Tanya's Daily Scoop
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Elisa's Daily Scoop
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TRAVELIN' COUSINS BLOG HAS BEEN RANKED #7 IN
BRAND BALLOT'S TOP 100 MOM BLOGS FOR 2018!!
BRAND BALLOT'S TOP 100 MOM BLOGS FOR 2018!!
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Tanya will be along shortly!
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My Mother's Day at The Astorian
Hey Guys!!
Sorry for being MIA yesterday. It was a tough day with Dad. He didn't feel well and my Mom asked me to come over there early. Needless to say, the day slipped by and well, before I knew it, it was email time and I hadn't posted a thing! Allow me to backtrack and tell you all about my Mother's Day. In the first place, it was one of the wettest days here in New York! Who would have expected such weather after the GORGEOUS and PERFECT day we had here on Saturday. 
Well, Sunday was the polar opposite. Raining, windy, chilly and just all around nasty for being out and about.
I started out the morning by going to purchase lovely bouquets for all of the "moms" in my life - my mom, my sister and my Aunt Ro. Then, while chatting with my Dad during our morning phone conversation, he asked me if I would get flowers for him, from him for us gals (me, my sis and mom). Now, I'm not sure you can imagine this - but picture me with six rather large flower bouquets walking out of the store, in the rain, through puddles, to my car! LOL - it was a feat!! But, I was successful in making it back home to get ready for my day - a bit wet, but in tact! I had to laugh because one of the ladies on the check out line was commenting how "our day" should be sunny and not filled with rain. Well, I guess, being moms, we just have to be the sunshine if we can't be IN the sunshine! 
(photo credit: yelp.com)
Our first stop of the day was Astoria, Queens to pick up Aunt Ro and head to lunch.
I selected the restaurant this time and went with a place with a varied and different type of menu than we usually settle on. The place is The Astorian on 31st Street (under the el ) and what attracted me to it was the array of options they served, which included a number of vegan possibilities. With all the rain and low visibility driving, I actually missed the restaurant twice. The sign seemed to blend in a bit with the building, but then I went strictly by the building numbers and realized it was a few doors down from Max Finkelstein Tires. 
At The Astorian on Mother's Day (c) travelincousins.com
In any case, this unpretentious bar and grill was the perfect choice for us gals! Between the rain, the traffic coming in from Long Island, and driving by a few times, we were a bit late for our 1pm reservation.
It didn't seem to be a problem at all for the very friendly and welcoming staff, as they sat us quickly in the "outdoor" patio. No, we didn't sit outside in the rain - the back of the restaurant has a lovely enclosed sun room, which was bright and cheerful, in spite of the rain pouring down on the roof! In a word, the food was GREAT! The menu is quite diverse with something for everyone. For our little foursome, we needed vegan and non vegan. However, it was the plant-based items that three of us partook. Kelsey, being the pizza and flatbread lover that she is, ordered the Stout Flatbread, which looked amazing! Gianna and I decided to order a starter, selecting the Curry Pot Pie Spring Rolls. What a fantastic choice this was!! Filled with spicy curry broth, seasoned potatoes and a veggie medley, these crispy spring rolls were to die for! Aunt Ro tried one as well and thoroughly enjoyed the taste. The potatoes and veggies were cooked to perfection - not to soft, but not too crispy. These are a must-try!! While Kelsey ordered the Bavarian Pretzel with her Pizza (does this girl love carbs or what!!), me and Aunt Ro both decided to try the Beet Burger. Another good choice. Covered in baby arugula, pickled carrots, onions, beans and smoked paprika aioli, it was wonderful. I found the aioli a bit too spicy for my tastes, so when I go again, I will probably ask them to hold the sauce. But, nonetheless, I finished every morsel! My girl Gianna had The Imposter - “The Impossible Burger” made with plant based meat, which was covered in vine ripe tomato, lettuce, onion , pickle and vegan bistro sauce. Once again, a clean plate!! 
Stout Flatbread (c) travelincousins.com
Curry Pot Pie Spring Rolls (c) travelincousins.com
Beet Burger with sweet potato fries (c) travelincousins.com
Yummy Bavarian Pretzel (c) travelincousins.com
All of our burgers were accompanied with sweet potato fries, which were Dee-lish!!
The service was friendly, accommodating and light-hearted. Our server, Michael Rodriguez was an absolute pleasure, making our Mother's Day very special! Looks like we found another go-to place in Astoria! Believe it or not, we decided to walk five blocks in the downpour to Leli's Bakery on 30th Avenue. Although there weren't any dairy-free/vegan sweet options, we enjoyed tea and coffee to warm up from our wet walk. Next stop was Long Island. After a quick stop home to check on and feed our fur baby, we headed out once more to "Grandma and Grandpa's" for a Mother's Day visit. It was pretty mellow, just watching a movie and playing cards with Dad. My girls gave me beautiful cards along with some thoughtful gifts. Kelsey made me a photo collage with a poem she wrote and Gianna bought me my favorite Morphe lip gloss!! All in all, it was a very nice day! Now, I've got to get moving on picking up some birthday gifts for my Dad and Gianna, who share a birthday on the 16th of May. More to come on our upcoming birthday week festivities! Hope you had a nice weekend as well and here's wishing you well for a fabulous week ahead!! -Travelin' Elisa xoxo 
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