Duzan

Duzan
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I’ve been going to Duzan for a while now, back before they closed down and remodeled. I’ve been going since then and I keep heading back. Now this is partly due to its proximity to my apartment, in the interest of full disclosure. I mean, there is only one restaurant closer, a halal pizza place, and I’m all for fusion concept food, but I digress.

Duzan is always crazy busy and with good reason. They have great food, reasonably priced, and excellent platter choices. They make shawarma, beef and chicken, and marinated kebabs. What I think really sets them apart though is the fact that they make fresh pita bread on premises, and for this reason I usually opt for the a sandwich in lieu of a platter. I get mine with everything, hummus, pickles, radicchio… the pickled radish ads a nice accent. For some reason the the beef is only available durring dinner service, so if you go for lunch, be warned you’ll have to get a kebab to order, or get the chicken. For sides they have two types of fries to choose from, hand cut or frozen, which is pretty cool, being able to choose for quality. I usually go with the felafel though. Three for a dollar, so for two buck you can get six. Make sure to ask for tahini and the house hot sauce and your “redta” go.

Queens Comfort

Queens Comfort
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Tried to go here several times over the past couple of years but it was always at max capacity, so we ended up going elsewhere. After revisiting QC here on Yelp I decided it was time to go. The pictures looked so good, and a picture is often worth a thousand words after all.

We went around eight and had the good fortune to be seated right away. Most of the time you’ll have to wait due to this venues popularity, as was the case for the people who came in after us. The vibe is chill, casual, and unpretentious.

After looking at all the great photos, I had a pretty good idea of what I was going to order. The menu is pretty comprehensive, and most of the time that worries me, but here I think it works. There are definitely some unique items, and this place would surely be a place they would visit on dinner driveins and dives (Update, since I wrote this they have been here). I was expecting Guy Fiori to pop up any minute, thank the good lord he never materialized.

We ordered the fried mac and cheese balls with siracha and ranch to start. Pretty good, but I would go another route next time. For the main course we split the Pig Mac and the chicken and waffles. expect large portions, and expect to leave full. The Pic mac is a pork cutlet with pickles chipotle mayo. Really I wanted a similar sandwich, but with pork belly, I had seen some people post photos of, but it was missing from the menu. Add a little Texas Pete and your good to go. Finally, my fav was the Chicken and waffles, tabasco glazed fried boneless chicken, over a Belgian waffle. Tasty, and I liked the fact the chicken was boneless.

Overall a good experience, and will go back because the brunch menu looks awesome. It would be really great if this place was open 24 hours.

Los Portales

Los Portales
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Los Portales is a great Mexican place on Broadway near the train in Astoria. The cemitas and tortas are so good, and if its your first time ordering from here I have to recommend getting the suadero cemita. They marinate the meat for a long time, so its nice and tender. The suadero with avocado, rehydrated peppers and Mexican cheese between a seeded bun makes for a satisfactory sandwich. This is my favorite, but all the sandwiches are delicious.

Taco’s are good to order here as well. They have your typical choices of beef and chicken, but also have some other interesting options as well. You can order Lengua, tongue for non Spanish speakers such as my self, and pig ear are some interesting selections. I like the pig ear taco, and would recommend this to anyone feeling adventurous. Fried plantains are always enjoyable, and they cut them thick. The only thing I’m not a huge fan of would be the burrito, its good, but I think you’ll find the other menu items more to your liking. Beyond this, Los Portales is open well into the night, so its a perfect place to order from after 12.