Awesome night for Charity! I've lived in Queens for a majority of my life and never knew about this event that's been going on for 26 years. Maybe it wasn't always as grand in the past but this was a pretty nice turnout for a chilly and rainy Tuesday night. There were lots of food, an awards presentation for chef of the year, gaming tables and many interesting items up for auction all for charity, all of which went off without a hitch, at least from my perspective. There was a little of everything as far as the food was concerned, Italian, Indian, Chinese, Ethiopian, Filipino, American, Thai, etc,.... Gluten free options for dessert were also in the house! The range of options was incredible and better yet, all the restaurant servers were great. I personally liked that rich Italian Bolognese, the Indian Samosas/desserts, and that fantastic bite sized Mango Panna Cotta. I honestly couldn't have taken another bite for the evening. After I was done eating, I went over to the gambling tables and perused the many charitable items up for silent auction. There were a couple of things I was interested in including the autographed sport memorabilia. I even ended up winning a Carmine's restaurant branded basket with a gift card, pasta, and sauces which was pretty cool! Shout out to Queens Center for Progress (QCP) for a fantastic evening. The overall mood for the night was so festive. Specials thanks to Shaun Caruana for my tickets and for holding my Carmine's basket for me! Thanks to our Yelp CM Sam for organizing this event for Yelpers. This is one of the few times where doing something good for the community and having a good time intersect. Glad that I was able to participate! read more

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Honestly wasn't even sure if I was allowed to write a review as the terms of my win seemed pretty serious lol I actually won my tickets on Instagram via Yelp and their partnership with QCP for their annual event. I didn't know what to expect, but loved the cause as I am an occupational therapist and this population is near and dear to my heart. It was a very rainy night, but thankfully my husband and I drove. Check-in was pretty smooth and we got upstairs and entered a grand room with 2 sub-level sides and a large opening in the center for all the auction tables. Tables to sit and eat were on the sub levels and the food rounded the edges. There was a casino section where you could play black Jack and roulette to win tickets for a raffle. They had a photo booth and tons of generous vendors. Tables were labeled and Yelp had a few small round tables that we ended up sharing with some other Yelpers :) There was so much that we didn't get to try everything, but I was happy to see Glaze Donuts, which are so yum, and enjoyed the chocolates and so much more! Didn't end up having enough time to look around at the auctions, but hope they raised a lot of money! We enjoyed ourselves and had a nice time. Would love to experience this again! Thank you Yelp and QCP for the opportunity to win these tickets! We are grateful! :) read more

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Wow! This was one of the most unique and enjoyable events I've been to during my Yelp Elite time! We walked in to a beautiful venue of Terrace at the Park. After checking in to the ballroom we saw a nicely set up area with tons of food and drink vendors. The massive ballroom floor was full of great food options. My favorites were Arepalicious and Adrienne's pasta which had delicious foods. I also enjoyed the dessert at Veeray da Dhaba. There were at least 20 different food or drink stalls in this upscale setting. In addition to the food there were also casino tables and a silent raffle of a bunch of goodies. I went in to purchase several items but some people swooped in last minute to outbid me. The casino tables were fun and had blackjack. It was also all for a good cause; QCP which helps people with developmental disabilities. Overall an amazing event and so glad I got in. read more

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What an awesome, special event!! My partner and I were thrilled to find out I won a pair of tickets to QCP's evening of fine food and were so excited to make the trip out to the Terrace on the Park to enjoy some of Queens local restaurants! Some of my food highlights included the mushroom Ravioli, the chicken skewers, the bolognese and, of course, who doesn't love a good donut?? All in all, really generous of Yelp to partner with QCP to provide some of the YES with tickets. Thank you so much to Sam, Yelp, all the participanting restaurants, and QCP for their generosity! We had a great evening. read more

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Really cool nice looks good products really recommend really good customer service prices are at point

A really cool event, with more vendors than I was expecting! Discovered so much great food and some restaurants I'm definitely visiting soon! There wasn't a lot of options drinks wise, just some alcohol samples and water but the food more than made up for it. You get some complimentary tickets for poker so that was put to good use, they also had a lot of raffles and every prize was won. Lastly, it was really awesome to dress up, eat some good food, and contribute to the fundraising campaign Totally worth it 10/10 experience Thank you Yelp and Samantha ! read more

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I went to this event maybe 10 plus years ago and it's definitely gotten way better over the years. Was super excited to have won tickets through Yelp elite and brought my boyfriend to literally his first food and drink event. I think he was overwhelmed over the enormous amount of options of food and restaurant vendors. The setup was beautiful in the ballroom of the Terrace on the Park venue that was built for the World's Fair in the sixties. Admittedly we initially got to this area of Queens early and then got lost for about 45 minutes because I thought the entrance was in the park and unfortunately the entire venue is gated off on all sides except the entrance from the street for cars. Awkward silence. Neither of us drive. We didn't uber and took the train in the pouring rain. Aside from that, once we were inside it was like finding an oasis of pure gluttony. They also had a gambling area and bidding auctions I didn't participate in. A number of nice drink options. I loved some spots that I've been to in Queens before were there like Max Bratwurst. There was so much to try I couldn't fit in every booth and that's the sign of an amazing event. Such a great event for the community and a fantastic night. read more

Queens Centers for Progress - Festivals Near Me - Corona, New York

I had the chance to attend this amazing event sponsored by the Queens Center for Progress (QCP) thanks to Yelp. It was a beautiful venue and everything at the event was outstanding. I didn't know what to expect since it was my first time. There were so many food vendors from all over Queens and I definitely recognized quite a few that were even in my neighborhood. There was no way to hit up all of the vendors, but I tried my best at getting a variety. They also had a few casino tables, which was fun, and a silent auction with a variety of things to win from experiences to even a TV. Thank you QCP for hosting a great night and for all the work that you do. read more

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An Evening of Fine Foods, a Gala Charity Event sponsored Queens Centers for Progress (QCP), services for people w.developmental disabilities. First and foremost, what a wonderful organization! Kudos to them all for their efforts and hard work! What a special evening; filled with fine foods from many restaurants and businesses in Queens. We got to sample many different foods, ranging from dinner entrees, desserts, snacks, coffee, beer/alcohol and candies. There were also gaming tables, selfie booths, silent auctions and raffles. (This is a fund raiser, after all). I unsuccessfully bid for a painting and regret not being more aggressive! This Gala Event was certainly a treat!! Big thanks and kudos goes to QCP for a successful, well-run, organized event. Thanks also to Yelp Queens and Jando for allowing me the opportunity to attend this very special event! read more

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Queens Center for Progress rocks; what a wonderful organization. I've said it before and say it again, they help kids with special needs and prove that handicapable is indeed, capable! Their services, centers and the programming work they do for these kids are amazing. Even more amazing, this charity event they host bringing people from all walks of life together for one goal, raising money for the QCP Kids/ the mission. This year with much thanks to Yelp, I was able to attend as a guest instead of a paying patron and I noticed many new Yelp faces. I've attended as a paid patron once before and the money spent is well worth the cause - either on the tickets, the raffles, or silent auction. A Fine Food event it was, situated in the beautiful Terrace in the Park space. I had the opportunity to sample pernil from Havana Central, La Fondita Tamales, Curry chicken from NEST, Rice balls from Bourbon Street, BBQ ribs, souffle bites from the Hilton, sliced beef with pickled radish, freshly made pretzels from The Philly Pretzel factory, pizza from a notable chef, Hilary Topper. Also got my caffeine fix from Java Melts and met the boss lady too! Don't forget the sweets - key lime mousse and brownies from Isa Bakery as well as a generous sampling of chocolates from Schmidt's Candy. And last but not least, my non-alcohol Hoppy fix from the Brooklyn Brewery. Truth be told, plenty of more good eats I know I missed. Just got so full even though I paced myself. Nothing went to waste. All was fantastic. This was a grand showcase of food and fine folks who came to celebrate and sponsor Queens Center for Progress. You should read up on what they do and how you can help as well, post- event. This is one of my favorite events, whether or not I attend thru Yelp. Dig deep, in your heart and your pockets and give to this Wonderful Institution. All guests had a chance to bid on silent auction items ranging from spa days, golf equipment, signed Knicks jerseys, and celebrity autographed memorabilia. But the best items were the art work showcased and created by the kids. I just really enjoy the event. It's a fun night out. Better luck next year if you didn't get in this year. There is also a Yelp discount code for tickets every year. You gotta try it at least once. read more

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When I RSVP'd for this I thought it would be tapas or hors d'oeuvres. But it was SO much more -- I was stunned when I walked through the ballroom door and saw how many people there were, and just how much food there was! If I had known, I would've fasted the day prior so I could sample everything. I have serious serious regrets that I was not able to try more. There was SO much to eat and SO many things to take pictures of (food from different cuisines, sweets, snacks, liquor, beer, wine, silent auction goodies, a mini-casino area, etc) -- I tried to soak it all in rather than take photos. I took some, but I'm almost embarrassed to post them because they don't do the event justice at ALL. You just have to be there. There were at least 36 participating restaurants/vendors and each had designated stations and an ample supply of delicious food, drink, plates, flatware, and napkins. My favorites were Arepalicious with their mini arepas drizzled with condensed milk, Shanghai You Garden's dumplings (I typically hate dumplings), Bourbon Street's boo coo balls, Austin's Ale House's buffalo mac, and of course, Zyr's gin. I'm not a gin drinker but wow, their quince and blood orange gin were DELICIOUS (their vodka and whisky were also smooth as hell). Everything was done very well. I also loved that it was a Queens Center for Progress event, which is an NPO committed to supporting people with developmental disabilities. I work in mental health and it was heartwarming to see so many people participating for such a good cause. It was also my first time at Terrace on the Park despite living in Queens basically my entire life. Parking was SO easy too so everything was extremely convenient. A huge thank you to Jando and the Yelp team for sponsoring this special event and inviting us! It was a genuine blast and an unforgettable night. read more

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A very different experience from any of our usual Yelp Elite events. This was held in Terrace on the Park, a location I've only been in once for my cousins wedding. The building itself is shaped in a crazy "T" shape and has a post modern feel to it. Located in the large and diverse Flushing Corona Park, it's one buildings that was constructed during the World's Fair. Certainly one of Queen's most unique looking buildings. To get there, you can take the 7 train or a bus. The walk is a bit of a distance since the park is so large. Once you get to the entrance, you were greeted by people who were working the event. They led you the table where you signed in. The people at the sign in desk were amazed by Yelp's attention to detail since the Yelp members were highlighted in blue. A server told us to follow her upstairs since she was going that way anyways. The servers and all the vendors were all very nice and helpful! The hall where this event was held was gigantic! I didn't expect it to be so large. There were a lot of vendors, live music and many excited people enjoying their night. The event was held by The Queens Center for Progress. I loved how the money from this event went to helping to support people with developmental disabilities. Any event that goes to a bigger cause is always a win. Almost all of the food there was delicious. I was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer amount of vendors. I went to my favorite place, Arepalicious, and they did not disappoint. I find that their event sizes are better than their full sizes. I think the proportions are better in the smaller size. They loaded the arepas with chicken, beef and guac. How could you go wrong? My second favorite thing that I ate was the Hilton's shrimp. Sauteed shrimp on a puff pastry with smoked salmon cream cheese, red caviar, dried seaweed and caper aioli. The bite sized treat was delicious and very flavorful. I wish I had grabbed more later on in the night since they had a lot left over, but I was already too full. Lastly, I really enjoyed Shanghai You sesame balls. I just love sesame balls with red bean in them so I had 3 that night. There were many more vendors that included Bourbon Street, Austin's Ale House, Shahs Halal, Spumoni Gardens, New York Gourmet Coffee and many more. I was able to taste most of them and I was very satisfied from all the food. There was also a casino section. I'm not a big gambler so I gave my casino dollars to Andie, but I do love watching people gamble. The dealer was very charismatic and was very patient with all the questions we were asking. My favorite part of the night was talking to my fellow Yelpers. Whether it was catching up or even meeting a bunch of Yelpers that I never had the opportunity to talk to before. I had a blast staying with everyone else and getting to know everyone a bit better. Thank you to Jando and the Yelp team for letting us join in on a very special event! read more

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Thank you Yelp and Jando!! This event was so much fun! It was fun to dress up as well and support a great cause! The venue is beautiful and was set up with a multitude of samples of food and drinks. I did try to sample everything and failed miserably. There was just too much to eat. There was also a casino section where I played roulette, which was a great idea to have. There was also a poker and a black jack table. From the food, I would say my favorite was the empanadas, the spring rolls from Shanghai You, and the Halal Food from Shah's. It was great to meet other yelp elites and some influential people in the queens community. I would definitely come back next year to support! read more

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Simply an AMAZING event and I'm so honored to that I was able to take part of it. The purpose of the event was so powerful and meaningful to me. I was able to see some friendly faces from the community like Council Member Barry Grodenchik, who is always an honor to speak to. There were many other community advocates and friendly faces. The food: this event had over 30 of Queens best restaurants, the amount of food was outstanding and so delicious and let's not forget the drinks, drinks, drinks!!! A special thanks for all the restaurants who took part of this event. As usual I had a great time hanging out with fellow Elites (Hey, Támesis) and just getting to know some new people. Thank you to the Yelp staff and shout out to Jando, always a pleasure to see you :-)! read more

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It was an evening to remember for sure and glad I could take my mom as a +1 because my lady knows how to gamble haha. The Evening of Fine Food for the Queens Center of Progress is a great cause and it was wonderful to see so many people from this beautiful and diverse borough come together with tons of food and drinks plus silent auctions, photo booths, and a casino. Again the mama bear took over the craps table. Rolling in the deep with that fake money. There was plenty to eat from juicy flavorful pork from Havana Central to bomb Greek staples from Avli to sweet flavor delights from La Cheesecake. It was such a lively atmosphere and everyone was having quite a night. Even got to see the scatterings of my fellow Yelpers who were there and agreed it was quite an event. Major props to everyone involved who made this event happen and for Yelp Queens for the invite. An evening to remember for sure. read more

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What a fantastic event this was! This event was really cool because all the vendors were local queens eateries. We were able to try some amazing dishes from some amazing restaurants. LaGuardia Plaza Hotel Element - served some great lobster croquettes, which were perfectly crisp and well-seasoned. Ole Mexican Grille had some great steak tacos, the meat was tender and beautifully seasoned. The wine room of forest Hills had some great selections of wine Magnolia Room, had some really good jambalaya, literally reminded me of my trip to new Orleans! Schmidt's Candy- which I was super excited about! The New York Times wrote an article about them , and I'm so glad I was able to try their chocolates! So many great vendors and so many great food options for such a tiny person as myself, I tried my best to try a little bit of everything and I'm so glad I did! I have a list of places I need to go visit, and I'm so excited! This event was hosted by Queens Center for Progress, basically an organization that helps those with disabilities at Terrace on The Park. The hall was beautiful, I didn't realize how huge it was until someone told me to go to the other side. Everything was so organized and very well put together! Everyone was friendly and even though we weren't too dressed up, we felt welcomed. I love events like this because we're introduced to restaurants that we never knew about. So thank you Jando for putting this together and giving us the opportunity to try such amazing food. read more

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What an AMAZING event hosted by Queens Centers for Progress also known as QCP. It was truly an honor to be apart of this amazing event cause not only it was a night of fine food, but a great cause! The event literally hit to the heart cause anyone who knows me knows I work with children as well as adults with developmental disabilities! This event was truly well attended, and very well organized, with silent auctions, raffles, a black jack table and much more. The evening was perfectly named as an evening of fine food, with it being filled with amazing food vendors, ranging from savory, spicy, sweet and even mixed in some of my favorite COFFEE!! Many of the food vendors caught my attention making me want to bookmark it as my places to try out!! Some of the great foods that I was able to taste that totally stood out in my eye was: LaGuardia Plaza Hotel, empanadas Shahs Halal food!! The white sauce and green sauce is to die for!! Super flavorful! Spumoni Gardens: there pizza has a beautiful sweet but flavorful sauce, and the dough is so yummy! Made fresh organic: their fresh pressed drinks are amazing especially the lemonade ginger one! ZYR Vodka! Was awesome made a super fan out of their vodka, very smooth going down. Arepalicious!!! My super fave with the cheese goodness and the flavorful chicken oh my! Packed with savory goodness!! New York Gourmet Coffee: very smooth and has a fresh but strong aroma, but coffee was nicely brewed just how I like it! And Javamelt with their smart way of making flavored sweetners! Honestly I can keep going on and on! Everything was truly fabulous! I truly want to give a big thank you to QCP for an amazing charity event I hope your organization made a lot from last night in order to keep doing an amazing job for our children and adults with developmental disabilities. Also I want to give a big thank you to Yelp team, and Jando for allowing me to be apart of this truly special event, it truly was an honor to be chosen! read more

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My 1st Elite event of the year and it didn't disappoint! I've been to Terrace on the Park many times before, but it was actually the perfect venue for last night's event. Tons of space to put all the food and drink vendors, as well as auction items and even a little casino spot. My husband and I got there pretty early and was surprised to be able to hit up half of the food vendors. Seating was a little tricky because a lot of the tables were reserved for groups. So we walked around with our plates, cocktail hour style. We were already stuffed by the time we got to the other side! We met a lot of cool people, both fellow Yelpers and attendees of the event. It really was a fun night. We were lucky to score some swag from different vendors, bid on some items in the auction and get photobooth pictures. My only regret was that I didn't find the wine table earlier! Our favorites of the night were the steak from Christos and the shrimp and grits from Queens Bully. Thanks to Yelp Queens and Jando for letting us be a part of a great night for a great cause. read more

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This was a wonderful event. We got to try all kind of food from different restaurants. I have to say this is one of the best yelp elite event that I have been to. The shrimps with corn and chips, that was made on the spot, was the bomb. It stood out as my favorite. I was stuff on my way out the door. I have to say it was the best!! Thank you for the invite. read more

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This experience was my first time at such a large charity event and I am blown away by it. Not only was the location fantastic, the cause is a great one. Hundreds of people came to raise awareness for our special needs community and many restaurants came in to contribute. I am glad that I got to experience this through yelp otherwise I don't know if I would ever have! This event has many restaurant supporters and each one had their own booth. Each booth featured 1-3 signature dishes. It allowed us to try a little of everyone's food. My favorite absolutely had to be Shah's halal! Shah's gave such a generous portion of chicken & lamb over rice. The meat was flavorful, the rice was soft, and the white sauce was so rich. For me, I like this meal over the halal guys in Manhattan! We were able to eat until we were stuffed. There were also so many items being raffled off for charity! Unfortunately we didn't bring any gift baskets home but our friends won a few. Being that this is the last yelp event until further notice, I am happy to have experienced it! Thank you yelp for the opportunity! read more

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This was my first time attending the event along with my first event coming as a part of the Yelp Elite group. I didn't know what to expect but it was truly amazing. The people in the event were so friendly and easy to talk to. I made so many new friends and heard great stories. There were so many good options and everything I tried was phenomenal! I wasn't able to try everything because there were so many options. There were so many different stations for food that the maximum people waiting would be 3 people per station. My favourites were the lasagna, pulled pork with a special green sauce that complimented the pork so well that it came up in conversation more times than you'd think and a paella. Java melts was an amazing coffee station that provided coffee with an amazing java melt. I chose the mocha flavor it was only 20 calories, vegan, non-gmo and you can buy I online! I was very impressed! The singer of the night had a perfect voice! My 2 new friends and I thought it was previously recorded for a bit. Great performer as well as he posed and sang to me for my camera for a great shot. Towards the end I got free samples of Java melts for my coffee, one of my new friends got the biggest jar of white sauce from the halal food and my other new friend got a hotel with 2 breakfasts and a dinner for $80. Also if you love photos this is a great place to take pictures! read more

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Thank you Yelp, for inviting us to Queens Centers for Progress (QCP)'s "An Evening of Fine Food" -- an amazing charity fundraising event. It was impressive to see so many people gathered to support a wonderful cause; and it was a reminder for every guest that giving back in one way or another should somehow be part of everyone's life. Although there was much to do at the event -- including a few casino tables, a photo booth, and auctions -- most of my attention was directed to the food. From a foodie perspective, the evening was marked by the nearly unlimited samples from the many restaurants participating in the event, all worthy of bookmarking for visits down the road, including: - Queens Bully, which served a very satisfying Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese - La Cheesecake Bake Shop: I had three mini-cheesecakes. I could have made my entire dinner eating their mini-cheesecakes, if not for the food from the other great restaurants. - Kaieteur, which had well-executed fried chicken. - Bourbon Street, which provided a very good (and spicy) jambalaya. - Papazzio Ristorante and Bar, who provided a rich carbonara. - Hilton New York JFK Airport: They provided my favorite dish of the evening -- seared scallop on a fried wonton skin on a bed of shredded cabbage, topped with tobiko (fish roe). I also had some pretty decent potato latkes with apple sauce from a restaurant whose name escapes me, because I didn't see them listed in the event directory. Overall, I felt very fortunate to have attended this event, and I hope Queens Center for Progress raised a lot of money! read more

Wow! What an amazing night filled with enough food to feed an army and unlimited drinks (I unfortunately drove) The event had a ton of vendors , with a good variety that showcases what Queens has to offer ! A lot of the restaurants were familiar to me at the event , especially all the bayside ones such as Maria's seafood and bourbon street! However I was introduced to a couple of really awesome things tonight ! Here are the two top dishes that I had in my opinion! 1. Caribbean food delights was serving some of the most delicious puff pastries I have ever had ! I was exceptionally pleased with the Curry and the guava one !! So yummy 2. I was also super shocked at how good jfk airlines table of food was !!! Omg the scallops dish they served was to die for !!! 3. As always Maria's sea food always wins for me ! Everything they serve is absolutely delicious if you haven't gone it's on bell Blvd In terms of dessert, I gotta be honest nothing was jumping out at me and worth of mention tonight ! I was more pleased by the other offerings. Although I was also unable to try out their casino they also gave us a 100 dollar voucher to play which was super awesome, along with a ton of baskets to raffle !!!! I would definitely go here again ! You need to go next year read more

This was truly a spectacular event. It had so many amazing components that I'm not even sure where to start. It was so nice to get dressed up and have an elegant soiree. First, the organizer of this yearly event, Queens Center for Progress, has as their mission statement the promotion of independence, community involvement, and quality of life for children and adults with developmental disabilities. The Evening of Fine Food event is supposed to get proceeds from individuals and companies to help support the Queens Center for Progress and it's mission. This event is held at the Terrace On the Park. This place has plenty of parking for visitors. The entrance and the inside is very nice. It has nice views of the city. Everyone was very nice and helped get us situated and into the event very quickly. Everyone also got a playing card that could be exchanged for $100 worth of chips for the casino table, with the winnings going towards raffle tickets. There was a coat check station to get rid of those layers. The ballroom looked great and it was huge. Most people were dressed elegantly. The dining experience included over 40 Queens based restaurants, and specialty food destinations. All of those samplings really added up. There is no way I could have tried everything. There was enough food for everyone and probably like 100 more people after that since I saw that a lot of the restaurants ended up packing up the leftovers. They were giving very generous sample sizes and it was good that it wasn't just left up to people to moderate themselves since I think it would be hard for people to do that. There were so many tasty foods that it would be very hard to list everything. I love spicy and I love seafood so it was great to see such a huge variety that included both. Carribean food delights did not disappoint. The Hilton had some good food as well. Havana Central had some tasty pork with tasty green sauce. I also loved the shrimp with the corn surrounding it. Thank you so much Yelp Queens, Jando, Queens Center for Progress, and Terrace on the Park. read more

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I really had high hopes for this event and for the most part it came through. I definitely was able to eat a ton and try a ton. I think the biggest criticism I have was a lot of the food wasn't from restaurants. I was also hoping for more variety considering this was a taste of Queens. I do appreciate the opportunity to go and I always enjoy Yelp events. I met some new people but I mostly wondered and tried as much food as I could. read more

The venue this event was hosted it is AMAZING. The interior is very nice. The set up for the event was great, the hosts did an wonderful job. The event was hosted by Queens Centers for Progress. The organization strives to support people with developmental disabilities. They had many caters and sponsors for the event. They were giving out awards for people of recognition. All the caterers were very friendly. I tried a myriad of food at the event. Queens is the most diverse county in NYC ans you really got to get A TASTE OF THAT at this event. So many different cultures, so many different foods. There were also charity baskets that were donated from organizations and people bid on the baskets. Support the organization! read more

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There were many vendors. More than 30 vendors. All food was amazing. Good number of people but lines moved fast or there was no line. The scallops that was freshly cooked were my favorite. All restaurants were well known in the queens area. Queens bully, hotels, ole mexican. New York gourmet coffee had my fav caramel salted coffee. New treats like fruit dipped in liquor. Many server to take plates away. Venue is great. Only part confusing was when first entered i wasnt sure if i was going to the right event until i saw Jando because i didnt see any yelp signs and the yelp event page didnt mention another non profit organization was hosting. But the event did say "Evening if fine foods", so i also knew this is the event when i saw this in the events signs. Also, Jando made it easy to find him by staying in the same area and always great to speak with. Overall, my favorite event to date. read more

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Very classy and memorable event! There was plenty of parking spaces and they even offered a shuttle service from the subway station for people who came on the 7 train. All the staff were professional and on point from the moment we arrived, checked in and left our coats at the coat check. The event took the entire ballroom with too many food and drink stations to count. I think I only tried about 40 percent of the food because there were just so many choices. There were multitude of stations that served drinks so I never had to wait more than a few minutes. The food range was all over the spectrum from bbq ribs to octopus to crab cakes to kosher dishes to pasta to American cuisine, etc etc. They had a small casino with 2 black jack tables and a roulette table and was very popular. I was able to get a few hands in towards the end. Everyone got $100 of play money with their ticket. Since we were playing with fake money, the blackjack dealer was very easy going and explained some basic tips to us as the game progressed. She also told some very interesting stories from her experiences being a dealer. This is definately a highlight of all the events I've been to so far. The ballroom and the view was amazing! read more

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My jaw dropped when we got off the elevator and entered into the ballroom! This event was action-packed with casino activities, amazing food from Queens local eateries, and a live band. The event was hosted by Queens Centers for Progress, which is an organization that provides services for children and adults with development disabilities. It was for an amazing cause. I got to try all these wonderful dishes from places in Queens that I didn't even know about! There were different cuisines from all around the world. The Wine Room of Forest Hills had a great selection and very friendly staff. I kept going back for their French Sparkling! Ole Mexican Grille had delicious soft chicken tacos. This was one of my favorite vendors of the night. Queens Bully had a slammin' pulled pork Mac and cheese! The BBQ sauce on the pork was a nice touch! Schmidt's Candy was our last stop for dessert. Everything tasted fresh. My favorite of their assortment was the chocolate covered pretzels. They were simple but amazing! There were tons of other vendors serving up Gyros, Dirty Risotto, Alcohol-Infused fruit and so much more. I feel so lucky to have been a part of such an amazing event last night. I now have a new list of places to visit in Queens because of An Evening of Fine Foods. Thank you so much Jando for putting it together! read more

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A great night of great food for a great cause! I had absolutely no idea what to expect (thanks to Jando's wonderfully cryptic event descriptions), but was blown away! As a venue, Terrace on the Park is beautiful (with a view of the park, duh). And the vendors were plentiful! Got to learn a lot about the Queens Centers for Progress, who do amazing work with persons with developmental disabilities. If you didn't get a chance to buy raffle tickets, then do what I did and just donate directly! https://www.queenscp.org There were so many local food vendors to choose from, but if I had to choose my favorites, I'd go with: Havana Central, London Lennie's, Arepalicious, and Marbella. Some delicious booze as well - Romilly Cidre is going to be my new go-to wherever I hit up Whole Foods! The flavored gin from Whitney Neill was also good. Super big thanks to QCP for extending the invite to us Yelpers, and to Jando for choosing us to attend! read more

I went here on March 3, 2020 as an Elite Yelper for the March 2020 Evening of Fine Food Event. Location: This is off the 7 train, about 10 minutes walk- just look up and walk towards the building you can't miss it. (clue walk the way the street slopes down- its a small non steep hill) They had a shuttle bus for this event that I did not know about until I was already at the event. I tried to go to every stand to taste what they had. I will be honest and say I passed a few of the Italian places because the food looked dry (A__ trattoria- phone auto corrected name so I don't want to besmirch the wrong place) or was mostly pasta. I didn't want to fill up too fast when there was so much to taste. Here is what I did taste of the Italian food: Frank macchio and family- The Stuffed shells would have been worth my while to pass; they were not good and dried out. I know the price of ricotta so it hurt me to toss this after a few bites. Papazzio restaurant- the pasta was not al dente so it hit the mark for me. Linda de Sabato- meatballs were well seasoned and a good portion size. I enjoyed these! Spanish Food: I had some pernil from a place that I did not catch the name for- it was so/so. I expected it to be so flavorful- it was not. It was juicy though! The skin/fat didn't have flavor either so I guess they didn't use much if any seasoning for this event. Marbella- paella was very good. Shrimp very tasty. I wish I had room to go back and eat more! Arepalicious- I was really excited to try this place so it was one of the first stops I made. The arepa was really good! I got the beef. It was nicely seasoned and the arepa wasn't hard which I liked. I should've gone back for the others they were making, but I was too busy trying to hit every place at least once. La fondita - I got the beef which was reddish in color and slightly spicy. This was very good! I love the cut of meat that they used for this dish. I did not have it with rice or tortilla because at this point it was about not filling up on carbs/sides. Other food types: Thai you gourmet- The spring rolls were so/ so. Giving the benefit of the doubt they probably would have been a lot better if they were fresh out the oil. The dumplings were good- nice pork to dumpling ratio. The Sesame ball was delicious!! I wanted to eat more but I was so full! Sheraton LaGuardia- The braised beef and picked vegetables really good. I didn't expect much from it but it was a delightful surprise. Lessings food service- They had a smoked chili cauliflower taco which was really good. I passed it at first but when I had a free hand, I tried it out and was very pleased. Well seasoned- you will not think this is meat but it's good for veggies. Hilton jfk- The shrimp on puff pastry was really good. Bite sized but it packed a punch! The puff pastry was of a excellent caliber and shrimp tasted fresh in a good way- not in an ocean tasting way. Dan and donna's- This stop on the food tour had dirty risotto which was very good. They also included the ingredients which was helpful. Yummy! Kurry qulture- puff with chickpea was really good. The favors jumped out at me and made me want more. However, as I said I had a food mission ahead of me and couldn't have seconds. Kaieteur- Had Dhal Puri roti which in my opinion was substandard. (Note: I did live in Guyana so I have higher standards) Giving them the benefit of the doubt, it might've been better if it was freshly made. Austin steak and ale house- The Pork ribs were okay- just okay. There was a lot more fight that was worth it to get to the meat. Bourbon street- The rice ball was really good. It was surprised I did not expect much from it. The Jambalaya was good and slightly spicy. Someone said it reminded them of Popeye's Dirty rice which you should know is not true. I almost didn't try it based on that misinformation! That person's taste buds are broken. The taste was much better and authentic- also there was sausage in it. (I almost missed out on the sausage!!) Treats: Mums Kitchen- Simply delicious! Everything I tasted was so freaking good! Philly Pretzel Factory Forest Hills- It was much harder than what I expected. Would be better fresh or warmed up. Issa's bakery - Carrot pineapple cake- Issa delicious but too many raisins for me. If you love raisins you will love this. If you do not like raisins you can pick them out and be fine. The mini cake I had was chocolate and super dry. I'm not the biggest frosting fan so maybe that would have helped. I personally think a cake should taste good/be moist without frosting. Drinks: NY gourmet coffee- This has a really good flavor and was piping hot!! It did not have a lot of caffeine because I fell asleep right away when I got home. (I don't drink coffee every day so when I do I expect it to give me a jolt!) Whitley Neill gin- I had a blood orange gin on the rocks. It was delicious l added club soda to it. I'm definitely going to buy this gin read more

Wow is the right word!! Impressed and undressed for this! Haha enjoyed it though! Upon coming in I saw Brooklyn brewery beer and opted for ginger beer (non alcoholic) which was refreshing. I gravitate towards cheese. So naturally I went to the cheese wheel Papazzio had. Their carbonara pasta with dried onions and cheese was so good. I sampled a few smooth choices from Forever Cheese. Their display was great. I tried sampling as much as I could l, but I think in total I got around to 10 vendors while walking around. The other highlights were the pig from Havana Central (soft and well seasoned,) the dirty risotto from Don and Donnas (tasty) and Magnolia Room's jambalaya rice (spicy and savory.) I am grateful to have finally been in Terrance on the Park. Thank you Jando! The fundraiser's purpose to raise money for adults and children with developmental disabilities was also amazing. A YELP event to remember. read more

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I think it's awesome yelp partners for events like this. There was definitely an abundance of food and drink but unfortunately the quality was lacking. There was a few solid bites like the pulled pork, the halal food and the shrimp puff pastry. It was awesome that they had the casino tables to play for fun and it was all for a good cause. Thanks jando and yelp for setting this up for us as in the end we all had a goodnight attending this event. Hope to see you all at the next one. read more

A night to remember indeed! My first event after missing couple. Thanks to Yelp ( and of course Jando ) and the organizers of QCP for letting us be a part of this wonderful evening. The place was packed with people from all walks of life, from business men to kids alike. Most dressed up for the occasion although there were a few who didn't. Food is literally overflowing. You just have to walk around and find which one you really love and once you find it. You can eat to your heart's content. From cheeses to pastries, bratwurst, tacos, leaching., Love Queen 's Bullys shrimp with grits and Hilton's scallop. Not to mention, TD 's apple martini. There were just so many good and drinks to try that time flies so fast Been to this place fir parties and events but this one was HUGE. The organizers did an impressive job in putting it all together. The live band, the silent auction, the raffle and the most exciting part are the blackjack tables. Which we get to enjoy!! On the downside tho, I think the place was poorly lighted. It could use a bit kite light and maybe because there's too much people, the ventilation wasn't that good at all. Was kinda hot. To sum it up. Was able to try new dishes (which I'm pretty sure will visit some of them), made new friends and was able to network. Pretty good way to start. read more

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Phenomenal event hosted by Queens Center for Progress! Honored to be a part of this. Thanks to Yelp & Jando for the awesome event invite, I really enjoyed this event! Great food, drinks & fun for charity. (Roulette was super fun!) This place was full of people and full of a wide variations of food. Beautiful venue @ terrace on the park! Highly recommend!! Check out pictures attached from the event! read more

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Indeed an evening of fine foods, as well as fine venue, music, games all for a great cause to support a community with disabilities. It was my first time to the Terrace at the Park and was delightfully surprised to see how classy the space was. Should have worn my suit. I was directed to check-in, coat check, and escorted up to the Terrace by friendly staff in less than 10 minutes. As I entered the grand hall, I noticed the fundraiser and gambling tables, but my Yelp instinct kicked in and I naturally gravitated to the food. There were dozens of food vendors with samples of food of all different cuisines, and plenty to go around. A fabulous event! Thanks to Jando and the team for the invite! read more

Queens Centers for Progress - Festivals Near Me - Corona, New York

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Simply wow! All you can eat, wide variety, plenty of drinks, loads of fun!! The cause was wonderful as well! All to support Queens Centers for Progress, an organization built to support people with disabilities and their families. It was a fabulous time and worth donating too!! Thank you Yelp for supporting them and giving the opportunity for people to experience this! read more