There are plenty of places to eat in and around Astoria; this is no secret. However, an undiscovered secret is the extent to which some local restaurants will go to satisfy their patrons.
Take Locale Café & Bar, for example. Established in 2005, this Astoria eatery pleases Queens pleasure-seekers with tastes as eclectic and diverse as the borough itself. Once you are greeted at the front door by its friendly staff, Locale eases you in with a medley of sips, bites and smiles.
This restaurant has the distinction of being one of the only to actually elicit a salivary reaction with a salad. These anything-but-ordinary offerings are unique and enticing. The Heirloom Tomato Ensalada is served in a pesto and balsamic vinaigrette with goat cheese and sweet red onions. Its freshness evokes a stroll through your own fragrant garden.
The same can be said for the Tropical Salad; a mix of frisee, hearts of palm, avocado and parmesan cheese, served with a roasted garlic dressing in a vessel made of pear slices. Other salads include a House, Caesar, Portobello Mushroom and Goat Cheese and a Beet and Warm Brie.
It’s not dinner time yet, as Locale offers many desirable appetizers to further rev your hunger. Keep on the salad theme with a Brushetta Trio or head seaward with fried calamari, steamed mussels, crab cakes or their house-cured organic salmon. Crisp, shoestring-cut fried zucchini, a crowd favorite, is served with homemade marinara sauce.
After making your way through the hearty seductions of Locale’s salads and appetizers, ask to hear their specials, which change daily. Included is a rib eye steak served with mashed potatoes and broccoli rabe. The steak, succulent and juicy, will satisfy any carnivore who craves the perfect fat to lean ratio. Locale’s steaks are dry aged for 28 days, resulting in quality you can sink your teeth into.
Another noteworthy special was the chili-glazed Mahi-mahi. Locale serves this pacific fish purple potatoes and celery root in a mango reduction, which acts as the perfect foil to the spicy glaze.
Locale’s fish and meat dishes are purchased fresh daily from local Queens purveyors to ensure the freshest quality possible. This is true of their salmon, Cornish hen, veal, chicken and pork chop dishes.
Pasta is also readily available, with gnocchi, Linguini Vongole and Papperdelle and Rabbit standing out among other classic dishes. All sauces are homemade; anything else is simply unacceptable.
Stick around for dessert, specifically the Warm Chocolate Soufflé with Vanilla Gelato and Berry Coulis. The velvety chocolate and cooling gelato combo is the ideal coda to Locale’s concert of flavors.
Locale also boasts a full bar with numerous eye-catching cocktails that fit perfectly with the restaurant’s lounge atmosphere. It is a fun and elegant destination for any day of the week.
Locale Café & Bar
33-02 34th Avenue
Long Island City, NY 11106
Tel: 718-729-9080
Full Bar
All Major Credit Cards Accepted
Hours of Operation:
Monday through Thursday, 5 p.m. – 2 a.m.
Friday, 5 p.m. – 3 a.m.
Saturday, 11 a.m. – 3 a.m.
Sunday, 11 a.m. – 2 a.m.
Dinner Hours:
Monday through Thursday, 5 – 11:30 p.m.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 5 – 11 p.m.
Brunch Hours:
Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Reservations: YES
Take-Out: YES
