Snowdonia Announces Revamped Kitchen, Expanded Menu

Astoria, New York, July 1, 2014 (Newswire.com) - Snowdonia, an intimate gastropub in the heart of Astoria’s Kaufman Arts District, has made it official: after listening to customer feedback, they’re taking the kitchen in a different direction. Restaurant co-owner Tom Davies explained that “we value the opinions of our customers and take what they have to say very seriously. It had become obvious” to Tom that, from a customer service standpoint, it was time to make a change— which is why they have brought in Nathaniel Felder as Supervising Chef. Felder, previously of Catch in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District, is excited to assist at the Astoria hotspot and looks forward to continuing Snowdonia’s mission of delivering high-quality pub food with a creative Welsh twist.

The gastropub, now officially one year old, also announced an expanded summer food and drinks menu that includes an inventive Watermelon Salad, battered Fish Corndogs (a huge hit from the Craft Beer Clambake), a charcuterie section, a Steak Caesar entrée, and the “Welsh Rarebit”— a Welsh classic grilled cheese— in addition to other items. On the drinks side there are five new cocktails, including the Smokey Mountain, made with Mezcal and blood orange; the Cable Car, featuring gin, St. Germain, and grapefruit cordial; and the Snowdonia Iced Tea— a secret blend of liquors made in the “Long Island Iced Tea” tradition.

We want to make our people happy, and it's not hard to do that. Just give them what they want."

Tom Davies, Co-owner

On the daily specials side, Davies explained that they are going to keep it customer-focused: “The [Craft Beer] Clambake was a huge hit, but we only had it scheduled to go through June— now it goes through Labor Day. We had regulars tell us they wanted a Surf and Turf-style special. So Friday through Sunday, we have Surf and Turf (a 1⁄2 lobster stuffed with crab meat and chorizo, accompanied by seared skirt steak and asparagus). Our mussels get requested all the time, and we seem to run out pretty quick. So now, every Wednesday we have $10 Mussels. We want to make our people happy, and it’s not hard to do that,” he said. “Just give them what they want.”

For the employees of Snowdonia, it’s a new day, and “Yes” is now the prevailing answer from the kitchen. “If a customer wants bangers on their risotto, or an additional side of catsup, it’s no longer a hassle from downstairs [the kitchen],” said Jhon Catano-Betancur, one of the gastropub’s server/bartenders. “We want to give people what they ask for, and who wants to be told ‘No’ all the time? We just want to let everyone know that when they come here, it’s about them having a great, relaxing experience.”