Thai Pavilion

Entering Thai Pavilion evokes bygone sentiments with a feel straight out of the 90s: plastic flowers in vases on each table, black chairs tucked into pink clothed tables, with white floors and white walls adorned with nondescript framed paintings. A faded photograph of a young Brad Pitt and Harrison Ford decked out in sunglasses and enjoying some beers on their off time from the 1997 thriller The Devil’s Own hanging on the doorway completes the picture.

interior of Thai Pavilion

interior 

interior

Past era décor aside, Thai Pavilion offers fresh, delicious food at very affordable prices, with a speed that cannot be matched. Located on the bustling 30^th Avenue, sandwiched between the newly re-opened hotspot Flo, and newcomer Butcher Bar (each garnering their unique clientele), Thai Pavilion stands its ground. The real estate at Thai Pavilion is huge for Astoria restaurant standards, with ample seating and a deep interior. Thai Pavilion also recently opened another Astoria location near Astoria Park on 21^st Street. 

On a recent visit, my friend and I ordered the Beef Pad Khow-Pow On and the Chicken Pad Ka Na, each served with a pyramid of rice. The Beef Pad Khow-Pow On is served with baby corn, mushrooms, onions, and scallions (amoungst other vegetables), and tender, juicy beef.  The Chicken Pad Ka NA consists of chicken sautéed with Chinese broccoli, garlic, and oyster sauce. The Chinese broccoli was perfectly firm and fresh, and the oyster sauce gave the meat and vegetables a rich flavor.  While nice and savory at first, the sauce ended up tasting excessively salty as I ate the dish. The portions are sized as portions should be, unlike Leng, whose dishes can be made into two meals. A steady stream of patrons came and ate at Thai Pavilion, and many others came in for takeout. 

Beef Pad Khow-Pow On

Chicken Pad Ka Na

I believe Thai Pavilion deserves its location on 30^th Avenue. Amongst many trendy, new, and ever evolving restaurants, Thai Pavilion has stayed rooted in its slot, offering inexpensive, tasty Thai cuisine. 

It's good to have somebody around here who can pee standing up

Sanford's Restaurant

Sanford’s opened in 1922 as a 24-hour, 7-days a week coffee shop on Broadway, right under the Broadway train stop. However, from the looks of it, one would never guess it has been opened for 90 years, save for the old photographs that line the foor to ceiling windows in the front of the restaurant. The worn and faded photographs of old Sanford’s show a small, quaint, traditional diner and coffee shop. When the Karalekas brothers took over Sanford’s Restaurant, they transformed this space into the trendy, modern restaurant it is now. Looking into Sanford’s Restaurant today, you would not guess the rich history this space has.

Sanford’s has historically been a diner, and today offers remnants of this history combined with its more upscale present. It is still open 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, and offers a large and varied menu of American cuisine. Sanford’s is well-known in Astoria for their brunch special, and each Saturday and Sunday, expect to see a line of people standing outside waiting for a table.

The décor at Sanford’s is trendy and modern. Dim lights and candles on the tables provide a seductive glow, with sleek wood paneling and mirror lining the perimeter. There are a few center tables in the front, however the majority of the seating comes from dark leather booths lining the walls. There is a bar area which serves a surprisingly large assortment of wines, and provides additional seating.

booth seating 

bar area

interior

Upon being seated by the hostess, the waiter brought over a generously filled bread basket, containing various rolls and seeded crackers. The bread was fresh, and I especially enjoyed the white bread and raisin roll. The menu at Sanford’s Restaurant goes a few steps above and beyond your traditional diner fare. Aside from sandwiches, salads, and burgers, one can order an assortment of pastas, entrees, quesadillas, and appetizers. Additionally, any main dish you order comes with a cup of soup or organic greens. The soups offered the day I went were Lobster Bisque and Chicken Orzo. My friends are I ordered the Calamari Arrabiata as an appetizer, and the Sanfords Panini, Crab Cake Sandwich, and the Organic Whole Wheat Linguine, as well as the Chicken Orzo soup and two salads as the accompaniments.

bread assortment

The Chicken Orzo is made from scratch, and was fulfilling and rich. The Organic Greens come topped with marinated cherry tomatoes and red onion, with their homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing. In terms of included side salads, this I one of the best I’ve had. The Organic Greens are a refreshing substitute for the usual romaine, and the marinated tomatoes add a deep flavor.  Their dressing is on the thick side, and can be a bit sweet, but it tastes great with the greens and vegetables.

Organic Greens salad

The Calamari Arrabiata consisted of fried calamari topped with a cherry pepper and plum tomato sauce that the menu describes as sweet and spicy. The calamari rings were fresh and thick, with the sauce tasting more sweet than spicy. The calamari wasn’t very crispy, but that wasn’t a bad thing, as this let the favor of the calamari shine, rather than the thickly breaded, deep fried coating.

Calamari Arrabiata

My Sanfords Panini was filled with grilled chicken, apple wood bacon, sliced apples, brie, and their signature honey mustard on ciabatta bread. The sandwich also came with blue tortilla strips served upright in a tin cup, and what looked like a chipotle mayo sauce on the side. The panini was hearty, and the taste of the sweet apples, smokey bacon, strong brie, and honey mustard with the grilled chicken was a delicious combination. The blue tortilla chips were not greasy and a good side for the sandwich.  I did not care for the chipotle mayo which looked like it had been sitting out for a bit.

Sanfords Panini

The Crab Cake sandwich came on a slightly grilled brioche bun, with lettuce, tomato, and pesto aioli. The menu says that they use only lump crabmeat, resulting in a tasty and delicious crab cake patty. This sandwich came with a side of sweet potato fries, also presented vertically in a tin cup. The sweet potato fries came hot and super crispy, a definite plus in my book considering how hard it is to get sweet potatoes that crispy. They were amazing.

Crab Cake Sandwich

The Organic Whole Wheat Linguine featured a ragu of organic chicken - sun dried cranberry -apple sausage with organic whole wheat linguine. The serving was plentiful, and the noodles came out tossed in the ragu and fresh peas. I found the ragu to be too much sweet side, due to the cranberry and apple flavorings, but had it not been so sweet, this would be a solid dish.

Organic Whole Wheat Linguine

While the food at Sanford’s doesn’t blow me away, the range of dishes you can get at any time of the day or night is impressive. Prices on the menu range from $9 -$14 for burgers and sandwiches, to $15 - $17 for pastas and entrees. Taking into account the soup or salad that comes with each meal, and the bread basket, you get a lot of food for the price you’re paying. While the modern/trendy vibe at Sanford’s appeals to a certain crowd in Astoria, a part of me thinks if the owners kept the old-school diner similar to the way it was in 1922, that would also appeal to some clientele. As more and more restaurants come and go in Astoria, it’d be nice to see once that withstands the test of time and be able to enjoy it the way visitors did 90 years ago.

Butcher Bar

Butcher Bar opened this past December to a flurry of hype, with critics, bloggers, and food enthusiasts raving about the part butcher shop, part barbecue restaurant that only carries locally sourced meats and vegetables. All their meats are antibiotic and hormone free, pasture raised, and grass fed, and come from a variety of nearby local farms, which are noted on a weekly basis on the blackboard inside the place (“This week’s farms are…”). Demand was so high opening week at Butcher Bar, that lunch service had to be temporarily suspended to keep up with the catering and dinner orders that poured in. Long before Butcher Bar opened, there were little clues gradually uncovering what this reconstructed space would be: first came the emblem of a cow’s head with the words “Got Grass?” underneath stamped on the wooden boards of a construction site across the street (adjacent to Pita Pan – they are still there!). Then came the vertical sign reading “Smoke” above the still under construction space, which led my friend and I to make guesses on what these place could be. My friend guessed a cigar shop. I guessed a barbecue spot. Then came the meat cleaver iron door handle on the outside door, leading me to believe, and get very excited for some sort of new, cooler take on your classic butcher shop. It wasn’t until I found out it was part organic, locally sourced butcher shop plus barbecue joint did all the clues come together – this is a genius idea. What better place to enjoy barbecue meats then in an actual butcher shop located within the restaurant, with real life butchers and meat connoisseurs on hand? Not only that, but Butcher Bar prides itself on not owning a freezer, ensuring nothing is ever frozen, not even their ice cream that comes with the apple pie. While we Astoria folks are very fortunate enough to still have a solid handful of good butcher shops in our neighborhood, we are not so lucky in the barbecue cuisine area, save for John Brown Smokehouse located 1.5 miles away from Butcher Bar.

A sign above the butcher area ties together Butcher Bar’s philosophy well: We cook what we sell, sell what we cook.  The interior of Butcher Bar consists of a seating area in the front, with a butcher’s counter behind the seating displaying various cuts of meats, burgers, and sausages. Further inside the restaurant there are shelves alongside the wall displaying various butcher guidebooks, cookbooks, and general items for purchase, including Butcher Bar’s popular dry-rub, various organic spices, apple butter, and their organic noodles that go into the Mac & Cheese. Deeper within is a door leading to a backyard area, which should be open in the summer for outdoor barbecues. The whole store is lined in wood, and has a rustic vibe. Alternative music plays in the background, a refreshing change from the usual club music blasting from the majority of shops on 30^th Avenue. While we were waiting to be seated, a waitress brought us each a warm Corncake from their menu, which featured a hint of Honey Butter. The Corncakes were delicious and the perfect mini-muffin size. Butcher Bar fills up fast, and the dining area is small, however, with their speedy service, turnaround is quick, and well worth the wait.

interior

interior

butcher counter

interior w. the Got Grass stamp

interior

dining area

My friend and I ordered the Smoked Pulled Pork Sandwich and Beef Brisket Sandwich, each coming with house slaw and a pickle. We also ordered the Sauteed String Beans and Creamy Mac & Cheese as our sides. Butcher Bar also serves natural Maine Root sodas made with organic evaporated cane juice, replacing the corn syrup found in most sodas, and their Butcher Bar Iced Tea, sweet or sugar-free. I ordered the Maine Root Mexicane Diet Cola, which was very sweet due to the Stevia used in the beverage. My dining companion ordered the Butcher Bar Sugar-Free Iced Tea, which did not taste particularly special. There is a television facing the dining area which shows a loop of a cow sketch outlining the cuts of meat, as well as various photos of hanging meat and raw cuts of meat. I don’t think that is the most desirable thing to be watching on a screen while you’re eating, so that was a bit off-putting.

dining area

Our food came out literally four minutes after ordering. The Smoked Pulled Pork sandwich is described as tender, juicy, and dressed in BBQ sauce. I was apprehensive about ordering this, as more often than not, when restaurants serve pulled pork sandwiches, they come smothered in BBQ sauce, which greatly overpowers the flavor of the meat. A chalkboard in Butcher Bar explained that the meats are smoked using dry rubs first, with sauces added later in the process. I asked our waitress, which confirmed the pulled pork had BBQ sauce on it. However, I was happily surprised to find the meat came out with just the right amount of BBQ sauce drizzled on top, not soaking in it. The Pulled Pork is exactly as described, each bite tender and juicy. Each table features two sauces – Original, which is their BBQ sauce, and Sweet & Sour, which has a more subtle BBQ taste, enhanced with sweet spices with a bit of a kick. I was able to dress my sandwich as I pleased using these sauces. My sauce of choice: the Sweet & Sour. The house slaw was phenomenal, with crisp, fresh shredded vegetables in a light, tangy mayonnaise. The Creamy Mac & Cheese was tasty, with big macaroni noodles covered in a rich cheese sauce.

Smoked Pulled Pork Sandwich w. Creamy Mac & Cheese

The Beef Brisket Sandwich features 12-hour slow smoked brisket, which is so tender, it melts in your mouth. Brisket can normally be a tough meat to eat, but this one is anything but tough, and easy to bite into. The Sauteed String Beans are cooked with bacon and onions, and have a nice, smoky flavor to them.  The portions at Butcher Bar are on the small side, which I enjoyed, and helps you not feel overstuffed once your indulgent meal is done.

Beef Brisket Sandwich w. Sauteed String Beans

Aside from the barbecue offered, one can also purchase a range of pork, beef, chicken, lamb and turkey cuts available by the pound. Butcher Bar is a happy and much needed barbecue addition to 30^th Avenue. I enjoyed my barbecue there, and look forward to trying some of their other fresh offerings. Not only is the food delicious, but it is all locally sourced and hormone and antibiotic free, which is something you can feel great about.