There’s no doubt that Queens is one of the, if not the, food capitals of the country — a fact lifelong borough resident Richard Mumith is proud of.
“When it comes to food, Queens is king,” Mumith said. “Forget about Manhattan.”
Mumith wanted to highlight the culinary prowess of the World’s Borough to show tourists — and Queens natives — what it has to offer while showing some of its history, present and future.
That’s why he decided to start “Queens Food Tours,” a near-three hour journey through Long Island City’s restaurant scene and notable landmarks.
When asked why he started in the gateway community of LIC, Mumith said he wanted to show a different side of Queens not many are accustomed to.
“When most people think of Queens they think of three main areas,” he said. “Flushing, Jackson Heights and Astoria. But that’s not all Queens is.”
A group of hungry adventurers, this reporter included, met at Burger Garage — a small eatery that serves, well, burgers — for a tour Saturday.
Mumith starts here not just because of the tasty, juicy B.G. Burger, but because the restaurant is an ode to the neighborhood’s industrial past.
Before it became a haven for artists, LIC was an industrial area known for manufacturing war weapons and other materials. The Burger Garage embraces that past.
After eating the burger, Mumith leads his guests to Court Square, not the train station, but the defunct house of law that once saw some of the most prominent legal cases of its time.
It served as a focal point in the establishment of New York City as we know it today and is the court where Ruth Snyder was prosecuted for her part in her husband’s murder, in what was then one of the most-watched court cases in the country, serving as the inspiration for the film noir classic “Double Indemnity.”
Today, it’s mostly used as a set for “Law and Order” episodes.
Mumith points out some other notable pieces of LIC history, for example a flagstaff that was originally a mast for a battleship that served in D-Day before being decommissioned.
If all that walking gets you hungry again, perhaps the salted chocolate chip cookie at Long Island City Corner Cafe — a family-operated business — might be a good treat to get you re-energized.
After this point in the tour, Mumith begins to point out the ever-changing landscape of the neighborhood.
The tour passes what was once 5 Pointz, the now-demolished graffiti mecca that stood for decades and will soon become luxury condominiums. As Mumith points out, this is something happening all throughout the community.
“Take a look around because when you come back in two, three years it’s not going to look like this,” he said.
But don’t take his word for it.
Gianna Cerbone-Teoli, affectionately known as “Mama Gianna” and the “mayor” of Long Island City, said she welcomes some of the change but thinks too much of it is coming at once.
“I think if they add one more right now it’s going to push it over the edge,” she said when asked about the abundance of ongoing development in the area.
Mama Gianna has lived in LIC for years and is owner of Manducatis Rustica, an Italian restaurant where the tour stopped to enjoy a slice, or two, of authentic Italian pizza. A German couple on the tour who had visited Italy said it was as close to the real thing as they have ever gotten.
The stop at Rustica followed one at Woodbines, located not too far from the Italian eatery, where a helping of Scotch eggs — hard-boiled eggs wrapped in sausage and deep-fried — was served.
The final stop on the food tour is Cannelle Patisserie, a Frech bakery owned by a former executive pastry chef at the Waldorf Astoria. After enjoying the eatery’s specialty, an almond croissant, the tour ends at Gantry Plaza State Park by the landmarked Pepsi-Cola sign.
Mumith said he’s looking to expand his food tours in the future to Flushing and Jackson Heights.
In the meantime, make sure to head down to LIC for this tour.
There is plenty of delicious food to make the trip worth it, along with enough walking to help burn off some of the calories.
Queens Food Tours
When: Various dates and times
Where: Long Island City
Entry: $64.95 for adults; $47.95 for children.
