Fernando Ruiz’s Tortilleria Nixtamal in Corona made Chowhound’s Top 10.  

I just got off the phone with Fernando Ruiz of Tortilleria Nixtamal, who told me his shop in Corona landed slot No. 6 on Chowhound’s New York 2009 Top 10 Roundup. I’m proud of Nixtamal and its tacos, tamales and tortillas, but I’m even prouder of Queens itself. Not only did we sweep the list of Top 10 New York posts with six out of 10 (Manhattan got three mentions and Brooklyn just one), we also came in first for the post Northern Lights in Chinese Flushing. It calls out some of my favorite Northern Chinese spots in Flushing, including the wonderful M&T Restaurant, which specializes in Qingdao cuisine, and My Sweet Home,  a Taiwanese dumpling joint that once called the now-shuttered Roosevelt Food Court home.

Fresh Indian South to North landed slot No. 3 and calls out the borough’s best South Indian: Southern Spice. Coming in at No. 5 is Wafa’s, a charming Lebanese shoebox of a restaurant in Forest Hills, whose $1.50 spinach pies were spotlighted in the premiere issue of EQ. Katsuno, a Japanese spot around the corner from Wafa’s, whose elaborate multicourse kaiseki was cited as a Notable Edible by my friend Suzanne Parker in the Winter 2009 EQ landed No 7. Nepali Explorations in Jackson Heights, a post about Jackson Heights’ Little Tibet took No. 9.

All I can think is: “Go Queens!” That and how many more of my favorites—new and old—will appear on next year’s list.

Keep on eating,
Joe DiStefano

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