Baby's Grill

PHILIPPINES 🇵🇭

So far I have not quite figured out the loyalty system of Filipino turo turo restaurants in Queens. Do people walk down these blocks of Roosevelt Avenue and see what is freshest each day, or do they stick to the same ones based on favorites or family and friend connections? Is there another factor I might be overlooking?

Coming from outside of the community, and someone prone towards enjoying variety, I am happy to be able to try them all and not worry about hurting any feelings. Many of the good meals are posted about here, while some of the forgettable ones did not make it. Another memorable lunch just happened at Baby's, which has been recommended to me for much longer than would have been good manners. (Sorry!)

Baby's Grill has good energy and the steam table looks fresh even between meals in the middle of the afternoon. At about the going rate for the neighborhood, you get to choose either two items with rice for $7.50 or three for closer to $10. Either way you get a bottle of water with each order. For those new to turo turo, it could not be easier, just take a look at the offerings, inquire about them if you need to know more, and make your selections for the day. I counted about 20 dishes on offer this day, making quite a few varieties of meals you can put together if you come often.

For this lunch, I settled into portions of bopis (below, left) and dinuguan (right).

Much less spicy than usual, the bopis was still quite good, and also did not have the natural iron tastes it usually contains because it is made mostly of lung and heart. The tomato-based stew was quite salty but in a delicious way which is easily cut by the rice. The pork blood stew dinuguan seemed to leave the offal out completely and was slightly sweet and also very tasty.

As I sat and ate the meal with nowhere to be, it was fun to watch the comings and goings of the restaurant. With a Filipino version of The Voice on TV, a group of three ladies and a couple solo diners enjoyed their food and talked to each other across the space every once in a while. You get the sense that everyone in the Filipino community here knows each other like normally happens. Eventually a woman selling jewelry came in and rather than the usual brush off by each table, the group of three immediately started trying on her wares and asking each other's opinions. A couple women from other tables made their way over and added to the shopping and opinion making. A short while later a man came in with a large selection of sunglasses and the same thing happened. Luckily a nice large mirror on one wall allowed each woman to see what each pair of sunglasses looked like on themselves.

With so many Filipino businesses supported in this section of Woodside, these vendors must have quite a few stops with receptive potential buyers in a small area. It was unclear if anything was purchased in the end, but the spirit of not being immediately annoyed by other humans showing up at your table was appreciated.

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WOODSIDE Queens

68-28 Roosevelt Avenue

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