Queens Taste

Queens Taste was a pretty neat event held at the Hall of Science. Although it was crowded, the lines weren’t all that bad because there were so many vendors. There were so many samples. I couldn’t quite remember any of the names of the restaurants that participated but a good half of them stunk and the other half was good. Some vendors served really lousy food and some had really good stuff. The one with the beef on bruschetta was the most memorable one. There was one vendor that was serving raw oysters but his were all warm and raw which was nasty. The dessert tables were pretty sweet. It was still a fun night circling around sampling food and beverages and also bumping into several fellow Unilocalers. I wouldn’t mind attending this again next year.

A review long overdue ;(
My first real Unilocal event and I got a chance to check out Queens Taste 2015– What an honor!
A BIG shoutout to Jando. S for the tickets!!!
This year’s Queens Taste took place at the Hall of Science over at Fresh Meadow Corona.
It’s 1 night, 300+ people, 50+ Queens’s restaurants providing a sample of some of their best food/​drinks. It can’t get better than this!
There were so many restaurants, everything was like a blur to me because I was so excited and took no time to stuff my face with all these delicious goodness… I honestly can’t recall where most of the food/​drinks I ate came from but at least I got some good pictures to remember the occasion!
All the food/​drinks at the event were delicious but some of the more memorable ones for me were the mini sliders from Ottomanelli’s, cold sandwiches from Leo’s Latticini Mama’s, chicken tacos with extra spicy hot sauce from Redwood Deli & Catering, Ginger Ale from Bruce Cost, couscous from Renacer Bolivian, mini desserts from Rudy Pastry Shop and ice cream from DF Maven.
I had a wonderful time at the event even thought I turned a little delusional toward the end because I was so full but WOW what an event!
Thank you again Jando. S for the warm welcome into the Unilocal family and for the tickets! So looking forward to Queens Taste 2016!

Thank you so much to Unilocal and Jando for tickets to experience this awesome event in one of our favorite queens venues (the science museum).
My plus one and I arrived an hour into the event and stayed for about an hour and a half. We left with very full tummies… (future tip — don’t load up on water during this event, which is what I did, just focus on the yummy food).
I was too busy sampling the food to take loads of pictures but the things that I loved — the modified s’mores, the amarena fabbri cherries (which I had never tried before… I went back 3 times so the representative gave me a free jar — score!), the paleo factory’s mousse/​mud and the pie lady’s pecan pie. It was also my first time trying octopus.
My guest particularly enjoyed the trifles, ice cream by df maven, mini bundt cakes?, a green cocktail that had some type of vegetable juice mixed in, risotto, and bareburger. He also scored a free gallon of milk from a vendor that had them on display (we had just run out and the representative was very kind to give it to him).
The vendors were all very friendly and there was a great selection of sweet and savory items. in fact there were so many nooks and crannies that had food that I didn’t realize until my third lap around more delicious food from vendor like the pie lady was to be found!
I guess the only constructive criticism I can offer is that it was just a little hard to collect all the goodies and juggle them while standing up and eating, and I wish the event lasted longer since most people don’t get out of work until around 6pm, but I would totally recommend this event to someone and it was for a great cause!
BONUS _​
Afterwards, we were able to drive over and see the famous globe (unisphere), which was only a 10 minute drive away from the museum, so all in all a fabulous night.

Thank you Unilocal and Jando for this great opportunity for me and my plus one to enjoy Queen’s diverse foods! It was an incredible event with so much food and we were stuffed!
Our first stop was Zenon Taverna where we tasted their popular favorite, grilled octopus. Tender meat with hints of spice and lemon. Next stop is Tango, a chili sauce start-​up. They served us tacos with their carrot-​based hot sauce. I thought it would be weird but it tasted really healthy and had slight sweetness that brings out more of the spicy taste. I gave the representative feedback and he hooked me up with a bottle of Tango Chili Sauce, win for me! Bareburger served up the most juiciest beef burgers last night. Loved the hints of bacon and seasoned ground beef patty. Duck Wellington from Apéritif Bistro in Bayside was a showstopper and it happened to be my favorite bite of the night! Duck meat was so juicy and flavorful wrapped with thin layers of crispiness then top it with a sweet jam sauce on top. If I am visiting any of these spots again, it would be there. Fairway’s steak was a surprise. It was actually a very good piece of meat. My meat-​lover plus one could not help but take my piece and was offered another one. Seafood paella from O Lavrador was full of flavors of the sea — fresh seafood with the perfect about of spice. Favorite dessert of the night was of course, fresh Mango and Coconut sorbets from Dessert That Matters. There are chunks of fruits mixed in there. Natural taste is always best! Various of beers were offered, my favorite was of course the lemony-​flavored, Traveler’s Lemon Shandy! Perfect beer for a relaxing summer afternoon.
Overall, this was such a privilege to have won tickets here! The food choices were so diverse for everyone cuisine is very well represented at this event. My plus one and I were just constantly on the go to try every dish here that I just did not care too much to take pictures at all! Thank you again Jando, Unilocal,and Queens Taste for this unforgettable opportunity!

I actually arrived early! Scandalous. The event was way larger than I had anticipated and eternally grateful to Unilocal and Jando for the free tickets to Queens Taste! Situated inside of the Queens Science Museum we were given a sneak peak at their giant space ships looming outside in the gardens. Tables and tables of food greeted us though from numerous and very different restaurants, breweries, and online or at home food and drink distributers. The only cumbersome part was managing to balance a sampling of food and a cup of beer or wine. However, they poured very small shot sized amounts of alcohol. I’m not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Also, another difficult part of the event was that there were zero trash cans. Or there was 1 trash can for every 20 some tables causing messes to accumulate and people to get clumsy.
Favorites that stood out and were memorable: Beija Flor (Brazilian food in Long Island City) — They had some kind of stew, a creamy polenta with chicken, and a delectable chicken croquette along with the most amazing guava cocktail I have ever had on the face of the earth (tasted like pink starburst). The people were also super personable and sweet at the booth. I’d definitely check this restaurant out in the future.
Bareburger (I’ve never had them before, guilty) It was an okay kobe beef slider with some blue cheese crumbles and bbq sauce. I do like my burgers more rare but one of the more solid and tastier pieces of meat I had last night.
De Mole had some kind of amazing mole tasting chicken. AMAZING.
Christos SteakHouse had banging mac and cheese. I wanted seconds and thirds but I was already exploding by this point.
Leo’s Latticini Mama’s I believe were the people with cannoli and a pretty vast array of beautiful and tasty deserts and fresh mozz and tomato salad. Another stand out desert booth for me was DF Maven’s dairy free, gluten free, no added sugar. I wouldn’t know for anything in the world that that ice cream was vegan. It was creamy, chocolaty minty cookie explosion in my mouth.
Special shout out to Tango Chili Hot sauce for both being tasty (its carrot based) and legit packing heat. Also, the tacos they put their sauce on were quality and fresh.
Their was also a decadent cheesy risotto from a catering company I think floating around. Good event. I went home fat and happy after perusing booths for an hour and a half. Not sure if I would spend $ 160 – 200 on this, though, I’m glad it was for a good cause as to helping out local businesses in Queens.

This was probably one of the better events I’ve gone to this past year (Queens Taste 2015 at Hall of Science). Courtesy to Unilocal and Jando S., I was one of the lucky fews that scored 2 free tickets to this event. I came an hour late cause I wanted to run my usual 5 miles before pigging out, but thanks to Lori L., she gave me a 45 minutes crash course tour on which tables were the best of the best!
So Queens Taste is only a once a year event. There were a variety of vendors varying from sweet to savory introducing their signature dishes. One of my favorite stand was the Pie Lady. They are only an online based company, but it’s definitely worth checking out because their pecan pie was to die for! Bareburgers rolled out their infamous juicy sliders. There were many stands that were offering flavored hard ciders, curry seafood shots, filet minions, truffle risotto, and adorable looking desserts. There was this polenta dish that was awesome but I totally forgot what place that was (let me know if anyone figures it out). Apparently I missed out on the clams and oysters =(All in all, I got to try some of the best foods from all over Queens in one location. I will definitely be visiting again to many of these places at their original location. Thanks Jando for giving me this AWESOME experience!

major props to Jando for hooking us up with tickets to Queens Taste 2013! this event was a blast!
a bunch of restaurants, vendors, and businesses set up tables in the Caesars Club of Citi Field, providing samples, menus, coupons, and more. we discovered a bunch of eateries and pubs that we hadn’t even heard of, and some we hadn’t gotten around to trying. plus a few that are web-​only or set up shops at various fleas/​events.
I was very glad to see that Queens Taste pulled people from all over Q-​Boro. so many neighborhoods repping up in here — Forest Hills, Douglaston, Kew Gardens, Woodside, Sunnyside, Bayside, and more. I’m content to let all the Manhattanites and transplants think that «HERE BE DRAGONS» anywhere east of Astoria.
I wouldn’t say that there were any bad offerings, though some particular standouts were the roasted red pepper ravioli from Sac’s, the steak from Austin Steak and Ale, and the awesome sliders from Dog & Duck. oh, and I forget the name of the vendor (their card is somewhere here though) but he had chocolate covered hot peppers. EPIC! it was also great to see a pub that came out from Rockaway Beach which rebuilt after the destruction of Hurricane Sandy. gonna have to go there and enjoy some beers on the beach!
the layout of the Caesars Club was great for this. two rows of vendors along the window, a few by the entrance, and a ton of seats/​tables to sit down and enjoy your meal at. my only complaint was the lack of garbage disposal — you had to find someone on staff who was collecting plates.
totally fun event. easy to get to, everyone was having a great time, and Unilocal had a posse there too. thanks for the tix once again Jando!

Thanks to Jando and Unilocal,we got to experience Queens Taste last night at CitiField’s Caesar’s Club. I enjoyed having the opportunity to sample the cuisine from a variety of restaurants all over my new borough. Some of the highlights included the short rib sliders from Dog & Duck, the spicy guacamole from La Adelita, and especially everything Sac’s Place had on their table – roasted pepper ravioli, broccoli with garlic, beets and the Greek salad. The event left me with a list of places I want to try. There was also a large selection of drink options – whether from the wine, beer and liquor vendors, or sodas and bottled water at the bar. There was truly something for everybody.
The venue itself was particularly impressive. We were fortunate enough to be there on a night with a lovely sunset, and I loved the stunning view of it and the Manhattan skyline through the panoramic windows. There was plenty of seating and space for munching and conversation, as the space accommodated the formidable crowd. There were plenty of booths towards the entrance, including one for Unilocal,with swag and information from their respective companies, staffed by friendly folks.
Overall, I had a nice evening at Queens Taste 2013 and am glad I had the opportunity to check it out.