Queens in the house! January 2, 2010 1:18 PM   Subscribe

Hey, New York City. Let's have a meetup Saturday, January 16th in Astoria, Queens.

I'm thinking Bare Burger for dinner at 6 p.m., followed by drinks at a local bar (I have a place in mind and can't remember the name- going to walk by tomorrow). Shout if you're coming, I'll call in advance and they'll set aside some tables for us.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero to MetaFilter Gatherings at 1:18 PM (82 comments total) 4 users marked this as a favorite

Bare Burger! Hell yeah I'll be there!
posted by Stynxno at 1:19 PM on January 2, 2010


Burgers in the nabes, can't say no to this. I get to sleep in AND go to a meetup.
posted by kkokkodalk at 1:41 PM on January 2, 2010


Sure why not
posted by hermitosis at 3:13 PM on January 2, 2010


YAAAY Astoria! I'm totally there.

This is my first ever MeFi meetup, so please be gentle.
posted by AlisonM at 3:29 PM on January 2, 2010


A burger joint? Uh oh. The vocal vegetarians are gonna be pissed! I'll be there to watch the smackdown and eat a meatburger.
posted by HotPatatta at 6:10 PM on January 2, 2010


One mostly-non-vocal vegetarian at least is fine with Bare Burger and hopes to not get into it at the meetup, though I know its a classic fight to have. Hope to be there.
posted by hackly_fracture at 6:30 PM on January 2, 2010


Strangely enough, a vegetarian friend was the one who recommended this place to me. I can't speak to the vegetarian burger options not having tried them, but there are two, and all the salad options (which looked amazing the day I was there).
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 6:49 PM on January 2, 2010 [1 favorite]


The portabello burger and the vegy burger (soy based) are both outstanding at Bare Burger.
posted by Pineapplicious at 7:49 PM on January 2, 2010


Pete and I will be there! Bison, elk or ostrich burger? Hells yeah!
posted by spec80 at 8:36 PM on January 2, 2010


I'll be there! It'll be my first meetup too (besides the 10th party in the summer), because you guys always hold it in bars I can't go to. :) :/

Also: has anyone ever had elk or ostrich? I did eat some bison meat once, but I can't remember what it tasted like, because the whole time I was eating it, all I could think about was the bison staring at me with its giant accusing eyes. (Cows and chickens don't glare at me that way!)

...okay, I just reread that, and on second thought, I think I'll just have the soy one.
posted by lolichka at 9:26 PM on January 2, 2010


Oh dude, on the same night as Eddie Izzard at the Garden? Why you do this.
posted by elizardbits at 10:35 PM on January 2, 2010


The Ostrich burger is better than the elk. The Bison is almost as good as the Ostrich but not quite. The menu recommends which meat goes best with each burger combination. All three of these meats are leaner than beef but have different tastes. I've always felt elk to be a much more tougher, leaner, and taste a tad too athletic on a burger. It's not juicy enough. Bison is probably my favorite overall meat when it comes to a burger (except for Kobe Beef), and Ostrich is just tasty and fun to eat because how often do you get to eat ostrich?
posted by Stynxno at 6:33 AM on January 3, 2010


I am totally there. I will have been editing a book all day, and in dire need of hamburgers, beer, and mefites.
posted by ocherdraco at 7:39 AM on January 3, 2010


My work situation has been a little spotty, so my attendance at this and other meetups recently and for the next little while has been/is entirely contingent upon when I get work again.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:38 AM on January 3, 2010


I'm so there. Love BareBurger. Love it.
posted by Help, I can't stop talking! at 9:49 AM on January 3, 2010


I got the name of the bar I think we should visit after dinner- Sweet Afton. It's right up the block, and there's a big table right in the front perfect for a group like this.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 2:47 PM on January 3, 2010 [1 favorite]


Hmm, sounds fun. but I think Queens is like and hour an a half away from me... But maybe!
posted by amro at 4:33 PM on January 3, 2010


I'm in. Never heard of BareBurger before, it sounds terrific.
posted by oh yeah! at 5:18 PM on January 3, 2010


I'll be there.

My experience with ostrich is that it needs to be paired with strong flavors.
posted by brujita at 11:16 PM on January 3, 2010


I'm going to New York that week -- my wife has an immigration interview with the Canadian Consulate on the 12th -- but we're leaving the morning of the 16th, dammit.
posted by Shepherd at 5:42 AM on January 4, 2010


Put me down as a maybe.
posted by greta simone at 9:47 AM on January 4, 2010


Crap, I want to eat the bison, elk AND ostrich. Argh, I don't know what to do. Can they stack them together like some kind of interspecies Wendy's triple???
posted by kkokkodalk at 12:34 PM on January 4, 2010 [1 favorite]


But, but...aren't there dragons and such in Queens?
posted by digitalprimate at 6:23 PM on January 4, 2010


Looking forward to seeing you, Brujita.
posted by HotPatatta at 6:43 PM on January 4, 2010


OK, so my wife is out of town and running a conference that weekend, and I'm flying solo with our toddlers on 1/16. None of our babysitters are available, either. :P

I know and *love* Bare Burger! But I'm not sure if I'll be able to venture out with the munchkins to Astoria (depends on the weather, how they're feeling, etc.) I also (obviously) wouldn't be able to go to a bar afterwards.

How much lead time do you need for an rsvp?
posted by zarq at 10:03 AM on January 5, 2010


In.
posted by The Straightener at 11:37 AM on January 6, 2010


Yay!
posted by ocherdraco at 2:46 PM on January 6, 2010


I Will Be There.
posted by thejoshu at 9:08 AM on January 9, 2010


Never heard of Bare Burger, despite having several Astoria-dwelling friends, but it sounds good. I'm a maybe though, just due to a potential scheduling conflict.
posted by cmgonzalez at 11:30 AM on January 9, 2010


I actually have work and will be able to afford this! So yes, I'm there.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:59 PM on January 9, 2010


I have some king cake mix I bought while in New Orleans that I never got around to making on Epiphany because I worked mad late, but according to research any time from Epiphany to Mardis Gras is technically king cake season. You think the Bare Burger folks would mind if I came with dessert? Honestly, I just want an excuse to eat freakin' sugary cake covered in colored sugar.
posted by kkokkodalk at 7:24 PM on January 9, 2010


I have some king cake mix ....

I love you.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:27 PM on January 9, 2010


You think the Bare Burger folks would mind if I came with dessert?

Let me call and ask. I know some places are weird about outside food.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:28 PM on January 9, 2010 [1 favorite]


I'm in!
posted by Eshkol at 8:49 AM on January 10, 2010


king cake, bareburger, and drinks...this is shaping up to be the best "my first mefi meetup" ever.
posted by AlisonM at 7:27 PM on January 10, 2010


My cousin just came to visit from Europe. I likely can't make it after all.
posted by cmgonzalez at 10:10 PM on January 10, 2010


Yea, if we can't eat the cake inside, I'm totally fine with surreptitiously passing out pieces once we're outside, behind the dumpsters.
posted by kkokkodalk at 10:11 PM on January 10, 2010


Hooray for an out-of-town visit from The Straightener. I might be going on a date night with the boy, but if not I'll hope on over from the G. Hopstop says it goes all the way up to Steinway Ave but that sounds wrong. Any Astorians care to weigh in?
posted by zoomorphic at 12:30 PM on January 11, 2010


I'm not an Astorian, but the G does stop at Steinway. (the stop is at Broadway.) :)
posted by zarq at 12:37 PM on January 11, 2010


Googled to make sure. Here you go. The G.
posted by zarq at 12:39 PM on January 11, 2010


Point of order: I think the G only goes that far SOMETIMES. On the weekend, I think it terminates at Court Square.

Zoomorphic, I looked into this and saw the best bet is the G to Court Square, then the 7 to Queensboro Plaza, then the W to Broadway. (Actually, in my neck of the nabe it'd be a bus to Queensboro Plaza, but that bus is a block from me.) It sounds like a lot, but it's only an hour total travel time.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:46 PM on January 11, 2010


I'm taking advantage of Martin Luther King Day to come get the quarterly Daily Beast free lunch that supplements the peanut packs they send me for stories. They make me feel like an important New York person for 45 minutes before I head back down the turnpike to my near minimum wage job in the bowels of a decrepit municipal building in Philadelphia. It's like Disney but with drug addicts and prostitutes.

Zoomorphic, where are you coming from? I will be driving and am picking up greta simone in Greenpoint on my way over from Williamsburg.
posted by The Straightener at 12:59 PM on January 11, 2010 [1 favorite]


Point of order: I think the G only goes that far SOMETIMES. On the weekend, I think it terminates at Court Square.

Just checked the MTA website- No G Train at all this weekend! Find alternate routes. Honestly, it makes more sense to take the N to Broadway or 30th Ave as opposed to the RG to Steinway, anyway; it's closer to the restaurant.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:03 PM on January 11, 2010 [1 favorite]


Honestly, it makes more sense to take the N to Broadway or 30th Ave as opposed to the RG to Steinway, anyway; it's closer to the restaurant.

Chalk it up to grumbling over a quirk of Brooklyn-Queens geography then (why do we have to go through MANHATTAN to get to Queens when it's just right up there?).
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:10 AM on January 12, 2010


B61 bus from Greenpoint to Queensboro/Queens Plaza is also a possibility. Just go up to the elevated train lines to catch the N.
posted by Stynxno at 5:03 AM on January 12, 2010


Nah, I know; that's probably what I'll do anyway (the B61 is right by my house).

Actually, I've always been a little fuzzy about where I get OFF the B61 at Queensboro Plaza. Would you know?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:51 AM on January 12, 2010


Just looked into it- I forgot that they just split the B61 into two buses, a local in Brooklyn that's still called the B61 and an express to Queens, the B62. The B62 is the one that goes all the way to Queensboro Plaza. The bus driver should announce where to get out; I think it's the last stop. The lucky thing is, if you don't get off in quite the right place, you should be able to follow the above-ground tracks to find the entrance to the 7/N/W.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 10:15 AM on January 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


I'm in.
posted by Pineapplicious at 11:32 AM on January 12, 2010


Oh my god, Brooklyn <> Queens is so hard. I really appreciate what Queens residents undergo when we call meetups in North Slope.

Which makes me a huge weiner for dropping out. I just remembered I have to edit some 120-odd pages by Saturday and naturally I put it off til the last week. Next Queens meetup should be at Sripraphai in Woodside. I would ride a squid to get to those drunken noodles.
posted by zoomorphic at 10:10 PM on January 12, 2010


cannot make it, sadly. Been hankering for a good burger, too. Dang. Have also been meaning to go to Astoria, because I never do and it's cool.
posted by Jon_Evil at 2:03 PM on January 13, 2010


Sadness! You'll be missed, Jon.
posted by ocherdraco at 9:00 AM on January 14, 2010


No G Train at all this weekend!
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:03 PM


oh that's lovely
posted by Optimus Chyme at 11:40 AM on January 14, 2010


The bus to Queensborough Plaza is a totally viable and speedy option. I'm still in!
posted by hermitosis at 12:03 PM on January 14, 2010


Get on the goddamn bus, Optimus, you bristly fucking prick.
posted by The Straightener at 12:05 PM on January 14, 2010


ps., wuuuv
posted by The Straightener at 12:09 PM on January 14, 2010


I'm in!

Not only is there a meetup in Queens, but there are Brooklynites making the trek to Astoria without Sherpas? Excelsior!
posted by a young man in spats at 1:04 PM on January 14, 2010


It sounds so good and I can't make it! :(
posted by Salamandrous at 2:51 PM on January 14, 2010


Plugging the address into the iPhone map function, it's telling me that the route from Jersey City will be to take the PATH to WTC, then the E train to Steinway St Station, then walk to 31st Ave. Does that sound right?
posted by oh yeah! at 9:36 PM on January 14, 2010


oh yeah!: Take the E to 42nd Street and transfer to the N. Take the N to Broadway. Walk north one avenue to 31st avenue and then walk east a few block to get to Bare Burger.
posted by Stynxno at 6:25 AM on January 15, 2010


I'm counting about 20 yes/tentative yes answers in the thread. The place isn't too big, so no one will have to look around too hard to find us. Please be on time (6 p.m.) if at all possible- nothing worse than sitting at a table for 20 all by yourself.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:57 AM on January 15, 2010 [1 favorite]


So, do we have a the place reserved or something? Cause at 6PM on a Saturday not only isn't there a table for 20 at all, there is likely not even going to be a table for 4 available. Just wondering. . .
posted by Pineapplicious at 8:42 AM on January 15, 2010


They told me if I called day-of, they'd see what they could do about getting some things set up for us. So I'll call tomorrow.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 8:55 AM on January 15, 2010 [1 favorite]


Might come!
posted by grobstein at 9:01 AM on January 15, 2010


Ok people, they know we're coming. BE ON TIME.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 8:45 AM on January 16, 2010 [1 favorite]


And remember, drinks at Sweet Afton after dinner. We will probably get there by 8?
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:12 AM on January 16, 2010 [1 favorite]


I am re-affirming my commitment to show up -- in case I get screwed over by the bus and show up late.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:40 PM on January 16, 2010


Commute is looking kinda daunting right now. Imagine how much I could clean up my house in those two hours.
posted by grobstein at 1:51 PM on January 16, 2010


...and I must actually decline -- even after I Committed In Capital Letters! Some errands are keeping me occupied far longer than expected. I will have to fill my elk quota some other way.
posted by thejoshu at 2:02 PM on January 16, 2010


I have a raging sangria-induced headache from drunk brunch. I swear I will be at Sweet Afton.
posted by HotPatatta at 2:05 PM on January 16, 2010


BURGER TIME!
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 2:30 PM on January 16, 2010 [1 favorite]


Call with questions, concerns, compliments- 727.475.4373.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 2:31 PM on January 16, 2010 [1 favorite]


I am waiting for You People to have fun for me cause I am So Missing New York right now.
posted by The Whelk at 3:02 PM on January 16, 2010


On my way!
posted by HotPatatta at 4:47 PM on January 16, 2010


Whoever didn't come missed some fucking delicious cake. Thanks for organizing, TPS! I had a great time!
posted by spec80 at 7:15 PM on January 16, 2010


(And thank you for the cake, kkokkodalk!)
posted by spec80 at 7:17 PM on January 16, 2010


HotPatatta, phone home! Where did you end up?

Thanks to all who made it out, particularly those who got stymied by the power problem on the N line. I am stuffed with delicious food, and enjoyed the bar very much (and zarq, who do you think I saw when we first walked in? A little baby! Go figure).
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:48 PM on January 16, 2010 [1 favorite]


Aw, it figures. But yeah, I just couldn't see myself bringing the munchkins to a bar.

I'm really bummed that I missed out though. :(
posted by zarq at 8:56 PM on January 16, 2010


We'll have to do more munchkin-friendly picnics once the weather gets nicer! I've enjoyed the ones we've done in Central Park the past few summers.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:18 PM on January 16, 2010 [1 favorite]


That was delightful! And OMG, kkokkodalk, that was the best king cake ever.
posted by ocherdraco at 9:44 PM on January 16, 2010


HotPatatta, phone home! Where did you end up?

I was as close to being there as possible without actually being there. When I got off the bus, I reached into my pocket to get the address and name of the place, but the slip of paper wasn't there. Your phone number was on it, too. I spent 45 minutes wandering all over tarnation trying to find it, but gave up and got dessert. (Honey on ice cream is divine, as it turns out.) The paper was waiting for me on the floor when I got home. Must've fallen out when I changed into my long underwear. Sorry I missed out!
posted by HotPatatta at 11:16 PM on January 16, 2010


Ok, I did not show up like I said I would, but it's not for a totally flaky reason. I had a bit of an...incident with my roommate on Friday morning (he decided to walk into my room, uninvited, while I laid in bed. If that wasn't weird enough, he was naked! Ew.) So I decided to skip town for the night. I just was too skeeved out to sleep in my apartment alone. (Friday night I had friends stay here with me, they were coming in from out of town for previously-arranged plans.) Yes, I have since kicked him out, but he is still here for the time being, I had to give him notice.

So, um...if anyone needs a room in Astoria, get in touch with me. It won't be available til March 15th though (damn lease, I had to give him 2 months notice). And you have to promise not to be creepy or inappropriately naked. I mean, yeah, roommates may occasionally see a lil something while the other is going from the shower back to their room and the towel is just slightly too small, but just promise you'll never wake me up with your genitals, ok?

Anyway, I am so sad to hear that I missed some delicious King Cake!! That coupled with my co-worker who is off to New Orleans this week (and has been talking about beignets at Cafe du Monde ALL. WEEK. LONG.) has been sending me into doughy sugar cravings something fierce.
posted by AlisonM at 7:31 PM on January 17, 2010


Finally uploaded my iPhone pics, hope they're not too blurry. Hope you're still ok, AlisonM, that is some mind-bogglingly creepy roommate behavior to have to deal with. Yikes.
posted by oh yeah! at 5:54 AM on January 23, 2010


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