Las Poblanitas: Don't forget to look up

You can get a pretty cheap mexican lunch at this little joint. I am not the biggest burrito fan so I go with the tacos ($3 each or 3 for $7.50) or a torta. I usually stick with the chorizo filling, its a little gamey and full of spicy flavor, but I plan on trying the al pastor next time. There are tables to eat at with semi-waiter service. This is not a high class establishment, but its pretty solid food, quick and filling.
Check out the ceiling poster of some sexy senoritas who love to drink Corona in club attire.

White Bear: OMG GOOD

Holy hell are those little wontons fabulous. I got lost trying to find this place, ate elsewhere, and then had an ice cream craving and followed the sign- to my surprise there was White Bear dumplings, which did not satisfy the ice cream craving, but I did not mind the trade off. The wontons skins are not only gorgeous but of the perfect texture. The filling is a standard pork chive dealy but the saucing adds an extra flavor boost. I got 12 for $4.50. I am hooked, this will be an essential stop for future Flushing trips.

135-02 Roosevelt Ave

Nan Shian Dumpling House: Cheating mouths

I think this may be the only place in Flushing (not including dim sum halls) that we have needed to wait for a table. I always have to order turnip cake if I see it on the menu; their turnip puffs were small, flavorful, and with much less grease than others I have eaten, really really great little bites. My family and I were nervous about trying the xiao long bao... Joe's Shanghai has been our soup dumpling stomping ground for over 10 years, we felt like we were having an affair. We came to the consensus that the crab version here is better than Joe's but Joe's pork dumpling is superior.

38-12 Prince St.
Flushing, NY 11354
(718) 321-3838

Best North Dumpling Stall: Whats the dill-io?

This dumpling stall is located inside an herbal/dried food store type place. Don't be scared, walk right in and its on the left. We ordered 10 pork and fennel dumplings- they actually turned out to be pork and dill dumplings. Not sure if this was a mistake in translation or if they ran out of fennel. Either way this was a very different flavor combination, I don't think I have even seen dill used in Asian cuisine. Another little Flushing stall hawking very nicely made steamed dumplings, worth checking out.

135-08 Roosevelt Ave A4
Flushing, NY 11354
(917) 834-4991

Little Pepper: Feel the burn

Down the stairs we went, following the peppers in the window. Our waiter boasted of the chefs talents and of the braised fish dish that had been written up in the NY Times. He was not wrong. The flakey swai fish was amazing in a fiery pot of broth. We also ordered the wood ear mushrooms and pork. I would also highly recommend this dish, the funky looking mushrooms and pork came together with layered flavors and a kick of spice. The kitchen did a good job at toning down the spice for us, though there was enough to provide that szechuan mouth burn.

Note: they are moving in 3 months to 18-24 College Point Blvd
bigger location apparently, but that will be a big loss for this neighborhood

Where you should NOT eat/drink

Fiddlesticks
So many negative reviews are due to one bad event that went down... this would fall into that category if it wasn't for the fact that it sucked so hard on its own anyway. So overcrowded and unpleasant. Stopped by on a Saturday night for a friend's birthday party and there was a major line. Luckily some employee decided he liked my friend and I and let us cut the line AND my first drink was very decent- you would think that would be a good start. Then it got ugly. After waiting for a completely unacceptable amount of time for my second drink, poured by a different bartender, I discovered it had about a teaspoon of rum in it and I complained about it (something I never ever do) The greasy, tattooed bartender who poured it ignored me and the nice bartender who actually knows how to pour a drink noticed my plight and came over to add some much needed rum to my drink. At this point the grosso bartender SLAPPED the nice bartenders hand away, spilling the rum on my hand instead of in my lonely drink or thirsty mouth. I left immediately. You should def go there if you heart waiting for weak drinks, and enjoy sub-par crowded sausage fests.
56 Greenwich Ave

Ming's Restaurant
Terrible, not even worth the measly 5 dollars for lunch. They use cuts of meat that your pet shouldn't eat. Maybe, if desperate, I would come for a hot and sour or egg drop soup.
413 Ninth Avenue

Brazil Grill
We should have known better. Did the ayce churrascaria and most of the meat was badly overcooked. The salad bar was pitiful. It felt pretty lame to be one of two parties in the entire lower level. The french fries were maybe the best thing served. There was one crispy pork thing that was good. The caipirinhas are delicious but it is not as worth it when full priced. The boys in my party were not happy with the pauses between meat service. Hello, green means go. Not worth it folks, except maybe for a happy hour caipirinha.
787 8th Ave

Meson Sevilla
Cute place, good service, but not authentic at all. I knew the food was not going to be anything like that in Spain from the moment we arrived and they put down bruschetta and called it pan con tomate. The patatas bravas tasted alright but really wasn't anything special. The sangria was definitely drinkable and a good deal at $25 a pitcher, but had no fruit whatsoever and way too much ice. I was really disapointed by the paella, it did not have much flavor and the rice had none of the texture that makes the dish unique. I am guessing yellow coloring was used in place of saffron. Oh, well.
344 W 46th St


Tout Va Bien
I was really hoping to love this place and agree with the claims of its "hidden gem"ness but thats not what went down. I ordered a french martini and got a cosmo. We asked for an appropriate wine with dinner and were told that we should try this hard to find French red. It had clearly been in the refrigerator and we spent the dinner caressing the bottle and our glasses to get it to the appropriate temperature. Fail. Don't recommend a wine and then not serve it properly. It would have been really delicious otherwise. The escargot app was 50% garlic, but enjoyable due to the intense flavor. I ordered the beef stew which was strangely served with pasta. It would have been much more appropriate to serve it with potatoes or another veggie. The flavor and texture of the meat was pretty good. The steak entree was not cooked particularly nicely, but it had a lovely sauce. The tarte tatin dessert special was very good. Although the place isn't outrageously expensive, the food isn't really worth it. And when spending money on a nice wine, its a huge disappointment if you can't enjoy it. On the positive side, the place itself is cute and our waiter was sweet and funny and gave us a complimentary glass of champagne with the bill. Free things usually win me over, so its a good indicator if even a free drink didn't do it for me. Oh and after adding a lot of salt, the fries were damn good.
311 W 51st St Frnt

Bua: nice drinks

What a fab happy hour. The cocktails were worth way more than $5. I loved my gin mule and caipirinha prepared by the friendly bartender. He was also amicable to editing the grapefruit out of a spicy margarita drink. Outdoor seating and gender neutral decor only added to the positives. I could imagine it being less awesome when crowded or at non-happy hour prices, but for an early after work happy hour drink- "as good as it gets"

122 Saint Marks Place