Even though it's been a couple of months since The Queens Kickshaw expanded their menu to include more than just their specialty grilled cheeses and mac 'n cheese, I just had the opportunity to try it. Bringing along my new friends Thea and Emily from Eatdrinkjobs, I was able to accomplish two important tasks, including showing off a fabulous Queens venue to my newcomer friends, and at the same time get my hands on some pretty stellar food. Here are the newbies we tried:
Basket of Knishes - Being a sucker for all things potato, including knishes of course, I couldn't resist this. Another deciding factor was that these included a blue cheese blend, that I knew would add an interesting element, and it definitely did. Their size was quite nice too, as they were small and bite sized, which was just perfect for knishes since they tend to be on the heavier side. Spreading the beer mustard on top of each one added a nice little spicy-sharp tinge of flavor.
Wild Mushroom Shepherds Pie - Since I really wasn't in the mood for meat that night, I went with the veggie shepherds pie with cauliflower mash on top. That was actually what really swayed me to get it, as I adore cauliflower and was excited to devour the well done, slightly browned top. The inside of it was delicious too, and contained a lot of other veggies such as carrots, potatoes, zucchini and of course mushrooms in a red wine reduction. While I appreciated the veggie medley, I wished that they went heavier on the mushrooms, maybe mixing up different varieties.
Fontina Cheesecake - As soon as we saw this on the menu, we just had to get it, as it screamed of something unique and different. First off, it looked like ice cream, and we had to prove to ourselves that it was actually made of a cheese custard. Indeed it was true...it was certainly a cheesecake, with the most unbelievable mousse-like texture, and a hint of that fontina bite at the end. The deep indigo blackberry sauce added a nice, zingy contrast to each bite, and the cereal crumble made me think of my favorite granola topping. It felt like a familiar dish, but was far from any kind of cheesecake I've ever had before.
Calamansi and Pistachio Ice-Cream Sandwich - Ben, Kickshaw's co-owner surprised us with this awesome ice cream sandwich, using innovative ingredients such as calamansi (a citrus fruit originating in Southeast Asia) and pistachios. As the cookie was nicely chilled, it hugged the citrusy ice cream like a glove and each bite brought out elements of sophistication and refreshment. While it was ice cream in its full force, it didn't feel heavy and we each polished off our portion pretty quickly.
Service and Cost:
As we chose to dine in, we got great service and I loved that our food came out quite quickly. Even though we received our check, we didn't feel pressured to leave and would've hung around even longer if we could have.
Costs are reasonable and include the following for some of the new menu items I just mentioned:
Knishes - $7
Wild Mushroom Shepherds Pie - $12
Dessert - $6
3 Mmmms
The Queens Kickshaw - 40-17 Broadway, Astoria NY 11103
718.777.0913
M/R Train to Steinway Street
www.thequeenskickshaw.com
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