There’s much more than kebabs at Astoria’s Halal Sandwich Shop.

The stretch of Steinway Street known as Little Cairo announces itself with the sweet aroma of sheesha wafting from numerous hookah cafes. Amid these find the cheery orange and yellow Halal Sandwich Shop. I’ve been wanting to try this Moroccan joint for years. Scanning the menu I skipped over the usual suspects—merguez, falafel, and lamb kabobs—heading straight for the section labeled discreetly labeled “Delicacies.”

“What's fouilat?” I asked. “We don’t have it today,” the gent behind the counter replied. “They’re, you know the lamb eggs,” he said when pressed for a description of this decidedly off cut. I opted instead for a sandwich of kalb ($6), or beef heart. It should be noted that there was also some excellent looking lamb shank on offer. Sadly that falls outside the purview of today’s column. A return visit is in order.

Nothing goes better with a heart hoagie than a can of Vimto.

The halal hoagie comes wrapped in deli paper making it hard to photograph, but easy to eat. Toothsome chunks of beef heart are crammed into the hero along with charmoula. The concoction of onions and tomatoes with green olives makes the whole sandwich taste like a sausage and pepper hero with a Moroccan accent. I was psyched to see that they had Vimto, a wonderful black currant soda.

A look under the hood.

I didn’t know what to expect when I entered the Halal Sandwich Shop, but I’m glad I found heart. Just a few days earlier I had eaten a truly awful plate of Peruvian grilled beef heart. So with culinary equilibrium restored I strode happily back out into the rain.

Halal Sandwich Shop. 25-61 Steinway St., Astoria, 718-726-9262
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Little Morocco brings a bit of the Casbah to Steinway Street.

Yesterday evening I took a trip to Morocco via Astoria. Little Morocco sits on a corner on Steinway Street not far from Ali al Sayed's Kabab Cafe. Several sandwiches, including lamb and kidney kebabs, are on offer in this sliver of a space. What brought me there last night though was a tip about their merguez sandwich ($6). As I learned from a sign in the window the hoagie filled with homemade lamb and beef sausage had also been lauded by The New York Times.

 A sextet of sausages and fixins are tucked
into a hero along with a dollop of tamatim. 

Six merguez sausages each as long as an index finger and slightly plumper are laid into a hero roll and dressed with lettuce, tomato, red onions, and green olives. Tamatim—an earthy Moroccan tomato sauce—adds a finishing touch. Although the paprika and chili flavored sausage, combined with the dressings and tomato sauce was tasty, this was not a life-changing sandwich. The links themselves could have a bit more snap. This flaw did little to deter me from ordering a second sandwich doctored up with Little Morocco’s excellent hot sauce.

Sated with Moroccan meat product I could do little more than ogle the staggering arrays of baklava and cookies at the neighboring Al Sham Sweets & Pastries. A return to the Astorian streets is in order.

Little Morocco, 24-39 Steinway Street, Astoria, 718-204-8118

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Bistro Les Minots' mussels have a decidedly Moroccan accent.

Special to World's Fare: It's been said before and I'll say it again: When it comes to food, Queens truly has everything, including Bistro Les Minots, an Astorian restaurant specializing in the cuisine of South France.  Recently it was the site of a spectacular Ambassador Dinner. I was unable to attend and still have yet to eat there, but Vivian Ibeas was kind enough to provide the following dispatch. Many thanks to Joe Howansky for the photos.

On a very rainy Tuesday, eleven hungry, damp diners trudged their way to Bistro Les Minots for Astoria to the South of France Ambassador dinner. After hanging up our coats and finding a place for our umbrellas, we had some wine and sat at the tables crafted by owners Henri and Yann. Henri, from Marseille, came to Queens 16 years ago and enjoys it here because the artist community reminds him of home. Yann hails from Paris. He poured the wine while Henri took us through a journey of French culture, history, cooking and climate. After a few glasses of wine, I started to feel like I was transported to France as he drew us into his relaxed French pace. Each dish leisurely came and went with interludes of conversation, a quick history lesson or food fact, comparisons between restaurants in New York and those of France, curious questions with poignant answers, and passion. If there's one thing Henri is, it's passionate. Passionate about his home, work and, of course, food.

La Pissaladière: a taste of Nice in Astoria.

We started with la pissaladière. It is described on the menu as a "warm onion tart with anchovies and black olives."  This dish from Nice was created by fishermen. If we were to eat this in Nice, it would be saltier than how Henri serves it at the restaurant as he found the mild level of saltiness is more pleasing to his guests. I love salt, so I was happy with this dish, but would love to try it in Nice someday. It was paired with a clean Rose Syrah, balancing the salty anchovies and olives. It was my favorite pairing as they complemented each other surprisingly well. 

Bistro Les Minots' escargots in puff pastry.

Next came les escargots de Bourgogne (sauteed snails served in a puff pastry with garlic, parsley, shallots, and wine). The wine pairing was the same one used to cook this dish, a burgundy. I gobbled mine up and swirled every bite in the arugula oil that adorned our plates. I noticed Henri ate the snails but left the pastry. No wonder the French are thin.

If you only get to try one dish at Bistro Les Minots, make it les moules marocaines. This plate is piled high with steamed mussels mixed with lamb sausage and chick peas and seasoned with a mouthwatering mix of Moroccan spices. Make sure you have lots of crusty French bread nearby to sop up all that heavenly, flavorful broth. This recipe is Henri's baby. Chefs told him he was crazy to serve a dish of spicy lamb and mussels, but Henri really wanted to show the African influence that happens in the South of France in his cooking. Wine pairing was a Bordeaux that I'm sure was perfect, but all I can think of as I write this is that broth!

This coq au vin marinated for 48 hours.

Coq au vin was our last entree. Already stuffed full of mussels and broth-soaked bread, I couldn't finish my plate. It sounded wonderful as Henri explained how this was an old recipe originally made with rooster. The bird is marinated for 48 hours and was cooked so the meat was falling off the bone. All the parts of the dish were tasty: mushrooms, carrots, pasta and chicken. I have to be honest and say I wasn't a fan of the texture of the meat, though. I'm not a fan of coq au vin to begin with, no matter how many times I try it. However, the wine, Les Mas Collines Côtes du Rhône, was my favorite of the evening. A gentle but full-bodied red with enough dark, fruity flavor that kept me reaching for my glass.

Dessert was served with homemade orange wine.

For dessert, we had apple tart, crepes and two kinds of crème brûlée, vanilla and espresso. I love crème brûlée and I am a hardcore traditionalist, although the espresso one was pretty divine. Paired with dessert was Henri and Yann's homemade orange wine, which took three months to make. It was sweet and slightly tart, but not heavy like other dessert wines. We tried to guess all the ingredients, but couldn't hit them all.

More than three hours before, we were wet and cold, now our cheeks were warmed with wine and our bellies full. With the French-African music still playing through the restaurant, we said au revoir to our wonderful hosts with a promise to return. One of my fellow diners lives down the street and didn't realize this gem  was in his neighborhood. It's nice to know there's a French restaurant nearby where we can be transported to Southern Europe if we allow ourselves to. In France, as Henri tells us, eating out is an event, so you sit, you eat, you drink, you talk, you drink, you eat, you laugh ... you are happy. 

Bistro Les Minots, 47-16 30th Ave., Astoria, 718-606-2535

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