Now that I finally feel settled into my new neighborhood, I figured it was time to start sampling the local cuisines! A friend of mine read about a place that specialized in “fancy grilled cheeses” in the Gothamist–you don’t have to do much arm-twisting to convince me that grilled cheese is a fabulous dinner. Throw in a bangin’ list of hard ciders? I’m all over it.
The Queens Kickshaw storefront is pretty unobtrusive–if you don’t know you’re looking for it, it’d be easy to walk right by (as I had done several times before our visit). The decor is deliberately sparse and the lighting is low; the ceiling has an unfinished look that contributes to the quasi-industrial, very hipster-y feel. We walked past the coffee and dessert counter into the back dining area, where we found a four-top wooden table with tall chairs.
The menus are on clipboards–extra cool points, Queens Kickshaw–and feature food items as well as a full list of beers, wines, ciders, and nonalcoholic beverages (they’re known for their coffees, too).
My dining partners each ordered a bottle of the Crispin Saint, a Minnesota-produced hard apple cider made with maple syrup. They were kind enough to let me sample, and umm–yum. Sweet and crisp and delicious when served cold. We were a little surprised by the prices–each of their bottles cost $14–but you get a lot for your money. I’d say at least three good-sized glasses of cider came out of just that one bottle. A buzz can be sufficiently attained, if that’s your aim. 
For my cheesy dinner, I selected the Fontina Val d’Aosta (a picture pre-devouring can be seen at the beginning of this entry)–an open-faced sandwich on focaccia bread that was spread with pesto, layered with mushrooms, and then smothered with plenty of that fontina. And it came with a little side salad topped with pine nuts!
My two friends both ordered the Cheddar and Mozzarella, a good old-fashioned cheese sandwich on brioche bread served with a side of tomato soup. Yes, dipping did ensue. They each raved about the sandwich, one even going so far as to quote Parks and Recreation, saying it was “lit-tra-ly” the best thing she’d ever eaten. High praise if I do say so myself!
These definitely aren’t your shoestring budget grilled cheeses–my sandwich was $11, and the cheddar/mozz was $8. The portions were large enough to be considered dinner-sized, though, so I considered the cheesy goodness worthy of the splurge.
The Queens Kickshaw
40-17 Broadway
Astoria, NY 11103
I really need to get there NOW
Looks delicious! It's so fun exploring neighborhoods via food:-)
Oh great. Now I need to move to New York.
You live in Queens now? Nice! I’m in Jamaica! A bit aways from Astoria but we’re in the same borough! Hoorah! Or Hooray applies!
Ahh, that’s not too far! Maybe we’ll run into each other as we’re traversing the borough one of these days.