The Diplomat's Guide to Dining: New York City & Beyond

Back to Astoria – This Time for Authentic Czech Cuisine

Our diplomat dining adventure recently led me to a blog, Every Restaurant in Astoria, which is someone's attempt to eat at every (non-fast-food) restaurant in Astoria. "Like Sisyphus, but with gyros." Not a bad idea, considering the restaurants we've discovered in the area, the most recent being Czech. Murray got this recommendation from a diplomat at a reception of the Consulate of the Czech Republic at some point this summer: Zlata Praha, in Astoria, serves the most authentic Czech cuisine of any restaurant in New York City.

So, what is Czech cuisine? Well, we discovered it's not exactly health food (I was two pounds heavier on the scale the next morning), but it is delicious. I think the term "comfort food" may have been invented to describe this particular cuisine – lots of meats and starches, and not too many vegetables other than red and green cabbage cooked in a variety of ways. And, there's beer. Some say Czech beer is the best in the world; I'll say I certainly liked what we had:

Our friends Carole and Wayne accompanied us on this adventure, which was lucky, because Carole, through her family heritage, knows a thing or two about Eastern European cuisine and was able to help steer our food selection.

Here's what we ate:

Appetizers

• Pirogi
• Potato Pancakes
• Sausage (Klobasa)
• Stuffed Cabbage Rollentine (served in an unbelievably delicious tomato sauce, which we sopped up with potato dumplings)

Entrees

• Chicken Paprikash
• Bohemian Sauerbrauten
• Czech Platter for Two (includes duck, pork loin, smoked pork, assorted cabbages, and dumplings; the duck was particularly noteworthy)

Dessert

• Crepes a la mode
• Apple Strudel a la mode
• Fruit dumplings

We didn't eat everything (we carried the leftovers home, of course). But those two additional pounds are not so surprising, are they? Nevertheless, I'll definitely go back. The food was beyond delicious, and our waitress was helpful and excited to share the food and stories about the restaurant with us. Plus, I'm learning to love Astoria, even though Zlata Praha is not in the most picturesque neighborhood (right next to the above-ground N train).

We were probably the only non-Czech-speaking table in the place.  A famous Czech singer, Karel Gott, was in town as part of his 2009 American Tour, and he presided over a nearby table. (His September performances in NYC graced both The Town Hall and the Bohemian National Hall.) And when we asked our waitress about the Czechs who play for the NY Rangers, she told us that their bar on nights of Rangers games is filled with fans.  Certainly Zlata Praha wears its heritage with pride; decorations like this cover the walls:

Our bill, including tip, was about $175 -- not too bad for four of us, considering the quantities we ate.  And those two pounds, they were easily taken care of over the next couple of days through a little extra exercise and a little restraint.

In case it's not already obvious, this is not a good spot for vegetarians, but a definite "must-try" for carnivores, especially in those autumn and winter months when comfort food tastes especially good. 

Where and When  

Zlata Praha
28-48 31st Street
Astoria, NY 11102

(718) 721-6422  

N Train to 30th Avenue  

www.zlatapraha.cc  

Note: The kitchen closes at 11:00 pm all nights, but you can stay and drink as indicated below.

Tuesday to Thursday
11:30 am - 2:00 am

Friday and Saturday
11:30 am - 4:00 am

Sunday
12:00 pm - 2:00 am

Zlata Praha is closed on Mondays.

Another Restaurant Adventure in Astoria: This Time, Egyptian

I sometimes describe this Diplomat Dining adventure to friends as "a trip around the world without leaving New York."  I haven’t felt that way more strongly than last Saturday evening, as we left the diplomat-recommended Egyptian restaurant … The block of Steinway street was lined with outdoor cafes where men smoked from hookahs and women in hijabs strolled past with their children.  We were in Little Egypt, and we had just eaten at Mombar, the restaurant Murray’s contact in the Egyptian Consulate recommended as serving the most authentic Egyptian cuisine in New York City.

The owner and chef of Mombar spent years decorating both the interior and exterior of his restaurant.  The result is an eclectic mixture that somehow all works together without a hint of pretension. There are only about 10 tables, the “staff” appears to consist of the chef and the waiter, and most (perhaps all) of the cooking seems to happen in a small kitchen by the front door. We sat in front, next to a hand-painted window and surrounded by cushions of various textiles.  Even the tabletops are hand-designed.  And, as we were soon to discover, the chef is as creative with his food as with the décor. 

For this meal, we were three hungry diners – Our son, Ben, joined Murray and me. The Mombar menu is not extensive, so even just three of us were able to get a good sampling without overdoing it too badly.  We of course made our selections with help from our waiter, telling him we wanted to try the most authentic Egyptian dishes.

We started with a couple of appetizers – first, a medley of hommus, babaganouj, and foul (an Egyptian fava bean dip), which was garnished with apples, served on a large triangular plate, and could almost have been a meal unto itself. 

Then, on the waiter’s specific recommendation, we tried something that wasn’t on the menu and whose name we were unfortunately never able to get:  The waiter delivered a small casserole dish containing ground lamb cooked with Mediterranean spices, and then at the table he mixed in some egg, which cooked on the spot as he stirred the concoction.  He told us to eat it with the bread, which we did – and it all disappeared quite quickly.  You might say we liked it a lot … so much so, in fact, that I forgot to take a picture.

For entrées, we selected:

• Lamb tajeen over couscous: Lamb braised in a clay pot with vegetables, dried fruit, and “chef’s special spices” and accompanied by a pyramid of rice

• Da-jaj fel-forn: Chicken with rice, vegetables, herbs and spices

 

• Ar-nab moulekhia: Rabbit served with moulekhia and rice

Yes, if you read our post about the diplomat-recommended Lebanese restaurant, Naya, there was that moulekhia again!  And Murray and I decided that, yes, it is good, and apparently very traditional in the Middle East, but a meal of it twice in two weeks is enough to last a while.  The rabbit was quite tender … And since our vegetable garden in New Jersey has been invaded by hungry rabbits the past two summers, we didn’t feel a bit guilty about eating Peter Cottontail.

For those less carnivorous, there’s a vegetarian couscous dish on the menu, in addition to several vegetarian appetizers, so – although I would hardly call this a vegetarian destination – one certainly could have a decent no-meat meal here.  Wine and beer are both available as well.

I always like to try a dessert, so we shared one.  At the subtle urging of the waiter, we went for the “chef’s surprise.”  As he put it, “You haven’t been disappointed yet, have you?  So why not try this one?”  He claimed he couldn’t tell us the name, even after we had eaten it, because it is the chef’s own creation.  It seemed to be pears cooked in a sweet syrup and topped with shredded wheat.  Needless to say, it was delicious.

Our bill, including wine and tip, totaled $150.  We've found so far that roughly $50 a person has been the case at most of the diplomat-recommended restaurants we’ve visited. Mombar accepts cash only; no credit cards.  But we did discover an ATM in a bodega down the street.

I’m learning to like Astoria quite a lot!  A great Cypriot restaurant discovered in June and now Egyptian.   We do, however, have more in Manhattan up our sleeves, too.  Last night, we tried German.  Look for that posting soon.

Where and When

Mombar
25-22 Steinway St
Astoria, NY 11103

Subway: N to Astoria Blvd

(718) 726-2356

Sunday through Saturday
5:00 – 10:30pm

Closed Monday

 

Authentic Cypriot Restaurant Worth a Trip to Astoria

Last night we had what may prove to be one of the more memorable meals in this journey of trying out restaurants recommended by diplomats.  We ate at the place a senior consular official from Cyprus recommended to Murray as the most authentic Cypriot restaurant in New York City.  It’s in Queens, Astoria to be precise.  The name? Zenon Taverna.

A bit of background may be helpful in understanding Cypriot cuisine: Cyprus is a large island in the Mediterranean, south of Turkey and east of Greece, with an unfortunate history of strife and division between two ethnic communities – the “Greek Cypriots” and the “Turkish Cypriots.” The cuisine has much in common with Greek and Turkish food, but from our conversations with our waitress, we learned that Zenon Taverna is proudly Cypriot.

The Zenon menu is lengthy, with many items that are hard to resist.  We dealt with this by including our son, Ben, and friends Carole and Wayne in this adventure and then by focusing on the Mezedes, which are collections of appetizers to share.  We chose the Cyprus Meze (ordered for two people), the Fish Meze (also ordered for two people), and then one “Daily Cooking” dish, Roasted Leg of Spring Lamb.  We also drank plenty of Retsina, a dry white wine with a very light pine resin flavor.

The Mezedes on their own would have been plenty for the five of us.  Below a picture of my plate with a bit of many of the different dishes – but this is less than half of what was included overall.  Our favorites were the Tarama (Red Caviar Dip), the Octapodaki Salada (Octopus Salad), Octapodaki (Grilled Octopus), Ortikia (Quails), and Loukaniko Spitisio (Cyprus Sausage).  The pita bread was also out of this world.

We chose Mezedes that featured meat and fish, but some delicious vegetarian appetizers (including Tahini, Tzantziki, and an eggplant dip) were also included, as was a very nice Cyprus salad of lettuce, cukes, tomatoes, olives and feta cheese.  The rest of the menu is also quite comprehensive, with a good selection of vegetarian entrees.

Although we were stuffed after the Mezedes and our roasted lamb plate, we did want to try the desserts.  Our very wonderful and friendly waitress (who we learned is one of the daughters of the owner) brought us a tray with a sample of each type of dessert. 

We selected Glyko Karidaki (a soft-shelled walnut preserved in sugar syrup with cinnamon, at left in photo), Shamali (a semolina cake with almonds, rosewater and cinnamon, top left in photo), and the Lady Fingers (handmade by our waitress’ mother, center in photo).  A couple of us topped this off with authentic Greek coffee.

The restaurant has about 20 tables downstairs, and there’s evidently a banquet room upstairs that can be used for events.  Last night was not a busy night, but our waitress told us that this was unusual for a Saturday, and that reservations are highly recommended.

Our bill, including plenty of delicious food for five of us, some to carry home for lunch today, our Retsina, three desserts, and a generous tip for our exceptional waitress, was $225.  Important to know: Zenon accepts cash only; no credit cards.  But there is evidently an ATM close by, to which the menu graciously provides directions.

Family owned and operated, Zenon is a good reason all by itself to head for Astoria.

Where and When

Zenon Taverna
34-10 31st Avenue
Astoria, NY  11106

Subway: R to Steinway Street, or N to 30th Avenue

(718) 956-0133

zenontaverna.com

7 Days a Week
11:00am – 11:00 pm

Full liquor license