Astoria’s The Shady Lady

The Shady Lady in Astoria, Queens.

So you’re in Astoria, Queens and you want to impress your date or have a fun night with your girls enjoying delicious foods and an intimate ambiance. This gem is true to what the restaurant’s Chef Pappas defines as ‘global comfort’ food. He created an amazing menu with a little bit of all cuisines.

Check out The Shady Lady!

It’s located on 34-19 30th Ave, New York, NY 11103

They have great Happy Hour specials as well as Brunch deals. Keep yourself updated on The Shady Lady Facebook Page.

If you’re stopping by for dinner my recommendations are as follows:

Start with their excellent homemade Roasted Tomato soup accompanied with their grilled cheese and get ready for what Ansley says, “the best grilled cheese I’ve ever had!” They use a combination of five cheeses to create this masterpiece which includes Gruyere and Mozarella.

Roasted Tomato Soup & Braised Short Ribs at The Shady Lady.

Order a bottle of red wine, we chose Nappa Valley Grown Castle Rock, Carnerso Pinot Noir 2009. This bottle was excellent with our meal.

Shady Lady in Astoria, Queens. January 2014

They have a great section called ‘Keep Sharing…or not…’ where the dishes migrate away from the usual tapas style. I highly recommend their Braised Short Ribs which are umami glazed, with a side of broccoli tempura and steamed balsamic rice.

The manager of the establishment, Scott, explained that Chef Pappas searched high and low to make this dish perfect. It started off as a special and would sell out quick every time. But the Chef felt it had to be perfected before they placed it on the menu permanently. After months, this beautifully detailed dish was added to The Shady Lady family.

Roasted Beets

We shared the Roasted Beets which are served in tiny endive wraps topped with gorgonzola mousse and candied walnuts. We also got the Tequila Lime Chicken Wraps where they use only white meat sautéed chicken breast in a rich chipotle sauce and unlimited lettuce wraps. They serve the dish with tostones and limes.

The food is excellent and the service matches its style.  You cannot leave the restaurant until you try one of their HOMEMADE desserts. Ansley and I have a huge sweet tooth, actually I think all my teeth are sweet. So we ordered the Bourbon Brownie Pudding with walnuts that comes with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. A serious party in my mouth.

So my WTD readers, do your palate a favor and indulge in the excellence of Chef Pappas.