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Millennium Food Court
181-12 Hillside Avenue
718- 297-7800
Cuisine: Continental
Hours: 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day
For
a great gyro on the run, it’s hard to find a better place than the
new Millennium Food Court.
The
restaurant’s name is an oxymoron —the first part evokes images of
the future, while the latter recalls the cafeterias of old, which went
the way of the dinosaur after fast food chains like McDonalds put them
out of favor.
But
rather than being an awkward contradiction, the restaurant is a model
of convenience.
The
two-month-old pizzeria-deli-diner-bakery, sitting at an angle to
Hillside Avenue with red, white and blue flags telling the
neighborhood of its arrival, delivers in the neighborhood — it’s
at 181st Street — and is open for as long as most people can expect to find
themselves on Hillside Avenue (6 a.m. to 11 p.m.).
Ahsana
Borna, the friendly girl who keeps shop during weekday afternoons,
said that gyros are the most popular item on the Millennium menu.
Pizza and deli-style sandwiches do well, too.
The
gyros are great treats. They’re
lovingly prepared — that’s not a slogan; something about them just
tells you they’re so — and taste great.
The meat is firm; the sauce is nice and cool; the lettuce and
tomatoes are fresh. You
can’t go wrong.
The
menu is varied and everything is very affordable.
Filling
breakfast specials and sandwiches are all under $4.75.
You can get almost any combination of eggs, meat, cheese and
bread you can imagine, including coffee and home fries on the side.
A
small bakery section takes care of the pastries and breads.
Get a cup of coffee and you’re good to go.
For
those needing a fried-food-fix, the appetizer menu has mozzarella
sticks, garlic knots, zeppoles, onion rings and fried zucchini.
Millennium’s
pizza, its second-most popular item according to Borna, is available
by the slice, pie, or—not uncommon but unique in New York
pizzerias—personal pie sizes ($3 to $5 each).
The
toppings lean on the restaurant side more than the basic pizzeria
side. You can get regular
toppings, but also “Margherita” (heavy on the marinara sauce)
“Bianca” (also called white pizza), “Primavera”(spinach,
broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms and onions) and “Chicken Pesto”
(grilled chicken breast and pesto sauce) pizzas.
Pasta
dishes, including lasagna, baked ziti, ravioli and a few other
standards, are all about $5.
Millennium
is a diner and a deli, too, with a full complement of burgers and hot
and cold sandwiches, all prepared to order and under $5.
The
restaurant is brand new, but it’s already popular in the
neighborhood, with many regulars from local schools, the HIP offices
across the street and other nearby businesses.
With
its street-level conveniences and more formal services like corporate
accounts and catering, Millennium Food Court should, like its name
implies, offer a classic food experience for a long time to come.
—
Shams Tarek
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