Hunan Kitchen

42-47 Main Street Flushing

A couple of our Chinese friends brought us here and we genuinely felt like we were back in Shanghai. Best dishes: cold dan dan noodles, scallion pancakes, red cooked pork, sauteed string beans, Sichuan style pigs ears.

Biang!

41-28 Main Street Basement. Flushing

Same team as Xi'an Famous Foods, apparently this location is slightly more upscale but the food is the same: typical Xi'an street food dishes like wide hand-ripped noodles with spicy lamb and cumin, and "spicy and tingly" sk

Taverna Kyclades

3307 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria

While I haven't yet been, a number of Astoria locals I've come across have recommended this spot. Next on my list.

Elias Corner

24-02 31st St., Astoria. 718 932 1510. 

I will always have a certain fondness for this place, as my dad used to always take us here when we were kids for delicious grilled fish dinners on the lovely terrace at sunset.  At the time, it seemed like such an adventure, to cross the Qu eensborough Bridge from his apartment on E57th to the relatively sparsely populated and low-rise neighborhood of Astoria. Every time I come across an Astoria local and ask them about the place, they 'll always recommend another (and usually, it's Taverna Kyklades above), but you certainly can't go wrong with Elias Corner. 

Sri Pra Phai

64-13 39th Avenue, Woodside. 718 899 9599

Considered THE go-to for all the beloved Thai dishes, from papaya salad and pad thai to larb, roasted meats and coconut-milk based curries. 

Zabb Elee Queens

71-28 Roosevelt Ave. 718 426 7992 

This is Isaan Thai cuisine (from the Northeast area neighboring Laos and Cambodia), do don't expect any coconut-milk based curries or pad thai; instead, get ready to sample a wide range of VERY SPICY larb ( a pungent "salad" of ground meat or fish served with cabbage leaves or sticky rice), multiple versions of green papaya salad, and grilled marinated meats. We've been to their East Village outpost.

LIC Market

21-52 44th Drive, just west of 23rd St.

Open from morning til night, I came here for dinner with a friend on the snowiest of evenings and it was perfectly cozy and simply delicious. Focus is on seasonal and sustainable, and it's well-priced too: $13 scallop appetizer, $29 rib eye cap and fried potatoes.

On the radar

M. Wells Steakhouse

43-15 Crescent St

From everything I've read about the place, you'll need to bring a hefty appetite for the enormous, dramatically-presented food in an industrial space with open-kitchen. 

M. Wells Dinette

Located in PS.1

The flamboyant steakhouse's subdued little brother, this cafe gets great reviews all around.