Lucy Eats Alone – Lucy Gambles on the Unknown

We’re happy that Lucy checked out Bubba’s and had a good experience. Those crab cakes are making my mouth water! -Meg

Running errands on Ditmars, I notice that the place two doors down from CVS is called Bubba’s Bistro–Southern Cuisine. I had not noticed it before. A glance of the menu tells me that they have a little of everything basically a mash up of traditional Southern fare along with other food cooked with a Southern flare.

In the many years I’ve lived in Astoria, this site has had half a dozen or so incarnations. My guess is the ownership now is the same as it has been before. I haven’t heard anything about this food but I figure I should give them a try to reward their persistence and dedication to the neighborhood.

They have about twenty beers and fifteen wines on offer. The menu includes a good selection of apps, salads and entrees. I’m feeling snackish so a glass of French Chardonnay and crab cakes to start.

I also notice that there is not one, but multiple sections of the menu devoted to french fries so obviously I’d be remiss in not trying them. The “boats” or smothered fries seem a little much, (although southern poutine will have to happen at a later date via Seamless) so I order fries and a chili avocado dipping sauce. My waitress tells me the rosemary garlic is the most popular, so I splurge on spending that extra dollar and try that one as well.

As I sit in the sun and wait on my food, I can’t help but notice that Astorians have gotten more attractive in the last decade. I think it must be the fantastic quality of life we have here in the better boro. Bubba’s sandwich boards on the sidewalk announce the sangria or beer plus half a dozen oysters Happy Hour, as well as a prix fixe three-course dinner menu for $17.95—not bad! If my snack is good I’ll have to keep this in mind.

As the Astoria parade continues unabated, I check out one or two of the beautiful people and can not help but snoop at the contents of their CVS bags. Occasionally very telling. Do other people do this before flirting? Is it rude or should I have been doing this all along? The crab cakes arrive just in time to save me blathering on about the meaning to be found in plastic shopping bags.

The crab cakes are good. A nice crispy exterior and the sauce is tangy. I’d like slightly meatier pieces of crab, but all-in-all these are delicious and I’m happy to know they exist.

The fries are done well and the waitress was right—as they often are. The rosemary sauce is great. The avocado could use a bit more of a kick, but as I’ve got Louisiana hot sauce, I’m covered.

I’ll have to remember to try the poutine in August when it’s too hot to leave the apartment, and I spend the entire day watching cartoons.