I very much enjoyed our walking tour of Astoria.  Art Polis was my favorite place (in a weird coincidence my mom works on the second floor of the building it is housed in but I didn’t know)The aroma in the store was great and they had a lot of different varieties of food to choose from.  My mom said they also make great sandwiches.  Mediterranean foods was the same way.  It had a lot of variety and again the aroma in the store was excellent.  Casseinelli Pasta also looked excellent especially with how you could look into the kitchen and see them making the pasta.  Sugar and Water was excellent too, I got a Boston Creme which was probably the best I ever had and then a pastry puff type of doughnut which was equally as good.  Thumbs up to all

I am a big fan of baklava and I can honestly say this is one of the best ones that I’ve tried. Baklava is made with layers of filo dough and chopped nuts with either syrup or honey. from ones that I’ve tried before its usually too sticky or soggy, but this one had a perfect syrup to pastry ratio. The bakery had a beautiful décor with tons of traditional Greek pastries and sweets. I found the layout a little weird. I didn’t like the fact that all the desserts were out in the open. Even though some of the stuffed is covered with plastic I still feel like it should be more monitored. I also liked the seating area outside. If I lived closer to the area I would definitely visit Artopolis.

Artopolis

Artopolis is a traditional Greek bakery in Astoria owned by Greek family who also owns another bakery in Athens. Artopolis is located in the niche of little Agora at 31st Street and 23rd Avenue in Astoria. It is the perfect destination for those who are seeking for traditional Greek pastries and contemporary desserts. With its variety of desserts, cookies, breads and other sweets; Artopolis may not only satisfy the tooth of the Greek community but also anybody else that visits this bakery.

Artopolis opened its doors in 2013, Regina Katopolis have been running this business for 15 years now with other co-owners. When they started, all their baked goods were shipped from Greece to the bakery; because of the high demand, they could not keep spending money on shipping. Now they bake all their goods on the house, but Ms. Katopolis and her team are trying to make sure to keep the authenticity and genuinely of their heritage.

Ms. Katopolis is trying to stick with the traditional and simplicity of Greek pastries, which is why she uses recipes from different parts of Greece. Moreover, she is not trying to add any variations or trends into her pastries because she wants to preserve the Greek culture and heritage.

Sugar & Water                                                                                                                                                                      29-14 23rd Ave, Astoria, NY 11105                                                                                                                                      646-704-2775

Sugar & Water, is a small charming grab and go bakery, located in the heart of the of Astoria, Queens. The shop specializes in innovative yeast donuts, donut cakes and dossants, with a variety of flavors and offers cookies, as well as cakes and pies.  Sugar & Water is owned and operated by a team of seven entrepreneurs, which includes Astoria native, Athena Angel and “Scottish” Francis Legge, a former reality contestant who starred on both “MasterChef” and Chopped”.  Angel’s grandfather and uncle once created “cruller” pastries and unique donuts at their bakery called Tom’s Cruller shop. Co-owner, Chef “Scottish” Francis Legge, also dubbed “Donut King” by Gordon Ramsay, makes and designs the donuts at Sugar & Water.

During my visit at the shop, I had a chance to see how Legge prepared the donuts and fried them in hot oil, until golden brown. In addition, to using a Junior Donut Robot machine to assist with the production of the yeast donuts. Legge, stated that donuts are his specialty and expressed his originality in creating mouth-watering flavors. Furthermore, he invented a fusion of a donut and a croissant, called a “Dossant”.

I had the opportunity to sample his famous Guinness Prosciutto dossant. Although, I felt like I couldn’t taste the Guinness flavor and I’m not sure if you are supposed to, the dossant had a perfect light blend of sweet and salt flavor and held its formality. I also sampled the Tiffany Dossant, it was not dry nor was it flaky and had a soft croissant-donut taste which is obvious as it is a unique blend of both. I also I had the Apple Cider donut cake which was very light and soft, with a great apple flavor but a little too sweet for my taste. Overall, it was a delicious experience and the prices are reasonable. I purchased the Guinness Prosciutto for $4. I will be returning in the future to try new flavors and I would recommend anyone to try it.

On our tour of the Flatiron District we visited multiple locations and one of them was Maison Kayser. Maison Kayser was founded in 1996 by Eric Kayser and is currently still owned by him. From its original beginning it has become a chain with approximately 18 locations in New York, other locations nationwide, and also multiple locations worldwide. Maison Kayser is known for its Parisian style cafe which offers a variety of French pastry from viennoiseries, bread, tarts, mousses, cookies, brownies, and etc. They also serve coffee, tea, lattes, lunch and dinner service. While on the trip we tied chocolate and pistachio financiers and cranberry and almond mini cakes, which were all good. I have frequented multiple Maison Kayser location around the city and all of them have a similar appearance with small round tables and a modern “clean” aesthetic, which is appealing to many. All the locations offer the same pastries and some of my favorites they offer are the walnut brownie, adagio with chocolate mousse exterior and a passion fruit filling, and lastly the mochaccino with a a chocolate mousse exterior with a coffee filling. Many Maison Kayser locations close as at 10 pm which is the perfect place to grab dessert and coffee after dinner.

Eataly Flatiron
200 5th Ave
New York, NY 10010
Open: 9AM-11PM
(212) 229-2560

With more than 40 locations in the world, Eataly in the Flatiron district located on 200 5th avenue, provides New York City locals and tourist a diverse selection of Italian meat, cheeses, fish, dry goods, and even a few wonderful restaurants that can satisfy anyone’s Italian cravings. Senses of taste, sight, touch, smell, and sounds will be stimulated to its max due to Eataly’s amazing hustle and bustle energy. From imported coffees with amazing aroma, dry pastas of every shape imaginable, fresh pastas made and packaged in house, langostines the size of small lobsters, to bottarga, Italian salted and cured fish roes, both tourists, chefs, and locals can come here to purchase anything that can be offered in an authentic Italian market. Getting tired of walking around and browsing? Aside from the plethora of Italian goodies that can be purchased, under this one roof, Eataly offers sit down service for wine and antipasti, pizzas and pastas, and fresh seafood. Too time consuming to sit down and eat? There are many sampling stations that can satisfy your craving with cheeses, breads, and meats! I tried a cheese and prosciutto combination for free which made me crave the delicate cured meats that Italians are so known for. Eataly is definitely a place to stop by to tingle your senses and diversify your mind of what Italy can offer. Although the price point may be high due to the cost of importing and rarity of certain products, it’s an amazing time to stop by as they just started a September sale month! Luckily I managed to snag some on sale bucatini (from $10 to $5!) that I have not been able to find in any local supermarkets. A fantastic shopping experience with fun surprises!

Union Square Green Market is located on E 17th st and union square . Its open Monday Friday and Saturday 8-6.  The market started in 1976 to bring fresh farm food to a urban area. The market sells plants, artisan bread ,jams, cheese, pickles, maple syrups, wines , ciders, wines, and fresh fruits and vegetables. The market has something to offer for everyone. When i walked around i was attracted to the fruits and vegetables. I saw a lot of things that i was used to and seen before but i also saw some things that I’ve never seen before. I purchased a pound of Mexican Gherkins. they have the shape of grapes but the skin reminded me of watermelons. the fruit had the taste of a sour cucumber. i actually enjoyed them and brought some home for my family. I feel like 12/lb wasn’t a bad price. The market also offed tastings of tomatoes, apples, peaches, peppers, and pears. overall i had a great experience at the Union Square Green Market. When ever i am in the area again i will be going back to find and try out some new things.

Mexican Gherkins

This is where you will want to describe one of the locations we have visited or perhaps a culinary destination in your own neighborhood.  If someone has already created a post for that location, add comments to their post.  To create a post, go to the course profile page, click on dashboard (under Course Site in the right-hand menu) then Posts>Add New Posts.  Once the post is created click the correct category (NYC Food Guide) and then finally click “Publish.”  Please note that it shows up both on the home page and NYC Food Guide page…can’t figure out how to fix that!