Merguez and Frites

ALGERIA 🇩🇿

[COVID-19 UPDATE: The northern African sausages are still grilling and there are a few tables set up out front for diners. An new enclosed attachment also offers some quick standing space.]

Some addresses in New York City just seem to be cursed and never hold a tenant for very long. The previous business here was a not dissimilar Moroccan sandwich shop that only called it home for a short time. The newer owners hail from the neighbors to the east: Algeria, a country without a ton of representation in the city (One Algerian-ish place in the East Village and now-closed Bar Omar in Williamsburg precede this).

Like their predecessors, the space seems often busy and a meeting point for some of the neighborhood's northern African people to share stories and get together. They have built out a temporary structure like you often see in winter to provide more space to stand and eat. With current conditions, it likely will just be a place to spread out and avoid the hot sun while waiting for takeout orders, at least in the near future.

Merguez frites, kofta frites, and Algerian pizza.

The main offerings here are again sandwiches, those wildly popular on the streets of the capital Algiers and other cities. There you will find a diet high in meat intake, often with lamb being the most popular and readily available. The foods of France are of course no stranger to the once-colonized land, and baguettes circulate along with other Algerian breads.

The combination of lamb, the French baguette, and fries which seem to find their way onto and into many other foods, give the place its name and a sense of what you will find. Looking to the top of the menu, the merguez frites ($7, above and close-up bottom of page) seems like the obvious place to start here. The baguette is of very good quality, as are the sausages, especially for such a low price for a sandwich longer than a foot.

A list of sauces will be offered, ranging from hot sauce and ketchup to their "special sauce" which is a spicy mayo of some sort. A combination of the hot and special ended up being a very good choice to complement both sandwiches, but dijon mustard is never a bad idea either for merguez.

Ask for a quick reheat on the tasty pizza.

If you have ever traveled in the south of France, and specifically Marseille, the sandwich may even be claimed by the French, but be sure this is the product of the other side of the Mediterranean, quintessential food from the streets of Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia.

These three countries make up the heart of the Maghreb, the cuisine offered proudly by the menu here. Any travelers to this region of the world will also be offered a direct route to their memories with the tray of pizza ($2/slice, above) that is always displayed and ready to eat. Like in Algeria, each slice is adorned with one black olive. Algerians are mad for pizza of all slices (pun intended), but the olive seems to be the constant. It is hard to go a few city blocks without seeing a pizzeria there just as it is in New York City. Stay here at Merguez and Frites long enough and you are bound to see someone ask for the squeeze bottle of mayonnaise to drizzle on their slice just like back home.

Even in the midst of a pandemic, Steinway Street is ready for anyone who wants to come out and eat and enjoy hookah. Most restaurants have built dining areas in the parking spots directly in front of them, and the mood is still convivial for those comfortable with being around others.

Some options are not always available here, like the keskrout lablabi, a sandwich of tuna, chickpeas and cumin. So make it a plan to come multiple times and at least once at night when the weather cools and you can enjoy some Algerian tea made with pennyroyal.

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ASTORIA Queens
40-06 25th Avenue

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Circulo Español

SPAIN 🇪🇸

Now just two years shy of their 50th anniversary, the Centro Español de Queens has lived in its current Astoria home since 1985. Originally called the Circulo Español when formed in 1971, the organization has always had the mission of preserving the Spanish culture of its members and their children. The third major wave of Spanish immigration to the United States that took place during the 60's, 70's and 80's created strong communities here in New York City, always one of the major destinations.

Nowadays many of the members have been here for decades and multiple generations of descendants have grown up in this country, but the center acts as a hub to return to with family for celebrations and comradery. While run separately from the Centro, the restaurant is an important part of the daily operations. Walking up to the bar not only brings you a transition into Spanish culture, but also seems like a bubble away from the rapidly changing streets of Astoria.

Early on a weeknight, the men at the bar all seem like regulars, while the formal dining room is not called into action at all. For a sense of this space at capacity, coming on a weekend is ideal to watch large families at multiple tables. If you come here alone or in a small group, eating in the bar is perfectly fine and comfortable, a few tables surround the space and two Spanish beers and plenty of Spanish wines are always available.

Four flags flank the large TV in the bar along with a World Cup replica trophy that all of Spain was proud to win in 2010, but the beers are the first sense of a strong connection to Galicia, the small northwestern region that juts over Portugal. On the dinner menu, many of the items are described as Galician-style, a sense of what the meals here will focus on.

Marinated olives ($4)

The main dining room doubles as a dance hall and event space and has always been an important place within the institution. On a recent meal with six others, the menu was attacked from all angles to get a sense of what makes the place special.

As you might expect, a thorough list of tapas are available. Most of these dishes are served in bite-sized portions and perfect for sharing.

Patatas bravas ($5)

Pulpo a la Gallega ($18, Galician-style octopus)

Croquetas ($8)

Xouvas ($8, fried sardines)

Fresh anchovies in vinegar ($10)

Nothing served here in the Circulo Español is intended to knock your socks off, but it all gives a deep feeling of being homestyle. Meals seem like they are served by your aunt and uncle who farm in the countryside after you drove two hours to get to their home. The views out the window lack the vistas of rolling hills like Galicia, but as each new dish hits the table it is not hard to imagine them instead of Queens.

Unless you plan on returning many times, bring a large group so you can sample from the extensive offerings. Especially with entrees, the portion sizes are modest and allow for many dishes to be sampled.

Paella a la Valenciana ($22)

Chuleta de cordero ($20, lamb chops)

Shrimp in garlic sauce ($18)

The perfect time to come might just be weekend lunches, when the dining room is buzzing and after meals you can retire back to the bar where a busy crowd is cheering on La Liga matches.

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ASTORIA Queens
41-01 Broadway

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Maltese Center

MALTA 🇲🇹

After some travels to Malta in late summer last year, I briefly did a search for the Maltese community and events in New York City and was pleasantly surprised to find the Maltese Center in Astoria. Sitting just south of I-278, the center has views of traffic on and off the Triborough Bridge and sits conveniently close to the Astoria Blvd station on the N line.

This group was created in 1979, the building opened in 1982, and is the only one in town nowadays. Decades ago, the Maltese community was a bit more prominent and there were a few centers around, but the mission here is to bring everyone together and keep the community and culture strong for Maltese people in New York City and their families who are raised here.

The only other artifact of Malta nowadays is nearby Leli's Bakery, written about here in 2014 and which caters their famous pastizzi to the Maltese Center on Sundays and some other occasions. For a quick sampling, go there first as the center is technically just for members. Once you make friends during an event, multiple friendly folks will invite you back for pastizzi and coffee on the weekend.

They do put on quite a few of these events, of which I have been monitoring but unable to attend until this past weekend when they threw a majjalata, a traditional whole hog roast. This kind of event was one I unfortunately did not make when visiting the Mediterranean island nation, but is wildly popular as a type of gathering and excuse to get together, eat, and talk to friends and family.

Their Facebook page, which you should give a follow if you want to see future events, started teasing photos of the uncooked pig during the morning of the event.

Photo courtesy of Maltese Center NYC.

As people started to show up even before the listed start time, filtering downstairs to the center's event space, a DJ was spinning and the bar was ready to quench your thirst. Some members took their seats and kept their eyes on the buffet table and on the back door, where presumably the hog would arrive from.

When the main course finally did show up, it was announced it needed to cool but not for long. Folks with growling bellies were encouraged to start with some of the various pasta salads and side dishes that were available.

The one everyone came to see.

Eventually, the butcher's knife acted like a dinner bell, the thwack, thwack of meat being carved and cut into small pieces got everyone's attention and the meal was ready to be served. After enjoying these proceedings for a bit (below), I took my plate over and was given a huge portion of different pieces and skin, an enormous amount of meat for one person to consume. It seemed to be their way of making sure nothing would go to waste because the beast had plenty to go around despite the good turnout.

Before I left the counter, the man serving pushed a squeeze bottle towards me and encouraged the generous usage of a vinegar sauce. I doused my pig and went back to the table to enjoy.

After everyone was stuffed, a woman from the center started preparing slices of bread with what initially looked like bright fruit jam but was actually a sweet tomato spread. When I came over and showed my curiosity, another woman was happy to explain this was hobz biz-zejt (below), a common Maltese snack whose consumption on the island she compared with the way US Americans eat chips.

The whole event was put on to raise money for the Maltese Center Dolphins, the organization's football club, and patrons were encouraged to wear their favorite club jerseys. Others were put on the walls and a good assortment of teams were represented although the Maltese community seemed to have overwhelming support for Manchester United, with Juventus, the US national team, and Tottenham also represented. Thankfully only one man put on a hideous Chelsea jersey and made his daughter do the same. Child abuse?

One of the club's members sported this jersey below with a Cisk sponsor, the most famous beer in Malta. Unfortunately the light lager was not available for purchase here at the club although it is on occasion found at beer retailers here and there in the states.

Thank you so much for the hospitality Maltese Center! I will definitely look forward to returning and joining more of the fun.

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ASTORIA Queens
27-20 Hoyt Avenue South

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Aliada

CYPRUS 🇨🇾
GREECE 🇬🇷

For its first 15 years of existence, Aliada blended into its Astoria block with a facade and color scheme that was much like the building it lived in: brown and subdued. Then in 2017 a fresh coat of Mediterranean white was splashed on both sides of the corner and somehow the restaurant showed more life. Of course for the Greek and Cypriot regulars who have been coming here since it opened in 2002, none of that mattered like the trusted food on the plates.

Stepping into the modern, clean dining room feels right with slow Mediterranean vibes and calming Greek music, but touches of rustic make the place appealing and comfortable. Pottery, wood furniture and accents, baskets and framed island arts hung on the walls are enough to leave behind the rattling of the subway a block away.

In the front of the space is the kitchen, designed with a terracotta-tiled "roof" that works well on a nice day with the doors open to make you feel outside. In fact, the weather was nice enough on this visit for the first time in 2019 that a couple tables were even set up on the sidewalk.

Aliada, like the water-surrounded countries of Greek and Cyprus tend to do, has food that is focused on the sea. For this meal I had come in search of a specifically Cypriot meat dish though. Regardless of your order, a basket of warm pita arrives with their freshly made hummus, helping pass the time it takes for the kitchen to prepare meals from scratch.

In Cyprus they also eat their fare share of the well-known souvlaki, charred skewers of meat that have always felt right at home in Astoria, but on top of their charcoal grills you are more likely to find larger cuts of meat that require lower heat and longer cooking times. These are referred to as souvla, and can be many types of meat.

The most interesting of any souvla is the shieftalia ($21, above and below), a link wrapped with caul fat, the thin membrane found surrounding some internal organs. A few spices are thrown into the simple dish of minced pork, onions, and parsley.

Caul fat has nowhere near the strength of a more traditional sausage wrapper and grilling is a delicate and skilled task. It will start to break apart even if you look at it too intensely, something hard to avoid as the plate arrives smelling delicious. Choice of side is offered with any plate, but the slight zing from the lemon potatoes pairs very nicely with the fatty links.

A plastic shaker of Greek salt and bottle of olive oil are on each table, but for this meal at least, completely unnecessary as everything is dashed and drizzled to perfection when it arrives.

The first sections of the menu are grilled whole fish sold at market rates and other seafood dishes you would expect from a reputable establishment with "Greek" on the front. A family-style meal would be recommended here.

When you come as a group, a good variety of Greek, Cypriot, and other wines are available, but on this day alone I washed down the meal with a Keo ($6, below), Cyprus's most recognizable beer around since 1951.

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ASTORIA Queens
29-19 Broadway

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Sami's Kabab House

AFGHANISTAN 🇦🇫

Sami's kind of lives in its own universe. Around the corner from busier 36th Avenue in Astoria, the spot is unassuming and the only glimpse of what all the fuss might be about is when waiting people are milling around outside the shop during busy nights. Inside, the dining room is much more formal and modern than other Afghan restaurants in town but still friendly and welcoming.

About one third of the space is taken by the kitchen, which runs from front to back along one wall, while the rest is dining tables. The wall opposite the kitchen is covered in beautiful imported fabrics that add a lot of warmth to the space if the smells from the kitchen were not already making you feel good.

A mixture of customers come here from Astoria and all over the city, drawn by rave reviews in important papers and online reviews. It makes itself very "user-friendly" for those unfamiliar with the cuisine, and makes a good entry point for anyone interested in learning more about the food and sampling their many kababs.

Before the large portions of meat, go for a plate of the lovely aushak ($5, above and below), vegetable dumplings filled with leeks and scallions. The thin wrappers would make Chinese grandmas proud, that is until the whole plate is drowned in a layer of their garlic mint yogurt sauce and then a lamb gravy.

They also have non-veg versions of this called mantu ($7, not shown), but I find meals here always get intensely meaty when the entrees arrive and think these aushak make for a more well-rounded meal.

My favorite of the chicken options is the Afghani kabab ($13.50, below), dark thigh meat that might be the most succulent piece of meat in the city. It is amazingly tender and juicy and tastes even better than it looks. They do breast as well and it is also surprisingly juicy, but the thigh is just better.

Most kababs and other entrees come with fragrant and wonderful basmati rice, but also make sure to upgrade your rice with qabuli for 50 cents, a sweet mixture of raisins and carrots that goes well with everything. This would also be a good time to explore the condiment dish that comes with four options in a tray like you see at noodle shops in Thailand. As I have said in previous Afghan meals, the availability of unlimited yogurt is a boon to my meal.

The other jars are filled with a red and green sauce, the latter of which is spicy, and some pickled peppers.

A plate of lamb sabzi chalao ($15.50, above) was also very tender, and is the same stew or gravy that was covering the dumplings. This is accompanied by a side of tasty spinach full of herbs and spices.

Salad arrives at the table with an entree purchase and usually a basket of Afghan naan does although not on this last visit. Both of these things are good for experimenting with the condiments as well. Also ask for a cup of the cardamom-infused Afghan green tea to accompany your meal.

Complimentary salad.

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ASTORIA Queens
35-57 Crescent Street

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Addy's Barbeque

KENYA 🇰🇪

Photo by Sasha Maslov for The Queens Tribune

This article originally appeared in the 22 November 2018 edition of The Queens Tribune:

During a gathering in the family backyard in New Jersey some years ago, it was demanded that a restaurant be created by the name of Addy’s Barbeque to celebrate the cooking of the current grillmaster. Addy’s wife was not such a big fan of the idea at first, but his wife’s brother was insistent, having enjoyed Addy’s home-cooked food one too many times to let his talent stop there. Eventually his wife came around to the idea as well.

But let’s take a few steps back and start from the very beginning of how this new Astoria restaurant came to be. “Addy” is the nickname of Adnan Khan, who grew up in Kenya and lived there into his late teens. Both of his grandfathers went to Kenya from pre-partition India in what is now Pakistan and married Kenyan women. His family has been there ever since. Addy himself went off to India to train to be an accountant, but eventually lived almost 10 years in Ireland, where he trained as a chef. After that, work took him to England, but eventually love brought him to New Jersey.

Photo by Sasha Maslov for The Queens Tribune

After one short-lived New Jersey-restaurant venture and the passage of another 10 years, that nickname was born in the family backyard. Shortly after that, in 2015, his first Addy’s Barbeque came to life in Teaneck. Besides Ethiopian restaurants, it is surprisingly difficult to find the cuisines of East Africa in and around New York City. Because of that, I was eager to get there after it opened and try Addy’s mishkaki (above), a twist on Kenya’s favorite street food. On that first visit, I had Addy all to myself and was immediately pulled in by his outgoing personality. The food only sealed the deal. For good reason, this restaurant has attracted a loyal following, and Addy looked for other locations in which to expand this year after training another chef to take care of Teaneck.

A somewhat circuitous route has landed him in Astoria, just south of the area on Steinway known as Little Egypt that is home to many northern Africans and other Muslims. Filling somewhat of a niche, the draw at Addy’s Barbeque is the food of the United States served under halal standards. There just are not that many places where halal eaters can go for American burgers and barbecue.

Photo by Sasha Maslov for The Queens Tribune

The appetizers list almost reads like that of a sports bar, with wings and deep-fried favorites, but to really know Addy is to enjoy those burgers. The house burger is called the Amarillo (above) and is served deconstructed, the burger and special mushroom sauce served on a different dish from the rest of the sandwich, to be pieced together by the customer.

In the BBQ section of the menu, the big draw is the mishkaki, served with chicken, beef or a mix of both. It comes sizzling on an iron plate like an order of Tex-Mex fajitas, something you would never see in Kenya. In its home country, mishkaki comes on a skewer: Cubes of meat, onions and tomatoes are grilled over charcoal. Each vendor has a secret marinade and provides sauces for different customer preferences, and it is typically eaten with some kind of naan bread. Addy was afraid this process would be too complicated for those unfamiliar with the food, and decided to combine everything before serving.

Photo by Sasha Maslov for The Queens Tribune

Other vestiges of his heritage can be found with the masala fries (above, with burger), dusted in the bright-red spice, and a full range of yogurt lassi drinks (above). Burger purists will not be disappointed to find vanilla, chocolate and strawberry milkshakes on the menu as well.

The dishes also veer in other directions including the American South, with an incredible mac ’n’ cheese (above) baked and served in its skillet, and country fried steak and chicken served diner style with mashed potatoes and gravy. This is certainly something not seen on many halal menus around the country.

Photo by Sasha Maslov for The Queens Tribune

In the future when the customer base is in place, Addy plans to add more Kenyan dishes to the menu like nyama choma, a barbecued meat that would fit right in to the theme; ugali na sukuma wiki, collard greens served with a firm cornmeal porridge; and githeri, a Kenyan staple meal of corn and beans. While we wait for these worlds to be opened up to us in New York City, a halal burger stuffed with four cheeses followed by a plate of sizzling mishkaki will do just fine.

[UPDATE 20 DEC 2018: At a follow-up visit, we were able to try nyama choma with ugali, a new menu item. Addy does a more Astoria-friendly version of ugali, but will make it more traditional upon request (bottom photo). You be the judge.]

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ASTORIA QUEENS
30-94 Steinway Street

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