Queens Tribune

ADDRESS: 47-39 Bell Blvd., Bayside
(718) 229-7586
CUISINE: Modern
HOURS: Dinner after 5 p.m., 7 days
CREDIT CARDS: All major
PARKING: Street

Under dim lights and sleek khaki and deep purple-colored décor, diners at Plum Restaurant on Bell Boulevard can unwind with a specialty drink—a Plum Sunrise or a luscious Plum Passion—before moving on to a chic entrée. Owner Kostas Kantlis said the swanky menu choices offer Queens something new.

“We want to bring Manhattan to Bayside,” he said.

Plum, which opened five weeks ago, has the sophistication of the big city without the black-tie intimidation. From the Plum Supreme Burger, a simple 10-ounce hamburger, to the hummus eggplant caviar, a 100-year-old family recipe, Kantlis said “our restaurant can cater to any type of person.”

The rich flavors are perfectly combined, particularly in the Seared Beef Mignonettes that are layered on top of slices of purple (or plum, as Kantlis likes to call it) potatoes. Trimmed with asparagus and bathed in peppery brandy sauce, the dish lives up to its snazzy appearance.

“The most important thing is presentation,” Kantlis said. “It has to look good and tastes good.”

The Sunflower Crusted Shrimp is served on a trio of toothpicks and accessorized with plum and orange, while the Grilled Breast of Duck is adorned in ginger, honey, soy sauce, and grilled yam. Another favorite, the Plum Charred Tuna, is combined with avocado, seaweed, cucumber, sliced ginger, radish sprouts and lime wasabi.

The restaurant’s upscale selection shouldn’t scare customers with price—the big meat entrées are $25 to $30 with the appetizers priced in the teens. While the restaurant exudes big-city slickness, Kantlis said he aims to attract people from the neighborhood and wants build a strong community presence.

He is already planning to extend the restaurant’s reach by including weekend brunch and daily lunch, and his biggest addition will feature a 450-person outdoor café on the restaurant’s roof. The restaurant provides a low-key dinner scene and an after-dark hangout by appealing to both meal-goers and night-lifers.

Kantlis, who worked for years in his father’s restaurant in Maspeth, said every aspect of the new eatery is thoroughly planned. It begins with well-thought out cuisine.

“One thing is better than the next,” he said. “There was a lot of brainstorming for it.”