Verse Cafe in Astoria is a good place to tell your matcha friend about. You know the one—that sort of irritating person who jokes about bringing an extra suitcase for matcha whenever they travel to Japan, even though they aren’t joking. They'll love it here because the neighborhood cafe's iced matcha einspänner is the star, the thing that rightly gets people in the door to linger at tables and slowly snack on egg sandos in the name of "getting work done." Come Friday through Sunday though, Verse transforms into a livelier cafe with weekend-only food that punches well above its weight. Chirashi bowls are piled high with tuna, toro, scallop, and uni, handrolls work as great little snacks, and the smoked salmon toast comes with a bowl of stracciatella for the dunking. These items can take a bit to come out. So grab a seat at the counter (the tableside window area is usually packed) and practice some patience. You could always text the matcha person about their silly little suitcase idea while you wait.