Lucky Seven?

It's always bittersweet for me to go anywhere past Astoria in Queens, because the variety of great, cheap food is almost bewildering--I always wish I had room in m stomach for three more restaurants. This weekend, though, I decided to eat the smallest breakfast possible, then work my way back to Manhattan from the end of the 7 line.

My first stop was the newly opened Corner 28 Restaurant and Caterers (Main Street between 40th Rd. and 41st Ave.), which had a brisk business selling bite-sized Peking duck pieces through an outdoor takeout window, for the very agreeable price of 75 cents each. Even in the middle of the afternoon, in slushy, miserable weather, the line was always teeming with about a dozen people.

Each piece consisted about a duck slice about the size of two matchbooks, a few strips of scallion and cucumber, and a (too) generous dab of plum sauce. The wrappers were the soft, steamy Cantonese variety (bao) about the size of a small saucer--it reminded me a bit of White Castle--and the duck was a touch on the fatty side. It may not be the greatest duck in the city, but made for a very nice snack for two of us, and the high turnover ensured that the duck was still moist and steaming when it came out.

A few blocks further down Main St. was the food court at the hidden-away J&L Mall. It's my kind of "mall"--there's just a food court, nothing else. Depending on your perspective, this place is either charmingly run-down, or just downright shabby. What it does promise, however, is an intriguing bastion of no-frills authenticity within its narrow, L-shaped corridor. Unfortunately, I was ill-prepared for its offerings, having brought no Chinese dictionary or Mandarin-speaking friends with me (all the menus were written in Chinese characters). I did manage to try a lovely leek dumpling about the size of a grapefruit (a whopping 75 cents) stuffed with a generous helping of diced garlic, a scrambled egg binder, and some small bits of glass noodles. A smaller lamb dumpling (45 cents) was fairly bland, and certainly not worth such a long trip. We also saw stands selling fresh noodles, bing (which resemble crepes), and (perhaps?) a few Sichuan stalls. One of them, near the back and off the main corridor, had a tray full of pork-belly strips that looked tossed in garlic and hot pepper flakes. However, when I haltingly asked the proprietor for a small serving, she simply looked at me and said, "No."* I'm disappointed that I didn't prepare well enough for this visit, but I do intend to give this place another look.

In the mood for some refreshment, we took the train back to Woodside, to sample the hamburgers ($7.50) at Donovan's Pub. A few magazines and newspapers have hopped on the Donovan's bandwagon, calling it the best in the City. I'm afraid I disagree.

To be fair, Donovan's makes a very good burger. They use a very high-quality beef that, despite being very juicy, doesn't seem to have the fat that a lot of other patties ooze out. To their credit, they also nailed the cooking, with a nicely charred outside and a perfectly medium-rare inside. The grilled buns were a nice bonus. However, my personal preference is for a lower meat-to-bun ratio, and the burgers at Donovan's were pushing a 1/2 pound. Given the attention they paid to the beef, I was also disappointed that the lettuce was iceberg, not Boston, and that the tomato slice was rather wan and sickly. They do, however, pull a very nice pint (a real pint, too) of Guinness ($6).


* I think she thought I was asking for a free sample, but it was hard to tell, because of the communication difficulties.

Corner 28 Restaurant
40-28 Main St. b/n 40th Rd. and 41st Ave., Queens (map)

J&L Mall
41-82 Main St., Queens (map)
(For a less bewildering option, try the deli counter at the A&N supermarket across the street, and pick up as much of the ridiculously tasty vacuum-sealed Havista fresh ramen noodles as you can carry.)

Donovan's Pub
57-24 Roosevelt Ave, Queens. (map)