We are heading to Queens on Sunday to Renee’s Kitchenette and Grill in Woodside / Jackson Heights.
Filipino food, and possibly some other bites around the neighborhood(s).
Give a shout if you can join.
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Good eats and great company for a relaxed Sunday lunch at Renee’s Kitchenette & Grill in Woodside today.
We were more circumspect / controlled in our ordering than we usually are, as in, the dishes were pretty much wiped clean 
My favorite dish by far was the grilled housemade longanisa sausage (that plus the bbq sauce on it), with the lumpiang shanghai the runner-up. I also enjoyed the glass noodles, though they were a bit different than I had expected.
Everything else was tasty and homestyle. The beef stew was reminiscent of a comforting pot roast, the chicken adobo was simple and not as vinegary as other versions I’ve eaten, the green beans and squash were more gently flavored than I expected given shrimp paste listed prominently in the description. The only dish I didn’t enjoy was the pork sisig, where the flavor of the liver overwhelmed anything else to my palate.
The atmosphere and the service bears mention as well. They were kind, patient, and did not rush our leisurely lunch despite it being a full room with a few folks waiting throughout (as in, we had to go ask for our check and return it even). Everyone else there appeared to be Filipino, out with their families for their normal Sunday meal, with a mix of stews, skewers, and homey dishes like spaghetti where there were kids.
I’ll have to go back for the bbq skewers we were stalking at the next table 
– that poor couple 
– Lumpiang Shanghai
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– Fish Balls
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– Fried Sardines
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– Grilled Bbq Longanisa
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– Sizzling Sisig Special (Spicy): sizzling plate of pork parts
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– Sotanghon Guisado: sauteed glass noodles w/ chicken, pork, shrimp & vegetables
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– Beef Kaldareta: beef stew
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– Chicken Adobo: chicken in garlic, vinegar & soy sauce
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– Ginataang Sitaw at Kalabasa (mild): sauteed shrimp & pork w/ string beans & squash in salted shrimp paste with coconut milk
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– Garlic Rice: side with everything
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well said! their house made longaniza was the standout (with its pickle) , just to add that the adobo was very flavorsome, much better than I had expected. The beef kaldareta was comforting, not as interesting flavoring as the goat version we had at Tito Rad, but still very well cooked, I liked the sisig a lot - Jim did too with the leftovers, but Sue also found the dish a bit too livery for her taste (protesting that she likes liver) - I guess it was all the bits bobs that might have been chopped up in there. Our fish balls were well fried and sardines ditto - nothing exceptional. The spiced vinegar served with a couple dishes didnt have much green chile heat! The Ginataang, which had very nice pork bits in it along wih the shrimp, green beans, and pumpkin cubes, grew on me as it cooled and the shrimp paste flavor started to come through in the thin coconut gravy- think I would order the spicy version if I ordered again
My takehome sweets have been a bit disappointing, I will report on how the takeout savory kaldereta kambing and laing turned out when we heat em up!
thanks to all for the fun company today. It was a really warm and pleasant venue and outing.
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Linking the Tito Rad’s meal write-up
Leaving the restaurant, I thought this meal was better than tito rads but looking back at my post for tito’s, I realize the food at titos was better but the service at renee’s was so warm and welcoming, the seating more intimate, even with the difference in food, I preferred this meal to titos.
the Longanisa was great and immediately made me regret we didn’t order more bbq. I loved the squash dish, the flavors were delicate but delicious. I’ve read there are 1,000 versions of adobo, I liked this version but would have liked a little more vinegar and heat, my SIL makes it wonderfully, to date mine have been mediocre.
I feel like we’re getting to the point where the food is fun but almost beside the point, it was wonderful to see everyone, and look forward to our next adventure!
best,
ps thanks to @Saregama for herding us and @DaveCook for mediating the ordering process and managing the bill.
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I feel like the proverbial, and eternal, fly on the wall, but enjoying all the bites I have been missing! One of these days things will slow down for me! Looks like heaps of fun, and very delicious to boot!
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you were missed!
Take homes report:
Phil Am Grocery - chicken empanadas were good but would have improved for me with some kind of dipping sauce (not that sweet stuff) or salsa to set off the flavor. Purple yam hopia were ok -they had some coconut flavor inside too, but I thought they were a little pasty. Black bean hopia better texture but also pretty bland.
Sariling Atin Roosevelt at 68-10 Roosevelt - this grocery store had some prepared food and I got containers of Kalderatang Kambing (goat) and Laing. We enjoyed these for dinner tonight with brown rice. I liked the goat Kalderetang here and at Tito Rad better than the beef version at Renee’s (which was a solid beef stew, however), SAR’s had a very good flavor and a solid kick from a good pepper sauce. Maybe less interesting than the goat version at Tito Rad, which had olives (a reminder of aspanish contribution) along with bay leaves and some tomato sauce shared by all 3 versions. Some commonality with Cuban picadillo, for example.
FIW My filipino cookbook , In Filipino Cuisine by Gary Gelle leads off his recipe Beef in liver sauce (Kalderetang-Calderata) with a note that goat is the traditional meat for the dish rather than beef.
The Laing was good but not as fresh tasting and delicious as that at Tito Rad.
the brioche type roll I got - an ensaymada - had only tiny bits of ube and almost no young coconut on top, in a mass of sugar. Will be looking for a bakery for better filipino sweets.
Thanks to Dave and Jeff for sharing their very different tamarind candies at the 3 Aunties thai store in Woodside.
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I, too, was sorry to miss this. We were in New York last weekend but already booked when this got posted. Thanks for the report!
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