Before our March 12 lunch at Abuqir, in Astoria, Dean, Kay, and I had planned to visit El Mariscos Submarino, in Jackson Heights, but the doors were still shut at this Mexican restaurant 15 minutes after their posted noon opening. (We suspect that someone forgot to “spring forward” on the first day of Daylight Saving Time.) Instead we walked to Warique, a Peruvian restaurant nearby, for their house-special ceviche (the shrimp, unfried squid, and corvina are not so apparent) and a platter of mussels.
After a few intermediate stops, we did eventually sit down at Abuqir Seafood, or actually in the enclosed dining area outside; at 3:00ish on a pleasant-for-March Sunday, the small indoor dining area was packed. Shown below: eggplant; grilled squid, scallops, and octopus (we got the very last tentacle); sautéed clams; and baked black sea bass.
Abuqir only offered two vegetable sides, but the eggplant Dean chose was excellent. I think he was leaning toward raw clams, which probably would have been the better choice. Dean also asked at the counter for cuttlefish, and we received squid instead, but this was excellent too -— as tender as can be.
Afterward, Dean and Kay headed off, with their luggage, for their train back home. Any further eats I might have enjoyed in Astoria belong to some future post.
