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Tags >> Greek

Name That Food: Round 31

Posted by: JoeDiStefano

Tagged in: Greek , contests

Guess the mystery dish and win dinner for one at Ovelia.

Congratulations to World's Fare reader Ann. She was first to guess last week's mystery dish was dou fu fa, or fresh tofu curds with sugar syrup. I scored the comforting bowl of it at Soy Bean Chen Flower Shop in Flushing's Chinatown. Ann's mystery prize is a gourmet grilled cheese from The Queens Kickshaw in Astoria.

Name That Food is brought to you by the fine folks at Ovelia in honor of the restaurant's five-year anniversary. The modern Greek psistaria in Astoria is giving away dinner for one, including appetizer, entree, glass of wine and dessert. That's a $45 value, people.

You know what do. If you think you know the mystery dish, place your guess in the comments below. First correct wins the dinner. If you've won in the past month, please sit this one out kids. Round 31 ends a week from today at 12 p.m. at which time the winner will be notified via e-mail. Good luck!

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Hugue Dufour in a relatively calm moment at M. Wells.

Today Seven Questions turns its attention to Hugue Dufour, who, along with his wife, Sarah Obraitis, created the wildly popular gastrodiner M. Wells in Long Island City.

Where are you from originally and how long have you been living in Queens?
I am from a place called Lac St. Jean, which is in Québéc. I moved down here to Queens two years ago more or less.

What made you move to Queens?
I met Sarah maybe six years ago. We were dating, me being in Montréal, her being down here. We wanted to be together. We kind of flipped a coin and Queens won. Sarah wasn’t speaking French so that would have been harder for her.

What are some of your favorite things to eat in Queens?
There are different things. Where I’m from it’s so white, we don’t have any Mexican food. Coming down here you have all sorts of influence and all sorts of cultures. I like to to go to Nixtamal to grab some tacos. There are amazing places in Flushing for Korean fried chicken. I also like to go to Astoria and have Greek sometimes. There’s cool Indian food as well.

Any chance you'll add Korean fried chicken to the menu at M. Wells?
Everyone’s doing fried chicken. I feel like we’re inundated with fried chicken. I want to make a nice chicken. I once did the smoked chicken. I want to go towards that…covered with paprika. That’s one I want to perfect.

Do you have favorite places to shop in Queens?
I can’t wait for the farmer’s market, the one in Sunnyside and even the one by our place on 48th Ave. I also send one of our cooks Caroline to the Korean markets to  buy gochujang for the BibiM Wells. I love this place in Astoria for materials, Build it Green. I’m always there.

For a guy whose food is often unapologetically fatty, you're quite trim. How do you do it?
I seem really calm perhaps, but it’s just like the duck technique. I don’t know if you’re aware of the duck technique. The water surface seems really calm and, like, quiet, but underneath you see the little paddles are going crazy, you know. I’m really nervous, but I keep everything inside. I don’t know; I must have a great metabolism too because I eat a lot.

Where do you look for inspiration when creating new dishes?
This is a hard question. It’s a lot of things. Sometimes it’s a new piece of equipment. The other day I saw this thing on the Bowery. You know the vertical spit that you do gyros on. It was like $100, a nice one. I want to get it.

I want to make sandwiches like that. All sorts of meats stacked up, even with foie gras on top leaking all over the meat. Usually you do chicken or lamb with a big tomato on top. I would like to do even leaner meats like rabbit stacked up, but with foie gras and a big chunk of bacon in between basting the whole thing. And then you carve it and you make a nice sandwich with nice hummus.

M. Wells Diner, 21-17 49th Ave., Long Island City, 718-425-6917

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Sandwich Wednesday: BZ Grill's Pork Gyro

Posted by: JoeDiStefano

Tagged in: sandwiches , pork , Greek , astoria

BZ Grill's awe- and hunger-inspiring pork gyro.

Up until a few years ago the word "gyro" conjured up images of the languidly spinning towers of mystery meat. And then I tasted BZ Grill's pork gyro. It's a sandwich that simultaneously elevated my opinion of pork itself and the oft-maligned gyro. Instead of mystery meat the pita is stuffed with succulent slices of pork with crispy edges. Just under $6 buys one of Queens' finest sandwiches.

Sometimes I like to think of it as decidedly unkosher shawarma. Go for broke and gild the pita with French fries if you're up for a serious feed. I'm not alone in my affections for this porktastic wonder either. So far both subjects of Seven Questions have sung its porky praises. Great palates think alike.

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Seven Questions for ... Lee Anne Wong

Posted by: JoeDiStefano

Tagged in: Thai , sandwiches , Mexican , interviews , Greek , astoria

Sal, Kris & Charlie's 'meattastic' Italian Bomb
is one of Lee Anne Wong's top sandwiches.

Today Seven Questions turns its attention to everyone's favorite Queens-based former Top chef contestant and long-time Astoria resident Lee Anne Wong.

Where are you from originally and how long have you been living in Queens?
I was born and raised in upstate New York. I moved to NYC after high school and have been here almost 17 years. I've lived in Astoria for 13 years now.

What's your favorite thing to eat in Queens? First of all, I live in the best borough for food, let alone the fact that Astoria is a melting pot of cultures and cuisines. That being said, it's hard to choose a favorite. Whenever I come back from traveling the foods that comfort me immediately are Ali's goat chops and mixed plate at Kebab Cafe; Gary Anza's tofu salad and uni soba at Bistro 33; sitting at the bar ordering any of the pastas at Piccola Venezia; and Rizzo’s thin crust Sicilian with anchovies.

What about cocktails?
Sweet Afton. Or the Irish Rover, because it's a block away.

As a chef what do you consider the most interesting neighborhoods in Queens?
Flushing for sure, but pretty much the journey along the 7 train is like a trip around the world. I'm obviously a big fan of Astoria for its diversity and the fact that I've watched this neighborhood grow and evolve over the past 13 years. Little Egypt is on the other side of the block and has some of the most delicious and unique eats around.

If you were eating in Queens on a Saturday night where would you be?
Again, any of my favorites in the immediate vicinity: Kebab Cafe, Mombar, Bistro 33, Piccola Venezia, Sripraphai, Taverna Kyclades, Taverna Sofia, The Bohemian Hall.

Got any Sandwich Wednesday suggestions for me?
The Italian Bomb at Sal, Kris, & Charlie's is meattastic. The tortas and tostadas at La Flor de Puebla are awesome.The falafel at Duzan is simply the best falafel I've had in years. I love the cevapi sandwich at Djerdan Burek. And I have to pay homage to the BZ Grill pork gyro.

Do you have a favorite market,. butcher, baker,etc.
30th Ave in Astoria is a goldmine of great markets, especially Italian delis. I love the International Meat Market. The butchers there are super friendly and helpful. Laziza Pastries makes the best Middle Eastern sweet treats. Titan is a mecca for Mediterranean ingredients.

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