On Saturday morning, I had an appointment in Astoria, so we decided to try some place in the neighborhood for brunch. We scoured Yelp, looking for a suitable restaurant to serve our needs. Sanfords received rave reviews about their brunch, so we decided to give it a go. The moral of this story will be: Do not trust Yelp. (How many times do I have to say this?)

Located on Broadway by the subway station, Sanfords is essentially a glorified diner. They may have nicer menus and better furniture than diners typically have, but don’t be fooled by the aesthetics. The sprawling menu lists dishes such as croque madame, frittatas, omelettes, peanut butter pancakes and a handful of lunch items, including wraps and a burger. (Their menu is not on their website, which ticked me off before we even got to the place.)

They offer a prix fixe brunch deal for $14, which includes an alcoholic beverage (i.e. a bellini) and a coffee or tea, as well as a brunch entree. MDP and I both ordered mimosas and coffees, and MDP had a strong, negative reaction to the coffee. I thought it was okay, but it could have been the Splenda masking the poor quality of the coffee itself.

Our entrees arrived soon after we placed the order, and MDP was dismayed to find his croque madame sitting singularly on the plate. No fries, no salad. Nothing to accompany it. The sandwich also lacked the signature bechemel sauce, which is something even I know belongs on the croque madame, and my personal specialty is Italian food. He finished it, but he didn’t look happy.

My zucchini, tomato, ricotta and pesto frittata was served to me in a mini cast iron pan with cold home fries and toast on the side. The frittata was dry and had way too many competing flavors in it to be enjoyable. The pesto vied for my taste buds’ attention, while the smooth ricotta dollops dominated my sensory experience. The best thing about the meal was the toast, I swear.

I wouldn’t recommend Sanfords. MDP said, “If this place was in our neighborhood, maybe we’d go here.” And I stopped him. No, we wouldn’t. We have far better “diners” in Sunnyside.

Don’t listen to Yelp. Sanfords is not good. I wouldn’t even suggest going there and getting something that we didn’t order, just to see if it’s up to snuff. Try the Neptune Diner instead. At least Neptune owns up to its diner status.

And I don’t have any pictures of the crappy food because they sat us in the middle of the restaurant where there wasn’t much natural or ambient light.

Sanfords

30-13 Broadway

Astoria, New York

Take the N/Q to Broadway.