M Wells

A restored diner in Long Island City kinda sitting in the middle of nowwhere though down the block from the Hunter's Point #7 station. This spot rocks. Some treasured booths at the window and very friendly service, this spot is only open for breakfast and lunch during the week for now. The owners who hail from Quebec have created a delectable menu and food to boot. Reasonable prices for the tone of the food- I loved it. I had the Crab, egg and potato hash with creamed corn and hollandaise which was $12. I watched the chef sprinkle some cracked pepper on my dish before serving and this was absolutely perfect. A wild strawberry shake created with frozen custard from Timmy O's in Corona and wild strawberries for $6 was super. I took a homemade chocolate chip cookie with walnuts for $1 to go and this cookie was firstrate. For my second foray to M Wells I had the tortilla espanola with smoked ham and green beans for $7. Cooked to perfection with a little olive oil and toasted baguette. In four trips to Spain, I have not tasted a more flavorfull tortilla Espanola. My chocolate, strawberry and banana shake(made to order) was bliss. A hot dog with sweet bacon chili and slaw is a bargain at $5 and the Quebec style buckwheat crepes at $4 sound super duper.
MUST GO!

Brooklyn Bowl

Brooklyn Bowl features food by the Blue Ribbon restaurant people and it is a draw to visit thes Billyburg bowling/performance space. Huge, and arty, with an uber cool vibe, we started with dinner in the smallish eating area sitting at a communal counter with stools. We started with the cornbread with local peach butter- crunchy, seasoned cornbread sticks with delish peach butter. Smoked barbecued wings were also super tasty. The much touted fried chicken plate for $17 stocked some dissappointing chicken. Not particularly seasoned or with substantial crunch the bird was boring. The sides of smoky collards with mashed potatoes with gravy were the better of what was on the plate. Service ranged from lacksadasical to plain snotty. Bowling for two plus a beer, egg cream and shoes was $59.98. Lanes are cool looking, but short in length.
Slow go!

Holland America Cruise

Holland America cruise to Bermuda leaves from Manhattan's Westside directly to Bermuda. My first cruise, food was at the top of my list of priorities and I was not dissappointed. The ship- "the Veendam" hosts a culinary center with free and pay for demos. I started the cruise with a tour of the huge kitchen. Huge and busy, with lots of pictures of the dishes served. A free demo of strudel making was also quite fun. The food was non-stop with four meals a day;
Breakfast- everything plus the kitchen sink including pancake of the day
Lunch- buffet, plus ice-cream sundaes that you make yourself
Tea- homemade scones plus chocolate breads was lovely
Dinner- classic continental with prime ribs as one of our faves
Desserts- Chef Armando the pastry chef made us very happy with chocolate souffle, strudels, baked alaska, and fantastic cheesecakes- chocolate/ strawberry was a fave.

Go if you can!

Cascabel

This popular authentic Mexican upper East Side spot should be called Decibel instead as it is so loud in there. Few tables and a confusing set-up- do you order by waitress or not leads you to this small restaurant with food modeled after markets of Mexico. The food is quite good and sophisticated though the dining experience is not. Gorditas with Berkshire pork belly are tasty as well as queso fundido with homemade chorizo. The corn with lime and white cheese was of good quality and lots of agua frescas to wash it all down. You can eat pretty well for around $20-$25 though, with so much good authentic Mex. around, I would head to others unless you live on the UES. 2nd. Ave. off 80th. Street.
Slowgo!

Opa O Fournos Bakery

Nestled under the N train at 2846 31st Street(30th Ave. stop) is bakery gold. I discovered O Fournos when wandering apres Petey's burger and I noticed the white rustic oven in the rear. I looked at the baked goods and the oven and inquired if the oven was imported from Greece and yes was the answer. Wow! The breads and other other baked goods turned out of this oven look as beautifully created as you would imagine. I bought one round roll for $1. The roll was formidable with score marks and firm on the outside, perfectly baked soft on the inside. Great!
MUST GO!

Petey's Burger

Petey's Burger on 30th Ave in Astoria offers a great "retro" burger comparable to the In n Out furgers of California. This is fast food done fresh and made to order with tons of flavor. I enjoyed watching the burger boys make the burgers on the flattop, add some sercret spices and "viola"- burger magic. This is a very cheap dining experience considering the quality with a Burger, fries and a drink costing $7.29 add American cheese and that brings you up to $7.79. The burger is killer with a juicy patty, crisp romaine lettuce, a nice tomato, raw onion with thousand island dressing on a fresh, soft roll. The fries were quite tasty with some skin on remnants and well fried. I hear the chocolate/strawberry shake($3.99) is quite good for the next visit. 30-17 30th Ave. N train to 30th. Ave- right there.
MUST GO!

La Fonda

The front for real Mexican cooking in the heart of El Barrio on the corner of 103rd Street and Lex. on the #6 line. This corner spot serves up a wide selection of Mexican foods cooked to order. A friendly waitress started me off with a small portion of tortilla chips and tasty salsa. The flor de calabaza burrito served on a homemade corn tortilla with the requisite radish, lettuce and tomato was absolutely delish and not often seen on alot of Mexican menus. The dishes on the menu are mainly under $10 and La Fonda is a nice sunny, comfy spot to chow down.
GO!

Johnny's Famous Reef Restaurant

At the tip of the Puerto Rican Riviera on the Long Island Sound sits Johnnys Famous Reef Restaurant. If you are from the Bronx, Johnnys is famous and I was introduced to the spot by a Puerto Rican girl from the Bronx and fell in love ever since. This is an old school style joint where the food is served cafeteria style(serve yourself). No fuss, take your food outside and enjoy the amazing view. Lots of food here is fried with a tried and true recipe and it rocks. The fried clams are a New England classic and absolutely the tast of summer. Raw clams, fried shrimp, corn are all great. My only gripes with Johnny's are the canned beers(not good enough for the chow) and the bathrooms outside are a little gritty. Otherwise, this spot is one of a kind and the kind of place where patrons would not want it to spruce up or change a thing. Also, prices are reasonable- you could feast for two for about $40.
Must Go!

L.A. Burdick

It is hard to find very high quality chocolate at reasonable prices. L.A. Burdick offers just that. Without the fanciness or pretentiousness of some high end shops this one aims to please and the friendly shop clerk gladly offered up some samples to help me decide. I bought two gift boxes for Father's Day and a small bag of leftover chocolate pieces for $8. The bag of chocolates was a variety of whole pieces and absolutely divine. Can't wait to restock those delectable bits.
Must Go!

No. 28 Pizzeria Romana

Located at 196 Spring Street near 6th. Ave. in Soho this newish Pizzeria by the slice provides more options for quality slices. Offering varieties like mushroom, procuitto cotto, a standard slice, artichoke slice etc. for $4-$5, it is a welcome addition. The pizza itself is made from high quality dough and many of the slices are perfectly darkly baked, though others a somewhat dissapointing. We tried three- the mushroom, artichoke and standard slice. The mushroom was the best of the three with rich mushroomy flavor and the great crust. The artichoke contained cold, canned artichoke which underwhelmed the lovely crust. The standard slice(not pictured) was less well baked and offered flavorless not fresh mozzerella. The top pictured slice is with fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzeralla, and basil- looks like a better option. Customer-centered offerings of bottles of olive oils and flavored olive oils as well as a ultra-modern seating space make this place very user-friendly.
SLOW-GO!

Riveria Cafe

The venerable Rivera Cafe on the corner of West 4th and Bleeker Street has history and good food. The corner, windowed space make any table a virtual Village view. The food here is a cut above many diners in flavor, and value. The chowder pictured is so good, lighter, less creamy than most, though very tasty. At $5 it is a good deal. Also, great is the pulled chicken sandwich on a brioche roll served with their fantastic potato wedges, and purple slaw, costing $10.95. Friendly service and a very relaxed diner atmosphere.
GO!

Lucy's Cantina

This Cantina on the corner of 34th. Street and 8th Ave. serves the Long Island commuters wanting to drink and maybe eat a little bit as well as be served by waitresses wearing island dresses year-round. The food has slightly declined since opening as there were some tasty Tex-Mex dishes particularly the corn with stringy cheese now sans the stringy cheese is just ok. The chile was fair and the steak burrito with Lucys name seared in was tasty. Not many options on this corner, and their is a roof on a nice day with a few beers, you may not notice the food.
SLOW GO!