74 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • JUNE 6, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
dining out
Photos courtesy of Pig Beach
Barbecue in a beer garden
BY DANIEL GROGAN
BORO Magazine
Special to The Courier
When it was announced in 2018 that
Studio Square, south Astoria’s answer
to the historic Bohemian Hall and Beer
Garden, would be permanently shutting
its doors, the collective wails from day
drinkers could be heard from Socrates
Sculpture Park to Steinway Street.
So, when Pig Beach, already a popular
restaurant and bar in Brooklyn,
made it clear that they planned
on stepping in and resurrecting
the space as
their second location,
Astoria let out a sigh
of relief.
“The preexisting
space of Studio
Square is an incredible
model of what
we do at Pig Beach
Brooklyn but on a larger
scale,” explained Matt
Abdoo, the executive chef
and creative force behind Pig
Beach. “We are huge fans of the
inside/outside beer garden style model
that can both cater to the smaller parties
while at the same time accommodate
large groups.”
Along with his partners Rob Shawger,
Shane McBride, Dennis Lu and Gary M.
Kravetz, Abdoo opened the fi rst location
in 2016 aft er a successful stint as
a summer pop-up the year prior. Pig
Beach quickly became a big Brooklyn hit,
off ering up award-winning barbecue in a
unique outdoor setting.
Th e food is what Abdoo describes as
“delicious, fun and playful barbecue with
many regional infl uences,” and the recipes
were carefully developed over several
years.
“We took our favorite barbecue from
our favorite regions and put our NYC
twist on it,” Abdoo said. “We also took
much inspiration from our culinary backgrounds
and applied fl avors and ingredients
that we love to cook with and eat ...
Our baby back ribs, brisket and burger
are always our top sellers. Our guests also
love our mac ’n’ cheese topped with toasted
goldfi sh crackers.”
Th e food is not the only thing that
Abdoo and the Pig Beach team hope to
improve upon in occupying the space.
Studio Square oft en received criticism
from neighbors and community members
because of the noise pollution that
would occur on busy days or during
events.
Addressing these concerns, Abdoo
explained, “We have every
intention of being a good
neighbor. Our vision,
style of service and
business model are
very diff erent from
Studio Square, and
that in itself will
greatly reduce the
noise pollution. We
are a lifestyle establishment
where our
guests want to hear the
music but more so want to
hear each other. Limiters will
be applied to all our speakers to prevent
excessive sound as well.”
While Abdoo will take care to ensure
that the partying never becomes a problem
for the neighbors, they still plan on
showing customers a good time.
“We plan to host events in LIC similar
to those which currently take place
in our Brooklyn location,” Abdoo said.
“Th ose will include guest pit masters,
guest chefs, culinary collabs, charity
fundraisers, weddings, rehearsal dinners,
Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, birthdays as well as any
other celebrations or occasions our guests
would like to share with us.”
Above all, Abdoo explained that he
wants to provide Astorians with an environment
that is “fun, welcoming, delicious,
relaxed and enjoyable.”
“We hope to create a place where families
with children, professionals of all
ages, foodies and all walks of life can
come together to enjoy some delicious
barbecue, craft cocktails, local beers and
drinks,” he added.
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