Jackson Heights Life

Wed. night.  Dinner for my Mom's b-day.
need a place not too far a walk from 76 & 34th.
Our stalwart is Spicy Mina, but looking for something new.
Tried Armondo's and the Argentinian BBQ next door.
Looking for nice atmosphere, convivial and of course good food.
We could travel, but it would be nice to do something local.

Thanks for any help.

I always enjoy Afghan Kebob House and Deshi Biryani.  Both have good service and delicious food.

It would be either a long walk or a really short subway to the following places, but would be well worth it.

1.  Sapori Dischia 55-15 37th avenue.  Great Italian-with lots of atmosphere in a quirky way.  A bit on the pricy side, but really good food and wine bar as well as music on the weekends.

2. Sripriphai 64-13 39th avenue.-  It is considered by many to be the best thai in new york city.  If you like Thai, this is a must try. 

I would recommend the italian, it's more of a celebration type place. 

Sapori has an "Opera" night during the week, it may be Wednesdays or Thursdays.  It can be loads of fun!

Forgot to post a sample menu link for Sapori d'Ischia from New York Magazine.  It lists pricing information.  Keep in mind that Sapori is notorious for charging for bottled water, and they've been known to bring it to your table even if you haven't ordered it!

http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/sapori-dischia/menus/dinner.html

I think the water thing is a bit obnoxious but it won't stop me from going back for the right occasion.  I've only been once and thought it was great. Also, if you just stick to the Proseco (a sparkling Italian wine) who cares about water?

Yes they do not offer tap water but you do not have to buy bottled water which I beleive is not pricey there-I never do.  Also they do not have butter or ice (although you can bring in your own ice if you have to have it)  If you can overlook these things, then the place is very good.  Better than anything around unless you go to manducatis in LIC which is a bit farther away. 

I am not 100 % sure, but I think the appetizers can run you up to 15 dollars and entres up to mid 30's.  It is a more expensive meal say then ethnic restaurants in the area, but it is worth it if you can afford it.  I have been a three times on Saturday and they have a singer after about 8.  It is fun.  I also took my parents and they liked it.  It is a nice gift. 

Right, sorry, should have replied.

We opted (the 5 of us) for La Fusta.
I really wanted to like the place but I wasn't blown away.
3 of us had the skirt steak, which was a nice piece of meat, very tender and tasty, but so so oily.
We tried the watercress salad per so many recs, but we found it too sodden with dressing.
One person had salmon cannelloni but found it bland, which I did too.
I was the only person brave enough to try the black sausage, which I thought had a nice flavor.

Service was ok, but they had a huge table next to us (30+) so I understand why.
I liked the atmosphere.
The man who seems to run the place could not have been more pleasant.
I was so exited to go but left underwhelmed. I will try it again though.

My father made some quip regarding the Italian influence on Argentine cuisine, stating something to the effect that the Argentines didn't learn perhaps as much as they should from Italian cooking. He did enjoy himself very much there though.

thanks for all the help