Taverna Kyclades

I unfortunately don't go out to eat too much in my neighborhood of Astoria, but a few nights ago, I went to Taverna Kyclades, a Greek seafood restaurant in Astoria.

We were greeted by a very warm loaf of Italian sesame bread sitting on olive oil and topped with what was probably oregano or Italian seasoning. I don't know what it was, but that was one of the best complimentary breads I've had. My friend got stuffed clams (stuffed with crab meat) as an appetizer. It came with about 10 stuffed clams for $10.95. Not bad.

I decided to order the broiled scallops upon recommendation. I chose the rice as my side. The order came with 20-24 medium-large scallops. It was a very generous portion. Greek seafood is almost always just cooked in olive oil/butter, lemon, and salt. The scallops were so soft and tender. I was very pleased, and it wasn't a bad deal for $20. I'm not sure where else in NYC I can just get a huge plate for 20+ scallops for that much.

One of my friends got the grilled calamari ($12.95) as her entree. It seemed a bit chewy, but it had that charred grilled taste that I really like, so it wasn't bad. My other friend got the grilled salmon steak which came with two huge steaks. She didn't even finish the smaller steak (which was about half the size of the big one). Again, for $16.50, that's not a bad deal at all. It would probably last at least 3 meals, depending on if you eat it with some carbs or not. Clearly, we didn't realize that these entrees are meant to be shared. At least we all had leftovers for the next day.

Finally, dinner came with complimentary Greek pudding. It was a bit too sweet for my taste, but I was able to eat half of it. It was actually a rather large portion considering it was free.

It may be worth the trip to Astoria to go to Taverna Kyclades because I highly doubt you can get such good Greek-style seafood at this value in Manhattan.