Astoria is a foodie mecca! Not only are there amazing places to go out to eat, there are amazing places to get fresh produce, meats, and incredible baked goods.
For pretty much the entire time that we have lived here, we have always said we wanted to go to a butcher and get a beautiful cut of meat and make ourselves a feast. So, finally on a free Sunday afternoon, we headed to a local butcher.
We picked Plaza Meat Market of Astoria because one, it’s near by, and two, Chef Michael Psilakis recommends it. Here we selected a Porter House and two lamb souvlaki.
We felt pretty cool inside Plaza Meats, like chefs picking out the perfect cut. Everyone inside was kind and helpful if we had any questions. It also smelled so good!
Afterwards, we headed next door to the Artopolis Bakery for some after dinner treats. We picked bite sized chocolate cake, tiramisu, and a kiwi tart.
Back at home we began to prep our meal. For our beef, we decided to go with a reverse searing process that we learned about by watching Binging with Babish on YouTube. He’s awesome if you haven’t watched.
The process is almost like quick-dry aging the meat in your oven, then searing it with butter and herbs to finish the cooking process. It’s incredible.
We grilled our lamb and vegetables on a grill pan. We cheated with the mashed potatoes by using a frozen version from Trader Joe’s. I doctored them with some butter and garlic.
Our meal came out amazing! We devoured every last bite and then enjoyed watching a movie until we were ready for our dessert.
The Artopolis Bakery is no joke. These baked goods were sweet and decadent. We savored every last bite. It’s dangerous that they are so close to us. We will be back!
It’s very easy to just run to the grocery store, but after this experience we will definitely be back to these local businesses for special occasions. Their products are excellent, but it’s those little added extra touches that make them even better. Shop local!
The Cocho Life 