I Travelled to Greece through food.

I travelled to Greece through food. ( Taverna Kyclades) Astoria, Queens. 

I have to thank my good friend Gabriel Sierra for showing me the way to this "Astoria Gem". I'm not one to go to a restaurant because of their famous chef, or based on how fancy they are, however I like to go places where their biggest advertise are people that have enjoyed their food.
We parked in Ditmars Blvd. between 33rd street and 35th street, you will find a conglomeration of cars and people , that is because they are all waiting to get into Taverna Kyclades. It seems that it doesn't matter at what time or day you show up , there will be a wait.

Taverna Kyclades is very rustic with brick walls , wooden table and house ornaments all around that makes you feel comfortable, no pressure, no pretensions as you walk in. Inside the restaurant is very energetic , servers going right and left , hostess trying to get tables ready while joking, smiling and conversing with the customers waiting to be seated. The hostess told me 45 minutes , I was seated in 30 minutes maybe because I kept reminding her how hungry I was every 10 minutes, but she was doing a great job and sit us right away.

Seafood is the main theme in Taverna Kyclades, I may as well say see food is what they are know for. we order a bottle of an assyrtiko from Santorini, rich mineral profile that blends perfectly with seafood and fresh vegetables. The bottle of wine arrived with a delicious half loaf of bread already soaked in very rich olive oil and oregano, just damn delicious , make little sandwiches out of pieces of bread and grilled octopus and you will be in heaven .

Swordfish 

Presentation is rustic but flavors are amazing , it feels like there is an army of grandmothers cooking in the line making every dish just for you, swordfish was smoky, juicy and it was a pretty big portion with a side of buttery vegetable rice, nothing was over seasoned but it was cooked with a home feel to it. 

This restaurant was filled with customers that were coming from as far as Manhattan just to eat authentic Greek food, plenty local customers and big families enjoying a great meal. Taverna Kyclades has a summer feel to it , don't miss visiting this restaurant in a beautiful day with your family or that girl that you want to impress with a non pretentious environment inviting to relax and enjoy. 

Enjoy it ! 

http://www.tavernakyclades.com

Address: 33-07 Ditmars Blvd Astoria, NY 11105 Phone:(718) 545-8666 Prices: $$$$ Hours:   Wednesday hours 12:00 pm–11:00 pm  -  See all Transit: Ditmars Bl/35 St Menu: allmenus.com

Salumi Tapas

Meat, Cheese and wine , that may as well be my diet. I've been to Salumi Tapas plenty of times, and every time I like it more.I always start with one of the meat and cheese boards, very frequently I found my self ordering the spanish board, why? Because it comes with Asiago, manchego cheese and serrano ham, my favorites. Now if you are in the industry you know how expensive cheeses and cured meats are, there for you always get very little in restaurants and you pay a lot to eat it , but in Salumi tapas their boards are priced appropriately and are pleasing to the eye.

I always order the marrow bone with onion jam, the pork belly bocadillo, which is this little messy sandwich ; home baked buns holding slow cooked spiced pork, some cilantro and carrots ( thinking about it makes my mouth water) just succulent. I never forget about the polenta with truffles mushrooms , so creamy , flavorful , earthy and aromatic, this dish will over power other flavors there for I always eat it on its own , or at the end.

My last visit I order plenty of food to need two tables, but I was influenced to try a dish that for some reason I avoided before, the lamb meat balls... O.M.G!!! They are amazing. The lamb meat balls woke up all my taste glands , little sweetness from the meat , I felt a little coriander, cumin, garlic, scallions , I never really asked but that is what I tasted, absolutely a must eat.

I also tried the Brussels sprouts for the first time , see sometimes is not about having something completely different in your menu but doing it better than others, these Brussels sprouts are just better than the average . they are garlicky , salty, caramelized and yes! covered in cheese, under the Brussels  you will find a creamy fine almond pure , the pure its self might appear a little bland but it is meant to be eaten with spoons full of Brussels sprouts.

Just to finish my review Salumi Tapas has a very decent wine list and if you don't know what to order ask for Diego, he is a server whose I-pod you will find playing during his shift in the restaurant, he will always find the right wine for you as well as offering a friendly and attentive service.

Salumi Tapas is located at 5600 Merrick Road, Massapequa, NY.

La Mar , Peruvian Cevicheria

I wanted my first blog to be about a restaurant that offers more than just good food. I wanted to spread the word about an idea and concept,  more than just a talented chef. I couldn't choose a better restaurant than La Mar Cevicheria.

If you are from Peru living in New York you should be very proud of what La MAR offers, the idea and concept behind every dish. If you are not too familiar with Peruvian cuisine I recommend this restaurant to you. Peru as many other countries in South America has a great variety of legumes, potatoes, seafood, etc which are celebrated in La Mar Cevicheria's dishes. Peruvian cuisine is very indigenous, and for a long time lacked a good presentation but has always been rich in flavors.

La Mar is keeping the indigenous heritage of Peruvian food, redefining it into fine dinning and delivering it to the world. The vision of it's owner and celebrity Chef Gaston Acurio is inspiring, his ambition is definitely translated into his restaurant.

La Mar has many locations but my review will be based on the New York Location. La Mar restaurant is located at 11 Madison Ave, New York, N.Y. in front of Madison square Park.

The decoration is very elegant and trendy, here you will not find any Peruvian artifacts but beautiful high ceilings, shades of blue, and a very spacious bar making thousands of Pisco sours a day. Something I did not like about the decor was the grass centerpieces throughout the restaurant. I found them very boring and bland. They showed no excitement and clashed with the music, colors and atmosphere which is very classy, after-work crowd.

Service is very impersonal seeming more like a business-like deal. Since Peruvian upscale cuisine is an uprising trend I would like to hear recommendations and paring suggestions. Servers seemed relaxed which is good but not friendly at all. The hospitality of the restaurant is something that needs a little more attention.  Food does take a little time to reach the table but it is definitely worth the wait.

Food in La Mar is succulent, experimental and meticulous. I definitely recommend ordering the ceviche tasting. You will try the Elegance, Popular and Nikei. Elegance ceviche comes with "Leche de Tigre", a Peruvian seafood marinade which gives a delicious texture, flavor and color to the ceviche. The Popular is served with a green leche de tigre and garnished with crispy calamari, how can you beat crispy seafood on top of your ceviche, YUM! And last you'll have Nikei Ceviche which consists of Asian cucumber and ripe avocado in a tamarind leche de tigre giving it an Asian twist, after all Peru is very Asian-influenced.

My second course consisted of causas which are Peruvian whipped potatoes bite size appetizers (when I say bite size I mean for my big mouth). I never had this before but I was so happy I ordered it! It comes with a delicious presentation, lots of flavors going on but when it reaches your mouth it melts in a symphony of flavors. The causa I will recommend is the Oliva, you will find delicious octopus, piquillo peppers and avocados.

For my third course I enjoyed their famous Jalea and Octopus. Jalea was very interesting crispy fish belly, calamar, yucca, plantains and Peruvian corn. This dish is a must try. Their Octopus is incredible; smoked, juicy, garlicky... just writing about it makes me want to come back and order seven of them and stuff my face, literally.

La Mar is a restaurant you must visit. Delicious food and great atmosphere. My only criticism about service is based on the expectations this restaurant deserves. La Mar is a vision that will open the door to new tastes celebrating the Peruvian gastronomy.

Go and get some bites!

Thanks juicy biters. Leave your comments.

Welcome to Juicy Bites

Welcome Juicy Biters.

Juicy Bites food blog represents the personal opinion of its administrators. Blogs are based on personal experiences from a consumer point of view. Our criticism is based on our own extensive experience  in the culinary industry. Not to get too technical, this blog has been mainly formed to suggest new restaurants, dishes and good food found in the most remote places to the most elaborate establishments.

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