Elite Event at STIX Mediterranean Grill

I was excited about attending the first Queens Unilocal Event of the year and it was another huge success. I enjoyed the smaller setting that gave you an opportunity to chat and meet new and old Unilocalers. I was an hour late due to the crazy snowy weather we just had within the week. When I arrived I was pleasantly surprised to see the amount of people who showed up despite the weather.
When I arrived, I met some Unilocalers who boasted about all the foods they ate and were already full. I was worried I had missed out on all the goodies but luckily STIX made several more rounds of hor dourves of cheese pies, roasted potatoes, chicken and lamb on sticks. My favorites were the mac and cheese balls and the meatballs. I’ve never tasted mac n cheese that way but it was delicious.
The staff was amazing and very friendly. One particular server made sure I tasted all of the hor dourves served for the event. I was turning down food shortly after that’s how much food STIX served. This is definitely a spot I need to check out again with some friends to enjoy some more of their food.

First YEE of 2015 and it was awesome! Got there on time and managed to get parking right in front. Met a few new Unilocalers and caught up with some old ones. Right when we got there, we were greeted by their staff for a drink. I opted for a glass of white wine and they were super generous filling the glass almost ¾ full. There was a table with four different types of dip and bread that was made in house. It was drizzled in olive oil and served warm. I really liked their rendition of the tzatziki sauce.
The servers came out quite frequently with so much food! My favorite was the lamb on a stick which was super tender and flavorful. The mac and cheese balls were soo good and almost fell apart once I took them off the plate. They were oozing with truffle oil and cheesy goodness. The mini spinach and cheese pies were yummy as well. All the food was so good and the service was top-​notch. When my drink was running low, the servers came over to ask if I would like another. When my plate seemed empty, the servers brought over more sticks!
Caroline who is in charge of all the special events made everyone feel super welcome. She took the time to talk to each of us and explain the menu items. She was really welcoming and I would love to come back to try their other menu items!

What a way to kick The queens elite 2015 events foods, drinks, old elites, new elites and more.
The place is not that big but it is very cozy, the staff, management, and people that work there cannot see you with your hands empty, they jump you right away up and ask if you need something.
The food:
* Mini Spinach Pies
* Mini Cheese Pies
* Mini Organic Chicken STIX
* Mini Lamb STIX
* Mini Mac & Cheese Balls
* Mini Meatballs
* Spreads Platter — Jalapeño Hummus, Roasted
All Organic the best thing was the chicken, lamb and spinach pies.
The drinks:
Queens’s brewing beer and wine.
Thanks Jando and the Stix (astoria) for making this event wonderful.
PS: Congrats to the new elite 2015.

I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so much food on sticks in one night. The staff was incredibly welcoming and super generous with the pours of wine and one of my faves, the Queens Blau. Blau! Big ups to Nelson Rockefeller/​Rockher-​fella/​RocafellaRecords for this incredible beer creation of what amounts to a Blueberry IPA.
The highlight food for me was the honey mustard chicken on, you guessed it, a stick! It was some of the moistest chicken I’ve ever had. It’s so easy to make chicken too dry, so I don’t typically order it when I’m eating out. Stix really impressed me here, not only because it was so good the first stick I had, but also for my 7^th and 8^th. That was probably a whole chicken right there.
The fried mac and cheese balls were also great! Including truffle oil in these balls were everything a man could hope for. The lamb balls were extremely hot and extremely good, and the pita and hummus spread was impressive. Especially that spicy goat cheese spread and the super fresh tasting tzatziki sauce they had.
Big thanks to Caroline, the Stix Event Manager, for putting on a good show and entertaining us Elites and of course, to that jolly good fellow, Jando.

Unilocal is really doubling down on STIX this week. Can’t say I blame them, as I enjoyed both outings put on. However, the STIX events held by Queens and Manhattan were similar as to the restaurant of choice only (i.e. STIX Mediterranean Grill). Unlike the garish, lurid, and brash event that was extremely fitting for the Borough of Manhattan, the Queens event at newly opened Astoria location was a smaller and more intimate experience.
6:45 — Left my apartment at Astoria Boulevard to bring some clothes to Jimmy’s Cleaners on Steinway and 28^th (they close at 7:00). Shot the sh*t with the counter lady (she’s a real sweetheart) and expressed that it was cold as eff outside; we okay-​ed my pickup for clothes for Friday the 6^th and then I was on my merry way.
6:55 — Made it to STIX! I live mad close to this place, awesome too, gonna have to hit this place up for brunch… but we’ll save that diatribe for another time. First Queens event of 2015, and it was poetic that I was one of the first to arrive at the place (cuz I live so damn close). The greeting at the door by our fearless leader and CM was as much of a pleasure as ever, but the staff standing at the ready, hands clasped behind their backs, truly made me feel like a guest of honor at this new-​to-​the-​area establishment. All the pomp and circumstance at my arrival, and I was dressed in nothing but a pedestrian sweater and t-​shirt… my feelings looking back at that moment can be best encapsulated by the sentiments expressed by Judd Hirsch in the Roland Emerich’s masterwork Independence Day, «…I look like a schlemiel.»
To stave off embarrassment at my wardrobe indiscretions, I inquired with the bartendress as to their offerings for the night. The combination of «red» and «wine» was uttered and I opted for that… nothing to ward off the winter’s chill than a glass of red (and I stuck with this for the remainder of the night), until some lightweights «offered» their blueberry beers up (partly out of generosity, and partly out of their inability to finish what they started… maybe more on this later, but probably not).
The food here certainly lived up to the establishment’s namesake. All the food came nicely prepared on a stick (save for the cheese/​spinach pies)! Outstanding flavors for all the meats on sticks… perfectly balanced honey mustard on the extremely succulent chicken thigh skewers, subtle herbiness to the meatballs, and the right amount of spice on the lamb just had me in a very happy place. And the skewered mac n’ cheese balls were monster sized… people had to down them quickly or else they tore through the skewers under their massive girth.
The lady of the establishment in charge of coordinating (I think that’s right… and her name was Caroline? I was few deep by then, sorry! Real sweetheart though.) made a gracious speech about midway through, welcoming the brave elite who endured frost, slush, and face shredding arctic winds to break bread and toast a libation under the STIX roof. A really classy speech, by a classy lady, in a classy establishment.
What makes a Queens event something special though is the company you keep. Some of the best people in the borough regaled us with their presence, and some previously ironclad misconceptions of snobby-​ness were debunked after some plying with libations… as well as a strategic use of wit, charm, & candor (from yours truly). A tip of the hat to our fearless leader Jando for starting the 2015 calendar in fine form. And thanks to STIX and staff, your hospitality was nothing short of stellar. Given the impression and proximity to this place, I can see myself here in the very near future enjoying drinks and Mediterranean bites.

The roads are icy, the weather terrible and the temperature was freezing but I have to say it was all worth it. This is my first ever Queens event and everyone couldn’t have been nicer. Jando was very very welcoming and I couldn’t have felt more at home, even though I was so very far from it.
Now this place has some dishes which as very near and dear to my heart. Greek food and meats on sticks are some of my most favorite go to’s so I came in with some high expectations. The first thing introduced to us were these whole grain pita breads with multiple different sauces. The pita was highly advertised as organic and trying it I could believe it. A very hearty piece of pita that didn’t have many of the typical characteristics of what would traditionally be associated with pita but was ok. The standout was the tzatziki which tasted very flavorful and added some much needed strong flavor to the relatively plain pita.
The lamb and beef on sticks were very tender and well prepared. But my favorite thing on a stick was surely the mac and cheese balls with the aioli, which was the perfect level of outside crispy and breaded and the inside was delicious and gooey mac and cheese.
The wines were on point, red and white were very delicious and I’m not the biggest wine person but if the selection reflects their standard offerings then their wines are great. Nelson Rockefeller and his Queens Brewery brew was great. Hard to find someone as passionate and knowledgeable about his product and it shows in every glass poured and sip taken.
Caroline was an amazing host and a very lovely person. Thank you so much for having us. And thanks again to Jando and all the Unilocal staff for showing this Long Islander how Queens gets down. SYOY everyone!

Hey! What a fantastic way to start the 2015 Unilocal Elite year!
QYE were super chill and we apparently had a whole bunch of visitors from the other boroughs and Long Island! Way to keep it diverse ;)
Anyways, the beer was fantastic! Thank you for the Queens Blah (sp?)! I love it when the breweries come out to party with us! And congrats on the secret plans I cannot mention!
The food of course was on point. I missed the lamb stix, but I did have some chicken and spinach pie which was on point. And the Truffled Mac and Cheese balls were of course the bomb! The staff were HELLA nice too. THANK YOU STIX! And congrats on the new space!
To another amazing year, QYE!

Yes, I was the sole Long Islander at the Queens Elite Event. And let me tell you! Trekking to Astoria in the icy temps was totally and completely worth it. I’m really glad I got the chance to go to STIX. Not only did I get to taste some fantastic bites, but I got to catch up with friends and meet new ones.
As soon as I stepped into STIX, I was ushered to grab a glass of wine and was presented with all these delectable-​looking foods! I made my way to their bar and snagged myself some vino. White to be exact. It was just the right accompaniment for all the food I was tasting that night. My first stop was the Pita and Hummus, (and other various dips) station. They were fresh out of the oven and toasty… a perfect way to help warm me up. After that, the food was non-​stop.
The lamb meatballs, the chicken skewers, spinach and cheese pies, roasted potatoes… all great and flowing out of the kitchen faster than we could eat! This was definitely one event where we’re going to have to be carried out, we’re so full. But I have to say… THOSE MAC N CHEESE BALLS THO. It outshines all the other bites.
We were assured from the super-​friendly Caroline that everything from STIX is made with the highest of quality ingredients and they try to cook organic. Which is so so great. And to top that, Nelson Rockefeller came… and with his Blueberry Blau! What more can you ask for really?
A HUGE thank you to the staff at STIX, Caroline, (both) Nelson’s and Jando for putting on a killer first Queens event for the 2015 year!!! So great to see familiar faces and meet some newbie elites! (Jack & Mike!) As always, I had such a great time. Queens, you guys are the best. I have a feeling this year is going to be one to remember!

Things not to do at a Unilocal event: Call everyone that is Asian ‘Nelson’. Lolsies. I swear it wasn’t me. I’ve been to the other Stix location in the Flatiron area in Manhattan and now that I’ve been to the Astoria location I must say this place is growing on me and I’m a fan. Great appetizers and tasty wine to wash it down with. Their sangria is phenomenal! I tried a small sample of both the red and the white. Red was slightly better and had a huge kick to it and the white tasted like fresh peaches. Queens Blau was also on tap, which I actually randomly had recently the other week at a bar. Big fan of Queens Brewery and can’t wait for them to open up!
Food was top notch. Mac and cheese balls!: Both huge and the right texture and consistency. I loved that it was crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside and with an additional mayo sauce with a slight kick to it. Only thing about the mac and cheese would be upping the cheese in flavor. If it had a kick more cheesy flavor the sauce would be completely unnecessary.
Lamb and chicken skewers were phenomenal as well. Great seasonings and loved the honey mustard dressing on the chicken. Lamb balls were cooked medium rare and how I like it. Roasted and seasoned potatoes with a feta cream sauce. Spinach and feta cheese pies my friend noted were the best she’s ever had for phyllo dough pies. There was also a side bar with a variety of dips and pita breads. I think one was a cucumber yogurt, some kind of hummus, a chipotle kind of feta cheese spread, and a twist on a eggplant babaganoush.
A lot of the crowd was made up of newbies so it was neat to see new people experience their first Unilocal event. The service was absolutely phenomenal from the entire staff. One of the waitresses kept coming back every time my drink was empty to ask if I would like another even with a full tray of food in her hands. That is impeccable service! Thank you Jando for letting me come to a Queens event and as always had a great time!

After a tough two weeks of snow and ice, the first Queen’s YEE of 2015 was exactly what I needed. The weather was far from ideal, but that sure didn’t stop the amazing Queens Unilocalers from making it to Stix!
The first thing I was greeted with, before I even took off my coat, were smiling servers offering me food and drinks– they are so friendly here! Everyone was ultra nice, and not in that fake, I-​am-​being-​a-​server-​and-​need-​tips kind of nice.
I was very pleasantly surprised by the fried mac and cheese balls– and I am not normally a fan of mac and cheese, as well as the insanely juicy honey mustard glazed chicken kabobs. The spinach and chesese pies were amazing, as were the roasted potatoes. I am very sad I missed out on the lamb, but that’s fine becuase I am definitely coming back to try their full menu. I hear there’s a ‘boozy brunch’ that I need to checkout!
I enjoyed the wines, but I really loved the beer. I regret not trying it earlier in the night, but Nelson from Queens Brewery was awesome and got me a glass before I left. The Queens Blau is amazing, and I was so sad to hear it’s not a regular at the restaurant. I’m not usually a fan of beer, especially not IPA’s, but this was such an interesting aroma/​taste combination. I’m definitely going to have to seek it out.
Overall, I really liked the restaurant, and am planning to come back for weekend brunch. I heard the sangria is great– I’ll have to check that out real soon.
It was great to see everyone having such a wonderful time on such a cold, crappy night. I’m sure the delicious food and boozy drinks helped haha.
A huge thanks to Jando and the Unilocal crew, as well as Stix and Queens Berwery. This was such a great kickoff to Queens Unilocal 2015!

My 2^nd Elite event in Queens, and… it was a blast!
Pros:
* Although it was so miserably icy Tuesday night, so many committed Elites braved the weather to join this event– kudos!
* The new location is super cute, serene and modern.
* I loved Stix’s Greek and Mediterranean food and drinks! I liked that there was a main table that was constantly filled with warm crispy pita bread and spreads such as Tzatziki (greek yogurt, cucumber, lemon, garlic & dill), Roasted Eggplant (parsley, cilantro, scallions & greek yogurt) and Spicy Cheese Spreads so us ravenous Elites could keep nibbling. The tender and juicy Chicken Stix (organic free range chicken kebabs) complimented perfectly with honey mustard & thyme sauce. I ate at least 3 of the Mac & Cheese Balls (baked mac & cheese balls, truffle oil, caper aioli sauce), Cheese and Spinach Spanakopitas (so fluffy and savory!), Stix Meatballs and Potato Stix (baby rosemary potatoes, feta sauce). I wouldn’t be surprised if the organic ingredients elevated the taste of the dishes! Left SO stuffed and content!
* My glass of freshly made sangria was just sweet enough and served with ample fruit chunks. Only qualm was that I was confused when the open bar stopped at 8PM, when the event closing time was 9PM.
* Excellent service — the staff continued to make rounds asking if we wanted more beverages and seconds or thirds of the delicious appetizers.
Definitely recommending this new establishment to friends and looking forward to trying out the Manhattan location tomorrow! Thank you Jando and Caroline for another fantastic event!

It was a cold, windy, blustery day last night and as per usual the MTA was not cooperating with me — but I’m super glad I made it to STIX last night because Unilocal Queens really knows how to tun up the heat! (*slow clap*).
This was Unilocal Queens’ first Elite event of 2015 and it fanfreakintastic! The folks at STIX were super friendly, hospitable and informative. Special shoutout to Annie, one of the friendliest, most hard-​working and sweetest STIX servers working the room last night.
On the menu were really delicious meatballs (prepared medium rare, AWESOMEPANTS!!), lamb meat, honey mustard chicken skewers, deep fried mac and cheese balls, freshly baked pita breads with a variety of different hummus/​sauce offerings, spinach pies, cheese pies (seriously amongst the best I’ve ever had and after having spoken to the owner she confirmed that it was actually a family recipe by the woman who creates these beautiful, cheese-​filled heaven morsels) and roasted potatoes seasoned with rosemary & accompanies by a light delicious saucy sauce.
After inquiring to one of the bartenders about their «practically unlimited boozy brunch» which includes $ 5 glasses of their top-​shelf red or white sangrias, she let me sample both of them.
The white sangria was refreshing and reminiscent of peaches with some light floral notes and the red sangria was a kick to the teeth of berries and delicious booziness! Red Sangria totally won that battle in my eyes, hah.
The ambience here is a bit more dim and intimate than the Flatiron location that I’ve already been to and it’s also smaller in size which I think is actually really nice. There’s a big, dark green net-​like thing made of thick rope that adorns the ceiling by the entrance and kind of turns into a chandelier type thing… I want it. I want that thing in my apartment one day.
Anywhoo, I had a really great time and was excited to meet new Unilocal Elite folks and I can’t wait to contribute to their corruption… I mean… exciting new Unilocal Elite journeys O:).
Many, many thanks to the fantastic folks over at STIX and the cool cats of Unilocal,especially Jando, for hosting such a great event!

What an awesome event! This was my second elite event, but it was my first without a +1 so I was a little nervous but that went out the door very quickly. The Queens Elite family welcomed me with open arms and I finally met Jando along with some really great people! Thanks guys!
Now let’s get to Stix! This is their newest location and the décor is modern, yet trendy. The lovely staff here are so genuinely friendly. Their service is beyond spectacular! They kept the food coming and were very informative of the selections.
The food is excellent! I tore that lamb up! It was delicious! I think everyone loved the mac n chz balls and the mini spinach & cheese pies. There was beef with onions and chicken on a stick glazed with honey mustard and everything was organic. I chose the white wine for the night. I guess I was having too much fun to check the brand because that’s unusual… I’m a wino.
Special thanks to Caroline who heads the special events and catering for Stix. Let her plan your next event. She knows what she’s doing!
I’ll definitely return to Stix. I am sure that I’ll be pleased.

Stix delivered tonight! So much lamb and delicious chicken. The staff was incredibly friendly, welcoming, and attentive throughout. Annie in particular was super tuned in to our needs… like when we’d been drinking maybe a bit much and she offered us refills PLUS water. Fab service.
Great food and great people make an awesome way to kick off the new year with the Unilocal fam! Thank you to Jando, Caroline from Stix, and the rest of the team that made this happen!

STIX tidbits —
1) It is a chain restaurant although they only have 3 NYC locations CURRENTLY and yes all owned by the same owner.
2) Caroline is the head of the catering for STIX. She is from a place MUCH, MUCH colder than NYC tonight or most NYC nights for that matter. That is cray… Z.
3) STIX’s name comes from how they serve the food, WITH STICKS in them or rather through them.
I’ve been to one of the STIX’s location in Manhattan and compared to this one in Astoria they both have 1 thing in common. Service is king here. Very courteous. Very friendly. And on point throughout the entire event. I want to take this opportunity to shout out Annie (the Asian waitress; there was only 1 Asian waitress) for her super attentiveness and pretty much running back and forth bringing people’s drinks, clearing people’s wine glasses/​dirty plates, and pretty much being awesome. When you go back to dine here, MAKE SURE SHE IS YOUR SERVER.
Location wise, yes it’s in Astoria but it is still a bit of a walk from the train station whether you get off at Steinway Street or 46^th street via M or R train. Normally, I wouldn’t mind the walk in hot, warm or even semi brisk weather. BUT in frigid weather, well that can be quite brutal. Again, comparing to someone who is from Minnesota this is pretty much summertime. I’m just not built for the cold.
FOOD HIGHLIGHTS —
1) The PITA BREAD — which was in size of a baseball and in the shape of a small bread ball was pretty good. The crunch factor and chew-​ability, probably NOT a real word, was pretty consistent and overall made it something that I might consider ordering as an appetizer. It also came with 4 choice of dipping sauces of which I don’t recall the names of BUT I will say that the most colorful one that looks like trail mix and the yellow mustard one (probably is mustard based) were the best.
2) MAC & CHEESE FRIED BREAD BALLS– was AMAZE… BALLS.
Yes, you heard right. The mac & cheese was the filling.
Creativity wise is a 10. Presentation wise is a 10 even with the sticks through it. It probably would have been better just eating it with your hands. Easier to hold and prevents dripping/​dropping of mac & cheese-​y goodness. HOWEVER, the taste was a 6. I think the flavor of the cheese could have been more pungent but the mac was good. This is coming from a person that normally doesn’t eat much cheese to begin with so you can adjust accordingly to your tastebuds.
3) The LAMB — was on the fatty side. Well, some pieces. But it was deemed ORGANIC or at least they tried to which was good enough for me. NO GMO’s. Flavorful.
4) The CHICKEN — was my favorite. The meat was moist, tender and flavorful. I think Unilocaler’s enjoyed this the most as I diligent kept an eye on which plates were «tackled» the hardest.
5) MEATBALLS — was good but it could have been slightly more moist. I’m not even sure if that is doable, definitely a real word, but I like it either way.
6) VEGGIE POCKETS — is something that I’d probably shy away from. It tasted fine, presented well but I’m a meat eater. I WANT MEAT. L O L. I did however met my daily recommended veggie intake so there’s that.
7) CHEESE POCKETS — I didn’t try because I didn’t want to push my semi lactose intolerance into overdrive. I chanced it with the Mac & Cheese.
I think the only thing not served with sticks was chewing gum. That was not served at all actually but it would have been a great play on words for me.
DRINKS — were white & red wine. There were also 1 beer that was featured which is from a new Queens brewery. I don’t drink IPAs normally but if I do I wouldn’t mind drinking this beer.
Overall, I think STIX should do well here.
As always, thanks to JANDO for setting up this event and Unilocal for providing the swag.

I was pretty stoked when I found out that Unilocal was going to have an event with Stix because the last time I was in the neighborhood, they were still building their spot. The atmosphere is very classic, yet modern.
The usual Unilocal Elite gang aka my lovelies showed up to this event, and there was a good turn out of newly-​inducted Elite as well.
The red and white wines, both from Crete (that’s in Greece, guys. I hope you know that), were delicious though I preferred the white over the red. But let’s talk food.
Fried mac and cheese balls. That’s all I will say about that. Friedmacandcheeseballsforlife.
Stix is yet another place that is trying to keep everything organic, and that’s something you can really taste in the quality of their food. From the baked-​in-​house pita bread to the chicken to the lamb to the various sauces, Stix is definitely going to become one of those Astoria staples. Can I just talk about the lamb for a second? Juicy, succulent, perfect fat to meat ratio and perfectly grilled, I will probably venture out from Flushing just for the lamb.
Also, organic beef meatballs, cheese… kopitas?, tzatziki, and other Greek staples with modern twists. You have to try them all.
Caroline, who heads the catering for Stix, is an absolute treasure from Denver by way of Minnesota (sorry Bridgewater, but Peyton and Emmanuel have my heart), and she made every single one of us feel right at home by discussing the food, our hometowns, our likes and our experiences.
Will I be back? Without a doubt. Will I remember to bring my lactaid pill with me? Also, make sure you guys say hi to Anna, who is one of their servers!
Thanks Jando and Unilocal for yet another super Elite event!

Officially experienced my first ELITE EVENT and it was awesome. Shout out to Jando S. To putting it together and being a cool, laid back dude.
The event took place in Astoria Stix Mediterranean (one of three locations, the other 2 are in the city). Upon entering, Michael K and I were greeted by Jando and immediately became friends. There was a mixed crowd in the room and everyone was very friendly.
Now about the food. It was appetizers being passed around all night. They consisted of cheese puffs, lamb meatballs with sauce, small lamb and chicken kebabs. The mac and cheese balls were OFF THE HOOK. The service was amazing and attentive. I had no problem graciously tipping.
There was beer and wine offered but I stuck with the beer. It was a new beer coming out in the near future called QUEENS BLAU, definitely getting on that. Shout out to Queens brewery and Nelson Rockefeller.
Great event and more to come… Unilocal ready!!!

Please forgive the intrusion Queens, but sometimes it’s just too hard to say no. Not that it was easy, by any means. After two incidents of back-​to-​back precipitation, the streets weren’t exactly the friendliest, especially given the semi-​perilous walk from the nearest train station. I won’t even go into the temperatures; y’all have heard enough of that.
But the 2+ hours we spent at STIX Mediterranean Grill made the journey worth it. As the first Queens Elite Event in the new year, I couldn’t forgo the chance to catch up with some familiar faces, and had the pleasure to meet a few Elites that I had yet to meet in person. The fact that it was Elite Only was yet another plus in my book, as it definitely felt like a long overdue catch-​up session with the gang.
But I can’t overlook STIX. I’d been to the first location in Gramercy, and the food (and coffee!) had left positive impressions on me. Their latest location in Astoria is one of their newer ones, and is certainly no small venture as they’ve set up shop in the very heart of NYC’s greek cuisine. The space is very welcoming, a good mix of bar and standing space with a handful of sit down tables, and their Happy Hour is worth a try for the locals, especially given the attractive discounts on drinks and small plates.
As for what we did try… I’ll briefly skim over the Greek white I tried, which leaned on the dry side, but wasn’t overpowering by any means. It was a good complement to the food we tried, which ranged from pita bread accompanied by a quartet of dips (a Spicy Cheese Spread, Jalapeño Hummus, Tzatziki, and Roasted Eggplant), fried Mac and Cheese balls infused with truffle oil, a remarkably juicy honey mustard-​glazed Chicken Stix (their take on the kebab), and Spanakopita. It’s worth noting that STIX makes a considerable effort to utilize organic and locally-​sourced ingredients wherever possible, and the quality of their ingredients definitely shine through in the final product. We definitely appreciated the fact that Caroline, STIX’s catering manager, and Stathis, the owner, were present the entire evening and were happy to speak to us about their business.
When you pull together the combination of a good venue, a great selection of drinks sand bites, and even better company, is there any other outcome feasible besides success? As always, a big shout-​out to Jando and Nelson ( Unilocal Queens!) for ensuring that we had a great evening and to the staff at STIX for warmly welcoming us into their new home. If tonight’s event is any indication… 2015 is definitely going to be a good year.

More Organic Lamb Sticks and Mac N Cheese Balls please! Oh yes, they did keep on coming!
Lamb skewers were truly amazing! At first glance, it was perfectly spiced and perfectly charred. It was just filled with juicy, tender lamb meat with fat in the right places. I really wished I had a second stick! Oh mah gud!
Mac N Cheese Balls. WHAT? I never thought I would like this version of Mac N Cheese but I did. I loved that it was nicely fried and the batter kept the Mac N Cheese so steamy hot on the inside. It was totally cheesy and moist on the inside which was a major wow factor for me.
Also, I must admit that Astoria is still a stranger to me (I am an Elmhurst, Flushing, Forest Hills, and LIC — kind of girl). How did I overlook such an awesome neighborhood?! Shame on me! Special thanks to fellow Elite Alex K. for enlightening me with his love for Astoria!
Thank you Jando for giving me a chance to step out of my «comfort neighborhoods» and Elites — you guys are awesome! Thank you Stix staff for being so patient, so knowledgeable, and so friendly with us. We love you!
I really loved the atmosphere tonight! Everyone is energetic, up, and ready to mingle!

Subarctic temperatures and icy streets won’t keep elites from gatherin’ for a YEE. First Queens event of 2015 was a mighty success!
Mediterranean cuisine is one of my favorites and STIX offered some mighty tasty bites this evening. Self serve station of pita and various dips was offered. Yum. Plates were then passed through the intimate space by some of the most friendly servers ever. I was able to sample some mac and cheese balls, lamb meatballs, cheese pastries similar to spanakopitas, and chicken and lamb «stix». Incredible! All the meats were so, so tender and juicy. Flavor bombs. I enjoyed the lamb meatball and chicken stix the most. Those mac and cheese balls? I could have eaten the whole plate.
Didn’t drink tonight since I’ve cut off booze for a month but everyone seemed to enjoy the various red and white Crete wines, sangria and beer courtesy of Queens Brewery.
I love the Queens crowd so much. It was so great to catch up with old faces and meet some new elites as well.
It is ALWAYS worth the trek to Queens. Looking forward to another year of great times, great food and great friends. Thanks Unilocal NYC and STIX catering manager, Caroline! It was a wonderful evening.