Putting Lipstick on a Pig

That headline was contributed by a friend of mine....And it is kinda lipsticky isn't it?

And the photo below was contributed by a reader. Where would this blog be without all of you? It is indeed a community effort. Anyway, the soon-to-be Austin Public, former Flying Pig's makeover continues...

The Flying Pig, er Austin Public

They've begun the makeover...

The Pig's Makeover

DNAInfo reports that The Flying Pig on Austin will be changing just about everything but its live music performances in an effort to be more neighborhood-friendly. Should be interesting to see what they have in mind when it reopens after its brief makeover:

Popular Austin Street Gastropub To Change Name and Decor, Owners Say

I've really liked The Pig, even moreson the most recent time I went a few weeks ago. They were already in the process of shifting their menu to something that made more sense for Forest Hills. When they first opened, they kind of had this odd doughnut-hole - they had a lot of small plates, appetizers and such, and then pretty pricey entries, but nothing in between for a light meal, like a sandwich. It sounds like their new format will be more like Banter or Jack & Nellie's, offering a broad range of fare that's more in line with what Forest Hills needs. But I guess we'll find out soon.

When the Pig Flies

Just thought I'd put in a few words for another really good place here in Forest Hills, The Flying Pig. It's another place I tried early on, wasn't blown away by because I thought its menu was too limited, and then just went back and absolutely loved. Between the enormously expanded menu, the really good food - everything we had we really liked - and the upbeat Friday night vibe when we went, The Flying Pig just rocketed its way to become one of my favorite places in FoHi.

The soup and reuben sandwich are off of the special St. Patrick's Day menu The Flying Pig had this weekend. Both were excellent. The roast chicken is from their regular menu.

Jazz Tuesdays

For the reader asking about "Jazz Thursdays" - I don't know anything about that, but I do know about Jazz Tuesdays...

By the way, speaking of The Flying Pig, I was able to confirm over the weekend that its head chef, Martin Forde, used to be the chef at my favorite local restaurant, Mood in Kew Gardens, which, unfortunately—and rather inexplicably— suddenly closed down a year or so ago much to my bitter disappointment. So I was absolutely thrilled to find out that he's now right here in Forest Hills! And guess what? Serving up the same amazing roasted chicken dish he did at Mood (pictured below) — I tried it on Saturday  — along with many other culinary delights at our new Pig.

A little more digging turned up, thanks to a story about The Flying Pig in DNAinfo.com, that Forde has also worked at The Russian Tea Room and other Manhattan restaurants.

The Hills Are Alive...

.... with the sound of music...

Glenn Paul Manion, a member of The Squeaky Clean Band, regaled Forest Hills Farmer's Market goers with some folksy tunes this past Sunday.

And I noticed this at The Flying Pig:

Good Day NY Visits Forest Hills

Our three new gastropubs continue to get a huge amount of attention:

New York News | NYC Breaking News

Live Music This Weekend

The Funky Godmothers will be playing at The Flying Pig this Saturday night at 11 p.m.

First Impressions: Banter, Station House and The Flying Pig

I've done the trifecta and now visited all of the new gastropubs that have opened in Forest Hills over the past couple of months. I wouldn't call the following a "review" so to speak, since on the budget of an independent blogger I can't afford to try a whole lot from any one place during one visit, let alone three different places. So, with that said, here are my first impressions:

Station House

My favorite of the three: Station House. I was really impressed with the whole look, layout and vibe of Station House—warm, modern, roomy, just awesomely comfortable—and extremely impressed with the staff. I went with my friend who is from out of town and we both left saying to each other, "are we in Queens or somewhere in the midwest?" I mean, this is one of the friendliest staffs I have ever encountered at a restaurant/bar anywhere, let alone in NYC. My friend and I shared a $9 helping of their pickled pepper wings, described on the menu as "whole jumbo wings, in-house pickled pepper sauce." These wings lived up to that description. They were delicious and each one was enormous. Unlike wings you may be used to, you have to tear these babies apart, each one is like two or three wings in one. And they are just great. The beers were listed on an updated TV screen on the wall, and they have a pretty large selection.

Station House's wings

Station House

Tied for second place were The Flying Pig and Banter. As for The Pig, a lot of people have had mixed reviews of this new gastropub. My friend and I both really liked it. But keep in mind, what we had was limited to just appetizers. We shared an order of baked clams and also a Charcuterie plate with three selections, Slabbed Bacon ($4), Prosciutto ($7) and Lamb Sausage ($9). Both the clams and the Charcuterie were excellent. Having grown up on Long Island, I've eaten like a zillion different baked clams in my life and these were as good as any I've had. And each of the three selections on the plate we ordered was great, and were accompanied by a truly excellent mustard that had us both commenting on how good it was, along with pickles and some slices of bread. It all came together to make a really fun appetizer that we both thoroughly enjoyed.

The Flying Pig's mascot. You can find him inside.

I also really, really liked the look and vibe of The Flying Pig—it was lively and packed when we were there Saturday evening—as well as the friendly service. It didn't quite match the incredibly friendly service of Station House, but it was not lacking in the slightest. I also had a lovely peach brew from RJ Rockers Brewery while my friend had a nice glass of wine. All in all, we left The Flying Pig feeling just as satisfied as we arrived after coming off the great experience at Station House and that's saying something. As I said, I can't vouch for those who splurged on more expensive full entries and not apps, but for what I had, it was a great experience, especially given the other places we've had to settle for until now in the Austin St. area.

Inside The Pig

The Flying Pig's delish Charcuterie plate

The Flying Pig's baked clams

Now, to be fair, I visited Banter like a month ago so my memory of that experience has faded a bit since. But it was overall positive. My party of three went for dinner and of our meals, two out of three of us were quite satisfied with a pan seared chicken entry ($17) and an Irish Stew ($18). The third had salmon over a salad ($15) and thought the salmon was just ok. The service at Banter was very harried though, nothing like the wonderful service at Station House. It had just recently opened though and they admitted the kitchen was a bit backed up. Not sure if that has improved in the weeks since.

Banter

Another shot of Banter

Banter's roast chicken dish

Banter's salmon over salad

Banter's Irish Stew

So there you have it, my first impressions of these three new restaurants. All in all, I was surprised at how much I really enjoyed The Flying Pig experience and how much I absolutely fell in love with Station House which is really an awesome new place in FoHi. We are really lucky to have such a warm, inviting place. One reader emailed me to say how he loved Station House also and was looking forward to working his way through their menu:   

"I have lunched twice," he wrote me. "I'd like to say that the quality of the food and the creativity of the cooking is very fine--one has to be almost impossibly lucky to find such finesse in Manhattan at these prices.I intend to eat my way through the menu. Have not had any alcohol there since I've stopped in only before going to work, but the bar and beer offerings are intriguing. Service is very friendly, and so is chef James--and he is also greatly talented, as well.  FH and KG have been such a desert for decent vittles that I think this place needs to be championed, since it offers so much of what we have lacked." 

I could not agree more.

The Flying Pig's Menu

Below is the food menu of our newest gastropub, The Flying Pig, on Austin Street. By the way, reader Michael tweeted me that they have a whopping 36 beers on tap. I include the pic he sent of their drinks menu at the end, though it's a little hard to make out:

Signs of New Pubs

The signs have gone up for two of the new pubs here in FoHi: Station House, near the LIRR station, and The Flying Pig, on Austin St. next to Martha's Bakery.

The Flying Pig Update

The Flying Pig, the gastropub taking over the former Johnny Rockets space on Austin St., has unveiled a new facade, and also a new website which promises "there will be something for everyone." Take a look at their website for a sketch of what the site will eventually look like. Very nice!