Queens a Culinary Passport is a Must Read

I attended a fantastic event the other night at Astoria Bookshop hosted by my friend Meg Cotner and Andrea Lynn, author of the new book Queens - A Culinary Passport.  The event offered a lively Q&A between these two women who are esteemed food experts in Queens.  Meg is also the author of A Food Lovers' Guide to Queens, which is also fabulous - and the vibe between these two women made for really great culinary mojo.  

In the process of hearing about Andrea's adventures, and after referencing a lot of restaurants that were still unfamiliar to me, I bought the book and have already started to read it.  I love it because not only does it conveniently organize Queens by its different neighborhoods, it also offers many recipes that are inspired from some of the most well known restaurants in the borough.  I was especially excited to notice treasures such as Tortilleria Nixtamal's recipe for salsa roja, Pio Pio's Peruvian roasted chicken recipe, King of Falafel's famous falafel recipe, and others.

Andrea also graced us with some of her favorite treats at the event, courtesy of places such as Sorriso's Astoria, Sripraphai, Andre's Hungarian Bakery and other greats.

I highly suggest picking up the book and keeping it in your bag for reference - you never know when you'll get an hankering for Korean style kimchi pancakes or an authentic Cuban Ropa Vieja.

You can purchase the book at Astoria Bookshop for $19.99 or through Amazon.