Subject: Queens County

• From Hormonal Fish to Chickens, Exploring Wildlife on the 7 line

  The 7 train that cuts through Queens has long been known as the "International Express," after all the different nationalities that live in its shadow. Recently a group of urban ecology students from Columbia and Barnard mapped the line's lesser-known diversity: its wildlife. According to the free downloadable podcast tour the students dubbed Safari 7, animal life near 7 stops include cormorants (Grand Central), male fish effected by birth control pills (Hunters Point), squirrels (Queensboro P

  June 2, 2009

• Pix from Southern Spice

  Varuthameen deposits a kingfish steak--wearing a chile on its breast like a medal of valor--in a tart tamarind gravy Southern Spice is a new restaurant in southern Flushing that gives us a chance to sample several southern Indian cuisines, though the food mainly comes from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. The food is tart and spicy, but only rarely contains coconut milk, and the masalas are distinctly different than those used in the Punjabi cooking familiar to lovers of Indian food all over

  June 3, 2009

• Weekend Special--Cooling Summer Treats of Corona, Queens

  Our favorite ices at Lemon Ice King of Corona: coffee and lemon (click to lick) The hotter weather hitting town this weekend demands cooling concoctions. So, braving the threat of swine flu, we strapped on our masks and headed for Corona. There we immediately headed past the bocce ball court to Ben Faremo: The Lemon Ice King of Corona, where we ordered the usual coffee and lemon, the first combining sugar, caffeine, and coolness into a single shockingly good format. The deal with ices is,

  May 15, 2009

• Dead Toddler Appears Free of Swine Flu, But PANIC Persists

  New York officials are saying that the 18-month-old whose death triggered a new round of swine flu PANIC, Jonathan Zamora of Queens, did not have swine flu, at least as determined by analysis of nasal swabs. To be extra sure they are sending tissue samples to the CDC. amNY reports that this announcement came "as swine flu continued Tuesday to migrate through city schools," though only one of the 23 closed city schools has had a confirmed case. (Updated list here.) The Daily News refers to "sw

  May 20, 2009

• Somebody Got Murdered: Shooting Death in Woodhaven

  View Larger Map Shortly before 2 a.m. this morning, police found a man shot several times outside 94-30 86th Road in the Woodhaven section of Queens, just south of Forest Park. The victim is identified only as a male hispanic, 28. He was taken to Jamaica Hospital Center where he was pronounced dead at 2:20 a.m. Know anything about this crime or the victim? Drop us a line at grayman@villagevoice.com

  May 26, 2009

• City Grabs More Willets Point Land; Now Has About 65%

  Opponents of the Willets Point land-grab -- by which the city is acquiring as much of the Iron Triangle out by Citi Field as possible, in preparation for bold new civic improvement plans -- are on the ropes, and the city keeps gaining. The New York City Economic Development Corp announces that it has signed agreements with 126 Willets Point Boulevard LLC and German Diaz Auto Repair, increasing its share of Willets Point to about 65 percent. They promise to "continue to reach out to business an

  May 26, 2009

• Strange Snacks of the (Dog) World--A FITR Special Investigative Report

  The doggie cannoli, a treat your dog won't want to miss (click to enhance the revoltingness) Fork in the Road strolled into a pet store in Forest Hills recently, intent on watching some puppies cavort in their cages. What we found, in addition to the usual rawhide bones and Scooby snacks, were a strange range of canine treats that mimic things which humans eat. Not content to make our animals worship us and hang on our every word, must we also insist on humiliating them by forcing

  May 27, 2009

• Vegetarian Delights of NYC--Hollow Stem Vegetable at Hunan House

  "Sauteed hollow stem vegetable with spicy sauce" at Flushing's Hunan House The jury is still out as to what species "hollow stem vegetable" represents, but the taste is wonderful nonetheless. The light-green vegetable--probably some sort of pond weed--is indeed hollow like a reed, and has been cut into short lengths and lightly sauteed at Hunan House, which may be the city's only real Hunan restaurant. As you can see, the sauce mentioned in the name is nonexistent, but you wo

  May 28, 2009

• Endorsement Fever! Aborn, Others Clean Up

  The Times says today that Manhattan D.A. candidate Richard Aborn "Aims to Raise His Profile" in that race, and that he does so mainly via endorsements. We'll say -- his office alerts us to each one (other candidates are also encouraged to do so), and he's had plenty, most recently those of four Democratic clubs and the powerful Working Families Party, which laid out its full roster yesterday. The list contains no shockers, though we note with interest that it includes some intra-Democratic chall

  May 29, 2009

• Vegetarian Delights of NYC--Eggplant Parmigiano at Leo's Latticini

  The supremely wonderful eggplant parm at Leo's Latticini (click to elongate). Most eggplant parmigiano heroes deploy sodden fried eggplant slices that might have been stepped on by hundreds of feet. Not so at Leo's Latticini (also known as Mama's), located in the backwoods of Corona, Queens. The fried eggplant is fluffy, the breading minimal, and the cheese just about the best you can find anywhere--because you're getting the sandwich at a place that manufactures mozzarella and ricotta.

  June 9, 2009

• Things We Hate--People Who Won't Leave Manhattan

  You know the type. The person who refers to the outer boroughs by using phrases like "the wilds of Brooklyn." Your friend who has lived here for a decade but has never crossed the East River. The one who insists you meet for dinner in "the city" rather than, god forbid, get on the L, F or N train to Brooklyn or Queens, which is where we, and pretty much everyone we know, lives now. The ones who write reviews on Yelp detailing how sketchy Queens is, and how brave they were to go there, just tha

  June 10, 2009

• Somebody Got Murdered: Robbery Goes Bad, One Dead

  View Larger MapDATE: Saturday, June 6, 2009, at about 2:16 p.m.LOCATION: Vicinity of Barclay Ave and 147 St., QueensThe police have arrested two men in connection with a robbery that went bad and resulted in a murder. Chris Levy, 17, of 7th Avenue in Manhattan, and Cory Azor, 16, of Erickson Street in Queens have been charged with murder, robbery, and possession of stolen property.Their alleged victim was David Kao, 49, of 76th Street in Queens. He was found unconscious and unresponsive in the v

  June 10, 2009

• Somebody Got Murdered: Murder Suicide in Jamaica

  View Larger Map DATE: June 14, 2009, 7:35 p.m. LOCATION: 95-18 Jamaica Avenue, Queens An elderly Queens man went berzerk last night, stabbed his wife to death and then fatally stabbed himself in the chest. The unfortunate toll: Geraldina Salazar, 51, the wife, and Eusebio Salazar, 76, the husband. Know the victim? Know anything about what happened? Drop us a line at grayman@villagevoice.com

  June 15, 2009

• Child Drowns in Mop Bucket in Queens

  The new daycare center at se, at 101-27 108th Street in Ozone Park had a sign that said, "Childcare, All Day, Everyday." That's not much of a claim, but no complaints had been recorded against the establishment and someone must have gone for it, because there was a baby, less than a year old and named Daniel Sarrior, at the center today and he appears to have drowned in a mop bucket. The Daily News says he "dropped" into the bucket, whereas WPIX says he "climbed" into it. The News also has grues

  June 15, 2009

• Mayhem Rolls Over Queens of Pain, 120-73

  If you haven't been following the Gotham Girls Roller Derby events held every month of so in New York, you may have missed that the Manhattan Mayhem scored its first victory over the Queens of Pain in four years of league play this Saturday, 120-73. The bout was held at the Hunter College Sports Complex and drew nearly a thousand spectators. There were impressive scoring runs by the Mayhem's Polly Gone and the Queens' Suzy Hotrod; MVP honors went to Mayhem captain Sweet Cherry Pie and Queen Donn

  June 15, 2009

• Vegetarian Delights of NYC--Jalapeno Pie at Famous Pizza

  You can feel your lips burning, and stomach churning, by just looking at this jalapeno pie (click for heartburn) Elmhurst is the location of the original Famous Pizza, a chain which has spread to locations as far-flung as the East Village and Jersey City. It's still the best by far, though the Jackson Heights branch comes close. This chain caters to vegetarian Indians by providing single-person pies, each with a single vegetable topping. While the tender-tongued with head for the broccoli v

  June 19, 2009

• The Early Word--Tierra Sana in Forest Hills

  Tierra Sana is a new vegetarian restaurant in Forest Hills, Queens that describes itself as a Tribal Kitchen, and loudly admonishes you to "Choose Health." The dining room opens onto the Queens Boulevard access road and faces the sun, and it would be a great dining room if it weren't for its coffee-house ambience, complete with big, slightly rundown velvet couches. There are plenty of tables, and a bar that dispenses invented cocktails and smoothies. Colorful spirit paintings line the walls, a

  June 23, 2009

• Strike May Close Giant Ravenswood Power Plant

  Here's something else to worry about: a strike may shut down New York's biggest power plant. The Daily News tells us that because of a contract dispute, Local 12 of the Utility Workers of America may soon walk off the job at the Ravenswood plant operated by TransCanada in Long Island City. Ravenswood was sold by National Grid to TransCanada last year. Ravenswood supplies 2,845 megawatts of power to the area, each megawatt serving about 800 homes under normal conditions; TransCanada says it is "

  June 23, 2009

• The Queer Issue: The New Gayborhoods of Fort Greene, Sunset Park, and Jackson Heights

  June 24, 2009

• Meet Leah McLaughlin, Publisher of Edible Queens (Coming Soon)

  As any true New York foodie will tell you: the most vibrant, authentic and prolific of the city's food scenes can be found in Queens. Whether you're up for hand-made noodles pulled right before your eyes, whole Indian spices you can't find anywhere else, or traditional Greek meze, the borough knows how to deliver on soul-warming epicurean experiences. Still, Queens is a mystery to many of us. One woman hopes to uncover its secrets and publish them for all to read. Leah McLaughlin is the owner a

  June 24, 2009

• Our Ten Best--Tacos

  Rough-hewn corn tortillas constitute our connection with Mexico's remote past, when women slaked tiny ears of corn with lye procured from blackened seashells to make masa. To put in those tortillas, they made chile-rich sauces, while their husbands sojourned in search of wild boar, crunchy insects, armadillos, and iguana to make the fillings. Two decades ago, the city's only chance to sample these world-class tacos came at several removes: our only Mexican food was an inherited version of Tex-M

  June 26, 2009

• Queens Gazette Pitches Staycations; Boat Races, Libraries the Big Draws

  Earlier the city asked New Yorkers to take "staycations" to save themselves money and to increase the city's declining tourism income. Local papers are picking up the charge. The new Queens Gazette encourages us to "'Staycation' In Queens, See The World." "Any adult who is a resident of this borough," they say, "will be hard pressed to complain of a lack of leisure time activities." Queens has the Mets, tennis, and so forth, but it also has the Hong Kong Dragon Boat races in August. Also, "The b

  June 25, 2009

• Somebody Got Murdered: Another Man Shot in the Head, This Time in Queens

  View Larger Map DATE: Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at approximately 2:41 a.m. LOCATION: In front of 105-19 171 Street, Queens. Early yesterday morning, the police found a man, 33, shot in the head outside 105-19 171st St. in Queens. He was dead at the scene. Not much more to say about this one: no arrests, no id on the victim at this point Know anything about this shooting? Drop us a line at grayman@villagevoice.com.

  July 1, 2009

• Somebody Got Murdered: Man Found Shot in the Chest in Queens

  View Larger Map DATE: Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at 6:28 p.m. LOCATION: 137-41 173 St., Queens. The police Tuesday evening found an unconscious man shot in the front seat of a 2001 grey Maxima outside 137-41 173rd St. in Queens. He was shot in the chest. Paramedics declared him dead at the scene. No arrests. The ID of the victim has yet to be released. Know anything about this case? Drop us a line at grayman@villagevoice.com.

  July 1, 2009

• Jam Master Jay Memorialized on Tiny Green Sign

  Hollis, Queens's Run-DMC will join Joey Ramone and the week-long promotional tour for U2's last album (R.I.P.) in having their name memorialized as a New York City street sign. The corner of 205th Street and Hollis Avenue in Queens will be renamed "Run-DMC JMJ Way," in dual homage to the slain Jam Master Jay and the rap group that brought him to fame. "It is my sincere hope that this street renaming," said Democratic Queens councilman Leroy G. Comrie, "will help to economically revitalize this p

  July 1, 2009

• Our Newest Blogger's Top 5 Restaurants

  SauceSupreme/flickrPicking my top five restaurants is a bit like herding cats: the list changes constantly, depending on my budget, cravings, and degree of hunger. I have a difficult time keeping track, though I tend to be drawn to anything that features conservative prices, liberal use of spices, and a chef who know his or her way around a Brussels sprout. Years spent in Michigan consuming Midwestern Tex-Mex resulted in an aversion to Mexican food that I've now thankfully overcome, and I've acc

  July 17, 2009

• Somebody Got Murdered: A Murder in Queens

  View Larger Map DATE: July 20, 2009 at approximately 1:21 a.m. LOCATION: 180-06 144 Avenue, Queens. The police say that a man was found dead in Jamaica, Queens. He was found dead, with puncture or gunshot wounds to the chest and neck. The cause of death is still under investigation, and the victim's name has yet to be released by police. Know anything about this case? Drop us a line at grayman@villagevoice.com.

  July 20, 2009

• 'The Beach Party Presents Andres and Kai Alce'

  July 22, 2009

• Ciao, Manhattans: Tracy Westmoreland Needs a New Investor

  ​It's only 11 weeks old, but Tracy Westmoreland's Prospect Heights bar, Manhattans, is in danger of ending up in a place even more chilly than a certain region of the Russian Federation. As Brooklyn the Borough originally reported, Westmoreland's newest dive has found itself on tenuous ground since its main investor announced he needed to pull out of the deal a few weeks ago. Now, Westmoreland -- whose illustrious Midtown dive, Siberia, was a beloved haunt of both liver-impaired journalists an

  July 27, 2009

• A New Crop of Thais Pops Up in Woodside and Astoria

  August 11, 2009

• Tomorrow: Our 10 Best Indian Restaurants

  ​ Check here tomorrow for Fork in the Road's 10 Best Indian restaurants. We've ranged around the city, stuffing ourselves with Chettinadu fish curry on Staten Island, dosas in Flushing, khandvi and other regional snacks in Jackson Heights, and pongal in New Jersey (true Desi-land). We're pitching a big tent, including cuisine from all South Asian countries that used to be part of India before partition, and, just for fun, we're also considering Indian Chinese and New American-Indian, becau

  August 20, 2009

• Our 10 Best: Indian Restaurants

  ​The glory of Indian food is its infinite variety. Think about it. An enormous region--we're including Pakistan and Bangladesh--with cultures that go back thousands of years, including influences from foreign invaders as diverse as the Mughals, the Portuguese and the English. Food from almost every corner of the globe, tweaked over the years to become Indian. And in India, each group has a sub-group and each sub-group has a sub-group, like a never ending set of Russian dolls. And everyone,

  August 21, 2009

• 1,000 Line Up in Queens to Apprentice as Plumbers, Make Much More Than Us

  ​New Yorkers know a good thing when they see it, and this morning more than a thousand of them turned up for the chance to become a plumber's apprentice. The 8,000 hour gig is rigorous, but you come out of it with a useful trade that is relatively unaffected by booms and busts. One guy told NY1, "You work five years, you make $50 dollars an hour. I don't know anybody who would turn that down." Folks have been camping out on line since Friday; some put up tents to protect themselves from

  August 24, 2009

• Murphys Law+Antidote

  August 25, 2009

• How Do You Spell G-U-T-B-O-M-B? Taiwanese Shaved Ices at Tasty House 18

  ​​This Taiwanese shaved ice has been topped with kiwi, melon, and red bean. Mmmmm (click to defrost) Taiwanese bakery and lunchroom Tasty House 18 also offers bubble teas and shaved ices, the latter a summer passion on the former island of Formosa. Your choice of three toppings over what must be a pound of crushed ice costs just $3.50, and I challenge you to finish it. After the toppings--which are often mouth-achingly sweet, garishly colored, and sometimes artificial-tasting--have

  August 31, 2009

• Tierra Sana in Forest Hills Down for the Count

  ​ Food only a colorblind person could love. Fork in the Road friend Joe DiStefano called a few minutes ago to report that Tierra Sana, a place I reviewed in this blog three months ago, was shuttered. "That awful health food spot in Forest Hills has been seized by the City Marshall. While I hate to see a place go, underneath I'm kind of glad since I'd planned to get a shot of wheatgrass juice. Now I've been spared that blechtacular taste." I didn't think it was so bad. Still, it's most no

  September 3, 2009

• Anyone Know What This Is?

  ​ I was munching with some friends on a giant heap of dishes at new Shandong restaurant M & T, when the waitress sidled up to me and whispered: "You want to try some seafood from my town of Qingdao. Something we only have there?" How could I resist? The tubes were rubbery, slippery, and slightly salty, but took most of their taste from the surrounding ingredients in the stir fry. The picture above gives a fair approximation of what it looked like. It is not intestines of any sort, nor is

  September 4, 2009

• What's Happening This Week: Craft Beer Week & New Amsterdam Market

  As many of you know, our weekly dining and drinking newsletter features all the coolest epicurean events in the city. Sign up for it here! Queens County Farm Dinner Queens County Farm Museum September 10, 6-10:30 p.m. Join Top Chef alum Camille Becerra and former owner of San Francisco's SPQR Daniel Holzman for a five-course family-style meal featuring eggs, honey, pork, and vegetables, all harvested from the 47-acre Queens County Farm. The meal will be paired with wines from New York, and farm

  September 8, 2009

• This Weekend, A County Fair In the City

  Faye Pini/flickr​ The 27th Annual Queens County Fair takes place this Saturday and Sunday. Queens County Farm is the only working stand-alone farm within the city limits, and its annual fair is a traditional affair, complete with blue ribbons for livestock, produce, and home crafts, as well as an Amazing Maize Maze, pie-eating and corn-husking contests, and make-your-own-scarecrow station. Throw hayrides, a petting zoo, and carnival rides into the mix and you'll swear you've gone down home

  September 18, 2009

• 'James P. Johnson's Last Rent Party!'

  September 29, 2009

• Missing Person: Yanick Leon, 51

  ​Yanick Leon, 51, was last seen at her home near Lefrak City in Queens on September 4, at the time wearing a white t-shirt, black jeans, black flip-flops and "a black shirt wrapped around her head." If you have information as to her whereabouts, NYPD asks you to contact 1-800-577-TIPS(8477), www.nypdcrimestoppers.com, or text 274637 (CRIMES), then enter TIP577.

  October 2, 2009

• 600-Year-Old Oak Judged a Danger, Will Be Felled; RS Applauds

  ​Ray and Ann Rombone of Douglaston, Queens show refreshing common sense. When a large part of a 600-year-old oak on their property fell off, damaged their home, and showed the celebrated old tree to be fatally damaged by dry rot, they agreed to have the damned thing cut down. As you might imagine, some namby-pambies, such as the co-founder of the Douglaston and Little Neck Historical Society, cluck their tongues about what a shame it is, that the noble oak is an institution worth trying t

  October 6, 2009

• LESBIAN LEXICON

  October 6, 2009

• Vegetarian Delights of NYC: Skordalia and Grilled Veggies at Ovelia in Astoria, Queens

  ​ ​Vegetarian and even vegan delights abound among the Greek restaurants of Astoria. One that I stumbled on quite recently was at Ovelia, a Hellenic spot that eschews photos of the Parthenon and little windmill models in favor of seeming like a modern cafe. One of my vegetarian favorites from the Greek menu is skordalia, a dense whip-up of potatoes, olive oil, lemon juices, and megatons of raw garlic, invariably bringning a burn to the lips without benefit of chiles or black pepper

  October 7, 2009

• Our 10 Best: Food Shops

  ​ One of travel's greatest pleasures is wandering in food shops frequented by locals--whether it's a supermarket, a cheese shop, or a spice merchant. A busy market is a reprieve from the tourist's whirlwind of restaurant-eating, where you can catch a glimpse of people's everyday food lives. Plus, the foods you buy to bring back with you (or smuggle back with you, as the case may be) extends the vacation into your kitchen. Sahadi's is great, but will it make the cut?​ In New Yor

  October 23, 2009

• One-Stop Shopping for Halloween and Day of the Dead at Corona's Abarrotera Central

  ​Seeking the finishing touch for your Dia de Los Muertos altar? How about bizarre Mexican candy to give out on Halloween? Abbarotera Central, in Corona, Queens, the Mexican equivalent of Restaurant Depot, has a wide array of both. Choose from the many macabre bride and groom figurines, confectionery caskets, and miniature place settings that line a table in front of the register at this wholesale market on 97th Place just off 43rd Avenue. (It's a short walk from the 103 Street-Corona Plaz

  October 23, 2009

• Incredibly Cheap Eats: Bulgogi Sandwich at Sukarak

  ​Salted away in a U-shaped strip mall in the eastern area of Flushing known as Murray Hill, Sukarak is a Korean snack shop and lunch counter that isn't afraid to fuse Korean and American food, with a little Japanese thrown in for good measure...

  November 12, 2009

• Coyote spotted in Queens

  ​Animal Control has set traps for what the Public Safety Department is calling a coyote or a coyote hybrid on the grounds of the Rochdale Village cooperative complex in South Jamaica.

  November 22, 2009

• Some of Our Favorite Restaurant Names, Part 3

  ​A storefront in Murray Hill, Flushing, Queens, proclaims poultry insanity. Here we go again, offering yet another picture gallery of our favorite names for restaurants, liquor stores, coffee bars, caterers, and other food- and booze-related establishments.

  November 24, 2009

• Pix from Ovelia, a Modern Greek Restaurant in Astoria

  ​The nearly unpronounceable kolokithokeftedes are fried zucchini patties served with an ouzo-laced tomato dipping sauce. This week, Counter Culture triremes into Ovelia, a modernistic boite in Astoria that retains its ancient outlook. The portions are generous, the tariff light. Anything that comes with skordalia--the garlicky Greek potato dip--is fab, including grilled sand shark, zucchini fritters, and grilled eggplant. Stick with the traditional Greek dishes (including a wonderful home

  November 25, 2009