Queens Market

Fresh Ravioli

queensmarket — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 21:37:07 +0000

I had to post 2 days in a row because I ate some spinach ravioli from Trader Joe’s for dinner tonight and they were kick-ass. Lots of creamy cheese, plenty of spinach, and a tasty pasta shell. They’re in the refrigerated section, near the fresh salsa (also awesome!), hummus, etc.

I’ve also have the lobster variety, which is also pretty good…but only as good as you’d expect from a $3 package of lobster ravioli. I plan to stick to the veggie kinds (next up are the gorgonzola ones) , and reserve my lobster ravioli experiences for restaurants

Mandarin Orange Chicken

queensmarket — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 14:52:40 +0000

Wow, it’s been a while! I guess that’s what the holidays will do. After stuffing myself for weeks with delicious Christmas goodies, I’m back to the regular routine. I stocked up on Trader Joe’s food this weekend, and last night ate their Mandarin Orange Chicken. So delicious! It comes in a box that can feed two or three and just needs to be baked for 20 minutes in the oven. The chicken quality is quite good – definitely better than risking ordering orange chicken from a Chinese restaurant. Just add a little bit of rice and vegetables for sides, and you’re good to go.

Natural Market (Astoria)

queensmarket — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 01:41:46 +0000

There is a fairly new natural market on 46th and Broadway in Astoria – great location for picking food up before getting on the train. They have a small produce selection and a good amount of organic groceries. The store also has a good size refrigerated section with lots of soy products (milk, yogurt, butter, etc.).

I recently picked up the Back to Nature Oat & Soy Crisp Cereal there, and it’s great – a bit healthier (sugar-wise) than most granolas, and very crunchy. I’ve been enjoying mixing it with vanilla yogurt for breakfast.

The market also has a smoothie bar, sandwiches and breakfast items, all of which are reasonably priced (as far as organic foods go).

Adam’s Bagels (Bagels & Deli, Rego Park)

queensmarket — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 23:45:48 +0000

If you’re looking for great bagels in Rego Park, check out Adam’s Bagels on Woodhaven Blvd. and 63rd Dr. Not only are their bagels awesome, but they’re open 24 hours. They have whole wheat everything bagels, which you don’t see a lot of places, and an entire wall of iced teas, Vitamin Waters and other such bottled drinks, which is a huge draw.

I even have my boyfriend “import” Adam’s Bagels from Rego Park to Astoria because there are no good bagel places around where I live. Rock & Roll on Steinway Street isn’t even passable – their bagels are literally hard rolls with a hole in them.

Any suggestions for bagel shops in the Astoria area?

De Mole (Mexican, Sunnyside)

queensmarket — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 00:17:41 +0000

Last night, I had dinner at De Mole, a small Mexican restaurant on 48th Avenue in Sunnyside. I would definitely recommend going there – it’s extremely inexpensive (I STUFFED myself with delicious food, including chicken flautas and quesadillas, for less than $10) and quite good. Their salsa is deliciously fresh, with lots of onions and cilantro.

It’s also BYOB, which is awesome. My only complaint is that they don’t deliver to my neighborhood, especially now that I’m carless.

Crumpets

queensmarket — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 15:21:53 +0000

When I was living in London for a semester, I ate crumpets all the time, partly because they were extremely cheap, but mostly because of the way the bottom gets nice and crispy while the top stays a little squishy, and how the butter melts perfectly into all the little craters.

So, a few weeks after returning home to New York, I really started to miss crumpets (English muffins are just not the same) until my mom found them at Trader Joe’s. They taste just like the authentic British ones.

I recently learned that the TJ’s crumpets now also come in cinnamon, which is great for a sweet treat.

Sahadi’s (Middleastern, Brooklyn Heights)

queensmarket — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 02:16:46 +0000

Today, my roommate brought home some delicious hummus and babghnouh from Sahadi’s in Brooklyn (http://www.sahadis.com/). It’s the best I’ve ever had, and I’ve eaten A LOT of hummus. You can taste the freshness and is has a really creamy texture. It’s also pretty inexpensive – a large container only cost us $4.

In other news, my friend Caroline, who also lives in Astoria, came over while I was working on my blog today. When I told her it was about food shopping in Queens, her immediate response was “and carrying all your crap for a million blocks from the store?” See, we’re all disgruntled.

Vegetable Bird’s Nests

queensmarket — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 23:46:16 +0000

I know the name sounds gross, but Vegetable Bird’s Nests are one of my favorite items from Trader Joe’s. According to the box, they’re “a tasty combination of carrot, onion and kale. Each vegetable is julienned and then joined together to form a vegetable nest, which created a wonderful flavor combinaton.”

I couldn’t agree more! They come 8 to a box, with plenty of “soy dipping sauce”, which is really a sweet soy-teriyaki mix. Just make sure you cook them enough – they should be crispy and browned, not soggy.

Kung Pao noodles – delicious, fast & cheap lunch

queensmarket — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 14:57:19 +0000

Trader Joe’s makes these awesome noodle boxes. They cook in 3 minutes and are packaged perfectly for throwing into your bag to bring to work. They cost $1.99 and are as tasty and satisfying as ordering Chinese food. I recommend adding in some vegetables, like frozen broccoli, before putting the noodles in the microwave. There is plenty of sauce in the package.

They have 3 varieties: Kung Pao, Pad Thai and Satay. My friends and I love the Kung Pao – the sauce has a great spicy flavor. The Pad Thai is okay, but not great. The Satay has twice as much fat as the Kung Pao, because it has peanuts, so I haven’t bought it (but I’ve heard it’s good).

Stuffed Salmon

queensmarket — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 15:04:03 +0000

We recently tried a few kinds of stuffed salmon (or “salmon rings”, as we usually call them) from Trader Joe’s and were extremely pleased with all of them. They just need to be baked in the oven, so they’re very easy to cook. Another nice thing is that the come frozen, so you don’t need to worry about eating them within a time frame. The quality of the salmon is great (you can tell just by looking at it).

I’ve tried all 3 varieties I’ve seen at the store, and all were delicious:

Salmon florentine: Stuffed with spinach, spices and breadcrumbs; cracked black pepper along the outside adds a nice spiceness. Slightly cheaper than the 2 below (these are $4 for two, the others are $3 each)
Salmon stuffed with crab & cheese: The pieces of crab meat could have been a little bigger, but the flavor is absolutely delicious
Salmon stuffed with shrimp, cucumber and dill: Personally, my least favorite – it’s tasty, but could use some more seasoning, such as garlic or cracked pepper

Has anyone seen any other varieties?