Bowery Bay Review - Astoria Gastropub and Whiskey Bar

Bowery Bay Review – Astoria Gastropub and Whiskey Bar

By Jennifer Shanteau, Photos by Katherine Jacobson

I’m not going to lie. I am writing this review with a definite bias. I came in already knowing I was going to love everything that passed my lips. Bowery Bay is my gastropub. Well, not literally, I mean, I don’t own it. I don’t even work there. It’s just, my heart is there. Its where I celebrated some momentous events in my life. It’s where I met coworkers for happy hour, and friends for brunch. It’s the kind of place where you get to know the chef and his family, and become friends with the bartender. Its my “Cheers”, and I love it. I’m not alone in this sentiment, because it seems everyone knows everyone here.

Its as true a neighborhood place as you can get, but with high end food. For Happy Hour (4-7), you can get a beer and a burger for just $12, and they even hold ever changing theme nights such as Walking Dead Sundays where they play the popular TV series, and House by Your House, a new event starting this Friday, November 6th at 11:00 pm, where you can listen to your favorite local DJs without all the hassle of going to a club. It’s about time I pay homage, and share with all of you what I have been so lucky to find, just save me my seat at the bar.

The perfect combination of good food, good drinks and a good vibe is hard to come by. Maybe I’m picky, but I find most places I visit have two of the three things down, and fall short on the third, leaving me wanting, and off in search of that perfect trifecta. Bowery Bay, a gastropub and whiskey bar near Astoria Park in Queens has it all. When I want to have brunch with my family, it feels right here. When the weather is nice and I want to dine outdoors, I can. When I want to escape a cold winter evening, the pub feels warm and cozy. And the food……oh, the food…..it is impeccable. It’s delicious in its own right, but there is something more about it that I miss when I dine in a lot of places. This food has soul. It’s fancier than what your grandma makes, but the love is there just the same. I always feel like they made it just for me, like they somehow knew I was coming and were waiting for me.

We walked in and were warmly greeted by the bartender, Miguel, who made us the most delicious cocktail, the Brown Derby, comprised of Heaven Hill Bourbon, Grapefruit Juice and Wildflower Honey, served in my favorite of all glasses, a martini glass. This was an appropriate cocktail for a bar that offers over 100 different kinds of whiskey. One of our other favorite beverages of night was the Pimm’s Cup made from Pimm’s #1, Tanqueray, Ginger Ale and Cucumber….so refreshing! Since they keep it fresh here by changing up the cocktail menu now and again, we got a sneak peek at the soon to be newest addition to the menu, so new, it doesn’t even have a name yet. All I’m going to tell you is that it incorporates a smoky Corner Creek Reserve Bourbon Whiskey and fresh apple cider, and tastes like fall in a glass.

One thing I love about Chef Gary Anza’s menu, is that its always changing, and never boring. Every season he presents us with new dishes to try, and I happened to come just as the new fall menu made its debut. First on the list of dishes for tonight was the Rabbit Gumbo with Korean Peppers, Scallions, Andouille and Crawfish. So, forget chili on the next cold fall night, this is so much better! It was just spicy enough and full of flavor, but it didn’t blow my head off, and I loved the addition of rabbit and crawfish.

Next, was the Baby Arugula Salad with Asian Pears, Red Beets, Goat Cheese and Wonton Poppy Seed Crisp. Ok, I rarely order salad anywhere, because I usually find salad means a ton of tasteless greens with a dash of something tasty to accompany them, drowned in gross dressing. Thank god, this was none of that. First of all, arugula is quite possibly the best green you can use in a salad. Straight up on its own it has a light, fresh peppery taste. What accompanied it were delicious pears and beets with just a touch of the best goat cheese dressing I think I’ve ever had. I scraped every bit of that dressing off of the plate. Being one of those weirdos who doesn’t enjoy a good piece of bread like the rest of the world, I was hesitant to try the wonton poppy seed crisp, but was so delighted I did. I want an entire bag of these to munch on at home. No, I’m serious. I do.

Next was the Salmon Toast. I heard rumors about this salmon toast, so I was eager to try. The toast was actually beautifully grilled slices of baguette, and the salmon was uniquely presented in a jar topped with smoked lava salt, kirby, yuzu cream and black tobiko. It looked like a present, and all I could think of was why couldn’t I get jars of this for Christmas instead of jars of jam? They cure their own salmon in house, and they do an amazing job. It was so fresh and mild tasting, like the best sashimi. I literally just dug in and ate this with a spoon. If you like salmon, you will love this dish, and if you’ve ever had not so great salmon, this may be the dish to win you over.

Following the salmon, was the Lobster Crack and Cheese, um, I mean, Mac and Cheese. I dare you to find better Mac and Cheese anywhere. I have spent the last nine years in NYC searching for the perfect Mac and Cheese. I thought I had found it a few years ago on the Upper West Side, but that mac and cheese cannot hold a candle to this. They tried to take it off the menu, but people got angry, legitimately angry. See? Crack! So, back on the menu it went. It’s made with gruyere, fontina and mozzarella cheese, as well as Maine lobster and white truffle oil. It’s the cheesiest, creamiest mac and cheese ever. Oh my god! I cannot even count the amount of times I have eaten this….for dinner, as a snack, for breakfast. One of the highlights of my night was seeing the expression on my dining companion, Katherine’s face as she tried this for the first time. She then and there swore she would trek all the way from Brooklyn for this one dish.

I don’t know about you, but I’m a big fan of risotto. It’s the one thing that you can usually count on to be good wherever you go. However, its never the star dish of the night, but this one was right up there as one of my favorite things. The Shrimp Risotto with Sweet Peas, Oyster Mushrooms and Mint might be my new crack. Heavenly! Oh yeah, it tastes great cold, straight out of the fridge, too…..breakfast confessions.

We were feeling like a couple of stuffed turkeys before Thanksgiving by this point, but what Chef brought out next had our jaws on the floor. I mean, we literally stopped talking and gasped. Just look….look at that piece of art! That, my friend, was the Short Rib with Apple Potato Gratin, Shitake Mushrooms, Gremolata and Jus. The meat literally fell off the bone it was so tender. I felt myself turn into a cavewoman the way my eyes stared at that short rib, as I devoured it as fast as I could. My companion had a difficult time prying herself away from the potatoes, or maybe she was afraid I would bite her if she took even a morsel of the meat before I was finished. Wow.

You’d think we wouldn’t have had room for even one last bite, but somehow we found room when we saw the desserts appear, for what appeared before us was a Parfait of Vanilla Pound Cake, Lemon Curd, and Blackberry Chutney and a Peanut Butter Blondie with Chocolate Ice Cream.

I was sure Katherine’s eyes would pop out. The parfait was so light and fruity I was able to finish almost the entire thing, and the Blondie was the exact combination of flavors I seek every time I want something sweet….chocolate and peanut butter.

Bowery Bay has never disappointed me. I could close my eyes and point blindly at the menu to choose my meal, and would be happy every time. Feeling the carpe diem vibe on most days, the only challenge I have is trying to go home afterwards and not fall into a food coma. If you’re looking for me, I’ll be there.