Can't Miss Food In Long Island City | New York City

Perpetually talked about as "the next big neighborhood," Long Island City, aka LIC, isn't waiting around for anyone.

The area is buzzing with a stream of openings and those still-fabulous waterside views, so why wait to visit? Here's a cheat sheet for the ideal LIC trip.

Shop: The staff at Hunter's Point Wine and Spirits will have you wondering where they've been all your wine-buying life. Warm, friendly and personal, they'll steer you toward everyday best bets such as 2006 Bio-Weingut H. u. M. Hofer Auersthal Grüner Veltliner Qualitätswein Trocken ($15) packed in a chubby 1-liter bottle and topped with a beer cap. Bonus: The store holds free and welcoming tastings every Thursday and Friday from 6 to 8 p.m.

Snack: The traditional Hungarian Transylvanian Chimney Cake at this new eponymously named one-trick bakery is intoxicating. Yeasted dough ($4) is roped around a wooden cylinder, rolled in sugar and then slowly baked in a tabletop oven. Best when warm, the caramelized dough unfurls in a continuous ribbon until there's no pastry left.

Dinner: Settle into a gently curved melon-colored booths at the just-opened Alobar. Neighbors are already swarming for dark pints of Long Ireland Breakfast Stout on tap ($7), smoked-trout salad tossed in bacon vinaigrette ($15) and heaps of celery gnocchi weighted with braised octopus and oxtail ($23).