Our pals, The Happy Hour Guys recently paid a visit to Astoria's Best New Restaurant, The Queens Kickshaw. Hosts Mark and Jimmy have an in-depth conversation with Owners Ben and Jen about their motivation for the name and what makes The Kickshaw one of the City's most-talked about new restaurants.

They even give us a shout-out! Take a…

From today's Daily News:

Two N train stations in Astoria have emerged as a prime target of iPhone snatchers in recent weeks, but many riders admit they’re not too vigilant about concealing their pricey devices because they view the neighborhood as safe.

Nine iPhones have been reported stolen along the N and…

Top Headlines of the Week:

1	Astorians: Where everyone else thinks we live
2…

Received this pic from @35thAndKaufman on Twitter. It seems Salvation Army on Steinway is having a lease issue with their landlord. According to this sign, a portion of the store has been leased to another tenant.

From personal experience, this (huge) store tends to be jam-packed with clothing, furniture, and other odds-n-ends, so condensing should be quite the task. Honest question though, where…

After a recent increase in the community's distaste of transitioning the Westway Motel into a permanent homeless shelter, the Department of Homeless Services has officially removed it from the list of options, according to the Times Ledger. For years, the hotel has been used as a temporary transition home for families, however, on multiple occasions, the DHS has tried…

Photo from inhabitat.com

The City's first commercial rooftop farm, Astoria's Brooklyn Grange will be doubling their acreage this spring when they open a second farm atop the historic Brooklyn Navy Yard. Making good on their name (and their original choice location), the Grange will be growing heirloom…

Though it stands reluctantly in the shadow of Presidents Day, today is a holiday that arguably deserves more attention. Today, February 22nd, my friends, is National Margarita Day. Not that you needed an excuse, but now you have no excuse not to have one (or more).

Where in the neighborhood have you found that frozen concoction that helps you hang on?…

Photo illustration by Jonathan Baskin

As JetBlue prepares for their move to LIC next month, they're currently waiting on a last-minute approval from LIC's Community Board 2 to erect a 40' lighted sign atop their new headquarters. The new sign, if approved, will join the ranks of the iconic Pepsi-Cola and Silvercup signs. 

The new headquarters is located at 27-01 Queens Plaza North, in the Brewster Building (1911), the former…

The Louisiana-themed Astoria hotspot, SugarFreak made CNN's food blog, Eatocracy's list of the top places to celebrate Mardi Gras. Stop by tomorrow, Fat Tuesday, for their all-you-can-eat Mardi Gras buffet.

Photo from SugarFreak's …

Top Headlines of the Week:

1	Astorians: Where everyone else thinks we live
2…

Yes, we're sick of this meme, too, but it had to be said. Now, die, meme, die.

An interesting study on pet ownership in NYC was recently published by the economists at StatsBee, a column in the NYC Economic Development Corporation blog.

The study found that there are approximately 1.1 million dog and cat pets in NYC--equating to one pet in every three (33%) households. This is understandably far below the national average of 60%.

However, as the below graphic shows, Astoria is among the City's most pet-populated…

Photo of the Astoria underground from Undercity.org

Urban explorer, Steve Duncan made a recent visit into the sewers beneath Astoria Park. Take a look:…

After an impressive 4th place finish in Season 9 by Big Mike Lynche, two Astorians are back on the stage this season. Creighton Fraker and Dilia Jelen both secured golden tickets to Hollywood Week on American Idol. Stay tuned for more updates as Creighton and Dilia's journeys unfold. Go Astoria!…

It's easy to get caught up in today's pseudo-holiday hoopla and buy into overpriced, over-crowded, Manhattan hotspots for an ironic dinner for two. Here are a few pointers for a night out that she'll dig and won't pinch your pocket.

Most of Astoria's top restaurants are doing a pre-fixe and/or reservations. If you don't have a reservation by now, we recommend selecting a place a little under the radar for a unique dinner to remember.

Consider…

Top Headlines of the Week:

1	Mount Sinai Hospital is a Joke…

An 89-year-old man whose name has not been released was struck and killed overnight while crossing 21st Avenue at the intersection of 31st Street.

According to a report in the Daily News, the man was hit within the crosswalk, however, did not have a "Walk" sign. Several people witnessed the incident and immediately called 911. 

Meanwhile, the 67-year-old driver of the Mercedes SUV that struck the man attempted to flee the scene, until passersby were able to barricade…

We wrote last month about NJ trying to steal Fresh Direct from LIC using $100 million in tax breaks. Well, as of Monday night, NJ didn't win, but the Bronx did. The sweetheart deal is reportedly worth $120 million in tax breaks and other incentives that will keep 2,000 jobs in New York, add 1,000 more, and bring $255 million in revenue.

It's a shame…

After years of the cold shoulder from (the awesome food blog) Eater, they just just released a list of 20 must-try restaurants in Queens. By no surprise, 6 of the top 20 are in LIC/Astoria. However, we only got one in the top five.

#5 Kabab Cafe

#6 LIC Market

#7 Taverna Kyclades

#10 Queens Kickshaw

#13 Ornella Trattoria

#20…

Photo from Thymari

Located in the old Philoxenia storefront, Thymari will try to "span centuries of classic Greek cooking".

From Gothamist:

Astoria needs another Greek restaurant like the…