From Russia with Food

I have a few favorite food haunts in Astoria. Having lived in the area for almost five years, it’s difficult to skip the comfort of the preferred to experiment with new restaurants, especially on a splurging budget as tiny as mine. It happens occasionally, however (trying new restaurants in Astoria is one of my New Year’s resolutions), and in mid-January I went to check out a German restaurant called Wunderbar German Grill & Bierhaus that the boyfriend has been raving about since he attended their opening a year ago. I’m fairly harsh when judging German food - having been to Germany, I’ve frequently been disappointed with German restaurants in New York City. They are either bland and overpriced, or try too hard to make gourmet food out of what should essentially be just variations of meat, fat and carbohydrates. Thankfully, Wunderbar doesn’t pretend to be anything it’s not and serves great, filling German meat & potatoes at prices that won’t cripple your wallet (unless you plan on drinking enough beer to requisition a little push-cart for homeward transportation.)

Location:

Wunderbar is located on 11th Street and 37th Avenue in Long Island City, NY. It’s taken up residence a year ago, at the same spot that used to house a Bulgarian eatery aptly named Bulgara. It’s not the easiest spot to get to, requiring a subway ride either on the N/W train to 36th Avenue or the F train to 21st Street. The area isn’t particularly appealing, either, containing little else but a gas station and a few warehouse-looking establishments. If you’re lucky enough to own a car or be able to afford a cab ride, getting there is a breeze. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself walking for a few blocks past the subway, wondering if maybe you missed something while reading the directions. Don’t worry, keep walking down 37th Avenue and you’ll see it - a cozy, well-lit spot to the left of the corner of 37th & 11th. You won’t miss it. The building is painted in a very cheerful blue color and the sign is large and colored like a German flag.

Ambiance:

The restaurant layout is wide and open, and the atmosphere is very relaxed and laid-back. There are a few TVs strategically placed around the dining area to let the customers watch a seasonal sports game, and the walls are hung with various funny signs and German artifacts. Among the humorous knick-knacks are a sign at the front door proclaiming that vehicles will be shredded and turned into beer cans and a carnival-style “stick your face here” cardboard sign with a caption “Save water, drink beer, go Wunderbar.” The space is large enough to fit a few hundred people and is filled with simple wooden tables and chairs. There’s a small stage at the back of the restaurant for live performances they hold at 9 PM on Saturdays. Even though we were there on a Saturday, I didn’t know about this and we left before the show started, so I’m not sure what they play live. We did get to hear some kooky German music coming from the speakers, however, and had a rather good time drunkenly giggling about it. Overall, a very welcoming atmosphere. Too bad (or good?) that this place is so far away from my apartment, otherwise I’d be tempted to visit at least weekly.

Menu:

Nomming choices consist of fairly typical but delicious and inexpensive German fare. You can put together your own plate, or pick from a list of entrees. Appetizers, such as fried potatoes, a plate of saurkraut & rotkraut or various types of spaetzle & gravy will set you back $4-6. A plate of herring with trimmings is $6 (there are 8 different types - my herring-loving mother would probably order them all.) As to be expected from a German restaurant, Wunderbar has a list of 12 different types of wurst and each will cost you about $5. They also have cold cut sandwiches for $5 and hot sandwiches for $6-7. Wunderbar’s (HUGE) entrees range from platters full of sausage, kraut and potato to schnitzel and goulash and cost about $15 each. The boyfriend and I shared a platter with two wursts, fried potatoes and the krauts for $12 and it filled us up. To be fair, I wasn’t exactly ravenous when I got in, since the cold and constant shivering shrank my stomach to the size of a nut.

The wursts were delicious, juicy and prepared just right. I’m not generally a huge fan of mustard, but dabbed my knockwurst in a little out of politeness. The orange mustard must have been prepared with some sort of a tangy, zesty addition because I then proceeded to hog it all for myself while drooling profusely all over the silverware. I’m still trying to figure out what it was so that I can buy a liter-sized jar and possibly bathe in it. The sides were really tasty as well, and the ketchup served with the potatoes had a smoky, slightly curry flavor that was very pleasantly surprising.

My friends ordered beef goulash and veal schnitzel a la holstein (served with a fried egg), which were both reportedly delicious. They were too busy eating to share, though, and had to take a portion of the schnitzel home in a doggy bag because it was too big to finish.

The drink menu consists of a rather large list of beer (of course) at $6 for 1/2 liter, $11 for a liter and $15 for 1 1/5 liters of draft, and varying prices for bottled and specialty varieties. There’s also a full bar and a small list of tasty German wine ($6 a pop), including a delicious mulled gluhwein which I ordered as soon as I walked in. It was below 30 degrees outside, we had been walking for about 20 minutes and there was really nothing more welcoming I could think of at the time. It was perfect.

The boyfriend was contemplating a 1/2 liter of Hofbrau lager, but got talked into taking one for the team and ordering a liter-sized boot of it instead ($11 + cash or credit card deposit which is returned when the boot is safely back behind the bar.) Yes, it really does rush into your mouth (and possibly on your face, and sometimes onto your shirt, too) if you don’t turn it as the bubble comes out of the toe.

Service:

The only small snag during the whole outing was the service. Since we came in sort of early, the only person serving the whole dining room was the bartender (also the owner). He took our orders right away, but then left us alone. Normally I wouldn’t mind this, but as we came to drink lots o’bier, a few times we had problems getting his attention. On a positive note, he didn’t really mind when we actively tried to get his attention (waving hands & etc) and walked up right away. He was really pleasant and chatty, and another server came in a little while later on.

Summary:

Wunderbar is a great place to hang out with friends on a lazy Saturday or Sunday afternoon, drinking beer, eating calorie-laden food and exchanging stories. It’s one of those hidden places that would be mobbed if located in Manhattan or a more accessible area, but I don’t mind. I rather like being able to get a table without having to shove people and hipsters out of the way (ahem at Bohemian Beer Garden and Studio Squared.)