The Soulful Uncoolness of the New York Hobby Shop

Few businesses make me think of how New York used to be, and what it's lost in the last 15 years, than hobby stores. What sane person today would try to open a hobby shop in New York today? Such businesses of minimal profitability and marginal necessity—once an option in the City's economic universe—are virtual impossibilities in the ruthless world of today where the only indy businesses that can possibly survive are high-end bars, restaurants, bakeries, boutiques and other enterprises connected to status-driven immediate gratification. There's no such thing as an artisanal hobby store. Hobby stores are incurably uncool in today's world, even if they feed an important need in humans to find an interest or skill in which they can excel in a small way and take their minds off the infinite cares of the day.

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A Perfect Storefront: Astoria Music

Among the ugly chains stores on 30th Avenue in Astoria is this charming shoebox of an enterprise, Astoria Music, where you can buy musical instruments, get instruments repaired and take music lessons. All in that tiny place. I love the display window, with its hanging guitars and drum sets.

How old is Astoria Music? Would you believe, 1922? And always in the same location. It was founded by the Greek Badgetakis family, all of whom were musicians. In the 1960’s a grandson, John Badget, took over, and in 1982 George Phillips, also a musician and also Greek, bought the business.

During the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s, the shop was also recording studio and record shop. If we are to believe the store's website, famous musicians who recorded or bought merchandise here included: "Tony Bennett, Jimmy Rushing, Louis Armstrong, Glenn Miller, Junior Mance, Milt Jackson, Lenny Tristano, Bix Beiderbecke, Dizzy Gillespie, Ben Webster, Buck Clayton, Cannonball Adderly, Woody Herman, Clarence Williams, Eva Taylor, Fats Waller, Billie Holiday, Mercer Ellington, Lena Horne, Ethel Merman, Illinois Jacquet, Charlie Mingus, Russell Jacquet, James P Johnson, Lester Young, Milt Hinton, Count Basie, Jimmy Heath, Nat Adderly, Benny Waters, Ella Fitzgerald, Phil Schaap, Roy Eldridge, Clark Terry, Percy Heath, John Coltrane."

Hard to believe. But I hope it's true.

A Good Sign: Rizzo's Fine Pizza

Old New York Pizzeria's often have good signage, but typically not of the neon sort. Rizzo's Fine Pizza in Astoria is a happy exception. That's got to be one of the peachier neon signs I've ever seen on a slice joint. And how many pizzeria's chose to describe their cuisine as "fine"?

Rizzo's was founded in 1959 by the brothers Joseph and Salvatore Rizzo, along with their brother-in-law Hugo Lupi. Squares are the order of the day here. Rizzo's specializes in thin-crust Sicilian, an unusual pizza genre.

Great Pizza Where You Least Expect It

Rose & Joe's Italian Bakery is a small hole-in-the-wall joint on 31st Street, at the end of the Q and N lines, in Astoria. It looks sweet from the outside, the way all Italian bakeries ought to. Inside there are several cases of the usual cookies and treats you find in such places, but that's not the hidden treasure that makes this place remarkable.

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Lost City Asks "Who Goes to Piccolo Venezia?"

"Who Goes There?" readers have been urging me to go to Piccolo Venezia for three years. I finally did earlier this month. I should have gone a lot earlier. This place is great (if too expensive). There are red sauce joints and there are red sauce joints. Some have atmosphere. Others actually have great food. Piccolo has great food. If I lived in the neighborhood, I'd go all the time. If I could afford it.

Who Goes There? Piccolo Venezia

The general feeling you get upon walking into the dining room of Piccola Venezia —Astoria's middle-of-nowhere outpost of Northern Italian cuisine—is of rampant happiness. "Hello! Welcome!" boomed the smiling maitre d'. "I like that hat!" The tables are surrounding by people who are are happy to be with one another, and have obviously congregated here before.

There are a number of large round tables. One was surrounding by 13 members of an extended family celebrating a birthday. Another next to it hosted a group of eight former high school pals, now all middle-aged. At a four-top, four graying old men leaned forward over full glasses of red wine, filling each other in on the recent events in their lives. The wine bucket near them, full of empties, betrayed that they, like many other, knew the restaurant as a destination for those who follow Wine Spectator.

The wines are a relative bargain here. The food is not. Prices on most every entree soar above $25. But that doesn't stop the patrons from ordering heaps of seafood, a specialty here (name your fish and tell them how you like it—they'll prepare it), and osso buco, which my waiter and the owner told me was the best in town. I haven't tried every osso buco in town, but I'm going to go with them on this one. The meat was unbelievably tender, the sauce deeply flavorful, and the big, Trieste-style gnocchi peerless. It was $33, and it was worth it.

The waiters, who wear black pants and red vests, proclaim their experience through their careworn faces. These are career men. Some were very likely hired on when Ezio Vlacich opened the place in 1973. A native and tireless booster of Trieste ("The best food in Italy! A little Italian, a little Austrian, a little German!"), he still oversees the service. Dressed in suit and tie, Vlacich visits every table, whether occupied with regulars or strangers, to see if you're enjoying your self. Say something nice about Trieste, and he might kiss your hand.

If you want to know exactly who goes here, all you have to do is peruse the hundreds of little gold plaques that line the chair rail around the room. Come here often enough and you'll get one. (I've seen this sort of homage at only one other NYC restaurant: Midtown's Pietro's.) There are individuals (Eddie Goldblatt, Peter & Anne, Margie & Barry Forrest), clan names (The Rodin Family, The Welzs Family) and companies (City Ride Transportation Family, Julius Fine or Fine & Klein), indicating that this is a favored place for business meals.

In the men's bathroom, a couple of guys from the round table of erstwhile high-school chums were rhapsodizing about the meal that just was. "I'm gonna say something," slurred the ringleader of the group. "Yeah?" replied his friend. "I'm gonna make a bold statement. Maybe the boldest ever!" "Yeah?" "We came here. We all came here and got together and we did it. We made it happen. Here. On sacred ground. This is sacred ground."

—Brooks of Sheffield

A Good Sign: Straus Paint & Hardware Co.

A fine old example of a paint and metal style sign in Astoria. One of the old, family-owned hardware stores that many neighborhoods in the city still (thankfully) have one or two of. This one's on Steinway. It was founded in 1958.

Two Astoria Bars

I like the names of these Astoria bars. Sometimes just a slightly unusual handle can set an otherwise run-of-the-mill tavern off from its competition. Irish names for pubs are as common as water. But usually it's one name. The partnership of McCaffrey & Burke is something different. Sounds like a law firm, or a Vaudeville act. Lavelle's Admirals Club is even more distinctive. One, because of the name Lavelle. (Is that a first or last name?) Two, because of the Admirals thing. Is/was this a Navy hangout? A pilot bar? A home for fans of the Milwaukee Admirals?

Astoria's Crater Candy Store Stripped of History

A couple years ago, I discovered that hiding under the mundane facade of Crater Candy Store at the corner of 30th Avenue and 31st Street in Astoria were the remnants of a genuinely old shop. Under the dull plastic blue awning was the original lovely signage of the place. It's sad to see such old signs hidden from plain sight. But it's better than having them removed completely.

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A Good Sign: Parisi Bros. Bakery

In Astoria since 1969. Not to be confused with the Parisi Bakery in Little Italy.

Lost City Asks "Who Goes to Bohemian Hall Beer Garden"?

This week's "Who Goes There?" takes me back to Queens and one of my favorite places in New York. And a place lately much in the news, due to the onslaught of new beer gardens throughout the City. Bohemian Hall is holding its own, I'm happy to say. The above shot is the gigantic Jever umbrella I mention in the article. This column also marks the debut of a new "Who Goes There?" photographer, Adam Lerner. He's off to a good start.

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Joe's Pork Store in Astoria to Move

Good news for Joe's Pork Store, the unassuming, third-generation butcher in Astoria. A reader writes in and says, "I just went there to get my goods for Memorial Day and they told me they are moving into a bigger store on Ditmars between 36-37th Streets (just a block) on June 6, 2011."

When's the last time you heard a story about an old-school butcher not only surviving, but thriving?

A New York Block

This is in Astoria. Now that, to me, is how an outer borough block should look (aside from the Sprint awfulness). A variety of heights, a plethora of indy businesses, lots of visual variety, plenty of frontage quirks, splashes of stylish neon and groovy font, and all of it low slung. Tasty. Homey. Authentic. Right.

Astoria Meat Products

Meat

A reader wrote in wondering about the status of the above business, Astoria Meat Products, which has a cool sign, a neat display case and offers "Pork. Beef. Lamb. Veal." and "Homemade Bologna Sausages." I love the bold symmetry of the meats listed, how they all have four letters.

The reader said, "The last few times I swung by there the place was closed and all the display cases are empty. The front window is as always. There is no sign in the window or on the door to indicate a closing, vacation or whatever."

I called and there was no answer. I'm not familiar with the shop. Does anyone out there know anything?

Hitchcock and God

Now here's the sort of programming that might actually make me go to church. I saw this poster outside a Catholic Church in Astoria. Sounds like an interesting series, and most inventive. I don't need much of an excuse to see "Shadow of a Doubt" or "Strangers on a Train," but the speakers sound good, too. I kind of want to know what a Monsignor might think of Farley Granger.

Astoria's Ste. Honore Patisserie Is Closed

The St. Honore Patisserie, a French bakery that opened on Ditmars Boulevard in Astoria, Queens, in 1945, has closed. I was open as recently as a few months ago. I don't know what happened.

The bakery was an anomaly in the largely Greek and Italian neighborhood. It was bought by Alex Reyad in 2008. It was known for its macaroons, baguettes and apple tart. Particularly the macaroons. It specially made the treats for various private clubs in town, including the Knickerbocker, the Century and the Union Club.

A Good Sign: Wines Liquors

Don't know the name of this liquor store in Astoria. Doesn't really matter. Great sign.

Crown Chemists Paints You a Picture

These images are painted on the side wall of Crown Chemists in Astoria.

Have no idea how long they're been there.

All painted by an artist named "Berch."

Scenes from the Czech-Slovak Festival at Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden

The Czech-Slovak Festival was held at Astoria's Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden this past weekend.

There was a full music schedule and a raffle. First prize: round trip to Prague.

The classic garden is 100 years old this year, by the way. Aren't many left like it. Go and patronize!

Pilsner Urquell Forever!

The hand-painted Pilsner Urquell sign on the outside of Zlata Praha, a Bohemian restaurant in Astoria, must be the only such advertisement of its kind in the city, maybe the nation. So odd to not only make a beer advertisement such a large element of your business facade, but to take such care in placing and executing it. It really is wonderfully done. And I suppose we can all count ourselves a bit lucky in that they picked Pilsner Urquell, which has a rather attractive logo. I don't mind looking at it at all.

I like the nice cameo of the two serving ladies as well. Mother and daughter?

Weird Name For a Deli

I mean, dontcha think? Extra plus: the illuminated sign shines green at night! As in the green-eyed monster?