Our picks for Queens Restaurant Week

Queens Restaurant Week is coming up October 5th-15th, so take this opportunity to check out some restaurants you have not yet made the time for or simply can't afford. $25 gets you a prix fixe dinner at any of these participating locations:

* Aegean Cove
* Balu Café
* Barril Grille
* Bizaare Avenue Café
* Campagnola Cucina Italiana
* Cavo
* Christos Steakhouse
* Dazie's
* Fresh Juice Bar & Health Eatery
* Gandhi
* Las Margaritas
* Mezzo Mezzo
* Momento Bistro
* Ovelia Psistaria Bar
* Pinocchio Palace
* Ponticello
* Portobello Pizzeria Restaurant
* Punta Dura
* Seva
* Taverna Sophia
* Time Café
* Water's Edge
* Zenon Taverna
* Zlata Praha

To read specifics on each location, visit the Queens Restaurant Week homepage.

Typically, with NYC Restaurant Week, some of the more expensive restaurants in town lower their prices by offering a prix fixe for those of us who cannot normally afford to splurge on menu prices. With this Restaurant Week, more establishments have been invited that seem to have actually increased their prices to align with the $25 price tag. With that in mind, we've assembled our picks for restaurants worth taking advantage of during this promotion to save you some green while exploring some of Astoria's finest dining:

1) Punta Dura--An old school Italian restaurant where many of the interior restaurant scenes of The Sopranos were filmed.
2) Aegean Cove--An off-the-beaten-path Greek hotspot. Beautiful interior and amazing service makes for a great date.
3) Water's Edge--Boasting one of the City's best dining views, you can't go wrong with Water's Edge. Take advantage of their free river shuttle from Manhattan.
4) Christos Steakhouse--Dry-aged beef that rivals NYC's finest, seasoned with a hint of the Mediterranean. They lose points for having a $35 price instead of $25. Boo Christos.
5) Ponticello--Always lots of well-dressed couples coming and going. Get a steal here during Restaurant Week.
6) Dazie's--Suit-up! Dazie's white tablecloth and tuxedoed servers is in neighboring Woodside, but a 5 minute cab from anywhere in Astoria.

Tags: aegean cove, christos, dazie's, dining, food specials, ponticello, punta dura, queens, restaurant week, steakhouse

Comment by Danielle on September 29, 2009 at 8:02pm: Christos is DIVINE. Highly recommended.

Comment by Harris on September 30, 2009 at 4:21pm: I don't think any have really raised prices. Many of the places are offering 2 for $25.

Comment by Ran Craycraft on October 1, 2009 at 12:06pm: $25 is a lot of tacos at Margaritas, mi amigo. Zenon already does a $20 sampler of their entire menu, Time Cafe....
Just sayin, if one were in search of deals, there are a few that significantly stand above the rest.

Comment by Harris on October 1, 2009 at 2:32pm: I haven't seen the Restaurant Week menu for Las Margaritas, but the entrees are 15-20, so if they add in another course or 2, the $25 makes sense. In my experience, restaurant weeks don't really offer deals, but they're a good chance to try a few things at expensive restaurants that are offering smaller or cheaper-ingredient portions.

Comment by Ran Craycraft on October 5, 2009 at 9:12am: I believe the official RW website has been updated--we've updated our picks as a result.

Comment by Mathew Snow on October 5, 2009 at 9:35am: yeah, well, I think you're both wrong.

Comment by Diane L. on October 6, 2009 at 1:56pm: I was considering going for lunch. Olevia Psistaria was recommended for the @ for $25. What do you think? I want to stick to Greek restaurants.

Comment by Chris giannakas on October 7, 2009 at 3:51pm: Ovelia offers complimentary wine and dessert with the $25 Prix-Fixe dinner deal.

Comment by Ran Craycraft on October 7, 2009 at 4:26pm: I've had two RW lunches this week and they have both involved salmon:
* Ovelia: Salmon Sandwich--very tasty, had asparagus on it...threw me for a loop.
* Seva: Let the chef pick for me--he selected a salmon dish that wasn't on the menu...yum.

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