The Sunnyside Of Life

Queens is Green and not only for the green leprechaun ‘Welcome to Sunnyside’ banners that are lining Queens Blvd- our great borough is offering a FREE environmental, educational and networking event!

The biggest and best Green Event in Queens for 2008!
Saturday, March 8, 2008
from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Queens Wildlife Center, Terrace On The Park
at the New York Hall of Science
47-01 111 street
Queens NY 11368
www.nyscience.org

Informational workshops on : Street Trees, Alternative energy sources, composting, Queens Waterfronts and much more

Please RSVP so they can plan accordingly for light refreshments , instructional materials and give-a-ways!
RSVP to either 718-343-6779 or send an email to GoingGreeninQueens@gmail.com
*Parking is normally $10 per car, but they have made arrangements for all attendees to have free parking-you must tell the guard you are here for the GOING GREEN IN QUEENS event otherwise you will be charged.

[Eds: We suggest you think GREEN all the way and take mass transit - by Subway 7 to 111th St. Walk 3 blocks south. There has been sporadic track weekend work on the 7 line, so check in for the most up-to-date subway service advisories at www.mta.info.]

The Queens Chamber of Commerce and the Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce are hosting a Business Card Exchange. This is a FREE Community networking event and chance to meet members of the Chamber. If you’re new to the neighborhood or just looking to branch out, it sounds like a great opportunity to make New Business Contacts in the Long Island City – Sunnyside – Woodside area.  If we can get our SunnysideNYC.com business cards printed up in time, you may even see us there!

Monday March 3rd – Bliss Bistro Restaurant
6:30 to 8:30 PM
45-29 Skillman Avenue
Sunnyside Gardens
Complimentary Wine & Hors D’Oeuvres
For more information call: Luke 718.784.8437 or 718.482.6053. For directions to Bliss Bistro – 718.729.0778.

Beginning Feb 15th, the Sunnyside CSA is accepting new members for the 2008 season. Last year, our two-person household went in for a 1/2 share, which suited us perfectly for 26-weeks at $245 ($530 for the full share). We really enjoyed the “surprise” aspect of each week’s veggies and explored new recipes for our weekly treats.

From  Sunnyside CSA: Come to Sunnyside Community Services to sign-up, ask questions, and get to know your neighbors. As a friendly reminder, please bring your checkbook because there is a deposit due upon sign-up.

If you would like to stick around and join us for a potluck, please do so. Bring a dish to share or bring beverages. Not sure how much to make? At our last event we recommended that participants bring dishes to serve approximately 4-6, and we had plenty of food.

If you are currently a member, and have already signed up, please come anyway and join us for the potluck!!!!

Date:   Friday February 15, 2008
Time:   6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Location:   Sunnyside Community Services
Street:   43-31 39TH STREET – 2nd Floor (next to NYSC)
Notes:   Sign Up Event and Potluck

This particular stretch of Queens Blvd between 39th Pl and 39th St seems to have bad restaurant karma. Our favorite local Japanese restaurant Yamakaze is undergoing another renovation. We’ve seen at least two incarnations of Japanese restaurants and two renovations as Yamakaze itself. Hopefully this time as HAMANI it will stick with a new name and interior. We’ll keep you posted.

Side note: Next door Vicky Punjabi Haandi (39-09 Queens Blvd.) has been closed for quite some time and in its place La Tavera de Zorayda (same address, 718.937.3380), serving Latin American Cuisine has sprung up. Their specialty seems to be their daily homemade soups, ceviches and casseroles.

I stopped in at The Grind last night for a couple of meetings, the perfect local joint for that. I mentioned the New York Times article to Mike the owner, who informed me that The Grind is officially for sale! So if you’re looking to become a part of the cafe society, stop in or call. We just hope that the new proprietors maintain the quirky atmosphere and special jazz & comedy nights.

THE GRIND
39-24 Queens Blvd.
Queens, NY, 11104
718.730.1050
www.thegrindnyc.com

As read in The New York Times… In this Sunday’s New York Times’ Real Estate section, The Hunt chronicled a young couple in search of a home. They settled briefly in Sunnyside but poor vetting on their part seems to have marred their choice. The lack of their due diligence aside, two things that did resonate from the article – “I read great articles about how Sunnyside is the new Williamsburg” and a shout-out to our favorite cafe;

There was a hip coffee shop nearby, the Grind, where they had a lunch of coffee and turkey wraps. “It was the cutest little coffee shop that made me feel I was in Greenwich Village,” Ms. Galbo said. “Any doubt we had, sitting there eating lunch eased our minds.”

I’d be a little wary of comparing ourselves to Williamsburg by any stretch but The Grind has definitely been a welcome addition to the neighborhood. Looking for love and a strong buzz? In honor of Valentine’s Day, The Grind is hosting a round of Speed Dating. Sign-ups are available now.

The New York Times: The Hunt – Queens Lives Up To Its Billing (February 10, 2008)

Diane from our CSA is offering a delicious cooking class for singles, including a recipe for chocolate truffles! Maybe you’ll meet another lonely heart or just a cool Sunnyside neighbor.

From Diane: In this class, we will make 5 or 6 amazing recipes that cook up in under a half hour, leaving less around your middle and more in your pocket. Our focus will be Cooking for One – whole foods recipes that are scaled down or that create leftovers you can reincarnate into new magnificence. Chocolate truffles included.

Space is very limited – six people max. Class starts promptly at 6:30 pm. When our fun in the kitchen is done, we will gather around the living room and enjoy our creations together, and will probably end around 9:30.

Cost of this class is $45 in advance, $50 at the door. After the cost of food, I am donating 100% of my profits from this class to V-Day (www.vday.org) which works to end violence against girls and women around the world. Please email diane@conscious-cooking.com right away, as spaces always fill quickly. Get ready for some Good Eats with www.conscious-cooking.com!

There haven’t been too many posts since I was away in Tulum, Mexico (about 2 hours south of Cancun). For your convenience, JetBlue now flies direct to Cancun-CUN airport. We stayed in a wonderful oceanfront cabana on the Carribean Sea facing due east, which provided the backdrop for some magnificent sunrises. Here I am : Betty got game!

Since I’ve been back I’ve seen references to Tulum pop-up in New York magazine and The L Word on Showtime. Has Tulum reached its tipping point?

One thing that Sunnyside and Mexico have in common is the ubiquitous TACO TRUCK. The Sunnyside Taco Truck parks itself at Queens Blvd. and 41st Street around 9pm every night until late-night and serves authentic tortilla tacos ($2) with pork, chicken, or chorizo and my favorite: the steak torta ($5). We like to practice our Mexican Spanish with Pedro, Jose and the guys. They even deliver! Free Delivery 347.276.4522.

[Ed's note 2/16/08: I just found an article from the Village Voice about our particular Taco Truck and the bustling block it occupies each night between 40th & 41st Queen Blvd.
Village Voice - Eating Like El Vagabond
Tortas and Whiskey together in Sunnyside]

Sunnyside Taco Truck – El Vagabond

Mexico Taco Truck (Playa del Carmen)

This past year we signed up for our neighborhood CSA [Community Supported Agriculture] Program (CSA) for Sunnyside and Woodside Queens. It is a 100% volunteer organization run by the people in our neigborhood. For 28 weeks, we enjoyed the fruits [and veggies] of labor from our local farm Golden Earthworm.

The bounty was great and each week was a welcome surprise as we devised new menus to take advantage of our fresh produce. We’re in the off-season now (although there is a Winter-share of root veggies) but the CSA still sponsors community activities including this upcoming potluck and movie night. Go find out more on how to Think Global, Eat Local!

CSA Potluck & Movie Night

What: CSA Potluck Dinner & Movie Night
Date: Friday January 11, 2008
Time: 7:00 pm – 10:30 pm
Location: All Saints Church
Street: 43-12 46th Street, bet. Queens Blvd & 43rd Ave.
Who: CSA Members and anyone who is interested in joining for next season and anyone who likes food and movies

Why: Meet your neighbors, have fun, eat some good food, watch a surprise movie on the big screen with a projector. Members of the CSA core group will be there to answer any questions about next season.

How much: Free! Please bring a dish to share (vegetarian or non-vegetarian) that feeds about 4-6 people. We will have some paper plates and utensils, but feel free to bring your own plates and forks from home to reduce our waste. If you
don’t like to cook, beverages are welcome.

RSVP: Email diane@sunnysidecsa.com and let me know what you’re bringing and how many people. However if you forget to RSVP or decide at the last minute, just show up – we’ll be happy to see you!

P.S. There MAY be an opportunity to sign up for next season – it depends on whether or not we get the share prices from the farmer in time. So you might want to bring your check book just in case.

For most of my adult life Di Paolo’s (206 Grand Street. New York 212.226.1033) in the ever-shrinking village of Little Italy was my go-to-place for fine Italian charcuterie and cheeses. Nobody else seems to be able to slice the prosciutto as delicately as Di Paolo’s and nobody else is as knowledgeable and passionate about their products as the DiPaolo family. Owner Louie is always on hand to explain the variances between 10-year, 12-year and 20-year old balsamic vinegar with a private tasting and let you sample cheeses and deli slices to abet decision-making. I still go on occasion, especially for the annual NY Philharmonic concerts in the Park, because the experience is wholly New York; but I definitely needed to find a local substitute.

Introducing Sorriso’s (44-16 30th Ave. Astoria 718.728.4392) now celebrating its 29th year. I went in over the weekend to source fresh ingredients for a NYE lasagna: fresh pasta sheets, mozzarella, ricotta, and ground meat – FRESH being the operative word. There’s much to be said for fresh ricotta. So good you can eat it simply on baguette slices with a drizzle of honey as served at Mario Batali’s Lupa restaurant. They have freshness in abundance and the ground meat was the ultimate trifecta of beef/pork/veal. My guy suggested I up the ante with a 1/2 lb substitute of fresh sausage. Perfection. After I settled up, he even threw in a spinach ricotta ball gratis. They don’t take credit cards but they have a handy ATM in-house. Plus plenty of prepared foods (Pizza rustica, antipaste, polpetine, homemade ravioli etc) that may necessitate its usage. I’d strongly recommend one of their specialty sandwiches; the Godfather. The best Italian combo I’ve had since my Crosby Connection [Italian Stallion] sandwich days. Mangia Mangia.

The Queens Gazette: Sorriso Italian Pork Store Celebrates 25th (01.14.2004)