Scrumptious Sunnyside: Your Guide
to Sunnyside Restaurant Week
It’s September, which
means it’s time for 6th Annual
Sunnyside Restaurant Week! This year, a grand
total of 45 restaurants and food businesses will
be participating, from the originals such as New
York Style Eats (Classic Diner) and De Mole (Mexican)
to newcomers Rincon de Melania (Ecuadorian) and
Bajeko Sekuwa (Nepalese). You don’t have to travel
far to access the diverse array of cuisines and flavors
that weaves through the streets of Sunnyside, ensuring
something for everyone. The Sunnyside Shines Busi-ness
Improvement District coordinates the event every
year to bolster the neighborhood restaurant scene to
locals and the wider audience.
If you have a restaurant or food shop you are itching
to try, this is the time for some of the best deals in
town. Each location will offer a lunch or dinner menu
(or both!) to satisfy your cravings. Here are some
neighborhood favorites:
1. De Mole - A neighborhood fixture on 48th Avenue,
chef and owner Ramiro Mendez’s passion for food
is reflected in his cooking. From traditional Mexican
fares like tampiquena (grilled skirt steak over with
rice, black beans, and corn tortillas doused in mole
poblano sauce) to slightly fusioned dishes like seitan
fajita (garlic spinach, red rice, guacamole, pico de
gallo with tofu sour cream) to coconut flan and
pastel de tres leches (three milk cake), De Mole
certainly knows how to serve it up.
2. Pete’s Grill - Pay homage to the all American
diner experience and also try to nab the exact
booth featured in the web television series The
Punisher when you visit Pete’s Grill on Queens
Boulevard. This local joint has all your original
diner favorites - omelettes, all day Irish breakfast,
pancakes, sandwiches, Greek dishes, pasta...you
name it! Did we mention the bottomless coffee?
3. Punda Tibetan Restaurant - Sometimes, there is
no better way to welcome the colder weather than
by having a heart-warming meal. Since 2015, chef
and owner Tenzing Tshering has been cooking up
a fervor of Tibetan and Indian cuisine in his cozy
restaurant. Known for his innovative style empha-sizing
20 SEPTEMBER 2018 I LIC COURIER I www.qns.com
health and wellness, Tshering’s specialties
include momos (dumplings filled with your choice
of chicken, beef, or vegetables), ping-sogo (tradi-tional
slow-cooked Tibetan stew with rice noodle
and vegetables) and shabhalap (traditional Tibetan
stuffed patty with minced onion and coriander). We
also highly recommend you try Tshering’s own Punda
specialties, all of which highlights grains, such as
barley, used traditionally in Tibet.
4. Sotto Le Stelle - Sister restaurant to hot restaurant
SoleLuna, co-owner Valerio Marchi opened the now
year-old pizzeria to bring the flavor of Naples, Italy
to Queens. Using ingredients sourced from Italy, the
menu is expansive. Featured styles of pizza include
Cappricciosa, made with artichokes, prosciutto, olives,
mushrooms and basil and Salsiccia de Friarielli made
with fior di latte (semi-soft mozzarella), smoked
Mozzarella, sausage and broccoli rabe.
5. The Lowery Bar & Kitchen - This modern American
restaurant and Irish bar offers many elements of quint-essential
Queens. Start with appetizers like the juicy
pork bao buns (braised Berkshire pork shoulder with
soy, honey, scallions and sesame), followed by entrees
such as the Creekstone Farm NY Strip (8oz steak with
fingerling potatoes with herb and caper salsa verde).
Compliment your Sunnyside Restaurant Week meal
with a house crafted cocktail...we have our eyes on Out
of Manhattan - Larceny bourbon mixed with Carpano
Antica, sweet vermouth and bitters and lemon twist.
To view the entire list of participating restaurants
and their menus, please visit www.sunnysideshines.
org! All Sunnyside Restaurant Week diners will get
an opportunity to enter for a chance to win a dinner
for four people at the participating restaurant of their
choice. This September, Sunnyside Restaurant Week
makes it easy (and delicious) for you to support your
local dining establishments and discover new favorites
and new cuisines.
Sunnyside Shines
Photo by Kamila Harris
Photo by Foursquare user
/www.qns.com
/www.sunnysideshines
