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Athena
Restaurant
179-35 Hillside Ave., Jamaica
Cuisine:
Diner
Hours:
Open 24 hours a day
Telephone:
526-7112
Athena
Restaurant, a cavernous space with an easygoing atmosphere that has
changed little in its 50 years on Hillside Avenue, is a Queens classic.
The
Greek and American diner never closes and is a great place to recall an
era gone by.
It’s
also a microcosm of the borough, not only in terms of race but of
lifestyle.
A
scruffy white man in his late 40s or early 50s, complete with trench coat,
five o’clock shadow and that ‘old Queens’ accent walked in alone the
other day and sat down without taking a menu.
“Hey,
Gus, you got spinach pies tonight?” the man asked, to which Gus, who has
been working at Athena for 20 years now, just shook his head.
“Whaddya got, Gus?
Gimme something good.”
A
few minutes later, two young black men in their early 20s, complete with
bandanas, baggy jeans and leather motorcycle jackets, came in and sat on
two of the restaurant’s chrome and leather stools.
“Hey
Gus, I want two pancakes,” one of the men said.
“And a grilled chicken sandwich.
Make it well done.”
In
another part of the restaurant, which was almost empty Monday night at 11
p.m. but is bustling during regular meal times, a couple in their 30s had
dinner while reading a novel and a newspaper.
The
restaurant, named after the Greek goddess of wisdom, is haunted with the
spirits of drifters, thinkers and other assorted characters that live
idiosyncratic lives but find themselves together in all-night diners.
Athena’s
food, like its atmosphere, is classic.
The standard Greek American diner fare is served, with the addition
of an Italian menu, including pizza available by the pie or the slice.
Everything is served quickly and piping hot, with no fuss or small
talk. The
service is stoic but not unfriendly.
The
number of choices at Athena is staggering.
There are over 20 kinds of omelettes, over a dozen kinds of
burgers, over 20 kinds of sandwiches, a dozen kinds of salad and a dozen
pizza toppings.
There about six different kinds of pasta dishes, and about the same
number of Greek choices.
The
prices at Athena are also impressive; a filling meal can easily cost less
money than at many fast food joints.
Omelettes, served with potatoes, toast and a drink, are between
$2.45 and $5.50.
A burger is only $3.25, with the most elaborate version, the Athena
Superburger Deluxe, costing only $5.80.
That burger includes mushrooms, sautéed onions and bacon.
Hot
open sandwiches, mini-meals with potatoes and vegetables, are $7.
Cold sandwiches are all under $4.50.
For the truly cash-strapped, there’s a sliced egg sandwich for
$1.50, and a grilled cheese sandwich for a dollar more.
Anyone
wanting to get fancy can get a prime sirloin steak for $13, or a fried
seafood platter for $14.
And
how does all this stuff taste?
A small sample of the endless menu taken recently inspires a word
that may have been used already to describe other aspects of Athena
Restaurant.
It’s
classic.
Actually,
it’s not just classic—it’s great.
The
Yankee Bean Soup ($1.50 a cup), served steaming hot in less than a minute,
is unbeatable on a cold night.
It’s a thin chili with hearty white beans replacing beef.
The
Chicken Gyro Deluxe ($5.50) is a great choice on the Greek menu.
The chicken is prepared in thinly-sliced strips, and there’s a
cool, thick yogurt served on the side.
Greek salad, made up of lettuce, tomatoes and a lot of onions diced
into cool, hard cubes, is also included.
It’s all set on top of a warm pita, and the taste is unbeatable.
A
good choice for desert is the vanilla ice cream shake ($2).
Served in a tall steel shaker big enough to fill two glasses, the
shake is cold and sweet, and thin enough to enjoy any of the hot,
fillingfoods.
Athena
Restaurant is a classic in the fine tradition of Greek American diners.
Don’t miss it.
–Shams
Tarek
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