#InTheLoop | LIC Restaurant’s Menu Goes Back to the Good Ol’ Days – QEDC

#InTheLoop | LIC Restaurant’s Menu Goes Back to the Good Ol’ Days

BY QEDC It's In Queens

M. Wells broke onto the foodie scene as a small diner near some railroad tracks in Long Island City in 2010. Serving Quebecois cuisine with an endearing French accent, chef Hugue Dufour created tremendous buzz with maple-smoked meats, apple-scented blood pudding on savory kraut, and other north-of-the-border specialties.

After the one-year lease ended, the restaurant then bounced around LIC a bit on the way to getting a prestigious Michelin recommendation and landing in a beautiful location at 43-15 Crescent St.

Now it’s going back to the future. With the ongoing COVID pandemic, co-owner Sarah Obraitis has launched the M. Wells Diner Days Dinner Series, a rotating list of the most popular meals from the Good Ol’ Days in 2010.

The menu has a few steady items. Here’s a sampler.

Peking Duck for Two: Peking-style duck breast stuffed with duck sausage along with eight steam buns, beefless broccoli in sauce, one quart of duck consommé with shiitake mushroom, and alphabets.

Salmon Coulibiac for Two: A 20-ounce salmon layered with preserved lemon, zhug, herbed garlic, and spices and wrapped in puff pastry along with vegetable tagine, one quart of Brandade bisque, and Berber salsa.

Obraitis has also gone citywide with delivery of the house specialty, Le Tourtière, a meat pie with 2.5 pounds of braised beef, smoked capon, heritage pork, shredded potatoes, and sautéed mushrooms with a flaky pâte brisée crust. It’s on Grub Street’s list for this year’s top ten comfort foods.

M. Wells has also joined the Summerlong Supper Club, which kicks off on Jan. 19, despite its seasonal name.

Through this service, folks in Western Queens receive 16 wildly different meals from M. Wells and other NYC restaurants for 16 weeks. The price is $50 for one three-course meal each week. (The tip’s included, but not the sales tax.) The member chooses between pick-up, which is free, and delivery, which costs $10 that goes to the delivery team.

The total cost is $800, and subscriptions are available. All the funds go directly to the restaurant so it can survive the COVID winter.