The best Restaurant Week Summer 2016 restaurants in Queens

Greek-American chef Michael Psilakis made his name repping his Hellenic roots, diving into the country's coastal fare at his uptown joints, Kefi and Fish Tag. So it's no wonder the TV toque (star of BBC America's No Kitchen Required) headed to Little Greece for this modern Mediterranean tavern. An Astoria offshoot of his popular restaurants in Nassau and Westchester Counties, the 150-seat bi-level eatery whips up the same menu as its sister locations. The NYC Restaurant Week menu is not yet released, but is sure to offer up dishes like fried calamari with tomato-yogurt sauce; Greek paella packed with shellfish and spicy lamb sausage; and garlic-imbued branzino with fingerling potatoes and cherry tomatoes.

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If you can ignore the look—a classier Applebee’s—you’ll find a personable neighborhood eatery offering some of the borough’s best seafood. The service is friendly, the portions generous. While the NYC Restaurant Week menu is not yet released, you can expect something along the lines of London Lennie’s year-round dishes. Regular appetizers include steamers, mussels and savory steamed-crab dumplings, which come in a bamboo basket with a dipping sauce and chopsticks. Lobsters are served steamed, broiled or stuffed; a list of specials reflects the day’s catch.

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When you reserve a table, bear in mind that this wood-beamed restaurant is a rare Queens spot where diners are known to dress for dinner. Service is appropriately suave, though the waiter’s absurdly long recitation of specials veers into Monty Python territory. Still, whatever he brings out is likely to be good. Salads, pizzas and pastas are nicely put together; zuppa di pesce and lamb shank are richly flavorful. The house-made hazelnut gelato makes a lovely nightcap. A full menu for NYC Restaurant Week has not yet been released.

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Vivaldi's Mediterranean-inspired menu offers a delicious selection of daily made pastas, fresh fish, shellfish, prime aged meats and free-range chicken. Based on its year-round offerings, NYC Restaurant Week items might include tuna tatare with mustard oil and sea salt, rigatoni with sauteed eggplant and ricotta, and stuffed sole with spinach and lemon brown butter.

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