A Food & Wine Pairing through Queens…an eater’s paradise By Brad Haskel

        According to U.S. Census numbers that were updated in 2005, the overall population of Queens increased from 1.95 million to over 2.21 million between 1990 and 2005. The amazing number is 46% are foreign born. When it comes to great authentic ethnic foods, and cheap eats: Queens has it all. No other borough in the city of New York can brag of the ethnic diversity found in Queens. This great mix of cultures makes for an adventurous eater’s paradise. This world wide eating tour is available without the purchase of a plane ticket. If you are driving, all you need is to be lucky enough to find parking, and if you are using mass transit, then you probably need a little strategy session. Either way, with very little money, you can immerse yourself into incredible cultural journeys all within one borough. Here are four great neighborhoods to begin with.

      Flushing

      Flushing, a community brimming with different Asian cultures, has developed a food culture that many people feel rivals or surpasses the more famous Chinatown of Manhattan. I love so many different types of food from the many Asian eateries that inhabit Flushing, but the dish I crave most is har gow, the shrimp dumpling in rice paper wrapping, that is a staple of Hong Kong’s dim sum. 

        I know this is a wine and food article, but there is nothing better than drinking a clean lager beer with har gow. Still, if I wanted wine, there is a lot to choose from. Here are three choices. Do I want something with high acidity and bubbles to counter the sweetness of the shrimp? A sparkling wine like prosecco or a Spanish cava would be great.  Or, do I want an aromatic white like a Mosel kabinett riesling that would complement the sweetness of the shrimp, and add a layer to the salty quality of the soy sauce accompaniment?  Sauvignon Blanc - but more precisely sauvignon blanc with crisp flavors of minerality, like those found in Bordeaux and the Loire Valley - create a great contrast to the sweet shrimp.

Jackson Heights

      Jackson Heights has a fascinating mix of ethnicities all packed within a space of less than one mile. There are several generations of European descendants: most notably Irish, Italian, Polish, and Russian.  Asians, from Bangladesh, China, Korea, Pakistan, and the Philippines are prominent in the mix. Still, Jackson Heights is known for being the cultural center for Latinos in the NY metropolitan area. Restaurants featuring the foods of Ecuadorians, Colombians, Peruvians, Mexicans, Uruguayans and Argentines line Northern Boulevard and the surrounding streets. Over the years, I have gained an appreciation for the empanadas of Colombia. There are many different styles, which tell of the region they come from.  For me, the Antioquian empanadas that are the staple of the diet of the city of Medellin, and the outer-reaching areas are very, very addictive. These beef and potato filled empanadas are traditionally dipped in a vinegar based sauce, a difficulty for pairing with wine. So, fruit juices made from the native and luscious lulo, a yellow gooseberry, are a great liquid pairing. Still, there are wines that work. I love the exotic torrontés from Salta, the northwest region of Argentina, where some affordably delicious, fragrant white wines are a specialty.  A clean, crisp white made from the verdejo grape, from the Rueda region of Castile-León in Spain, would also wash down these empanadas with style.

      Forest Hills

      Forest Hills has remained the center of Queen’s Jewish population; although the countries of origin have changed. The 1970’s had a population made up from primarily Sephardic Jews in Forest Hills and other parts of Queens.  While other pockets of Queens saw a decline in Jewish population, Forest Hills remained a very vibrant Jewish community due to an influx from Iran and the former Soviet Union, with the largest population being from Uzbekistan. Walking through Forest Hills on Queens Boulevard, I get primal urges for a kosher-style beef hot dog with crackling crisp skin, and a spread of yellow mustard. Okay, so celery soda might be your first thought, but there is some calling to the wines of Alsace that just might work. Alsace, a region that has been passed back and forth between France and Germany over the centuries, is French, but with a combination Germanic and French culture. Choucroute, a famous regional Alsatian sausage dish, is a classic with dry rieslings, Tokay pinot gris, and pinot blanc. Any of those would also be great with that all-beef hot dog slathered in mustard.

      Astoria

      Although first settled by German immigrants at the end of the 1800’s, Astoria is a very diverse area with a great blend of nationalities. There are pockets of Italians, Asians, Irish, Eastern Europeans, Arabs, Mexicans, and many others. Still, Astoria’s ethnic identity has been tied to one of the largest Greek populations outside of Greece or Cyprus. Greek food culture is based on appetizers, called mezedes, much like Spanish tapas, which can similarly also be found throughout Northern Africa and the Middle East. There is a fragrance that comes from street stalls, and I cannot walk by the smell of grilled meats without stopping to take it all in. How do you just walk by that?  Souvlaki khirino is a diced pork dish, where the pork has been tossed in a blend of salt, pepper, and oregano before being grilled and laid into a piece of pita bread. Oh, I love it. There are wines, both white and red, that just fit perfectly.  For a white, try the crisp and perfumed moschofilero grape from the Mantinia region of the Peloponnese.  A solid red recommendation would be one from a Naoussa, on the slopes of Mount Vermion. This region is known for delicious full bodied red wines that are made from a native grape, xinomavro.

      My Neighborhood Picks:

      Flushing

      Food: Hong Kong- styled Har Gow (Shrimp wrapped in Rice Paper)

      Wine: Prosecco (Italy), Cava (Spain), Mosel Kabinett Riesling (Germany), Sauvignon

      Blanc from the Loire Valley or Bordeaux (France).

      Alternative Drink: Lager Beer

Jackson Heights

      Food: Colombian Empanadas

      Wine: Torrontes (Argentina), Rueda (Spain)

      Alternative Non-Alcoholic Drink: Jugo de Lulo (Lulo Fruit Juice)

      Forest Hills

      Food: Kosher-style Beef Hot Dog

      Wine: Alsace Riesling, Tokay Pinot Gris, or Pinot Blanc.

      Alternative Non-Alcoholic Drink: Celery Soda

      Astoria

      Food: Souvlaki khirino

      Wine: Moschofilero Mantinia, White (Greece), Naoussa Xinomavro (Greece)