Long Island City Holiday Lighting

Woodbines

The Standing Room

School 78

Department of Education:
Community Engagement Meeting to discuss the short term and long term plans for elementary and middle school in our community
Monday, May 4, 2015 at 6:00 P.M.
P.S./I.S. 78Q Auditorium
46-08 5th Street, LIC, NY 11101
Superintendent Dr. Philip A. Composto and representatives from the Department of Education will be in attendance.

Doughnut Plant Arrives in LIC

Doughnut Plant from Licqueenstv on Vimeo.

Doughnut Plant Arrives in LIC
by Eso Romero

When I first heard the news that Doughnut Plant was planning to open a location in LIC, I was ecstatic. Opening day finally arrived last month. It joins several other food businesses inside the Falchi building on 47th Avenue, a historic, newly renovated concrete space with art deco accents of color. Not only did Doughnut Plant open a storefront, it also will occupy over 8000 square feet of the building for the bulk of its production. Luckily for us customers, we will be able to view the doughnut-making process once its up and running, similar to how Juice Press has set up down the hall. Dotting the walls outside Doughnut Plant  are mesmerizing photos of LIC’s landscape. It was worth the visit just to see those and appreciate our changing neighborhood.

If you’re new to Doughnut Plant, they pride themselves on all natural, high quality ingredients. No eggs, preservatives or artificial anything in these doughnuts! This is not your neighborhood Dunkin’ Donuts. They even make their jam fillings from scratch and sell jars for purchase (...think PBJ sandwiches with blackberry jam. Yum.). Their menu offers unusual and creative flavors. Better yet, there are different dough textures: yeast, cake, doughseeds (mini-doughnuts with filling) and yeast filled. Many of the flavors come in all those versions. I’m biased towards the yeast doughnuts -- how can I resist the airy light goodness of every bite? For the sake of the review, however, I must expand my doughnut horizons and try the other options. And so I did.

We ventured into Doughnut Plant on a Saturday morning. Open every day from 6:30am-7pm, it had a steady stream of customers. The employees were friendly and pleasant, making our experience that much better. Upon ordering, the first thing you see is a countertop display case of the available doughnuts. Decisions, decisions, decisions! Everything looked good. My family and I went for a mocha yeast, vanilla bean blackberry jam-filled, a chocolate hazelnut doughseed and a wild blueberry cake. To our delightful surprise, they threw in a couple more on the house: a mocha doughseed and a strawberry yeast, both seasonal flavors with limited availability. One can’t have that many doughnuts without washing it down with a drink. I had a macchiato and my partner had the Nola Au Lait. Both were divinely smooth and paired perfectly with our indulgent feast. No need for added sugar in these drinks. The doughnuts covered that just fine.

The doughnut breakdown:

• Strawberry Yeast - Airy bites of subtle strawberry taste. 
• Vanilla Bean Blackberry Jam-filled - A very pleasant surprise! I don't normally like filled doughnuts because the filling takes over the whole doughnut.This, however, was nice and balanced, without being powerfully sweet.
• Wild Blueberry Cake - Another surprise. I expected the cake texture to be too dense. Instead, it was moist and delicate.
• Chocolate Hazelnut Doughseed -  A small doughnut but hearty and rich. Perfect balance between filling and chopped hazelnuts. 
• Mocha Yeast - A bit of a disappointment. I tasted more chocolate than coffee. Least fave of the bunch.
• Mocha Doughseed- Better than the mocha yeast due to the tasty filling. A burst of flavor with the coffee infused mascarpone filling. 

As we gobbled down our doughnuts, the line grew longer. It was only noon and the tres leches doughnuts were all sold out. I’ll add that to my list my next visit. Oh yes, another visit is a must.

LIC ARTS OPEN "THE BROCHURE"

Save the Date
Friday May 15,16,17- 2015
Court Square Studios 2138 44th Rd, Long Island City, NY
Film Screening  1-6 pm 
Opening Reception May 15 6-10pm
Page 17, 19, and 21 click the Brochure for a full event schedule

Video Artist Presenting a bit of the flavor of Long Island City. All these events took place this past year, we had so much fun attending them and we hope you enjoy viewing them in this video montage! #THISISLIC

About Court Square Studios: amongst the many hidden gems in LIC is the area's newest independent film and video studio, Court Square Studios. This year Court Square Studio allowe to LIC Arts Open to creat a screening room, live stage for events, a huge wall with over 100 pieces of art by multiple artists, as well as a separate performance art space and an individual exhibition. Court Square Studios will also be the venue for a jazz concert on Friday evening,a rock gig on Saturday, and our amazing Closing Party which will feature our silent auction, a country band, comedy show, and a special concert version of Hair, all washed down with Lagunitas!

#thisislic is a production possible by see here

Gantry Plaza State Park View

Live At The Gantries, Via longislandcityqueenstv

Outdoor Movie at the Socrates Sculpture Park, LIC.

LIC FLEA & FOOD MARKET (Created with Magisto)

Brazilian Live Music at The Gantries, LIC

Movies in the Park

Saturday April 25th, 2015
8:00 pm FREE
Gantry State Park



Please support Hunters Point Parks Conservancy


Bill Bylewski from Licqueenstv on Vimeo.

The Clock Tower will become a landmark!

The clock tower from Licqueenstv on Vimeo.

The 2015 Taste of LIC

Tuesday June 2nd, 2015

via:Chololatefactorytheater.org

On Tuesday , June 2nd The Chocolate Factory Theater  will have their culinary fundraising event Taste of LIC 

It's a celebration of Long Island City's cultural and culinary excellence with over 50+ Local restaurants sharing their best dishes. The event takes place in the gorgeous water front Gantry State Park for more information and tickets go to Chocolatefactorytheater.org

Taste of LIC from Licqueenstv on Vimeo.

Screening Event

MAY 15,16,17 SCREENING 1-6PM
OPENING RECEPTION MAY 15 6-10PM
COURT SQUARE STUDIOS, LONG ISLAND CITY.

  

          COME VISIT US ALL DAY FROM 1-10PM     

Bikes & Brews

Saturday April 11 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Rockaway Brew Co
46-01 5th St. Long Island City, NY

Open-mic Poetry

Tuesday April 14th at 8:30pm 
Green Earth Poet's Cafe presents "Word of Mouth" 
an open-mic series
Open Door Restaurant LIC
10-09 50 Avenue Long Island City, NY. 

Bicycle Registration

via:NYCPD

 Did you know in the event your bike is stolen it can be traced to you? 

 Go to any local precinct and register!

Bicycle is marked with an identification number using an engraver.

A decal is affixed to the bicycle, which is difficult to remove.

 

In the event that it is removed "void" appears on what remains of the decal.

 

In the event that the bicycle is stolen and recovered, it can be traced back to the owner through the I.D. number 

                                                                                                                                 Via:NYPD
                                                                                                                                    

Greater Astoria Historical Society

astorialic.org

LIC Arts Open THE BROCHURE!

courtesy by LIC ARTS OPEN

The winner of the annual Young Architects Program 2015 at MoMA PS1

Rendering of Andrés Jaque/Office for Political Innovation’s COSMO, winning design of the 2015 Young Architects Program. The Museum of Modern Art and MoMAPS1. Image courtesy of Andrés Jaque/Office for Political Innovation

Rendering of Andrés Jaque/Office for Political Innovation’s COSMO, winning design of the 2015 Young Architects Program. The Museum of Modern Art and MoMAPS1. Image courtesy of Andrés Jaque/Office for Political Innovation.

The Museum of Modern Art and MoMA PS1 announce Andres Jaque/Office for Political Innovation as the winner of the annual Young Architects Program (YAP) in New York. Now in its 16th edition, the Young Architects Program at MoMA and MoMA PS1 has been committed to offering emerging architectural talent the opportunity to design and present innovative projects, challenging each year’s winners to develop creative designs for a temporary, outdoor installation at MoMA PS1 that provides shade, seating, and water. The architects must also work within guidelines that address environmental issues, including sustainability and recycling. Andrés Jaque, drawn from among five finalists, will design a temporary urban landscape for the 2015 Warm Up summer music series in MoMA PS1’s outdoor courtyard.

The winning project, COSMO opens at MoMA PS1 in Long Island City in late June. This year’s unique construction, COSMO, will be a moveable artifact, made out of customized irrigation components, to make visible and enjoyable the so-far hidden urbanism of pipes we live by. An assemblage of ecosystems, based on advanced environmental design, COSMO is engineered to filter and purify 3,000 gallons of water, eliminating suspended particles and nitrates, balancing the PH, and increasing the level of dissolved oxygen. It takes four days for the 3,000 gallons of water to become purified, then the cycle continues with the same body of water, becoming more purified with every cycle.

Andrés Jaque addresses the statistic put forth by the United Nations, estimating that by 2025 two thirds of the global population will live in countries that lack sufficient water. COSMO is designed as both an offline and an online prototype. Its purpose is to trigger awareness, and to be easily reproduced all around the world, giving people access to drinking water, and to a dialogue about it. But above all, COSMO will be a party-artifact moving in whatever direction the party happens to take it.

via:MoMAPS1

MoMA PS1 22-25 Jackson Ave Long Island City, NY 11101

LIC Arts Open

LIC ARTS OPEN 5 
Wed, May 13 - Sun,  May 17, 2015 


The 5th Annual LIC Arts Open is happening May 13-17 and is expected to be its biggest yet. Since 2011, the LIC Arts Open -- Queens' largest arts festival -- has been bringing together artists, residents,  businesses, tourists, local government, art enthusiasts and collectors to help foster Long Island City's cultural and economic development. The festival has done much to raise the profile of Long Island City, home to one of the largest and most diverse arts communities in New York City.
For more information visit here

LIC Springs!

Saturday, May 9 12 - 5 PM
Vernon Boulevard between 50th Ave. and 46th Ave.
(cross streets remain open)

On Saturday, May 9th, Vernon Boulevard will be closed to vehicular traffic between 50th Avenue and 46th Avenue for the second annual LIC Springs! free community block festival! 
Festivities will include on-stage performances, exercise and dance classes, sculpture-making, and more.See below for the list of last year's participants.
for more information see here

Creek & the Cave

I’m Becoming a Caveman
by Daniel Sennet

On Saturday night, I was having a very typical debate with my beautiful wife: what should we do? Comedy? Dinner? Games? Drinking? Then we decided to do them all, and the only place you can accomplish that in Long Island City is The Creek and The Cave at 10-93 Jackson Ave and 48th. One of LIC’s originals, like its other founding father,  Sweetleaf, this one-stop shop for a great evenings worth of activities has no trouble balancing its life as a stand-up comedy venue, a Mexican restaurant, a bar, a theater and a pinball alley. 
As we walked into the space, we made a left-turn one door too soon and walked into their comedy venue; a dark, low-ceiling space that was warming up for the evening’s main attraction: “Old, New, Borrowed and Blue” a set of seasoned improvisation vets coming together. Later on that evening, around midnight, was a live reading of the movie Resevoir Dogs. As it was only 8 o’ clock, and we were starving, we retraced our steps and walked into the second door, which lead us into a brighter Mexican Restaurant, notable for its burritos, delicious margaritas and lively scene.  The place isn’t decorated with particular flair – it relies on its Cal-Mex menu and its surroundings for its scene. The bar and kitchen were towards the back of the space;  a stair case lead downstairs (more about that later) and there was a door that lead into the comedy venue. The night was tee’d up for us to have a great time.
Upon sitting, we were immediately given chips and salsa – a nice way to start the meal. We ordered a large guac ($6.95) to accompany it. There were some drink specials for the evening, including a free PBR for any attendees of the comedy (very special note: otherwise, tallboys of PBR were $3!). My friend ordered an $8 Pineapple Margarita which actually appeared (and tasted) to be fresh. Something that caught our eye immediately was the menu’s explicit mention of the fact that substitutions were ok. It reinforced the idea that everyone was just here to have a good time. The rest of us each ordered a Singlecut Lager ($6). A respectable amount of time later, we each received our food: me the “Taco Al Carbon” platter ($12), three generously filled tacos served with brown rice and beans; my wife the Yoga Burrito ($10) served with avocado, corn, red onions, tomatoes, black beans and chicken; and for my friends an order of more-Texas-than-Mexican chili ($8) and an extremely large “Burrito Extremo” ($9) served with flavorful ground beef, cheddar and jack cheeses, pico de gallo, lettuce and sour cream. 
Just a few more words about the food, since this review is trying to be encompassing of the experience. It was all delicious. Really fulfilling – both sating and satiating.  I think that when a person or a place tries to be a jack of all trades, it becomes the master of none. In this case, the Creek and the Cave hasn’t mastered Mexican Food per se, but it doesn’t want to be. It just wants to be great and that it is. None of us were able to finish our plates and we all agreed that Cave food is worth coming back for. But we were ready for more.
So we ventured downstairs with full stomachs seeking out a way to digest, and we found it in the form of eight pinball machines, all in pristine condition. Each game was $0.75 or three credits for $2. The nerd in me immediately went to the Star Trek game, but we also went to town on the Simpsons machine, the Walking Dead and the Wrestlemania game. There’s something about playing an old-fashioned pinball game that brings back that inner kid in you; it’s that sense of tangible satisfaction that no ipad or xbox game can give you.  
Behind was a well-stocked bar with a few choice beers and a delightful assortment of tequilas. The entire basement had a cozy, if not somewhat crowded feel to it, but not obnoxiously so. There were frames of the original brick, but otherwise, the place was renovated with painted dry wall to complete the ‘cave’ effect. Adjacent to the bar was a closed-door, but completely transparent room, about 200 sq. ft, that was home to an ongoing open-mic night for aspiring comedians. 
The Creek and the Cave was a success for us: a delicious, affordable and extremely filling meal, tasty drinks, fun pinball, hilarious comedy and an easy walk home. It’s rare to wrap that all up into one place and do it well, but I guess they have the benefit of time on their side and I can only hope that the proprietors continue to offer it all up to LIC’ers, both new and old, for many years to come.

Creek & the Cave 10-93 Jackson Ave Long Island City, NY 11101

Art work by Elinore Schnurr at 4540 Center Blvd Long Island City, NY

TESTACCIO Italian Restaurant in Long Island City

I Can’t Believe that I haven’t Eaten at Testaccio Yet.

by Daniel Sennet

Last night, I put to rest my curiosity about Testaccio Ristorante, the unassuming Italian establishment on Vernon and 47th. Lured by the menu displaying items such as “Calamari in Gratella” and “Chitarra Alle Vongole e Bottarga,” we ventured in past the bar that hosts a happy hour worthy of its own review and into the spacious and rustic main dining room towards the back of the space.

The space is lit, but on the dimmer side, just enough to accent the white bricks and wooden beams. It’s a good clean and spacious restaurant, a place where you can carry on a conversation with your family, friend or better yet, date.  What’s refreshing, especially compared to many of the Italian spots in Manhattan, is the quality of the service. Our waiter was friendly beyond the call of duty, extremely knowledgeable about each item on the menu (and between my mother and my wife, we grilled him) and patient, a trifecta of virtues that is rare in the service sector.

After putting our waiter through the ringer, we settled on the Minestrone soup ($8) made with wood-oven roasted veggies and an order of meatballs ($9) as appetizers. Not that I had orders’ remorse, but I could have been easily talked into the Carpaccio di Pomodoro ($12). After taking our order, the waiter thoughtfully brought out an assortment of breads with olive oil as well as three different bruschetta: a traditional tomato, extremely fresh pesto and mozzarella with truffle oil. We each knew that we were filling up on carbs, the classic rookie mistake, but we didn’t care. We were pot committed. The Minestrone soup was a delightful balance of hearty vegetables and lite tomato broth and tasted the way you would expect your Italian grandmother to make it. The meatballs came served in a dish smothered in tomato sauce. The serving of two could easily have fed a family of six on their own.  Likely a blend of veal, pork and beef, the texture was more solid than fluffy – the kind you would want stuffed in a perfect hoagie or hero. I can’t even imagine having a full serving of the delicious meatballs, I was happy for the help.

Just as my stomach was giving me very explicit indications to stop eating, a 12” Diavola pizza ($15) was placed in front of my bulging eyes. Served on a very thin crust, the tomatoes, freshly sliced (and not shredded) mozzarella, spicy Italian Salami and oregano melded into an elegant, authentic and supremely tasty pie of happiness.  My wife ordered the “Baccala in Umido” ($22), a chunky codfish steak sitting a fresh tomato broth with onions, potatoes, capers and artichokes swimming around. The broth makes the dish look more like a stew or chowder, but it was actually really light and approachable. Normally, I wouldn’t want to mix the tomato broth with the fish, but they blended well together, almost as if the piece was braised. The order winner for the evening was my mother who naively thought she could take down an eggplant parmigiana with a side of angel hair pasta ($18). Now most things that are breaded, deep fried, topped with rich tomato sauce and include generous portions of fresh mozzarella are delicious. This was no exception, but it wasn’t heavy as I expected. Quite the opposite in fact – almost dainty. Despite being feverishly full, the flavor profile was so vivid that she couldn’t stop, and neither could I.

By the end of the meal, we were each inadvertently leaning back, rubbing our bellies, relishing a fantastic meal and looking forward to a digestif that would help us get home. The meal came in under $100 for the three of us (without drinks) and we all agreed that we would happily return. I’d recommend that you give it a shot if you haven’t already.

Testaccio 47-30 Vernon Blvd Long Island City,, NY

TOURNESOL french restaurant in Long Island City

Happy 13th Anniversary, Tournesol!

By Eso Romero

Tucked away at the very end of Vernon Blvd is Tournesol, a quaint French bistro outfitted in red with sunflower accents. Celebrating their 13th anniversary, Tournesol put together a prix fixe menu of appetizers, entrees and desserts. All for $20.02, the year of its establishment.

My daughters and I arrived shortly before 6, with only one party ahead of us waiting to be seated. I hadn’t made a reservation and overheard that the evening was fully booked weeks ago because of the special anniversary menu. Due to the early hour, luckily, we were still able to get a table as a walk-in. The host hurriedly mentioned that the restaurant would be packed soon enough. The tiny 21-table bistro certainly had its European charm with red banquettes, large black and white rugby photos on the wall in the front and a mirrored back wall with the outline of France. The clientele was mostly made up of older folks, so my daughters and I certainly were an exception in the crowd.

Ordering from the menu was more challenging than I would’ve liked. Since I don’t know a lick of French, I needed to ask for several translations. Including a short description of each plate would have made ordering more efficient, especially given the expected customer base that evening. The server seemed annoyed every time I asked what a dish was, like the croustillant of brandade with gaspacho and the choux chantilly. Should I know what that means?

The meal began with complimentary bread and butter. It was not warm, but decent. Our appetizers of choice were the croustillant of brandade with gaspacho and the sea scallop quinoa salad. The croustillant literally translated, means “crispy”; it was essentially a croquette filled with a creamy mixture of cod, milk and olive oil. My girls shared it and loved it. Sitting upon a tomato-based sauce, the croustillant was flavorful, crunchy and well-seasoned. My salad was also a winner: refreshing tones of pomegranates, squash, green onion sea scallops and watercress on top of quinoa. Many perfect bites in this dish.

Despite feeling rushed, I was impressed by the quick turn-around of dishes. Everything came out quickly and piping hot. My daughters shared the beef carrots au vin de gaillac, which was cubed beef in a gravy with carrots and celery. My 11 year old felt that the gravy was underseasoned but the tenderness of the beef was unbeatable. It was a simple and straightforward dish that could appeal to both kids and adults. I ordered the grilled salmon with zucchini gratin, tandoori sauce and basmati rice. The salmon was cooked just right, tender and moist. In my experience, restaurants do not include salmon skin. I was especially ecstatic to see my salmon with skin still intact, seasoned and crispy. That was definitely the highlight of my dish. The zucchini gratin was so-so; it was a bit burnt on top, yet mushy below. All the elements of the dish, however, complemented one another nicely.

The last act of the meal was the apple tart and the choux chantilly. Choux is a light pastry dough commonly used for profiteroles, beignets and other desserts. This one was a cream puff sitting atop a delectable chocolate sauce and a sprinkle of candied almond slivers. To die for. The apple tart was delicious as well, served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. My girls ate it all up.

By 7pm, Tournesol was nearly full. I’m not surprised. At the end of the meal, my 7 year old happily exclaimed, “Let’s go here for dessert again.” I agree with her.  I’d also come back for the whole meal.

Tournesol Restaurant 50-12 Vernon Blvd Long Island City, NY

The Hunters Point Parks Conservancy Meeting

The Hunters Point Parks Conservancy has some BIG plans for the season. We want to hear what you want to see and do on the waterfront this year. Our next meeting is April 7th at The New York Irish Center.  The video here is last year's "Silent Disco" event produced by Lincoln Center Local and hosted by Hunters Point Parks via Hunters point Parks conservancy

Long Island City/Astoria Lions Club Membership Drive Open House

To All Our Neighbors and Friends 

Are you looking to get involved with your Long Island City / Astoria neighbors?

Do you want to initiate and assist in community projects to better your neighborhood?

Do you have ideas to improve our special area of the city?

Then you should get involved with the Long Island City/ Astoria Lion's Club.

Our Open House will help you become familiar with the Long Island City / Astoria Lion's Club and the work that we have been doing to better our community. So please stop by, socialize, learn and enjoy some snacks and refreshments with us. See you all there!- LIONS CLUB

Tickets information-free click here

Harbor Lab

FREE Life Saving Training!

via Harbor lab

FREE adult and pediatric CPR, First Aid, AED, and Water Safety certification training from the Red Cross ! 

Harbor Lab have 12 spots available for committed volunteers who’ll be active this coming season. 
Please contact Harbor Lab (volunteer@harborlab.org) by Thursday March 26th with your scheduling preference, weekend or week night, under the subject “CPR.”

Flux Factory event

Japanese fabric dyeing workshop
Flux Factory 6:00-8:00pm free
39-31 29t St, Long Island City, New York 11101
for more information visit Fluxfactory.org

QWFF part 6

FOR MORE INFO CLICK QUEENS WORLD FILM FESTIVAL

QWFF PART 5

FOR MORE INFORATI QUEENS WORLD FILM FESTIVAL

QWFF part 4

FOR MORE INFO CLIK QUEENS WORLD FILM FESTIVAL

QWFF PART 3

FOR MORE INFO CLICK QUEENS WORLD FILM FESTIVAL

QWFF part 2

FOR MORE INFO CLICK QUEENS WORLD FILM FESTIVAL

QWFF 2015 PART 1

 FOR MORE INFO CLICK QUEENS WORLD FILM FESTIVAL

Queens World Film Festival Opening Night 2015