“You know, I would love to tell people: ‘just go hang out by the Open’,” muses food writer and Queens obsessive, Joe DiStefano, on the phone from New York. “But there is really so much wonderful food in Queens I think tennis fans at the US Open [Catch all the finals action on SBS and On Demand] would be remiss if they didn’t cast the net a little wider.”
Tennis. Tastier than clotted cream and strawberries. More than line calls and Venus Williams’ pizzazz and power.
What the players know is that the world’s tennis Opens are as much an arena for great food as they are great tennis: think Rafa Nadal and his pre-Wimbledon ritual visit to Kensington’s Spanish restaurant, Cambio de Tercio, or Andy Murray’s famed 50-piece sushi consumption at Mayfair’s Nobu.
Back to New York, and Di Stefano sees the two weeks of Flushing Meadows as a culinary playground where new tasting opportunities are as exciting as Federer or Rafa's next set win.
“The village where the Open is held is one subway stop away from downtown Flushing on the 7 train, which is known as the international express,” says DiStefano, a Queens-based food writer and culinary tour guide, who blogs at Chopsticks and Marrow.
“As far as I’m concerned this leaves tennis goers one stop away from what I view as the best Chinatown in America.”
In Melbourne each year at the Aussie Open, the world’s best players become familiar sights around the city’s best restaurants: from Roger Federer’s affection for the high-end class of Japanese restaurant, Nobu, to Maria Sharapova’s Instagram account of her passion for all things healthy at the inner-city hotspot, Laneway Greens. Not to mention Venus Williams and her self-confessed penchant for iconic French diner, France Soir.
Come September in New York and Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto is feeding the fit fleet with sushi at the Open’s Taste of Tennis, while cult Mex joint, Salvation Taco, lures the likes of Croation player, Ivo Karlović, known for power and an almost-seven-foot frame.
Other tennis pro New York favourites? Manhattan chef, Andy D’Amico’s, 5 Napkin Burger (think rosemary aioli, comté cheese and caramelised onion), and chef Kerry Heffernan’s oysters at oyster bar, Grand Banks.
Outside the lure of tennis celebrity, DiStefano insists a trip on the 7 train is an enthusiast’s ticket to a different perspective of Flushing. Try these spots between serves:
Dosa Hutt and Ganesh Temple Canteen
“This is wonderful Indian food and the vegetarian dosa is ghee-soaked, huge and packed with spiced potatoes. I like to go there and look at the temple and then eat at the canteen.”
45-63 Bowne Street, Flushing NY
“Head to the two-level food court to discover a maze of tiny restaurants offering a culinary tour of regional China: from Lanzhou Handmade Noodles to tofu pulled through spicy oil at Xie’s Family Dishes.”
41-28 Main Street, Flushing NY
“The best place in the city to eat Thai food. Trying to work out how to mix and match dishes from the steam table – crackly garlic pork, say, with a green curry of baby eggplant – is part of the fun.”
76-20 Woodside Avenue, Elmhurst
“A stand out from the bunch, Nixtamal makes its tortillas the old-fashioned way – from freshly ground corn, not maseca or corn flour – and the attention to detail shows in the resulting taste. The Italian tamale is a winner with a cold Corona.”
104-05 47 Avenue, Corona NY
“When you need a trip away from South East Asia, Leo’s is an Italian deli that serves up really, really nice cold cut and mozzarella sandwiches called ‘The Mama’s Special’, after one of the owners who passed away a while back.”
46-02 104th St., Queens, NY
And that's really just a taste of what's being served up every day in Queens. Possibly not all as sizzling as Rafa's serve, though.
Watch the US Open live from Wednesday, 6 September on SBS (check times via The Guide) and SBS On Demand.
SBS Food is a 24/7 foodie channel for all Australians, with a focus on simple, authentic and everyday food inspiration from cultures everywhere. NSW stream only. Read more about SBS Food
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