Lunch Break: Cantonese Cuisine Or Italian With A Twist
Indulge in meats over rice, grilled & skewered, the best Cantonese restaurant in Queens, or an interesting twist on Italian cuisine in today's New York Lunch Break. By Yvo Sin.
Yakitori Totto
251 W 55th St
New York, NY 10019
(212) 245-4555
tottonyc.com
Yakitori Totto's focus is, as one might expect, yakitori: grilled, skewered meat. Though the lunch menu is slightly abbreviated from the dinner menu - when you can order just about any animal part be skewered, then grilled - it is no less delicious. Choose from pork loin don - grilled&skewed pork loin over rice, totto don - grilled&skewered nigima, wing and meatball, karubi over rice - grilled&skewered short rib over rice... Notice a pattern? The most expensive item on the lunch menu is $12, which makes this the perfect alternative to yet another boring grilled chicken salad.
High Pearl Seafood Restaurant
8222 45th Ave
Elmhurst, NY 11373
(718) 478-3330
Easily the best Cantonese restaurant in Queens, High Pearl Seafood Restaurant boasts all the best authentic Cantonese dishes one might enjoy: broad white noodles with beef in a thick gravy that coats each noodle delightfully; pan fried chow mein (no, not the crispy noodles you get at take out places to dip in duck sauce) topped with seafood, tender-crisp vegetables and a light brown gravy, served with red wine vinegar to give it the full flavor spectrum; Kyoto-style pork chops... and much, much more. Another great dish that's a crowd pleaser: honey walnut shrimp (pictured), served with the glossy mayo-based sauce on the side so you can use as much or as little as you please. Pro tip: certain food writers have been known, on occasion, to scoop the sauce directly into their rice bowl for eating- not recommended for novices, but delicious nonetheless.
Eolo
190 7th Ave
New York, NY 10011
(646) 225-6606
eolonyc.com
Eolo, a contemporary Sicilian restaurant in Chelsea by chef/owner Melissa Muller Daka, incorporates the influences of the surrounding areas such as Greece and North Africa in traditional Sicilian dishes. The menu changes seasonally and culturally according to the Sicilian calendar. Lunch is a good time to try a salad such as fragula (Balsamic Strawberries, cucumber, haloumi cheese, celery hearts, mint and basil) or house-made pastas like tagliatelle with cherry tomatoes and tomato-basil pesto. They've also got great desserts like Sfinci (a ricotta-filled Sicilian doughnut served with a bittersweet chocolate dipping sauce).
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Yvo Sin is the founder and head writer of The Feisty Foodie.
