauce -- very tasty. The menu at Cascarino’s is hefty, to say the least. The owners offer most Italian classics including parmigiana dishes and your classic spaghetti and meatballs. For my entrée, I tasted the chicken scarpariello, tender roasted potatoes, sausage and bits of chicken all doused in a thick, savory sauce. My guest tried the cavatelli mascarpone, served with Prosciutto di Parma, bits of onion and mascarpone cheese in a plum tomato sauce. Created by owner Jimmy, this entree uses thick, rich cheese and sweet plum tomatoes to present an inventive customer favorite. As a customary end to an Italian dinner, we finished the meal with espresso and dessert. Homemade cheesecake cannoli came about when owner Jimmy ran out of cannoli cream before a catering customer arrived and needed to think fast- little did he know this dessert would become a restaurant staple. Cascarino’s is the essence of traditional Italian cuisine served in a quaint, comfortable atmosphere. Make sure to visit Jimmy and hear of his grandmother’s legacy, continued to this day, through the cuisine served at this cozy establishment. BY LIAM LA GUERRE After being shuttered for six years, the site of the former Parkway Hospital in Forest Hills will be converted to a residential building. Jasper Venture Group, a real estate investment firm, announced on May 7 that it plans to demolish the former hospital at 70-35 113th St. and construct a bigger building than the 70,000-square-foot property. Including a parking lot, the site is more than 107,000 square feet. The company did not release how many units the new building will have or when it is set to be complete, but said the new residential space will “breathe new life into the idle site.” “The additional housing this project will provide when complete will be a relief to those seeking a more spacious option to the compact living New York City provides,” the company said in a release. “The former Parkway Hospital will be luxurious, offering its residents a view of the lakes and their own slice of serenity.” Parkway Hospital overlooks Grand Central Parkway and rests just outside of both Willow Lake and Meadow Lake in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The state closed the hospital in 2008 and it has been vacant since. The hospital filed for bankruptcy in 2005. Former Parkway CEO Robert Aquino was sentenced to four months in jail in May of 2012 after he pleaded guilty to bribing former state Senator Carl Kruger to try to keep the medical facility open.
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