El Ay Si

Although not technically within the borders of Astoria, El Ay Si is worth a notable nod as a creatively comforting restaurant in Long Island City. Located on Vernon Boulevard, and rubbing shoulders with a handful of emerging restaurants and bars in the blossoming LIC food scene, El Ay Si focuses their menu on comfort food classics such as Mac n’Cheese and Slow Cooked Pressed Pork Belly while also experimenting with some not so traditional combinations.

Considering how much I had heard about El Ay Si, I was surprised at how small and narrow the restaurant was. Entering El Ay Si’s thick velvet curtains, you are greeted with the bar area. Walking past the bar and accompanying tables, you enter a narrow hallway filled with intimate, cozy, dark wood booths for two, featuring high backs and set beside a brick wall. The ambience is perfectly romantic and warm. Walking further back, you enter a more open bar room, featuring a large table for six, a bookcase hosting memorabilia and a collection of wine bottles, the restroom (which gains bonus points for being cute), and a door to an outside area which may not actually be in use. Graffiti artwork splashes the areas opposite the brick walls, a possible homage to the graffiti scene in LIC (and home to graffiti Mecca 5 Pointz).

hallway 

graffiti + ceiling

 My companion and I looked over the drink menu, and being fans of the deliciously white Sauvignon Blanc, ordered two glasses. Within a few minutes, our waitress came back, apologizing that they had in fact run out of Sauvignon Blanc but had this other white that we might like – Falanghina. She proceeded to give us each a sample of the wine, which we fell in love with, and also wrote down the name for us for future reference. This going above and beyond typical waitress duties had a lasting impression, and is a definite strength of the place.

We started our meal with the Grilled Calamari Small Bites. The calamari was fresh, and lightly seasoned with olive oil, garlic, lime, and sea salt. The flavorings were subtle, and accentuated the taste of the squid and olive oil. It was a great appetizer that did not leave us feeling overly full. For our dinner, we opted for one of the specials of the night, a Brisket Sandwich served with sweet potato fries (which we substituted for tater tots), and the Pulled Pork Tacos al Pastor.  The Brisket Sandwich was perfectly spiced and seasoned, and the meat was tender. The tater tots were also cooked perfectly - flawlessly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Grilled Calamari

Brisket Sandwich + Tater Tots

The Pulled Pork Tacos al Pastor featured grilled pineapple and caramelized onions inside the soft tacos, and sat atop a market salad, featuring pico de gallo, cilantro, and a flavorful citrus based dressing. The pork tacos were very tender, however they were laden with grease. The grilled pineapple and caramelized onions both added a sweetness in flavor to the meat.

Pulled Pork Tacos al Pastor w. Market Salad

The Cookies and Cream – fried Oreos with vanilla ice cream - was our dessert of choice. This comfort food classic was a great end to our night. Covered in a light, sweet dough, the fried Oreos were warm and reminiscent of childhood.

Cookies and Cream

The meals at El Ay Si offer a spin on classic comfort food, executed with precise details to make each dish the best it can be. The restaurant vibe leaves me craving more time in the private booths. El Ay Si features brunch on weekends, and features a Kid’s Menu for tiny tots and full bar for the big kids. They are closed Mondays and Tuesdays. This is a place I will recommend for the great staff, relaxed environment, and fun takes on American dishes.

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.

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.