28 The QUEE NS Courier • MAY 5, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com Pop-up sushi restaurant to open in LIC By Angela Matua amatua@qns.com @AngelaMatua Starting this May, Long Island City will be home to New York’s only pop-up restaurant serving sustainable and local sushi. Mayanoki was started in 2012 by friends David Torchiano, an Astoria resident, and Josh Arak, who wanted to provide their favorite sushi chef with an outlet to serve. They met Chef Albert at Zutto, a restaurant in Tribeca. When the restaurant came under new management and Albert left, Torchiano and Arak tracked him down. The duo began hosting popups with the chef once the second restaurant he worked for closed. “I introduced Josh to Albert and we kind of got to thinking,” Torchiano said. “Albert’s really good and he should really have his own place.” At first, Mayanoki served more traditional fish such as salmon and tuna in familystyle portions. But once the partners began to do more research and discovered the negative impact the sushi industry has on the environment― overfishing has caused lasting damage to the bluefin tuna and using unsustainable fish promotes harmful farming practices ― they decided to switch courses and meticulously serve only the most sustainable and local fish. “The current rate at which we’re consuming unsustainable sushi is just kind of frightening and it needs to stop because there won’t be any fish left in the ocean,” Torchiano said. They began their first popup restaurant two years ago at Brooklyn Oenology, a winery in Williamsburg and are now moving to Resobox, a Japanese art gallery in Long Island City. The first event will be hosted on May 22. You will not find farm-raised tuna or salmon at Mayanoki, but you will find arctic char, stripped bass, amberjack, oysters, squid and uni. Torchiano buys the fish from purveyors such as Greenpoint Fish & Lobster Co. and The Lobster Place in Chelsea Market. They are also the first sustainable sushi restaurant in New York City recognized by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program. The organization helps consumers identify seafood that is caught or farmed in sustainable ways. Reservations are made in advance and a $75 ticket includes 12 or 13 courses served nigiri-style and a glass of wine or saki. The pop-up follows an omakase format, which means customers will not choose from a menu but rather be served selections by Chef Mitsuru. “If you don’t tell someone what they’re eating, they’re quite open,” Torchiano said. When the duo used to hand out menus, most customers avoided the arctic char. But now, the fish is a favorite among patrons, he said. The reservations are capped at 10 people and so far, 900 people have signed up for the mailing list. Torchiano and Arak hope to open a brick-and-mortar establishment in Long Island City after establishing a relationship with neighborhood customers this year. Though Torchiano encourages everyone to dine at Mayanoki, he also urges sushi eaters to ask their waiter or chef where their fish comes from and to do some research. “With a little bit of reading you can find out a whole lot about what is sustainable and what’s not,” Torchiano said. “Even if it’s just one piece or one roll that they’re changing once a week, it will make a difference.” The story was first reported by WeHeartAstoria. Watch free ‘Movies Under the Stars’ in Queens parks this summer By Katarina Hybenova khybenova@qns.com @kamelka A major expansion of the popular summer ‘Movies Under the Stars’ will allow Queens residents to enjoy free summer screenings in parks. Mayor Bill de Blasio, Media and Entertainment Commissioner Julie Menin and Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver announced Tuesday that ‘Movies Under the Stars’ series will bring twice as many movies as last year. Three hundred movies will be screened in parks across the five boroughs, including Queens. “Movies and entertainment in the parks are what New York summers are made of,” Queens Borough President Melinda Katz said. “More people than ever will be able to enjoy familyfriendly movies free of charge in their neighborhood parks. The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment and NYC Parks deserve to be commended for working together to bring 300 film screenings to our city’s parks this season.” The annual series ‘Movies Under the Stars’ encourages New Yorkers to pack a picnic, grab a blanket, and enjoy free movies in their neighborhood park. All movies begin at dusk. The full Queens schedule is as follows: “Minions,” Maurice Park/ Francis J. Principe Park, 5/6/16 “Minions,” Rochdale Park/Vic Hanson Field House, 5/13/16 “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” Athens Square Park, 5/14/16 “The Good Dinosaur,” Police Officer Edward Byrne Park, 5/20/16 “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” Al Oerter Park and Recreation Center, 5/21/16 “Norm of the North,” Astoria Heights Playground, 5/27/16 “The Amazing Spider Man,” Windmuller/Lawrence Virgilio Park, 5/28/16 Photo courtesy of Alden Wicke Co-founders David and Josh Photo courtesy of Kate Findlay-Shirras Mayanoki, a pop-up featuring local and sustainable fish. New Netflix TV show ‘Iron Fist’ films near Macy’s in Elmhurst Photo via @GOATfilmpodcast Twitter By Katarina Hybenova khybenova@qns.com/@kamelka Some Elmhurst shoppers suddenly found themselves surrounded by Marvel comic characters coming to life this week. The upcoming TV show “Iron Fist,” which brings a classic Marvel comic series to life, has been filming in New York City for the past month. On May 3, the show’s cast and crew were near the Elmhurst Macy’s department store at 90-01 Queens Blvd. to film some of its scenes, reported the On Location Vacations website. The show synopsis reads: “After his family meets a tragic fate while on expedition in China, young Rand is adopted by the people of the mystical lost city of K’un-Lun, where he’s taught a magical fighting style. Returning to New York City after being missing for years, Daniel Rand fights against the criminal element corrupting New York City with his incredible kung-fu mastery and ability to summon the awesome power of the fiery Iron Fist.” Daniel Rand is portrayed by Finn Jones of “Game of Thrones” fame. The show has been developed by Scot Buck. Thirteen hour-long episodes will be released simultaneously next year on Netflix, allowing us all to binge watch them.
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