Huge Tornado Hits Oklahoma City Area

A small part of the terrible devastation there. Apparently it moved right over the highway.

Free Tree Giveaway Today

FREE TREE GIVEAWAY: 

On Sun, May 19 from 1 PM - 3 PM, take home a tree at Forest Hills' MacDonald Park at Queens Blvd & 70th Ave. If you reserved your tree online, your registration will be valid from 1 - 2 PM. **If you didn't reserve your tree online, a limited quantity will be available on site at a first-come, first-served basis. If trees are remaining at the end of the event, you can adopt more than 1 tree.

More information, read "Free Trees in Forest Hills" by Michael Perlman of the Forest Hills Times/Queens Ledger: http://www.foresthillstimes.com/view/full_story/22508582/article-Free-trees-in-Forest-Hills 

Agora Taverna, Just to Clarify

I feel I want to just clarify my previous post about the Greek restaurant on Austin St., Agora Taverna. Overall, I'd give the food here a B+, and the ambience/atmosphere, an A+. As I mentioned in the previous post, it is certainly an exceptionally beautiful restaurant they built here in Forest Hills. I think it would be hard to find anyone to argue with that.

As for the food, I love to have great seafood and fish dishes, but I also really, really like an excellent chicken dish, especially in a Greek or any other Mediterranean restaurant. I've tried several different dishes at Agora and my conclusion is that it does a real nice job with seafood and fish dishes (shrimp, Branzini are among my favorite dishes there), but could do better when it comes to straightforward chicken dishes, like chicken kabob. I didn't find the chicken bad, I just found it bland, without much taste. It wasn't very memorable. Quite frankly, I was kinda disappointed with that dish since I was hoping a new Greek restaurant would do an exceptional job with it. I'm thinking of places I've been to in Astoria, for instance, that serve great roasted and grilled chicken dishes.

Now that being said, I have not been back to Agora in several months. Other local restaurants opened and I have really liked them so they have kind of taken me away from going back to Agora. (Again, as others have commented on this blog, the competition is heating up for restaurateurs here in Forest Hills for sure.) So, I am hoping Agora's has improved its chicken kabob. I'll visit soon to find out and let you all know what I think.

Otherwise, I hope I am being clear that I am not criticizing Agora as a whole. I think it's a beautiful restaurant—one of the nicest we have in central Forest Hills—and a really nice place to dine with friends and family, and, it serves very good fish and seafood dishes. I am just hoping they can do something more exciting with their chicken!

Still Open, and Closed

I found myself recently visiting the Austin Street "Mall" after quite a while away and it was interesting to note a couple of things:

Common Space is long gone, having been closed back in March for some reason by the Health Department. I never got a chance to eat or drink there, despite a quick visit one evening. I especially liked their nice outdoor space in the back. This would make a good space for another restaurant, or maybe that indie coffe place so many of us have been dreaming about. It even has the space outback which would be perfect! And, given its slot upstairs in the "Mall," I'm thinking it just might be a bit more affordable for some entrepreneur to make happen than a space right on ground level on Austin St.

And, despite some predictions to the contrary, it looks like Corfu Grill, the smaller Greek restaurant, is holding its own even though Agora Taverna opened just a few feet away. When Agora first opened, I had my doubts Corfu would survive very long. But I think part of the reason it may have is that Agora is so much pricier. And, I also wonder if a big part of the reason is that, sadly, Agora just isn't the amazing Greek restaurant so many of us had hoped for. Sure, some of its dishes are really good, especially when it comes to fish and seafood. But I have been super-disappointed by other entrees, such as chicken dishes. A bland, easily forgettable chicken kabob in a Greek restaurant? What?? How does that happen? When you're paying the prices Agora is charging, the food really should be worth it. Yes, it sure is a beautiful restaurant they built, no doubt about that. But if the food just isn't worth the price, I don't care how pretty the place is.

New Poll: Summer Movie Special (Part 1)

Queens Symphony Orchestra Annual Gala

This is open to the public:
Join the Queens Symphony Orchestra on May 29th at its 60th anniversary Gala at the Copland School of Queens College! Seats filling up quickly for a night of fun, great entertainment and food...for a great cause. Help support community programs, free concerts and acclaimed Arts-in-Education programs. — at Aaron Copland School of Music. Click here to purchase tickets: Queens Symphony Orchestra: 60th Anniversary Gala on May 29, 2013 at Queens College