DAILY NEWS WRITER
Courtesy of the New York Daily News
Befitting its title as the most ethnically diverse county in the nation, Queens also will do the Super Bowl a little differently.
One Glendale mall is using a most unusual sales pitch: Come here to avoid watching the game. And an Astoria restaurant is putting an Old World twist on sports bar munchies.
While the pigskins fly in Glendale, Ariz., this Sunday, the Shops at Atlas Park in Glendale, Queens, will host a bizarre contest for ugliest bridesmaid dresses – offering women an escape while their husbands spend hours glued to the Giants-Patriots showdown on TV.
The 5 p.m. party at Stella Gialla fashion boutique includes champagne, a three-tiered wedding cake and a floral centerpiece for the third most visually painful outfit.
“Not everybody is into the Super Bowl,” teased co-owner Vanessa Reyes, 29. “I don’t even know how football is played, as unfortunate and un-American as that is.”
The grand-prize winner will earns a makeover for their mirror-breaking garb.
“We make the dress into whatever the winner wants, whether it’s pants or pillow covers,” explained employee Flori Moreira, 23, who thought up the promotion.
But that’s not the only place to pass over the pigskin in Queens.
The Grand Cafe on 30th Ave. in Astoria is offering Greek grub and music while the big game unfolds on TV. Management even devised a $12.50 special based on the betting spread, Patriots over Giants by 12-1/2 points.
For that price, diners can order a Greek salad, one of three appetizers, mousaka or a chicken kebob platter for dinner and, for dessert, baklava or sugar cookies.
“If the spread goes up, like if a Giants player gets injured, then our price is going up too,” warned co-owner Johnny Solo, 32, who’ll be rooting for Big Blue. “But we’re hoping it goes lower for everyone.”
And those looking for a nonsports drama around kickoff time can check the Cinemart Cinemas in Forest Hills, with 10 showings – including the Oscar-nominated “No Country for Old Men” and “Michael Clayton” – that run during the game.
“People should have an alternative, and we have a great lineup of movies,” boasted owner Nicolas Nicolaou, 50. “We don’t close early for football games.”
