Canz a Citi Roadhouse

Canz a Citi Roadhouse is your typical neighborhood sports bar, serving bar food, an extensive beer list, over twenty TVs showcasing the different games, and employing “Canz-a-Citi Girls.” What is a Canz-a-Citi Girl you may ask? Well, the website defines them as girls (emphasis on the word girl, as you are out of luck to find a woman over 25 here) “who wear their signature denim shorts, black tank tops, and timbaland boots.” I wouldn’t go so far as to call their “signature denim shorts” anything resembling a complete article of clothing, but to each their own. You can take a look for yourself soon enough, as VH1 is planning a show called Canz, a reality show on what it takes to be a Canz girl. One can also purchase a Canz-a-Citi calendar, filled with artistic bikini shots of some of the favorite Canz girls.

I had walked past Canz many a time, mostly to visit Queens Comfort right next door. On game days, the place gets pretty full, and the majority of customers lean towards the male, athletic types. Or the types that like to get a side of eye candy with their burger. Although I was hesitant to give this place a shot, my curiosity was peaked after seeing what looked like an outdoor area in the back stacked with wine barrels.

The outdoor area turned out to be a faux outdoor area, with a transparent skyroof that can be reeled down for a more open air style. The décor does not stray far from the mandatory sports bar scene, with lots of TVs everywhere you look, wooden tables, a large bar with stools, and the faux outdoor area decorated with empty wine barrels, hubcaps, and license plates from different states strewn on the wall. Unfortunately Canz gets their cable through satellite, which caused bouts of blackout due to the rain on my visit. The music was loud, and features Top 40 pop hits.

wine barrels

interior

hubcap + license plate wall

The food at Canz features Burgerz, Sandwichez, Wrapz, Appetizerz, and more of your average bar food. And yes, every single word ending in an S (and then some) is replaced with a Z in the menu, which got under my skin more than anything in the restaurant. I can’t really take your food seriously when I’m presented with “Canz-a-Citi Quezadillaz”, “Grilled Chicken Ceazar Wrap” and “Choice of Mozzarella, Cheddar, Jack, Swiss, or American Cheezez.” Reading the menu is agitating for anyone who uses basic grammar and spelling, and leaves me to wonder who was tasked in writing the menu.

Our waitress was nice, albeit a bit awkward. She was trying to be playful, but did not get much attention or interaction from us. Canz starts each table off with a bowl of popcorn. The popcorn wasn’t fresh, and tasted like the premade bags you buy at the grocer. My friends and I ordered the Chicken Club sandwich with tater tots, the Buffalo Chicken sandwich with fries, and the Buffalo Chicken sandwich (turned into a wrap) with a side salad. Ordering the Buffalo Chicken wrap took about six minutes too long. I told the waitress I wanted the Buffalo Chicken sandwich in a wrap, and seeing as they had a whole wrap section, I did not see what would be so difficult about this. Substitute the brioche roll for a wrap, you’re golden. Our waitress, however, did not understand that this could be done, because the buffalo chicken was one whole piece of chicken. She then asked if I wanted ranch on it like the Chicken Ceazar wrap, which led to more confusion. After another explanation of what I wanted registered, we were good to go. And I was very curious as to what I was actually going to get.

Difficulties aside, I did end up getting (mostly) what I ordered (no celery), with the Buffalo Chicken cleverly cut up into small pieces to fit into the wrap. The wrap was a good, standard Buffalo Chicken wrap. My side salad consisted of mesclun greens with chopped onions, carrots, and tomatoes overflowing on top, making it a bit hard to eat and add dressing to.

Buffalo Chicken wrap + side salad

The Buffalo Chicken sandwich was a solid sandwich, and the fries were crispy and light, perfect by my standardz.

Buffalo Chicken sandwich + fries

The Chicken Club sandwich consisted of a fried chicken cutlet topped with pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and bacon ranch dressing on a toasted brioche bun. Again, this was good, nothing amazing, but also a fulfilling choice. The tater tots were also crispy and light, and fried perfectly.

Chicken Club sandwich + tater tots

All in the all, the food was okay, typical of what one would expect at a sports bar. A lot of the allure to these types of places is not so much the food, but the atmosphere -- being able to catch all your sports games, while enjoying your favorite beer and some food, in a loud, boisterous environment with your friends. And for some, the icing on the cake (and to others, the actual cake) is having that special Canz-a-Citi girl serving you.

The Queens Kickshaw

I had been curious to try The Queens Kickshaw for a while, having seen the much hyped about establishment on various blogs, articles, and media outlets since its opening this past March. The Queens Kickshaw specializes in fancy and alternative grilled cheese sandwiches, but upon my recent visit, I discovered it also has a fine and impressive selection of coffees, teas, sodas, cider, and craft ales.

The Queens Kickshaw

Knowing that The Queens Kickshaw was mainly a grilled cheese shop, and a popular one at that, I waited until I could go for lunch during the work week, when I thought it would not be as crowded as a weekend afternoon. The place is simply decorated, yet amazingly beautiful.  High ceilings reveal vintage tiled molds, with ironwork and lamps surrounding the perimeter of the space.  Rustic light bulbs hang from iron spools above the bar. Industrial iron tables line the main dining area, with a larger wooden communal table in the middle for sharing. Beautiful wooden floors harmoniously brings the look together, alongside a patch of exposed brick in the front of the house, complete with moustache felt appliqués to warmly welcome the hipsters that come seeking refuge in this home-away-from-Brooklyn abode.

Describing The Queens Kickshaw as simply a grilled cheese spot is inadequate. The feel of the place is more reminiscent of an independent coffee shop, with a large variety of coffees in house, free wifi, and a staff that does not mind you sitting on your laptop for hours at a time. The main counter area is split by the coffee counter and the open kitchen, both of which provide seating where you can watch your sandwiches being made or your V60 Pour Over Coffee being dripped right in front of you.

interior

ceiling + light bulbs

interior hallway

communal table

Being a coffee and cider aficionado, I was so impressed over their selection of coffees and ciders. Living in Astoria, there is not much variety of coffee other than the 24 hour Dunkin’ Donuts and coffee you can get at the corner bodega. Queens Comfort offers Stumptown, which is as exotic a coffee I thought existed in this neck of the woods. That is, until I discovered The Queens Kickshaw, which serves beans from Coffee Lab Roasters based in Tarrytown, New York.  The Queens Kickshaw offers your usual espresso based drinks, along with V60 Pour Over Coffee. They also have two types of Japanese Green Tea, and you can take home one liter growlers of Cold Brewed Coffee.  I ordered the Honduras Finca Liquidambar Catuai, which according to the description has flavors of “plum, milk chocolate, subtle grapefruit, pleasant acidity.” I did not taste any of those flavors, and I am sure if you gave me a sample of each of the other coffees I couldn’t taste fig or leather either, but flowery descriptions aside, the coffee was good. My friend ordered the much talked about Iced Matcha Green Tea, which came out a vibrant shade of green, which was also good, and very potent.

pour over coffee + iced matcha green tea

The Queens Kickshaw has a plethora of craft beers, ciders, and wine to pair with your grilled cheese sandwich.  I was impressed I had never heard of the ciders offered and in awe of just how many they had.  In the United States, I am lucky to even find a bar that serves Strongbow. They also serve P&H Soda Co. syrups in all natural flavors such as hibiscus, ginger, and sarsaparilla, which they mix with seltzer once ordered.

The menu at The Queens Kickshaw is a bit limited. They have their eight signature grilled cheese sandwiches, a few cheese plates, some soups and salads, three snacks, and a mac & cheese and a stuffing as a main dish. They also have two desserts. I ordered the Gouda grilled cheese, while my friend ordered the Gruyere.  Reading the description for the Gouda sandwich made me really skeptical at first. The Gouda sandwich consists of black bean hummus, guava jam, and pickled jalapenos on brioche and comes with a green salad with a jalapeno vinaigrette.  While I do love guava and guava jam, the thought of the sweetness of the fruit mixed with the jalapenos and cheese instantly made me hate it; I am not a fan of sweet and savory combinations. I was so close to not ordering it, but heard and later confirmed with our server that it was the most popular menu item, so I had to give it a shot. And it was amazing. The guava jam does not overpower the sandwich like I thought it would, and the sweetness of the jam with the added kick of the jalapenos mixed with the cheese and buttery, toasty brioche bread gave it such a wonderfully unique flavor. The sandwich exceeded my expectations, and I was pleasantly surprised with the depth of the flavors. The green side salad that came along with it was delicious as well, and I really liked how the jalapeno vinaigrette complemented my sandwich. In fact, all the grilled cheese sandwiches come with a side that has flavors which reflect the sandwich.

gouda grilled cheese

gouda grilled cheese

My friend chose the Gruyere sandwich which consisted of pickled and caramelized onions on rye with Napa cabbage-caraway slaw. The flavors of this sandwich were good, and meet expectations but it lacked the wow factor that my Gouda sandwich had.  In the words of my friend, it was good, but not a home run. The slaw that came with the sandwich had caraway seeds sprinkled throughout, which complemented the rye bread the sandwich was on.

gruyere grilled cheese

For dessert, we ordered the bread pudding, which came out warm. The bread pudding was flavorful and moist, but lacked the sauce we were hoping it would come with and the orange caramel sauce described.

bread pudding

Our server was very nice, albeit forgetful, forgetting to bring us water after we asked, and asking us what sandwiches we had ordered after taking our order. I did not mind however, as he gave us our space and time, which is congruent with the atmosphere of the place.

I was very happy with my experience at The Queens Kickshaw, and will be there again, although getting me to stray from the Gouda grilled cheese will be hard. I would like to see The Queens Kickshaw expand their menu and selection of grilled cheeses – with so many cheese options out there, it would be cool to see new combinations of sandwiches. The portions at The Queens Kickshaw are small. Even going there for lunch, I did not feel completely satisfied with just my sandwich, but ordering the bread pudding filled the void. Prices lean towards the expensive, with my Gouda grilled cheese running $10, and the other sandwiches similarly priced. As of now, it is also cash only.

I loved the ambience and décor of the place, and their selection of coffees and ciders is to be envied. I think it is awesome that you can come here and do work while enjoying a coffee, without angry stares from the servers.  The music selection is great as well; in my time there I heard two Strokes songs quietly in the background, mixed in with hip-hop from the likes of Outkast and Biggie Smalls. This is a refreshing break from the usual club music blasting in most restaurants in Astoria.  This place definitely draws in the hipster crowd, and is something you could see being in Brooklyn. The Queens Kickshaw is open at 7:30am Monday to Friday (9:00am on weekends), with sandwiches starting at 11:00am. Closing time is 1:00am.

In addition, The Queens Kickshaw also offers live music on most Friday nights, and hosts various special events, such as cider pairings during NY Cider Week.