Silver Pond - Chinese

The Silver Pond (56-50 Main St, Flushing) for great fish and seafood. Peking duck like you have never had it.

Gourmand Restaurant - Chinese

Gourmand Restaurant - 136-14 38 Avenue, 718-886-8896. Excellent dim sum and very unusual dishes. The pork soup buns are excellent. Shrimp and garlic sauces produces moans. Watch out for the live fish and seafood. The prices can be staggering ($49.00 for a pound of fresh shrimp).

Joe's Shanghai - Chinese

Joe's Shanghai (136-21 37th Ave, Flushing) for the best steamed crab meat buns in the world.

New Lok Kee - Chinatown Chinese

For old time Chinatown food, New Lok Kee (36-50 Main St. Flushing, NY 11354 (718) 762-6048)is the way to go. Whatever Chinatown style means to you, wonton soup and roast pork or mussel casserole and snails in black bean sauce, this is the place. Many of the waiters (and their sons) came from the original Chinatown restaurant so you will feel very comfortable. New Lok Kee satisfies your cravings until 5:00 AM.

Little Lamb Family Restaurant - Mongolian

Little Lamb Family Restaurant specializes in lamb dishes and Mongolian Hot Pot. 36-35 Main Street, 718-358-6667, The boiled lamb dumpling, lamb with scallions and Salt & Pepper Shrimp are out of this world.

Peoples and People - Shanghai Chinese

For Shanghai style breakfast food, Peoples and People(the awning now says "No. 1 East Restaurant) restaurant is the best. It has moved from 38-02 Prince St. to 41-27 Main St. (next to the public library) Flushing, NY 11354 (718) 460-8686. The breakfast food is available through mid-afternoon. The fried dumplings and steamed meat balls (actually a soupy bun with pork filling) are delicious and unlike any you have probably had. At dinner, try the Black Pepper Scallops. Also, try the shredded pork with dried bean curd and an order of scallion pancakes. The owner showed us how to split open the pancakes, slather the inside of the pancake with hoisin sauce and fill it with the pork and dried bean curd. What a great sandwich!

Waterfront International Enterprises - Liaoning Province (north of North Korea)

For something completely different and wonderful, try Waterfront International Enterprises (40-09 Prince St. Flushing 718-321-1363). Be prepared for a sequel to the Katz's Delicatessen scene from "When Harry Met Sally." (Remember "I'll have what she's having."? Meg Ryan eat your heart out.) The mixed sweet dish (chunks of taro, sweet potato, and apples in hot sugar candy syrup that are plunged into cold water at the table to form a cold, candy apple like shell around hot, sweet centers) induced moaning that was no act. The food is from the Liaoning Province (north of North Korea). Everything we have had here has been great but unlike any other Chinese food we ever tried. We have enjoyed Jelly fish with scallions, Crispy fried pork with orange flavor, crispy lamb with chili pepper (crusted with whole cumin seeds), Dried tofu with fresh chilies and Country style green bean sheet (nothing like what it sounds like; cold sesame noodles but with fetticine like, translucent noodles, shrimp, pork and shredded cucumber like vegetable). If you are really lucky, you can get some of the buns that the kitchen staff makes for themselves. The buns are a deep fried bread stuffed with minced pork and something like sour cabbage. Many visits will required to even scratch the surface of the huge menu. Soups, dumplings and a wide variety of noodles were being savored by other diners who looked very happy. This food will really warm you from the inside out.

Piccola Venezia - Italian-Istrian

There is a fabulous Italian-Istrian restaurant, Piccola Venezia 42-01 28th Avenue, (718) 721-8470, right near Astoria Blvd. Reservations are a must.

La Gioconda - Italian

The Italian restaurant, La Gioconda, has sauce that leaves Italian-Americans muttering "The gravy, the gravy.".

Gum Fung - Hong Kong Chinese

For dim sum on steam carts, try Gum Fung 136-62 39th Ave. Flushing, NY 11354 (718) 762-8821. Dim Sum available at lunch only. The Char Shu Boa (baked pork buns) are outstanding. Huge array of excellent dishes at dinner. Mostly Hong Kong style. On weekend evenings, lots of parties with entertainment that make the main dining room really festive.