Signature Dish: Brick Cafe

The Spot: Brick Café, 30-95 33rd Street, Astoria.

The Deal: Brick Café, serving fresh Italian and Mediterranean cuisine, has been a mainstay of the Astoria community for 15 years but joined the Hells Kitchen Hospitality Group in July.

Despite the change in ownership, most of what has made this restaurant so enduring will stay the same. The staff, many of whom have been with the restaurant for at least five years, will still treat customers like family, and Chef Willie is still running the kitchen.

“We treat each other like family,” says Zoran, manager. “We know their names and families. People celebrate their special days here.”

Changes — such as a daily brunch and Wine Wednesday ($5 a glass and $25 bottles on select wines) — are designed to complement and not compete with the restaurant’s ethos.

Read about Brick Cafe’s Signature Dish after the jump…

The Dish: Brick Café emphasizes its wide selection of pastas and the star of the show is the gnocchi, which is served with a choice of three sauces: pesto, tomato, or Gorgonzola. For the indecisive diner, try the signature, tri-color gnocchi: the three sauces in colors that reflect the Italian flag.

“With the three flavors, you don’t lose your appetite,” says Chef Willie. The pesto contrasts with the tomato sauce and both offer a counterpoint to the sharp Gorgonzola.

The gnocchi are prepared in-house, in a process that the chef dedicates much of his time. The result is a light and airy version of the often-dense pastas.

Zoran explains the attraction of the gnocchi as an adherence to the idea that keeping the dish uncluttered is best. “The presentation is simple and gives the good, homemade feeling of nostalgia.”