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There are two things you need to pack when heading to Bistro 33, chef Gary Anza’s recently transplanted, cozy foray into French-Asian fusion: an appetite and your walking shoes.

Getting to the Astoria restaurant, which reopened this past summer, involves an 11-block trek from the Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard subway stop. But it’s a journey any sincere food lover will be happy to have made. What began as Lil’ Bistro 33 in 2004—also in Astoria—has now moved about 20 blocks north and been spruced up, with a dimly lit, acid-jazz-warmed interior. There's also a takeout menu, liquor license and outdoor seating that conjures up Parisian sidewalk cafés.

Inside, the French Culinary Institute–trained chef, who earned his chops at big-name Manhattan sushi haven Bond Street, has kept intact a menu that revolves around centerpiece cuts of meats, fish or tofu—each paired with its own accoutrements. French makes its mark via wine reductions, foie gras and goat cheese; Asian touches like ginger, yuzu vinaigrette, soy and horseradish perk up everything from sea bass to pork shoulder.  

The same affable, knowledgeable waiter who whisks you to your table rattles off a bounty of choices. As you ponder customer favorites like the yellowfin tuna (seared and decked out in Asian-pear chutney, sour cherries, spicy cashews, caramel glaze and Hudson Valley foie gras), you can stave off hunger pangs with great greens like the baby spinach, goat cheese and bacon vinaigrette salad or the even sweeter walnut–and–blue cheese mesclun variety topped with red raspberry vinaigrette. A selection of pear-, apple- or strawberry-infused martini aperitif provides a pre-dinner buzz.

At Bistro 33, there is only one entrée per type of meat. Order the salmon, and you’ll find yourself diving into a 6-ounce, medium-rare filet topped with spicy wasabi Dijon sauce and capers, accompanied by a side of sweet, sun-dried-tomato compote and thyme-roasted potatoes. Another top choice is the duck, sunk in sour-cherry sauce; or the lamb, a juicy, free-range rack cooked in a port-wine reduction.

Duck also makes for a crispy starter, generously stuffed into two lightly fried spring rolls, ready-to-dunk into mango sauce. It’s one of many dishes perfectly calculated for sharing. Touches of New Orleans peek out here and there, such as the Louisiana-crawfish-and-spicy-mayo appetizer or the dense, boubon-and-crème-anglaise bread pudding.

But the menu isn’t without its misses: The goat-cheese-infused crab cake would’ve made a perfect appetizer with its crispy-creamy texture. But as an entrée paired with uninspired sidekicks of corn (that tasted of the canned variety) and mesclun salad, it falls short of dreamy.

Relish the savory mainstays, but don’t neglect the sushi, which is available until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and is presented proudly in its own full-page menu. You’ll spot usual staples like sashimi platters, yellowtail negiri and California roll. Skip them altogether in favor of the far more interesting big rolls that bring together offbeat ingredients like mango, foie gras, cilantro and orange-curry sauce. One of the best is the fire dragon roll: a sweet, teriyaki eel-and-cucumber roll coated in warm avocado that arrives crescent-shaped, like the tail of the beast it’s named for.

A rich, raspberry-drizzled chocolate soufflé provided a welcome nightcap—a dark and indulgent escape into a molten-chocolate-lava core bubbling beneath a thicker, cake-like surface.

Go ahead, order it all. The ultra-reasonable prices save you enough dough for a cab ride back into the city. Or, you can work off that buzz/full belly on the trek back to the train. Unless, of course, you’re a local like Anza. In that case, don’t be surprised to find yourself in front of a heaping pile of pancakes or a Cajun omelette come Sunday brunch time.

The net results: what people are saying online

[Joey in Astoria]: “Get your butt over there now, I mean come on - they are open every night...with brunch on the weekends, too. Take your pick from the menu—you won't be disappointed!"

[Time Out]: “The sepia-hued space’s French doors, abundance of outdoor seating and cool jazz soundtrack make for a breezy vibe, enhanced by well-informed service and chef-owner Gary Anza’s phenomenal cuisine.”

[Yelp]: “I've dined at Bistro 33 twice. Once on their first day, and then two months later. Each time something kept us from enjoying the food completely.”

[Zagat]: “Fantastic, creative French/Japanese cuisine in 'just right' portion sizes. Small but well-chosen sake, wine, and cocktail list complements the complexity of dishes such as tuna tartare done three ways and foie gras maki.”

[Chowhound]: “REALLY impressed, great duck, very good sushi.”

Bistro 33
19-33 Ditmars Blvd. at 21st St.
718-721-1933
Dinner: Mon.-Sun. beginning at 5 p.m.
Brunch: Sat.-Sun. 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

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