Shrimp Scampi

I made this last spring so I don't remember the exact taste...I do remember it being good but not great. Still came out good for my first time making it though!

Chicken Parmigiana

I made chicken parm again tonight and it came out...much better than last time! It wasn't 100% the way I liked it but I would say I'm 90% there.

Here is what I did differently:

1) Pounded the chicken even more than the last time and with the spiky side of a meat tenderizer.
2) Used a paper towel dry the chicken.
3) Seasoned the chicken cutlet with salt and pepper before I placed it in the flour.
4) Put some salt and pepper in the flour.
5) Press the chicken into the breadcrumbs.
6) Deep fried the chicken

I really like the deep frying method. It made the chicken crisp with a nice golden color.

These sites, along with some advice from a coworker, helped me:


http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/chicken-parmigiana-recipe/index.html

http://screen.yahoo.com/chicken-parmesan-30468888.html?pb_list=372289b1-ad1f-4816-8461-4c05591f3a0e

Vesta

Nice little Italian place in a non-congested part of Astoria.

Outside pic courtesy of the Internet

Steamed PEI Mussels, spicy sausage, tomato broth - $10

(Slow Braised) Meatballs, parmigiano, tomato - 12

Chicken Sausage, spicy tomato sauce, provolone, red peppers, crispy onion - 15 (I think that was the pizza)

Pappardelle, arugula, lemon, pine nuts, egg yolk, parmigiano - 14 (I think)

Roasted Half Chicken, escarole, potatoes, lemon white wine - 23

Striped Bass, fregola risotto, tomato broth, pickled fennel - 22

Lasagna 6 hour meat ragu (Sunday Dinner Style) - 15

Overall, it was a nice restaurant. Service was friendly and helpful. Food was great and the prices are standard IMO. If you to decide to go here, try to make reservations. It was pretty quiet when we got there at 630 on a rainy Saturday night but it picked up by the time we finished our dinner. 

Vesta

21-02 30th Ave

Astoria, NY 11102

(718) 545-5550

http://www.vestavino.com/

Chicken Parmigiana

Made chicken parm tonight...

I used two chicken cutlets and it ended up being too much for two people. I should have stuck with 1 and 1/2 cutlets. I would have had just enough for dinner and lunch tomorrow.

Overall, it came out good but not as good as I would have liked. I was just telling SJ earlier that I still prefer Olive Garden's version. I have two problems with my version. (1) I don't like the texture of the chicken. The chicken was tender and juicy but something was off. I can't quite describe it... and (2) The breading doesn't stick to the chicken as much as I like. I want to be able to scratch the chicken with a knife without having the breading slide off. I'm starting to think it's not possible to make breaded chicken cutlets like that at home.

The pasta was great. I picked up a pound of fresh fettuccine from Leo's Ravioli for $3.75 and I only used about half of it. The place is 15 mins from my house so it wasn't really out of the way at all.

The alfredo sauce was from a bottle (Bertolli). Not bad. I've never had any other brand so I'm not sure how it compares with others.

The strings beans was a nice touch. I think it goes really well with the chicken and pasta. Thanks SJ and M for the idea! I squeezed some lemon juice on it and it was yummy ;)

Note: I haven't given up! I'm going to try a different breading technique the next time I make this and see if it gets me closer to my goal.

Update (03-18-13):

Don't laugh at me but on my way to work and back, I was thinking about what could have went wrong. I decided on the following:

I didn't pan fry the cutlets long enough. Even though I had my heat on the low side, my chicken cutlets browned very easily. I would say the chicken got brown within 2 mins or so. Because I didn't want to burn the breading, I took out the chicken once it was browned. I think this cause the chicken itself taste the way it did...like it was steamed. I think I'm looking for that "fried" taste if that makes any sense.

Maybe I should invest in a bigger pot and really deep fry my cutlets next time? Maybe this will make the inside of the chicken to taste differently? Hmmm....

Grand Lux Cafe

Anyone that knows me knows that I love me a good Chicken Parm!!

I don't know if it's sad or what but I really like Olive Garden's chicken parm. I find their chicken breaded nicely and flavored well. I can't say how many times I've ordered chicken parm at an Italian restaurant only to be disappointed. I guess that is what I get for ordering such a dish at an Italian restaurant.

Anyway, long story short, I found another place that makes awesome chicken parm.

The chicken is extremely tender and flavored well. Their portions are huge. The above pics represents their lunch portion. I can't imagine what their dinner portion looks like.

One thing I have to say is that I'm not too sure about their fettuccine alfredo yet. The first time I got it, it was good. The second time, I felt it could have been a bit softer.

Baked Apple Pie with Ice Cream

You have to order this when you order your food because they supposedly bake it fresh. We had to wait about another 10 mins after we finished our meal before we got this.

The crust was good but I found the apple slices a bit tart.

Latte

As you can see, the prices are pretty reasonable.

This place can get crazy packed. If you want to go there for lunch, I recommend showing up around noon to 1230. Any time after that, the lobby is usually packed.


Grand Lux Cafe
630 Old Country Rd.
Garden City, NY 11530
(516) 741-0096

www.grandluxcafe.com

Umberto's Pizzeria

My new addiction...I just can't seem to get enough of this place.

The pics does not do this sicilian justice (I messed up - I didn't take them from the right distance). Their sicilian is one of the best, if not the best sicilian around. It might be because I love bread but I think the best part of the pizza is the crust. It is crisp, light and just wonderful. The sauce is good too.

If you do end up going there, make sure you ask them to warm up the pizza so that it is hot. The temperature makes a world of difference. When it's just warm, the square just ends up tasting average. When it is hot, yum yum yum!

Note: I've had their regular slice and grandma slice. I still think their sicilian is the best.


Umberto's Pizzeria
633 Jericho Tpke
New Hyde Park, NY 11040
(516) 437-7698

http://originalumbertos.com/

Basilica

Hungry again. Looking at these pics does not help.

I heart wine...

Bread was okay. Not really fresh and they didn't have butter or anything.They did have dipping oil though.

Calamari Fritti - fried calamari and zucchini with a side of spicy tomato sauce

I enjoyed this ;)

Eggplant Parmigiano served over spaghetti

I believe this is eggplant parm. I think he liked it? Forgot to ask him. It's either he liked it or thought it was alright.

As you can see, I'm back to my old "oh, i don't remember how this taste like" reviews. I ate at this place last month so it's hard to remember!

Chicken Toscano with asparagus, red peppers and portobello mushrooms in white wine sauce

 I think this was the chicken toscano. Friend finished the plate so I believe this was good also.

Looks like a Ravioli dish to me. ;P I had some of it. It was good.

My dish. Guess what I got!!

....Chicken parm! This was good. The chicken was well flavored. Not too dry. The cheese was good. Overall, I was satisfied.

I would recommend this place. It's a nice cozy little restaurant. 

Basilica Restaurant
676 9th Ave (between 46th St & 47th St)
New York, NY 10036

(212) 489-0051
basilicarestaurant.net

Carmine's Pizzeria II

Here's another set of pictures from last year (Sept to be exact). So ya, there probably won't be much to read in this post.

 I wasn't feeling the sauce that came with the Calamari.

 

My order...

The pictures look really good imo but I don't remember it tasting that good. I'll give the hero another try one day.

Cute mug;)

Carmine's Pizzeria II
436 Union Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
718 218 8770
http://www.carminespizzeria.com/