So, hopefully you’ve done your taxes by now. I heard on the radio that the long lines we’ve historically seen on tax day have abated, due to so many people e-filing. I certainly prefer that method. However, if you need motivation to get them in ASAP – or even if you just want to celebrate filing – give yourself a little treat as a reward. Maybe dinner at Bare Burger? Or how about a beautiful scented candle from SITE (I just bought one for a friend – it’s fabulous)? Or give yourself the gift of time and spend it in one of Astoria’s beer gardens with friends over a delicious beer.
Additionally, tonight is Porchetta Night at Testaccio (47-30 Vernon Blvd)! They’ll be serving up a whole suckling pig roasted in their brick oven, served Roman style at a carving station. The prix fixe menu is $30 (which includes tax) – that includes all you can eat porchetta, as well as side dishes served buffet style. There’s a wine pairing, too: Colle Ticchio (Cesanese del Piglio), Corte dei Papi 2008. The event goes from 6-9pm.
If you happen to be over in the western part of town, near Two Coves Community Garden, take a gander at the nearby mural. At the intersections of 30th Avenue, 12th Street and Welling Court, you can see Polish muralist M-City’s work on display on the wall of the school bus depot. And you can give thanks to Ad Hoc Art Gallery owner Garrison Buxton and his wife, Allison’s efforts, as they are responsible for bringing the muralist to town for his American debut.
Friday night, head on over to Astoria Wine & Spirits’ wine tasting, from 6:30-9:30pm. They’ll be offering four Spanish wines: Vega Sindoa Rose ’09; La Cana Albarino ’08; Paso A Paso Verdejo ’08; El Chaparral Old Vines Garnacha ’08. They also have new artwork up by Julian Lesser. Astoria Wine & Spirits can be found at 34-12 Broadway.
If you are looking for an unconventional snack, Casa del Pan (38-02 Broadway) is the place for you. This is the local home of the pandebono, a Colombian snack bread made from corn flour, yuca flour, sugar, and cheese. According to the pandebono expert at Serious Eats, this is one of the best she had on her most recent tasting spree. They are $1.25 and are described as so: “this bread, fresh from the oven, was darker in color than the previous one, was crustier on the outside, and the inside collapsed immediately with the first sweet bite. This is the texture that I am familiar with, and the best way to describe it is glutinous, almost gelatinous, similar to Japanese mochi.”
Last, if you haven’t read it yet, you must do it soon! The New Yorker has an article about Christopher Walken’s recent visit to his hometown of Astoria. Wonderful!
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Photo credits: Testaccio image (c) Judith Klein Rich; Mural image (c) Queens Gazette; pandebono image (c) Sara Markel-Gonzalez
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