Good eats near the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria

The Museum of the Moving Image is a true gem in Astoria, showing films old and new, classics and contemporary, international and domestic. A membership to MOMI is one of the best deals in the city – $75 for the year gets you unlimited free admission to all regular screenings, as well as the museum itself. It’s 100% tax-deductible, too. MOMI is also near a number of restaurants, many providing good eats for hungry bellies – who doesn’t like to grab a bite to eat while discussing the film they just saw?  We’ve highlighted four particularly awesome spots within a short walk from the theater.

The closest spot to the museum, just across the street, is 5 Napkin Burger, a great place to get excellent burgers, fries, and shakes, as well as salads and even sushi.  It’s a comfortable space made up of tables and booths. They also have a full bar and cocktail menu, as well as a great selection of craft beer.  Milkshakes are also available – sometimes they are not on the menu, but they definitely offer them, so just ask (I’m partial to the salted caramel milkshake, myself). 

Highlights of the appetizer menu are the pork taquitos, which are sort of like mini crunchy taco shells filled with well-seasoned shredded pork, and the deep-fried pickles and pastrami, served with sauerkraut and a mustard vinaigrette. This is true deep fried goodness.

The burgers come in a variety of protein styles – you can choose beef from venerated butcher Pat LaFrieda, ahi tuna, turkey, and they also make a fantastic veggie burger (during happy hour they come as sliders).  Their signature burger, the 5N Burger, is rich and flavorful, topped with caramelized onions, gruyere cheese, and rosemary aioli, but my favorite is the Avocado Ranch burger, which comes with pepper jack cheese, guacamole, and ranch dressing (get it on the side if you want to control how much dressing you put on the burger). Burgers come on rolls like brioche and multigrain, and for those eschewing gluten or wheat, you can have your burger in a lettuce wrap. Or even get your burger patty on a salad.

Burgers come with French fries, but there are other sides to choose from as well – sweet potato fries, onion rings, and the highly tasty cheddar tots. Their vinegar slaw and the tomato, avocado, and cotija salad are also excellent lighter side dishes.

It’s safe to say that 5 Napkin has become a favorite among Astorians. I’ve been to a number of private parties there, including my friend Judith’s Fooditka website relaunch party – check out the fun she had that night!

5 Napkin Burger, 35-01 36th St., Astoria, NY 11106; (718) 433-2727 (GMAP)

Around the corner from MOMI on 36^th Street is The Astor Room. It’s located down the stairs, in the space that originally housed the old Kaufman Astoria Studios Commissary (Grub Street got some early photos). It’s split into two spaces – the Beaver Bar (Astoria’s namesake John Jacob Astor was a fur trader, after all), where the friendly bartenders create seriously tasty libations; and the dining room itself, where classic American dishes are on the menu, including Oysters Rockefeller, Beef Tartare, a Classic Wedge Salad, and Beef Wellington. They even offer a raw bar featuring tasty oysters and clams. On the weekends brunch is available, with menu items that span traditional American breakfast items (pancakes, French toast, eggs benedict), a decadent burger (ground porterhouse tip topped with truffled herb aioli, portobello mushroom, and gruyère cheese), and a wonderful oyster and egg sandwich. Brunch is served with a complimentary mimosa (“Guilded Lady”) or bloody mary (“Bela Lugosi”)

The Astor Room is a great spot to stop in and have an expertly-made cocktail at their comfortable bar, a little nibble (the crab cakes are lovely), or a full fledged dinner. Highly recommended is the New Yorker cocktail, made with bourbon, claret, lemon juice, and simple syrup. It’s one of my favorite mixed drinks in Astoria, and very easy to drink. If you’re lucky, you’ll catch some live music, or even an evening of tiki-themed drinks and snacks.

I can’t leave this review without mentioning the desserts, which are stunning. Their warm molten chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream is a chocoholic’s dream (though you must wait 15 minutes for preparation before you dive in), and Baked Alaska is also wonderful – and especially showy if they light it on fire.

The Astor Room, 34-12 36th St., Astoria, NY 11106; (718) 255-1947 (GMAP)

On the other end of the spectrum, yet no less delicious, is Cevabdzinica Sarajevo (sometimes called Sarajevo Fast Foods), a terrific, casual Bosnian restaurant in the neighborhood, located on 34^th Avenue at 38^th Street. This is a little off the beaten path, but it is so worth a visit. Astoria is actually home to several Bosnian restaurants and this one is a real standout (a Bosnian woman I know in the neighborhood says this is her favorite of the Bosnian restaurants in town). It’s also a favorite of Judah Friedlander of 30 Rock fame.

Their specialty is cevapi, little thing beef sausages (no casing), cooked on a grill and served with chopped raw onions and ajvar, a red pepper paste; this is the traditional accompaniment to cevapi. Eat them with or without the accompanying bread, called lepinja – Sarajevo’s is especially tasty – soft, and warm with a lingering flavor of the grill. The owners have a friend who makes this bread just for them.

Their shopska salad goes perfectly with the cevapi, made with crisp lettuce, juicy tomatoes, and refreshing cucumber, all covered in lightly grated farmer’s cheese and mixed with a tangy yet gentle vinaigrette. Their bureks are very good – and quite large – and filled with spinach or meat. Wash it all down with a bottle of orange flavored Jupi or herbal Cockta, two carbonated drinks from Slovenia. For something sweet, look in the refrigerator for a selection of sweet things – the boozy, chocolate rum ball is excellent as is the walnut filled baklava. See more pictures on my original review over on We Heart Astoria.

Cevabdzinica Sarajevo, 37-18 34th Ave., Astoria, NY 11101; (718) 752-9528 (GMAP)

Slightly further away, over on 36^th Avenue, is Arepas Café, home to well-made Venezuelan-style arepas, the popular corn flour cake found throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. When they first opened, they resided in one small storefront, but after much success they outgrew their original digs and expanded into the neighboring space (it used to hold a bakery that was never open!). And boy, do they need the space – it is a very popular neighborhood favorite, and rightly so.

The Venezualans treat arepas not like a thick, savory pancake, but is treated more like a sandwich. They cook it on the griddle, split it in half, then stuff it with myriad ingredients. Arepas Café’s menu is extensive, with arepas filled with things like roast pork, chicken, cheese, avocado, plantain, shark, and shredded beef. Particularly tasty choices are the Reina (shredded chicken, avocado, mayo), the Mami (Venezuelan roast pork, avocado, white cheese), and the Arepa Pabellon (shredded beef, black bean, fried sweet plantains, aged white cheese).

Apart from arepas, there are some main dishes on the menu, including Pabellon Criollo, considered by many to be the Venezuelan national dish. It consists of shredded beef, white rice, black beans and fried sweet plantains sprinkled with aged white cheese. This is a big plate, so bring your appetite when ordering this.

When going to any restaurant featuring food not from North America, I recommend looking at the drink/beverage menu – it’s fascinating look into the culture at hand. Here, the chicha is particularly intriguing, and somewhat addicting (James Boo at The Eaten Path talks about his experience with it here). The texture is somewhat viscous, but the flavor is a bit like rice pudding, since it is made with rice and cinnamon. It’s sweet and filling – a real taste treat and definitely worth a try.  For something a little lighter and perhaps more familiar, their wonderful house made brown sugar lemonade – Jugo de Papelon con Limon – is very refreshing.

Arepas Café, 33-07 36th Ave., Astoria, NY 11106; (718) 937-3835 (GMAP)