Time Out New York: April 6, 2006 2006 Eat Out Awards: Readers’ choices Best Queens restaurant: 718 Restaurant

ZAGAT SURVEY 2005

Food	Decor	Service	Cost
23	22	22	$38

The "ambitious, delicious" French cuisine with Spanish accents at this newcomer"in the wild of Astoria "has locals cheering"Finally a Queens restaurant with a creative palate";expect "sensational tapas", "out-of-this-world" desserts and more served in "sexy", "romantic" digs by a "friendly" staff.

NEW YORK NEWSDAY - DINING OUT: QUEENS Edition

"A warm, duck terrine shows up looking very much like a meaty braciola. The richness of this cylindrical number is cut by a clever, agro-dolce balsamic vinegar reduction with pineapple. Go more Gallic with the lush terrine of foie gras, a disc of elegant excess accompanied by a pear-pineapple relish. The combo of grilled zucchini and eggplant, with a round of goat cheese, loosely described ..."

Peter M. Gianotti. STAFF WRITER. Newsday. Long Island, N.Y.: Jan 18, 2004. pg. G.11

NEW YORK METRO.COM

"Astoria's sizable community of French expats needed somewhere to congregate for duck terrine and steak-frites, hence this eclectic new bistro where some of the items, like roasted duck with Serrano ham, bear a distinctly Spanish accent. The bar menu is even more multiculti, featuring tarte flambee, chicken-chorizo skewers, and, in a nod to the neighborhood, tsatsiki with endive."

NY TIMES: (Dec 26, 2003)

DINER'S JOURNAL By William Grimes

"Astoria, Queens, has never lacked for Greek restaurants. It has plenty of Italian ones, too. This neighborhood even has a Bohemian beer hall, and with the arrival of GoWasabi on 30th Avenue, it finally has a forward-looking Japanese restaurant. French food has been the problem. Seven One Eight is the solution.

The restaurant, named after the local area code, is hands down the best-looking restaurant in the area, a sleek, modern bistro, with banquettes upholstered in bright orange corduroy and a shiny, curved bar in the front room. Floor-to-ceiling windows and a glass door look out on Ditmars Boulevard, one of Astoria's busiest retail streets..."

"The short menu is French, with a few international accents. The fried calamari, cut into two-inch strips, is French-Mex, with avocado and a lime aïoli sauce, and so is the tuna tartare, accompanied by blobs of convincing guacamole arranged on spears of crisp Belgian endive. One of the best appetizers is Ecuadorian shrimp ceviche, served in an ornate frosted goblet. The sauce is outstanding, a tangy tomato-based marinade sweetened with mango. There are two terrines offered as starters. One, a dark slab of rich duck meat, has some of the gaminess taken out of it by a sweet-tart accompaniment of pineapple in a balsamic vinegar reduction. The other doesn't look like a terrine at all. It's slices of grilled zucchini and eggplant sandwiched between disks of goat cheese rolled in crushed walnuts, with a roasted red-pepper sauce on the side.

This is not the place to look for the standard moule frites, or onion soup. The seven entrees include old reliables like steak-frites and roast chicken, but the steak comes with a sharp onion marmalade, and the chicken, crisp on the outside and moist within, as it should be, has two cakes to keep it company, pressed rounds of corn and asparagus. Grilled tuna is completely internationalized, with a chorizo soy sherry sauce and a colorful accompaniment of green and yellow beans. Trout, usually served meunière in a bistro, takes a different turn at Seven One Eight. It's served in lemon-basil sauce with soft cheese polenta.

The thin apple tart is pure French, and first rate. Better yet, the crème brûlée requirement is met with flair. There are three crèmes, arranged Japanese style along a long, narrow plate in little square dishes, each with its own flavor: vanilla, chocolate and coffee. You can spot the coffee because it comes with three tiny roasted coffee beans on top. Mango gratin with mango salad, a blast of tropical color and intense fruit flavor, makes a great match for the surrounding color scheme. Throw in a wine list determined not to break the $35 barrier, and happiness is complete.

Seven One Eight, 35-01 Ditmars Boulevard, Astoria, Queens; (718) 204-5553. Dinner entrees, $12 to $19."

NEW YORK METRO.COM: – User Review

"It isn't only the spectacular food and warm service that make this French Spanish eatery so wonderful. The ambiance takes this enclave from very good to greatness. Try the carrot soup and the roast chicken and top it off with the crème brûlé for an early perfect dinner. Enjoy, I did!"

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