Astoria Girls, I need your help! **UPDATED-Thanks girls!!

FH's parents are coming over tonight to take us out to dinner for his birthday. They're not very....adventurous......w/food and everything around me (I live up by Ditmars) is very ethnic, greek, thai, spanish, etc. FH and I love these places, but they really don't. They're more American Continental type food or straight Italian so that's what I'm looking for. We usually go to Trattoria L'Incontro but they're closed for vacation. We went up to Christos last year w/them for his b-day and loved it so thats our fallback but i'd like to do something different. I just swung by Telly's on 23rd Ave and it's mostly seafood, not enough red meat/chicken options. Taverna Kyclades is the same (I LOVE that place) mostly seafood, but also you have to wait so long there since it's so popular and his mom can't stand (physically) for very long and wait...so it also has to be someplace that would be either way less busy on a Friday at 6:30 or that takes reservations.....

I'd like to stay as close as we can...maybe not go further south than Astoria Blvd if we can help it. Any ideas?? TIA
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Hi ladies, Just wanted to thank you all for the fabulous recommendations! We ended up going to Piccola Venezia and it was INCREDIBLE. Really old school and just amazing italian food. Highly recommend now it as well, we'll def. be going back. FH had the Osso Buco and said it practically melted in his mouth (I'm guessing that's good) I had ravioli stuffed w/pumpkin and a brandy cream sauce, it was sooo good. FH's parents loved it as well, it was perfect. Thanks again!!!

If they like italian, theres a good place called Forno Italia on 43rd and Ditmars (they have AMAZING brick oven pizza, too) across from the mini shopping center. Porto Bello also has good food in the shopping center. I looooove Taverna Kyclades too. You just made me crave it but there is ALWAYS a wait. Good luck and have fun. Hope you find a good place

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Posted by Songstress1212

If they like italian, theres a good place called Forno Italia on 43rd and Ditmars (they have AMAZING brick oven pizza, too) across from the mini shopping center. Porto Bello also has good food in the shopping center. I looooove Taverna Kyclades too. You just made me crave it but there is ALWAYS a wait. Good luck and have fun. Hope you find a good place

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Forno Italia....is on the left hand side of Ditmars if you're going up? Like right across from the parking lot entrance? Do you happen to know if they valet?

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Posted by MiciB115

L'Incontro it's at the end of Ditmars. It's a great Italian place.

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They're closed for 2 weeks. They always close for vacation the last 2 weeks of July. Thank you though! Isn't that place amazing?

Piccolo!

They are great! Luv their nocci~
Piccola Venezia
42-01 28th Ave (42nd St), 718-721-8470

Yeah right across on the left side. Im not sure if they valet. We've always gone early in the day. They have a website if you wanna check it out
Forno Italia

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Posted by missliss

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Posted by MiciB115

L'Incontro it's at the end of Ditmars. It's a great Italian place.

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They're closed for 2 weeks. They always close for vacation the last 2 weeks of July. Thank you though! Isn't that place amazing?

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Figures and I should have read that in your post My dad loves the place!

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Posted by florezpeeps

Piccolo!

They are great! Luv their nocci~
Piccola Venezia
42-01 28th Ave (42nd St), 718-721-8470

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Ooh, the menu on here looks delish! And they have valet too which is great since my FMIL can't walk far (not that we wouldn't drop her in front, but you know what I mean). Thanks! Is it spacious in there or cramped?

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Posted by florezpeeps

Piccolo!

They are great! Luv their nocci~
Piccola Venezia
42-01 28th Ave (42nd St), 718-721-8470

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pICCOLO venezia is amazing if you decide to go past astoria boulevard

THERES also this place called Arthur's on the corner of steinway and ditmars...its been there forever and alot of the younger ppl always forget about it, but the food is real good and its nice and cozy inside.

Other than that ditmars is very ethnic...like others mentioned you can try forna italia

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Posted by missliss

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Posted by florezpeeps

Piccolo!

They are great! Luv their nocci~
Piccola Venezia
42-01 28th Ave (42nd St), 718-721-8470

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Ooh, the menu on here looks delish! And they have valet too which is great since my FMIL can't walk far (not that we wouldn't drop her in front, but you know what I mean). Thanks! Is it spacious in there or cramped?

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you'll have space.

That Arthurs place always looks closed!!! FH and I always wondered about it. Now I wanna try

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Posted by Espo22

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Posted by florezpeeps

Piccolo!

They are great! Luv their nocci~
Piccola Venezia
42-01 28th Ave (42nd St), 718-721-8470

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pICCOLO venezia is amazing if you decide to go past astoria boulevard

THERES also this place called Arthur's on the corner of steinway and ditmars...its been there forever and alot of the younger ppl always forget about it, but the food is real good and its nice and cozy inside.

Other than that ditmars is very ethnic...like others mentioned you can try forna italia

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I drive past Arthurs all the time and always wonder what it's like inside? So it's good??

And yeah, like I said FH and I love the restaurants by us, but his mom and step-dad aren't really so into it. Oh well.
But, I think I am going to call Piccolo, the menu on the website looks great. Thanks!

We love 718 on Ditmars!!!
Also, slightly below Astoria Blvd there's a place called STOVE on 25th avenue and 45th street, GREAT food, the chef is an Irish guy that FH knows, they are great, and there's backyard seating too but its GROSS out today....

718

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Posted by Espo22

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Posted by missliss

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Posted by florezpeeps

Piccolo!

They are great! Luv their nocci~
Piccola Venezia
42-01 28th Ave (42nd St), 718-721-8470

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Ooh, the menu on here looks delish! And they have valet too which is great since my FMIL can't walk far (not that we wouldn't drop her in front, but you know what I mean). Thanks! Is it spacious in there or cramped?

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you'll have space.

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Great! Thanks so much ladies!!!

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Posted by Colette

We love 718 on Ditmars!!!
Also, slightly below Astoria Blvd there's a place called STOVE on 25th avenue and 45th street, GREAT food, the chef is an Irish guy that FH knows, they are great, and there's backyard seating too but its GROSS out today....

718

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Thanks!
You know what, I think FH and I are like the only people I know of who aren't really so hot on 718. We went there for dinner on NYE a couple of years ago and we've never been back. It wasn't horrible, we just didn't really like it.

Someone else told me about Stove a while ago, but I kind of forgot about it. What type of food is it?

I highly recommend the Brick Cafe on the corner of 33rd Avenue and 33rd Street. It has an eclectic menu - a little bit of everything and the atmosphere is very cozy and hip.

The Brick Cafe

I like Forno, but it's a little lacking in decor. I also haven't totally enjoyed every meal I've gotten there.
It's too bad about Trattoria L'Incontro being closed. That place rocks. We're actually having our rehearsal dinner there.

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Posted by missliss

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Posted by Espo22

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Posted by missliss

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Posted by florezpeeps

Piccolo!

They are great! Luv their nocci~
Piccola Venezia
42-01 28th Ave (42nd St), 718-721-8470

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Ooh, the menu on here looks delish! And they have valet too which is great since my FMIL can't walk far (not that we wouldn't drop her in front, but you know what I mean). Thanks! Is it spacious in there or cramped?

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you'll have space.

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Great! Thanks so much ladies!!!

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you will definitely have space & you're parents would like it, the staff is very old skool hospitable (i just made up that term, but hopefully you get what i am saying) they really cater to you~

I can totally see that; we ate there on Valentine's day once and hated it. I swore i wouldn't go back after that. Most places just s*ck on major holidays!

We've gone back at a friends urging and enjoyed it so c'est la vie!

OK Stove is a basic continental menu; nothing too adventurous, and they have great steaks, and lots of seafood.The specials are always very fresh and well-prepared. I like my food plain (and my men spicy), so they are used to me tweaking everything, i.e., 'can you put the sauce on the side...?'