More on New Restaurant

A reader told me that the new establishment replacing Q Bistro on Ascan will actually be a wine and cheese bar that happens to have Irish ownership, quite different from an Irish bar. And that the owners also already have one or two other establishments.

This sounds like a nicer fit to me for that really nice spot on Ascan. I look forward to trying it out when it opens. Sounds like it could be a really nice place to spend some time with friends. I hope they have an open-front restaurant or tables in the front, though not sure they are able to in that spot. But it would sure be nice to have some wine and cheese and enjoy the beautiful weather this time of year, especially in that laid-back location.

Q Bistro to be Bar?

I saw on the Queens Neighbors message boards that the former Q Bistro restaurant space on Ascan is going to be turned into an Irish bar of some sort. The person who posted the information said this is from workmen at the site.

Closing Time ?

Sadly, or perhaps not sadly depending on how you look at it, there's been a bit of a backlog of news about local stores and restaurants closing. Here's a quick rundown:

- Q Bistro, the restaurant on Ascan that used to be Thai and then reopened with a kind of an eclectic-modern style menu, closed about a week or so ago. I quite possibly was among the last guests at this restaurant. And I was left a bit unnerved by the experience, I have to say. While they had done a nice job of redesigning the restaurant, there really wasn't a lot of logic to what they were doing. For one thing, when you create an open kitchen for your guests to watch the food being made, shouldn't that enhance the dining experience, and not make the visitor uneasy? I sat right across from the open kitchen area as I ate and watching what looked like short-order cooks dump what I swear was cans of tomato sauce into what they were preparing was really not the most dinner-enhancing experience.

And here are a couple of other goners, Clear, an interent service provider on Austin St., and Austin Chemists, a small drugstore on Austin right near Ascan (my friend who lives near there said it seemed they spent more time constructing the store than actually being open.) 

I have a very good feeling about what is happening down on Austin St. near Ascan, by the way. Is it just me, or is that area becoming very interesting, between the amazing La Boulangerie, the very enjoyable Brownies & Cream (I just treated myself tonight to some more of their delectable home made Coffee Brownie ice cream - Boy, they have huge chunks of brownies in there, delish! :) ), and the bizarre, yet conversation-generating Sister Unn's. 

Could my dreams of a cute little independent cafe be next down that way? We've already come awfully close with La Boulangerie. Wouldn't the Q Bistro space make for the perfect little indie cafe, ala Park Slopes' Ozzie's, to hang out in? 

Edge of the City Review: Q Bistro

With some in my party unwilling to wait for a table at the packed Agora Taverna last eve (they shall remain nameless :), we headed east down Austin... to the new Q Bistro, located at 108-25 Ascan. The good news is having removed its "Thai" so to speak, Q has reemerged as a very pleasant place to dine on some very tasty fare. We all enjoyed what we had and look forward to going back soon to try some other dishes. The food was good, though I wouldn't call it excellent. But good enough that we want to go back and try their other dishes. (Pardon these pics, it was dark and the camera didn't do its usual best.)

I like what they did with the interior of the restaurant. It is very stylishly furnished, with the bar when you walk in and an open kitchen area towards the back.

One of us sampled the chicken paillard ($17) and enjoyed it, however thought it was a tad salty and the portion could have been a bit bigger. I tried it and found it be perfectly cooked and seasoned with a very nice taste.

Another in my party had the cheese burger ($12), and really liked it. The only complaint was there could  have been a few more fries, though the one's included were pretty large steak fries.

I myself went for what they call their "grown up grilled cheese sandwich," which is prepared with a couple of different cheeses, lettuce, tomato, and pork. And as an extra, very nice added touch, it comes with a smoked tomato soup. I think it cost around $14 which was quite a reasonable price for what turned out to be a very filling (maybe a bit too filling - towards the end I thought the sandwich's ingredients may have been a bit too rich) sandwich and soup.

Some of the prices at Q were a little high I noticed. But there were some very reasonable offerings as well, like my sandwich.  I also enjoyed a glass of wine (shiraz), which was very smooth and excellent.

The service was pretty good (they were a little slow in bringing out the bread and then a bit too eager to take away our olive oil for our bread, which was a bit odd. Though I think that just might have something to do with one of the servers who seemed a little inexperienced. The waitress we had seemed more experienced.)

All in all, I like what they have done with Q. The menu seems creative and modern. This is just the type of place we need more of here in Forest Hills. My grades:

Atmosphere: A- (the minus because I noticed several of the tables for two VERY close to each other, one of my pet peeves when dining. Heck, I like my privacy!

Food: B+ (for now, I want to try many of the other offerings on their very interesting and intriguing menu.)

Service: A-

Overall grade for Q Bistro: B+