East of NYC - The Buzz

Dumpling Cafe in Forest Hills

Dumpling Cafe in Forest Hills is a pretty new chinese restaurant that offers a little more variety that your typical take out.  With dine-in and delivery options as well, this little spot will be on my list for a return visit when I'm in the area next.

My very reasonable lunch special ($4.95) came with my choice of an entree, soup and rice.  I chose the chicken with broccoli, wonton soup (my other choice was hot and sour) and white rice (another choice was fried rice). The wonton soup was great.  Freshly made wontons filled with a great chicken filling and a light broth combined to warm me up a bit.  The chicken was more broccoli than chicken (perhaps that's why it's so cheap) but by the time that I was done with the rice and my meal I was pretty satisfied.  Next time I stop in, I'll try their signature dumplings that are served in groups of 8, and hopefully I'll bring someone with me to help finish them off. 718-268-2099

Notable Opening (Relocation): Apple Store - Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City

For the past few years, the Apple Store in Roosevelt Field Mall has been located in the spot that previously housed a failed F.A.O. Schwartz.  Upstairs and next to Pottery Barn Kids, the Apple Store may have been big enough when it opened, but now with the explosion of the iPhone and the Mac in general, they've been short on space and long on lines.

Ushering in a new era for this local store (there are two others on LI as well), they're taking a direct shot across the bow and are now directly next to the Sony Style store on the lower level.  This larger store opened up last night at 6pm and we'll be in store for shorter lines, more products and an easier shopping experience.  Now is the time to buy a mac; they're compatible with all other OS's and they've never been easier to use.  Head on over to the new store to check out the re-design and the larger space.  Just remember to bring your wallet.

Secret Santa Toy Drive: Vox Pop Cafe in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn

Vox Pop Cafe, a great little coffee shop / cafe / bar in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn is running a Secret Santa Toy Drive to benefit a local domestic violence shelter that will be housing locals in need on Christmas.  If you have an extra toy to donate, they're accepting donations until December 22nd. Here's to spreading good wishes to those who need it. 718-940-2084

Roots in Sea Cliff

Eating Long Island, our sister site that is devoted solely to dining on Long Island, has just posted a review of Roots in Sea Cliff, an exceptional slow-food restaurant that blew their minds. Located on the north shore by Glen Head and Roslyn Harbor, click here to read the review and see the pictures of the delicious cuisine.

Winterfest Classic Beer Dinner at The Library Cafe in Farmingdale

If you're a beer-loving Long Islander, you'll love this event that we're letting you all know about.  The Library Cafe in Farmingdale is hosting a Winterfest Classic Beer Dinner on Wednesday, December 2nd at 7pm.  A four-course dinner, not only will you be sampling some great brews and food, you'll also get to listen to and meet Josh Havey, of Samuel Adams.

The menus will consist of:

1) Pretzel, Cinnamon Sugar paired with Old Fezziwig Ale

2) Chopped salad infused with Samuel Adams Cranberry Lambic dressing, paired with Coastal Wheat

3) Skirt Steak marinated in Boston Lager OR Chicken breast marinated in Cranberry Lambic dressing paired with Winter Lager

4) Molten Lava Chocolate Cake with vanilla ice cream, paired with Holiday Porter Float

Seating is limited, so call 516-752-7678 for a reservation.

Mark Levine now on FiOS 1 (LI) with Rob Petrone for "Reservations with ROb"

Along with our sister-sites (Eating Long Island, Eating Brooklyn and Eating Manhattan) we've been making some great headway in discovering and experiencing some of the best restaurants out there.  In the past few weeks we've even had the great opportunity to work with Rob Petrone of FiOS 1 News on Long Island to do a little segment called "Reservations with Rob."  We've been shooting and airing these every other Friday and if you're interested in checking out this week's review of Shiro in Carle Place, head on over to this link to check it out.