Lucy Eats Alone – Lucy Wakes Up Needing the Almond Croissant From Astor Bake Shop

Read Lucy’s thoughts on great eats at Astor Bake Shop, hot guys, and a run through the sprinklers. -Meg

At this point in the ongoing NYC burger mania, I assume any Astorian on the burger train has been to Astor Bake Shop and enjoyed one of their amazing burgers, but it’s morning (kind of) and I need coffee and an almond croissant. The best solution is obviously to make the stroll to Astor.

Of course, the pastry is amazing and the coffee drinks are great. For brunch they usually have a quiche and an omelette, as well as the egg sandwiches, and the rest of the usual menu, including beer, wine and sangria.

I was a little sad that the almond croissants were sold out by the time I arrived, but I managed my grief by having a gooey, sweet, chocolate almond croissant with my iced coffee.

In the interest of research, I ordered not only an egg sandwich with Swiss and a slice of tomato, but also the amazing french fries. Admittedly this is a little decadent but I did this for you, not me. The garlic fries are amazing—crispy outside and warm and light inside. My sandwich is also delicious—honestly, I should make this walk more often because it is totally worth it.

As I finish my brunch and wait for my iced coffee to go, I remember that Astoria Furniture Mart is closed on Sundays in July and August. I’ll have to save that for another Saturday, along with a stop at Pin Up Queens—and maybe a burger at Astor. So I’ll skip to Step Three in my plan for the day, which—given the heat—will likely be the highlight.

As usual the place is pretty busy, however I can not help but notice an attractive guy at the register waiting for his take-out order. In fact, I pretty nearly embarrass myself with the staring. Oh no—are we going to have to rename these posts Lucy eats Alone and Admits to Awkwardly Flirting with Astoria? I can’t be THAT person. So… hey, you in the green shirt and hat… you probably just biked Tour de Queens, sorry if that was awkward and I hope you enjoyed your lunch.

Thankfully, Step Three in my plan will clear my head. On a hot day wandering our neighborhood one of my all time favorite things to do is make a stop at the Astoria Park playground and run through the sprinkler. It’s heavenly – especially followed by a stop at Mister Softee.