Eating out is fun, affordable and important for local communities. And in the most diverse county in the country you have the widest possible selection of culinary delights and ethnic cuisines of any place in the world.
Discover Queens Restaurant Week, now in its 9th year, will launch on September 14 at Queens Borough Hall Plaza at 11 a.m. with a mini-tasting, according to Michelle Stoddart, director of marketing and tourism at the Queens Economic Development Corporation (QEDC).
There are close to 10,000 food businesses in Queens ranging from takeout food kiosks to elegant fine dining establishments.
Going out to eat can be an affordable, especially during Discover Queens Restaurant Week, when all of the many participating restaurants will offer special promotions.
And, during these challenging economic times a visit to the local Mexican or Italian restaurant is a lot easier on the wallet than the flight to Cancun or a few days on the Amalfi coast. Dining out is truly an affordable luxury that can be educational and entertaining.
As much fun as it is to dine out, Discover Queens Restaurant Week also reminds us of how important restaurants are to our local economy. Most restaurants are locally owned and operated.
“Often restaurants are landmarks in their neighborhoods and anchors on their local commercial shopping strips,” said Stoddart. “They are small businesses that truly give back to their community. Throughout Queens they employ thousands of people, from highly skilled chefs and managers to local teenagers obtaining their first jobs bussing tables. In addition to serving great meals to customers, our restaurants put a lot of bread on the table for their employees – and that helps our economy.”
The 13 participating restaurants on hand for the mini-tasting on September 14 at 11 a.m. at Queens Borough Hall Plaza in Kew Gardens include Irish Cottage, Tako Sushi, Cascarino’s Brick Oven Pizzeria, Bourbon Street, Austin Ale House, Da’ Silvana Ristorante, House of Dani’s Pizza, B. A. N. Y., Floresta, Two Steak and Sushi Cocina, Latina Riverview Restaurant and Expresso 77. A full list of participating restaurants is available at Discoverqueens.info.
Sponsors for this year’s event include TD Bank and JetBlue Airlines, who are proud to bring you scores of restaurants to choose from between September 20-23 and September 27-30. Cuisines from almost every continent are represented.
And, as every real New Yorker knows, the best and most authentic foods are on the Queens side of the East River. No one will ever deny that other boroughs have great – and expensive – restaurants, but when someone wants to experience authenticity on their table, Queens is where it’s at!
