Jackson Heights Life

http://casadelchefny.com/index.html

will check it out!

Casa Del Chef (Roosevelt and 64th Street) Dined here last night with two friends. Casa Del Chef is by far the most ambitious restaurant to open in the Woodside/Jackson Heights area in many years. Chef prepared a special tasting menu for the table that included two amuse bouches (an excellent mushroom soup capped with a cool parmesan foam); grilled shrimp and a scallop dish followed--both dishes fresh and flavorful; main course featured perfectly cooked baby lamb chops. To accommodate a vegetarian at the table, chef created a beautiful plate featuring portobello mushrooms and assorted veggies. The highlight of the meal was a humble Ecuadorian dessert that featured fresh peaches and pineapple fermented in a white wine and apple sauce. Memorable. Because this is a "soft opening", the restaurant is still trying to gain solid footing....cooking is not as refined as it should be (a tendency toward over salting and underseasoning). While the service is gentle and kind, expect a long wait between courses. One hopes that Casa Del Chef will continue to improve and ultimately become the truly innovative, star worthy restaurant that the chef and his intrepid team envision.

Finally, a new bistro in our area near Sripraphai! 

My wife and I went to Casa Del Chef Bistro Friday night and we had a great meal (39-06 64th Street).  It's refreshing to have a "new American" type bistro in the ethic restaurant centric Woodside area.  We live in Jackson Heights and have been long waiting for a restaurant like this in the area.  Chef Alfonso is fantastic and has an impressive culinary pedigree, having worked at Bouley and at Blue Hill Stone Farms.

The $35 tasting menu is one of the best values in the city.  Take advantage of it before they start charging closer to what it's truly worth, which is significantly higher than the $35 fare.  Also, no corkage fee if you bring your own, and they do have wine if you don't bring your own.

There's a great Chowhound review http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/988399 on the place and I agree with the comments posted.   I give the place 5 stars for the restaurant's ambition and because I hope more people try it out. The food is great, but needs some tweaking, and the service is friendly and aims to please, but needs some refinement.  I suspect that food and service will truly earn their 5 stars shortly having been open only 3 weeks.

I'm going with some friends tomorrow. Looking forward to it!

In the threads about the town hall, and on this board, we have just witnessed a desire expressed by many in the community  for a cute, homey, "charming", local  restaurant, serving, for want of a better word "bistro-esque" food. I finally went to casa del chef (64th st and roosevelt), and while technically in woodside, it was 10 mins walk away from most of JH and *excellent*. Here's what I wrote for yelp, please patronize this business for those of you that want more of this kind of stuff in our hood.

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This is a diamond in the rough! BYOB, michelin-star experienced chef, cute homey vibe, excellent hospitality, ecuadorean touches to pan-european bistro food. This is an *asset* to the neighborhood and should be patronized by all that appreciate good food cooked well in an inviting atmosphere.

Woodside and Jackson Heights *needs* a place like this; when you think “where can I go where I can enjoy a bottle of (my) good wine in a nice atmosphere with excellent food” - this is your place.

I've been meaning to try this place.  Thanks for the reminder!

Went there for dinner with my son last night. By the time we left, there were about 8 or 9 other people there. Not bad for a tiny place. This was my third visit there. The food is very good.