Borough Vegetarian

Avli - Versatile Greek Option in Bayside, Queens

When we, and many others in NYC, think of Greek food, our natural destination is the northwestern Queens neighborhood of Astoria. Astoria really has everything one would want in terms of Greek and Mediterranean food - upscale, casual, meat, seafood, and vegetarian-friendly places among the perhaps dozens of independently-owned Greek restaurants.  As I type this post, I actually want to walk up to Astoria now to eat some delicious Greek food!

Despite our love of Greek restaurants in Astoria, we have to admit we have a new Greek favorite over the past few years on the other side of the borough - Avli, in the northeastern Queens neighborhood of Bayside.

We first went to Avli a few years back when in northeast Queens and looking for an outdoor dinner location.  We came across Avli and it's beautiful outdoor patio via Yelp, and were at first a bit skeptical of how good the reviews were - maybe folks in northeast Queens were so Greek-starved that a potentially mediocre option had a stream of 4 and 5-star reviews?  But when we arrived to Avli at 9pm on a Friday or Saturday night, and were encountered by a 30-40 minute wait, we knew we were on to something good.

Our subsequent visits have been as good as our original dinner visit to their great outdoor patio.  We recently went for a more casual lunch, and sample a number of vegetarian offerings to complement the meat options that the other diners opted for.

We stared with the saganaki (pictured above) and the gigantes (pictured below), two of my favorite Greek appetizers.  The saganaki, or fried cheese, was salty, liquidity and firm from the heat, and a great way to get my appetite going.

The gigantes or large white beans were also quite flavorful with lots of carrot, onion, tomato and herb flavor.  Too often, gigantes can be a bit too plain (including the version I've made at home), but this version could carry it's own flavors as a potential main course as well.

For my main course, I decided to opt for the simple Greek salad wrap, which had lots of feta, red onion, and vinaigrette.  Although simple, and perhaps a bit overdressed, it was really nicely paired by the grilled wrap and french fries for a complete meal.

Would definitely recommend getting out of the Astoria Greek scene one day to check out Avli!

Avli

38-31 Bell Blvd.

Bayside, Queens

A two-block walk from the Bayside LIRR station

Agra - Surprisingly Good Indian Option in Bayside, Queens

Based on a quick, pre-dinner internet search in the car one day, we ended up atAgra, an Indian restaurant in Bayside, Queens.  

I have to admit that I had no idea what to expect.  Yes, our three minutes of Yelp and other google searching indicated good reviews, but how good could this relatively new place be, tucked away between a few nondescript storefronts just off of Bell Boulevard?  This initial concern was only heightened when we entered the restaurant, and found ourselves as the only customers (though granted, it was on the early side of the evening, just after Christmas Day).  

Thankfully, the service was prompt and attentive and we were put at ease relatively quickly.  The standard appetizers we ordered - samosas, pakoras, etc. - were fairly good, and the meal was ultimately very well done.

I ordered the Shaag/Palak Paneer, which as you can tell from the above picture, was not made of a pureed, one-note spinach but rather with chopped spinach.  The dish wasn’t loaded with cream or yogurt and it felt great to actually taste the spinach in a real way with the paneer.

The meat eaters also enjoyed their grilled fish and other meat options, and we all liked the accompanying dal and naan as well.  

I wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to try this restaurant, but I definitely will be going there again when I am looking for a solid Indian restaurant in northeast Queens.

Agra

213-35 39th Avenue (at the corner of Bell Blvd.)

Bayside, Queens

Easily accessible via the LIRR Bayside stop