Gyro Uno

Remember back in October when I wrote that the best gyro in Astoria will be saved for another post? Well folks, the time has come! The best gyro in Astoria is found at Gyro Uno, located on Steinway on the corner of 28^th Avenue, right in the heart of Little Egypt. Living in Astoria, which boasts the largest Greek population outside of Greece, there seems to be a gyro spot on each block, each boasting the rights to the best gyro the universe has ever tasted. Gyro Uno claims no such thing, but is a humble restaurant offering a magnitude of options, such as soulvaki, pizza, pasta, breakfast (all day), salads, sandwiches, spanakopita, and of course, gyros; there is little that you cannot find on their menu. Usually I am cautious of places that specialize in one type of cuisine, yet offer so many varied dishes since the latter usually turns out to be a disappointment. However, I can confidently say the majority of items I have tried, gyros aside, have been really good as well.

interior

The gyro at Gyro Uno comes generously filled with perfectly seasoned and tender lamb, red onion, tzatziki sauce, fresh tomatoes, and parsley, sprinkled with paprika and wrapped in a soft, slightly warm pita. The gyro is so big and hearty in and of itself, and for $5, it truly is the best deal town. I wasn’t a huge fan of lamb gyros until I tried one at Gyro Uno. It is now the only place I will eat one. Everything on the Gyro Uno menu is inexpensive, especially compared to other places in the neighborhood. Another equally awesome tidbit: all the food at Gyro Uno is homemade, so their soups, meatballs, tzatziki sauce, everything is made in the kitchen. I discovered this when battling a cold, and looking for some good soup. Asking if the soups were homemade, one of my favorite waitresses there confirmed that it was, like everything else on the menu, homemade. And it turned out to be the best chicken noodle soup I have ever eaten at a restaurant. The spanakopita is equally great, and at $3.75 a piece, another great deal.  Their Greek Salad is another one of my favorites, filled with delicious olives and a thick piece of the best and freshest feta cheese I’ve tasted.

gyro at Gyro Uno

The waitresses are Gyro Uno are two charming, friendly older Greek woman, who alternate days, and who tell it like it is. You can trust them to be honest with you if you have questions about the menu. Gyro Uno is also cash-only.

Walking into Gyro Uno, you feel as though you are back in old Astoria, before the organic burger shops and brunch cafes sprung up everywhere. The place has been around for a long time, and the look hasn’t changed much either. The waitresses themselves are as engrained in the place as the faded menu pictures lining the walls. Although Gyro Uno doesn’t have the look of the ever-increasing trendy hotspots in Astoria, it is a gem, serving delicious, homemade food at unbeatable prices.

Euro Delights

It is true one can find any sort of food in Astoria, including a restaurant devoted to all types of crepes: sweet, savory, and breakfast crepes. While sweet and savory crepes are common, I had never encountered a breakfast crepe, and was eager to try one on a recent Saturday morning. Euro Delights is an unassuming creperie on Broadway that offers an endless amount of different crepe combinations, as well as breakfast dishes, Panini, burgers, wraps, and just about anything else you can think of. Their main specialty is the crepe, and it is my belief they should stick to that, but for all those crepe haters out there, Euro Delights has you covered too.

From the outside, Euro Delights looks like a typical diner, so I never gave it a second thought whenever I walked past it. It was after I found out they serve crepes that my interest was heightened. I’ve always found crepes to be a bit difficult to find in this city, where I have to wait for the Memorial Day through Labor Day street fairs to indulge in my love for crepes. Once I found out Euro Delights not only served crepes, but a whole bunch of different types of crepes, I had to give it a try.

from the outside

From the inside, Euro delights still looks like a typical diner. The place does not have much character in its orange walls and picturesque painted scenes of many unbeknownst harbors. A few lonely Snapples sit in an empty fridge in the back, and tables fill the main dining area.

interior

interior

dining area

The crepe selection is lengthy, but upon reading the descriptions of the crepes, you notice that they are just the different combinations of the same ten or so ingredients, mixed together in every way possible.  My friends and I all ended up ordering from the breakfast crepes selection, getting the La Basic Crepe, the Stallion Crepe, and the Maple Madness Crepe.

I ordered La Basic Crepe, which consisted of cheese, eggs, and ham (or salami). I chose this crepe because I wanted something simple where the flavors could really shine, and because in Brittany, the region in France where crepes and galettes were invented, this is a common savory galette that is served in every creperie. I thought it would be best to compare apples to apples.  When my La Basic came out, I was a bit disappointed – it did not look anything like the crepes I had from my time in Brittany. The crepe at Euro Delights consisted of scrambled eggs, mixed with cheese and pieces of ham folded inside the buckwheat crepe, whereas in Brittany, the crepes are served thinly, with melted cheese and thin layers of ham, with an ever so slightly cooked (or sometimes raw) egg laid delicately on top. While the crepes and galettes I got to eat in Brittany where absolutely delicious, I guess it is a bit unfair to compare the regional birthplace of a dish to a shop in Astoria, Queens. Putting that comparison aside, my crepe at Euro Delights was good. It was generously filled with my scrambled eggs, cheese, and ham mixture. While the flavors in my crepe were not as delicate, it was an enjoyable crepe that was made well.  It also came with a lone cucumber and tomato wedge covered in balsamic vinegar on the side, which left the cook in me confused and my taste buds offended. I believe this cucumber and tomato slice came with every breakfast crepe, which makes no sense from a culinary viewpoint, as not every crepe flavors’ on the menu harmoniously taste well with balsamic vinegar covered vegetables. It seems as if they were placed there as some sort of lazy attempt at a side or garnish. I had no care for them, and would rather have them not be on my plate, as the balsamic vinegar coat of course found its way on to my crepe.

La Basic Crepe

My friends ordered the Stallion and Maple Madness crepes. The Stallion was filled with cheese, eggs, sausage, caramelized onions, and green peppers. Why the owners didn’t just call it the Italian Stallion will remain a mystery to me. This crepe had the same scrambled eggs as mine did, with a zestier and fulfilling filling. The Maple Madness Crepe had bananas, walnuts, butter, and maple syrup, and came out with whipped crème and topped with powdered sugar and syrup. More of a sweet crepe than a breakfast crepe, it was great and also, generously filled.

the Stallion Crepe

the Maple Madness Crepe

I enjoyed my breakfast at Euro Delights, and will be visiting there again. For a creperie in Astoria, it is great and something we needed. The crepes are hearty and varied, which is nice for trying out new flavors you may not normally have thought of. With that said, there are some pretty wild combinations that do not appeal to me, but may appeal to others. I probably would not order from the breakfast selection again, due to my dislike for scrambled eggs in crepes. I have yet to try their sweet crepes but from what I saw with the Maple Madness Crepe, they seem to have their sweet crepes covered. The crepes will cost you between $6-$12.

Doral Donut Shop

Doral Donut Shop is not so much a place to buy doughnuts as it is a diner that offers simple and cheap food quickly. While Doral does offer a selection of doughnuts and pastries as seen through the window, the selection is feeble and in my times there, I have not seen them ordered by anyone. More often than not, patrons come here for the inexpensive breakfast and lunch food (club sandwiches, burgers) that you can find at any diner, but for a fraction of the price. Their breakfast special involves two eggs, home fries, toast, coffee, and juice for $3.75. Other breakfast items are similarly priced, with a decent amount of food for what you are paying. One can get the same quality and quantity of food at any other diner for easily double the cost.

Doral Donut Shop is small – there are about eight tables seating four, and counter seats lining the bar. On weekends, the shop is always at capacity, with quick turnaround for those wishing to eat-in. The waitresses are friendly, and consist of middle-aged European women in matching blue aprons, who seem to have been at Doral since its opening. The place has a no-frills, old school diner vibe; I appreciate this, as Doral does not try and seem like something it is not.  Although it is surrounded on Broadway by a multitude of upscale brunch houses, Doral stays true to its roots – good food, at a great price.

Doral from the outside

Doral from the inside

breakfast/lunch counter

open kitchen area

On a recent visit, I had a breakfast of two eggs, sunny side up, with ham, toast, home fries, and coffee. The eggs at Doral are always done as you please, and come out delicious. The ham was underneath my eggs, and slightly fried. The toast was perfectly browned and buttered, and the coffee was fresh and tasty. I have always enjoyed my breakfasts at Doral, but if I had to pinpoint anything that needs work, it would be the home fries. Though plentiful and mixed in with bits of peppers and onions, the potatoes lack some seasonings, and can be bland at times.

my breakfast

My friend ordered the Western omelette, which has ham, peppers, and onions mixed into the eggs. The omelette was flavorful and generously sized, and came with toast, home fries, and coffee and juice as well. All the breakfast items at Doral come included with the aforementioned sides, which still amazes me, as most diners charge extra for coffee and juice.

western omelette

Doral Donut Shop has been in Astoria for a long time, and is reminiscent of old-time family diners. It is full of locals, many of who come in with their families each weekend. In an ever-growing and gentrified part of Astoria, it is nice to still have a low-key place where you can go in, get inexpensively great food, and feel like you are far away from the trendy and crowded brunch places.

Mt. Olympus Bagels

Mention bagels to anyone in Astoria, and you will most likely hear the name Brooklyn Bagel getting tossed around.  With three locations in my neighborhood (and none in Brooklyn), Brooklyn Bagel is the popular choice for many Astorians looking for their fix.  I, however, prefer a far less hyped up joint, by the name of Mt. Olympus Bagels. While not as fancy and chic as Brooklyn Bagel, Mt. Olympus delivers fresh, delicious, and very reasonably priced bagels and coffee, which is all I really need from a bagel shop. So they don’t offer WiFi? It’s okay in my book.

What makes Mt. Olympus Bagels so delicious is the texture of their bagels. Soft and chewy on the inside, yet delicately firm on the outside, the bagels are always fresh. They are not overly huge, meaning, your bagel filling does not get lost in the pillows of dough. Being a huge fan of everything bagels, I feel Mt. Olympus has perfected the art of applying the seeds/seasonings to each side of the bagel without drowning it. You can taste the sea salt, and poppy seeds, and sesame seeds, and onion, without feeling engulfed in them.  In addition to the fine bagels (so fine, the gods of Olympus named this bagel place themselves), you can enjoy rapidly fast service, no matter how crowded, and a copy of a Greek newspaper, if you feel so inclined. All for a very affordable price.

Mt. Olympus from the outside

Mt. Olympus from the inside

My two usuals at Mt. Olympus are their ham-egg-cheese on an everything bagel, and their everything bagel with vegetable cream cheese.  Both have never disappointed me. Their ham-egg-cheese pairs deliciously with the flavors of the everything bagel, and their vegetable cream cheese is equally tasty. They are also generous with their spreads, which I enjoy.

ham-egg-cheese on an everything bagel

I wasn’t impressed upon first seeing Mt. Olympus on my initial visit. The place is a hole in the wall from the outside, and the inside is nothing special. However, once I tasted the bagels, I knew this was not your average bagel shop. Thank you, MB, for introducing me to this place that I might never have given a chance.