A few weeks ago my friend and his wife invited a group of our friends out to dinner and drinks in Astoria. She suggested MP Taverna. I immediately said yes, well a) it was my friends birthday, and b) Michael Pisaklis is a pure genius with the food that is cooked there.
Before I jump into telling you about the food or anything, I want you to get up, call some friends, and go here. Now. I'll wait. Seriously. You'll thank me.
When you first walk in you're greeted by a modern decor, with a large bar to your left and a line of high-top tables to your right (which I believe sit up to 6). However, if you're looking for table sitting, they have an entire second floor just for you. The lighting is dim, but just enough for a very nice social experience, yet you can have a romantic night with your loved one.
When you get the menu there is A LOT of choices, but it's two sides, food on one side, wine/beer/cocktails on the other. Let's get into the beer selection first.
For a restaurant, I was extremely impressed with the craft beer selection they had there. I would come here just for a drink with friends because I liked it so much. Most restaurants don't delve into the smaller breweries, (which is a shame in my opinion) but MP Taverna stays true to it's roots and we kicked off the night with a SingleCut 19-33 Queens Lager. I'm going to have more on SingleCut brewery towards the end of the post as we finished our night there. However, the Queens Lager a really light lemon finish to it, but not too overwhelming like a Summer Shandy(which in my opinion is terrible). I was pleasantly surprised that I liked this brew, but it was refreshing, and straight up delicious. Later in the evening I had the chance to indulge in another New York beer from Southmpton Publick House, which was the Double White. This brew was a little bit more citrus in tasting, and tasted more along the lines of a ShockTop, but at 6.6% ABV, it was very tasty.
Now that I have you thirsty, lets make you hungry. We started our meal with with two appetizers, the combination dips and pita bread, and the fried calamari. The combination dips consisted of Yogurt, Chick Pea, and Eggplant. I'd have to say the Yogurt was my favorite of the three, with the Chick Pea(aka hummus) and Eggplant were tied, as they were equally good. You get a nice stack of pita bread, cut into triangles, which we went through very fast, and they were ok with giving us another little basket of it. The Fried Calamari is exactly what it sounds like. However the best part of this appetizer was the dips. It wasn't just your ordinary sauce in a jar on the side. It was a spicy tomato sauce, with red pepper flakes, and had a real nice kick to it. The other dip you got was a yogurt dip, which was the same dip that came with combo. I've never thought of dipping fried calamari in yogurt sauce before, but damn, it was real good. The yogurt dip is basically tzatziki sauce you would find a gyro, which makes sense being that this is a greek restaurant.
For main course, if you are a fan of meat, or just an overall awesome main dish...you're in for a treat. With so many options to choose from I went with the Mixed Grill. It was a combination of Cypriot lamb sausage, Pork tenderloin, chicken, and Greek pork sausage. My mouth is watering thinking of this meal again, it was just so damn delicious. The meat was garnished with onions, peppers, and a cream sauce. To top it off, on the side, were a nice portion of smashed fries. I'm going to say this now, the way the sausage was cooked, is by far the best I've ever had. I'm not sure if it's the seasoning, the pan it's cooked in, the oil...whatever they do to make it this good, I tip my cap to you. The pork tenderloin was very moist, very tender, and cooked to perfection as well. My only negative comment, was the chicken was cooked a little too long, and that it wasn't as tender as I was hoping. But, with the chicken being on the bottom of all of the other meats, it was my last hurdle, so not finishing it wasn't the end of the world, due to the fact I was crazy stuffed as it was. I HIGHLY...no I STRONGLY, suggest you try this dish out when you go visit, you will not be disappointed in the least bit.
Overall, for the two times I've been there so far, my experience at MP Taverna , has been nothing but satisfied. Between the service, the food, the atmosphere, I couldn't ask for a better time at a restaurant. Honestly, I really commend Michael Psilakis, and his entire staff, you guys do a wonderful job, and I thank you for that.
SOOOOOO......this is about the time I finish my posts, but I'm squeezing one small little part into it.
After a great dinner, my friends suggested we go to SingleCut Brewery. I was excited, as I have been wanting to get there since they opened to try out the brews they have. Now, since I had the 19-33 at dinner, I was more amped up in getting there to see what other delectable beers they have. It is a small brewery, but it packs a punch. We walked in and there was live music playing, and it was actually pretty damn good (I only say that because when there's live music playing at places, the bands aren't all that good). I digress, the brewery has a small bar, with chalkboard menu above it. There are a few long high-top tables that seat at least 12-14 people, and are mostly communal. They also, have picnic benches setup on the sidewalk right outside as well. The place has a nice homey feel to it, and most importantly, the beer is phenomenal. I tried about 4 different beers that night, and wound up taking home a 32oz growler of their double IPA as well a pint glass. Another go to place if you're looking for a good time, and enjoy GOOD beer.
MP Taverna
31-29 Ditmars Boulevard
Astoria, NY 11105
SingleCut Brewery
19-33 37th St.
Astoria, NY 11105
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