As part of the annual NYC Hospitality Alliance Awards, three restaurants will receive the “I Love Queens” award for their service in the borough.
The NYC Hospitality Alliance, a nonprofit membership association serving the city’s restaurants and nightlife establishments, holds this ceremony every year. It was founded in 2012 “to foster the growth and vitality of the industry that has made New York City the Hospitality Capital of the World,” according to its website.
The Queens restaurants that will be honored include South Ozone Park‘s Don Peppe; Mu Ramen, which is based in Long Island City; and SriPraPhai in Woodside.
Don Peppe serves up classic Italian dishes and has been located in Queens since the 1960s. Offerings include baked clams, fried peppers, shrimp Luciano, chicken marsala and veal Don Peppe. Its decor, which includes race horses and jockeys, pays homage to Aqueduct Racetrack, located about a half a mile away. The restaurant was also featured in an episode of “Entourage.”
Mu Ramen, located at 12-09 Jackson Ave., is a Michelin award-winning restaurant that serves a variety of Japanese ramen dishes. Diners can choose between four broths — tonkotsu, mu ramen, spicy miso and shoyu — and add toppings like roasted corn, a seasoned soft boiled egg or kimchi. The restaurant was featured in Anthony Bourdain’s “Parts Unknown” Queens episode last year.
Sripraphai Tipmanee started her career in the restaurant in Elmhurst in the 1990s when she opened a small Thai bakery to serve authentic dishes to the Thai community. Her offerings became so popular that she opened SriPraPhai in Woodside.
Now, the restaurant serves more than 120 dishes representing different regions of Thailand. Tipmanee also opened locations in Brooklyn and Long Island. Appetizers include papaya salad, Thai buffalo wings and fresh fish cakes.
The restaurant also serves a variety of soups, noodle and rice dishes, fish and crab dishes and à la carte items. The same items are also prepared for vegetarians.
“The Alliance Awards give us an opportunity to recognize and honor the remarkable people and businesses that contribute so much to our city and make New York City the hospitality capital of the world,” said Andrew Rigie, executive director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance.
Tickets for the awards ceremony are exclusive to restaurant, nightlife, hotel operators and their families and cost $250. For more information on the organization or event, visit the NYC Hospitality Alliance website.
