50 The Courier SUN • DECEMBER 4, 2014 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS [email protected] Delighting in the holiday feasting I was shocked! My grandson Jonah got on my new scale and said, “Grandma, you try it, too!” Well I did and did I get scared. Did I really eat that much this past week of celebratory meals? I am now in recovery, but did I love every bite and best of all the company. I am blessed that all my children were with me on Thanksgiving, and I had a special dinner with two of my Broner boys on Sunday. After visiting the LIC Flea Market, the boys and I went for dinner at the Astor Room at 34-12 36th St. in Astoria at the tip of Astoria Kaufman Studios and down the block from the Museum of the Moving Image. The restaurant has become one of my favorites because the menu has some of my favorite dishes prepared by the innovative, talented chef, Nathaniel Felder, and the environment is warm and welcoming. The night we were there a band was playing, and as we made our way down a few steps to the bar, lounge and dining room, we enjoyed the music that didn’t overwhelm the room or our conversation. The subtle lighting and dark wood interior give the restaurant a pub feeling with movie memorabilia on the walls. The new lounge offers an alternative space to have a drink and order food while relaxing on a sofa. I began my meal with gazpacho soup, which I was surprised to find on the menu. Usually I only see it on summer menus because the main ingredient is fresh tomatoes. But the chef has his sources, and the tangy soup was the best gazpacho I’ve had. The boys had hearty soup and hamburgers. Ben Broner told the waiter, “This is the best burger I’ve ever had.” Now that’s quite a compliment from my Manhattan grandchildren, who have sophisticated palates. But the pièce de résistance was the remarkable deep-dish heated apple crisp. I needed to punch my spoon into the top to break through the crispy crust and then delve into the warm, tender apples beneath. Every bite was worth the calories. They are open every evening except Mondays and for brunch on Sunday. To me, the holiday is all about the gathering of the “clan.” On the afternoon of Thanksgiving, 25 of us gathered at my daughter Samantha’s house. It was her birthday and anniversary. Josh had his birthday earlier in the month, so desserts were filled with candles. I think 2-yearold Hudson eating his macaroni and cheese was the picture of how much we relished the food that Samantha had gathered. Of course it starts with a turkey, and for me my favorite part is the “tush.” Samantha somehow with two turkeys got three of these for me. I was in turkey heaven. But the meal seemed to be about the abundant side dishes from salad to puddings, to mashed potatoes, to the crispy Brussels sprouts and ... You get the picture. It was a feast that left us all with goody bags to have dinners for the rest of the week. I know the day is about the food, but for me it’s about the togetherness. I was so grateful that everyone enjoyed themselves, and the children adored chasing after each other. It doesn’t get better than that! Market memories, the “Best Kept Secret in Brooklyn” When Frank Seddio introduced me to Charlie Ciraolo, president of the Brooklyn Market Co-op in Canarsie, I didn’t know I would be traveling down memory lane. My first visit brought back memories of when I would go to the market with my mom, who worked in Canarsie. She would buy her fruits and vegetables there because she said they had the best quality and price. Almost 50 years later, my mother’s advice remains as good today as it was when I was a little girl. Being a lover of “markets,” I wanted to see what they were selling, and I was overwhelmed with both the quantity, quality and pricing. My first stop was Charlie’s location #46 called Whitey’s. It’s one of 30 stores on the 15.5 acres with plenty of free parking. The store is named in memory of his grandfather, Whitey, who started the business decades ago. His blonde hair gave him his nickname and it’s stuck these many years. He sold plants and holiday decorations, both live and silk for cemeteries, just as Charlie does today. Although a sizable part of his business is wholesale, the public is welcome to buy at the same prices. Charlie and Scottie, better known as the “Pickle Man,” took me to see a man called “Mr. Apple,” who sells the best apples in the city and has been at it for decades. He sells in the city and ships his top quality apples around the country. What a find! Then on to what used to be an Italian specialty grocery store. It has been transformed into an enormous market with specialty products for the Caribbean community of the city. I was in awe of the rice room filled almost to the ceiling with piles of huge bags of every kind of rice you could think of. Then there are stacks of beans. As Charlie walked me to the fish department, he explained that it didn’t have a fishy smell because everything sold is fresh from the sea. It’s a good lesson to have if you buy fresh fish. We walked across the street to visit another decades-old business selling holiday trees and accessories. It was an awesome sight to see rows and rows of live and artificial trees and wreaths. There were handsome displays of holiday dolls and decorative houses. I felt like a kid in a candy shop. I had the pleasure of returning a week later with Borough President Eric Adams, who also delighted in the entreprenual spirit alive and thriving at the market. In this season he saw thousands of Christmas trees being unloaded from trucks to be sold all over our city. Probably the tree you see at the street vendor or local nursery came from the Brooklyn market. It’s a great place to shop seven days a week just off Foster Avenue and East 87th Street in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn. They have been called the “Best Kept Secret in Brooklyn.” Hopefully no longer. Visit and you, too, will be amazed. victoria’s secrets tweet me @vschneps Dynamic $1000 off Lumineers $500 off Invisalign DENTAL WORK Free Whitening included the inViSiBle WAy to Some excluSionS Apply StrAighten teeth third generation dentist 175-15 Jamaica avenue, Jamaica 718-297-4100 • 718-297-4106 Nathaniel Felder is a creative and talented chef of the Astor Room in Astoria Two-year-old Hudson bonding with his 3-year-old cousin Addie Several stores sell holiday decorations
SC12042014
To see the actual publication please follow the link above