Uncle George's in Astoria, NY

Lest you think I am a super chef who whips something together every night, let me clue you in to the truth.  Living in NYC allows you to eat whatever you want, whenever you want.  Even more specifically, living in Astoria means getting to eat Greek food whenever you want.  Kyle and I moved from Manhattan to Astoria in May and are right around the corner from Uncle George’s.  We have been meaning to go there ever since, and finally got around to it last Friday.

Right off the bat they brought us fresh, warm bread and we ordered a kilo of wine.  As it turns out, neither Kyle nor I ever fully got a grasp of the metric system, because a kilo of wine? Is a LOT of wine, approximately a liter (or about a bottle and a quarter of regular sized wine bottles).  SO, this is a picture light post as I tend to just talk and laugh when I drink pots filled with wine.

Yum, and ouch, but isn’t the copper vessel so cute?! 

For an appetizer we got the saganaki, which is fried kefalograviera cheese.  Yum!  I wish I got a photo of the presentation, it was in a cute little cast iron 2 handle skillet and when the waiter got to our table he poured in a little glass of (what I assume was) brandy and flambéed it for us.  To put out the flame he squeezed half a lemon over it and then placed it between us.  It was so cool!

Saganaki

 For my entrée I had one of the Friday night specials, roasted lamb with orzo topped with cheese.

It was yummy, baked and warm with tender lamb that only needed a fork to come apart.  I want to try to recreate something like it at home, I don’t know why I never make orzo?  I love it every time I have it.  I’ve also never made lamb but would be up for the challenge.

Unfortunately, dear readers, half a kilo in I forgot to take a picture of Kyle’s meal, and we focused on eating and talking instead.  It was a wonderful night and I’d recommend that anyone in Astoria check out Uncle George’s for the cute atmosphere and home-cooked Greek experience.

I’d also love to hear about any restaurants that we should check out either in Astoria or the city at large!