Is the new Pizza and Beer. Sometimes tasty surprises come at the most unexpected times, which is why they are called tasty surprises. I’m in the process of writing about yet another “one of those meals” I had the other day but I’m just running out of time, so instead I decided to write about my day today so far (Yeepee, how exciting! I know, right?)
Monthly Archives: August 2014
Chicken and Wine
Ivan the Formidable
September 22nd, 2017 Update:
I dont usually update a place this soon, but this is kinda important after yet another fine meal at Ivan Ramen LES. Weather is getting chillier (or seemed to be a few weeks ago at least), and I cant think of a better way to start Ramen season. The Chicken Paitan at Ivan is not the Ramen dish that made Ivan famous, but to me it’s right up there with NYC’s best at the moment. As I described 6 months ago when it came out, “the richness and deliciousness of a Tonkotsu without the heaviness”.
A corn on a cob dish always gets my attention, and this one proved to be a wowzer. Its Miso roasted with bonito flakes and some sort of Japanese magic dust sprinkled. The fried chicken, brined perhaps, is another exceptional one. The Coney Island Tofu with that miso mushroom chili has made it’s triumphant return to the menu. Magnifique as always. As is the Triple pork, triple garlic Mazemen (brothless ramen) which has been on the menu since day 1 but somehow eluded me all this time. Being featured on Netflix’s Chef’s Table hasnt made it easy, but reservations are doable. Go!
March 5th, 2017 Update:
All sorts of major developments with the Ivan. The Ramen Junkie keeps reinventing himself, and has even given us some bedtime entertainment. Yes, Ivan Orkin is featured in the latest season of Netflix’s highly acclaimed Chef’s Table which I highly recommend. Its refreshing to see someone on the show who you actually know and talk to from time to time. Naturally the show helped revive his Lower East Side flagship in a big way. And so if you havent been in a while, or never, prepare for a possible 2 hour shock on some evenings. Yesterday I heard quotes ranging from 1 to 3 hours, albeit on a Saturday night.
Coincidentally, or not, the menus in both NYC spots have gotten a facelift as of late. At the Slurp Shop however, at the moment looks more like a botched botox job. The great Donburis (rice dishes including top) are long gone, and the sick Breakfast Ramen, changed to Breakfast All Day Ramen after they figured why not, is now gone too. It cameod for a while last month only to see the same results. Why is no one eating the good stuff. Lack of appreciation, or people simply want the goods that made the man famous. I say its the name of the dish. Give it a cute Japanese name like Mocu Mocu and people will drive in forces. Oh wait, they tried it already. With that said, knowing these guys, another homerun is probably on its way.
But at the flagship, things are looking mighty fine these days. I cant get on Instagram without seeing Ivan tease a new dish that looks infinitely better than what I’m eating (I’m looking at you quinoa). Something like the brilliant briny Trumpet Mushrooms sliced like noodles, and served cold that I enjoyed last night. This was a tip I got an hour earlier by the sous chef at Slurp Shop during yesterday’s Hell’s Kitchen tour (there he goes again with the shameless plugs). Another new potential hit is the Dan Dan Noodles smothered with chili infused ground lamb. It is probably the spiciest Dan Dan and one of the spiciest noodle dishes I ever had. By the end I was waving a white flag which turned red by then. It is purposefully dry and while delicious, I was longing for something wet to counter the heat. But the most interesting newcomer is probably the dish I had on a previous night. A bright and gorgeous Chicken Paitan with minced chicken and egg yolk. It has all the richness and deliciousness of a Tonkotsu without the heaviness. Its just like your moms chicken soup! If mom went to culinary school for 10 years, moved to Japan and married the most famous Ramen maker in Tokyo that is.
August 24, 2014 Post:
We all heard the story before hundreds of times. A Jew from Long Island moves to Japan to teach English, moves back to the states, attends The Culinary Institute of America, leaves his heart in Japan so comes back to Tokyo, gets bored out of his mind and learns how to cook Ramen (just about the last thing that crosses my mind when I’m bored). So he opens the first restaurant in Tokyo, finds success and opens another… moves back to NYC to open the Slurp Shop at Gotham West market and the flagship Ivan Ramen in East Village. 10 months later, over a dozen visits to the Slurp Shop and over a dozen whitefish Donburis, two visits to the new joint in East Village, and needless to say… Ziggy is a fan of the Ivan.
The Slurp Shop
I’ve already written extensively about Hell’s Kitchen’s main attraction these days, Gotham West Market, the home of the first Ivan outpost. The Slurp Shop is normally the last stop of my monthly food crawls. Problem is by the time we get here more often than not, tummy is already full. The menu settled down over the year and features some unique staples like…
Slow-Cooked Pork Donburi – Another fun rice concoction with super tender pork shoulder, scallion, salted plum wasabi, and chunky roasted tomatoes proving nice balance and much needed acidity.
Roasted Garlic Mazemen – I must admit the Mazemen here is more exciting to me than the traditional Ramen. Mazemen is almost brothless ramen, but packs in more flavor and intensity. This one comes with Nori, dashi, chicken broth, pork belly chashu, and the same rye noodle as the traditional ramen. Garlic lovers especially may find this dish quite formidable. Yes, I’m officially adding formidable to my vocabulary.
Ramen – I cant find any pictures of any of the Ramen I tried here. Most likely due to the way I attack them once I see them. I believe I tried all of them except the vegetarian one and all are quite good in their own way. The Tokyo classics Shio and Shoyu are cleaner and purer than most of the modern Ramens out there.
Whitefish Donburi – Perhaps my favorite dish in GWM but admittedly not for everyone (what is really). White rice mixed with sweet soy dashi and topped with cucumber, scallion, salmon roe, and beautiful smoked whitefish. Jewish heritage meets Japanese school girl. Or something like that
Ivan Ramen
Lower East Side is the new East Village. I can spend a year here and eat something delicious and different every day. The new Ivan Ramen flagship complicates things even further for those locals that cant decide whether they are in the mood for Burritos, Ribs, Ramen or Israeli Scotch Eggs. This is more of a sit down than the Slurp Shop, which basically means slurping isnt as encouraged here. And the menu is quite different and fuller…
Pickled Daikon – shaved daikon (the radish white milder shy cousine), dried shrimp, scallop chili oil. I expected fishier flavors from the shrimp but it was more reminiscent texture wise of the most freakish tasting bread crumbs ever. Get this!
Chinese Broccoli & Garlic – Another cold winner. You taste the Broccoli with that sweet garlic soy sauce and go “well this is nice..”, but then you taste the pickled garlic and the world suddenly beginning to makes sense again
Pork Meatballs – Its texturally impossible to come up with more tender balls. Garnished with bonito flakes, buttermilk dressing, and Japans official unofficial sauce, Bulldog brown sauce. Marvelous dish! And no, I’m not adding “texturally” to my vocabulary because its not a real word
Tofu Coney Island – A playful and enjoyable take on the Nathan Hotdog. Fried tofu topped with miso mushroom chili, mustard, and scallion. Enjoyed this one
Tourist in My Own Town – Day 4
Partially thanks to the new view, I slept like a baby. I woke up every 3 hours needed to be fed and changed. I’m attaching a picture of the “Courtyard View” which I requested over the street view we got last week. We checked out after playing a game we invented called “I spy a courtyard” (I won!) and off we went to Everyman Espresso for another fantastic latte.
We are walkers, especially in the morning, and on this morning we decided to walk all the way to Battery Park passing approx 17 neighborhoods on the way give or take. East Village, West Village, South Village, Greenwich Village, Nolita, South East Village, Chinatown, Soho, you get the picture. Free tip for men: The best time to walk through Soho is Sunday morning where its nice and quiet, and all the stores are closed!
We reach the Irish Hunger Memorial, dedicated to the million Irish killed in the great potato famine around 1850. The great hunger led to millions fleeing to NYC, New Orleans, Australia and the relocation greatly shaped many NYC neighborhoods especially Hell’s Kitchen. Its a memorial, not a museum, so there’s not a whole lot to see, but its fairly unique. Large stones were brought in from the different Irish counties to represent them, and other stones were brought in to replicate a typical 1850 Irish cottage.
The transformation from the hustle and bustle of the city to Battery Park is akin to travelling from Milan to a small unassuming Italian Village with fewer cars, tourists, and more families. We walked by the water toward our main destination of the day passing unique playgrounds, nice looking lawns with stunning settings, beach volleyball, and skateboard courts. Kids here have it all. When I was a kid, all I had was a tiny toy soldier, and a pack of cigarettes (I started smoking at 5, quit when 6, true story). The Times They Are a-Changin’.
It may sound strange to new readers, but perfectly fine to the rest, that I built the entire day around a Lobster Roll. Well, not just a Lobster Roll. The Grand Banks is a Schooner (a ship for the German readers) that is parked off Pier 25 and offers one of the best lobster rolls in town until November when they go south. The roll is done Maine style which means cold, and I’m not the biggest fan of Maine style rolls unless they are done right using the meatiest parts of the lobster. This one features plenty of Maine claw meat with tarragon mayonnaise, cucumbers and worth every penny of the $25. Fries would have been nice but the potato chips are spiced so very nicely. “Is Very Nice!” Borat would have said. The boat rocks by the way. I mean literally. At some point after a few beers, the thought of pirates came creeping in. The Somali type!
We then picked up CitiBikes and rode Hudson River Park a bit toward Chelsea and the Highline. By this point Mrs Z is like a pro, utilizing all her fingers and command of the language. I’m very lucky to have her. The Highline on a Sunday afternoon is Meshugenah! Crazy busy. At some point we were stuck behind a family of 4, a rooster, and a pair of parakeets. It was a zoo!
Real tourists, you are standing on the wrong line. Instead of tacos, you need to stand for the greatest Brisket in the tri-state area, Delaney’s Brisket. It was comical to see no line to this while a long line for the tacos. A trip to Briskettown the flagship in Williamsburg may also be necessary if you are a brisket fan. I once drove for takeout with the Hummus Whisperer to bring back to Staten Island. Also right next to Delaney is great gelato from L’Arte del Gelato and not too far, north is a La Newyorkina stand offering artisanal ice pops. Don’t discount those stands, as this is great stuff folks.
We shared the brisket sandwich, with the 2 great sides, and off we went to the subway to catch the L to cross East to 1st Ave. We then picked up the bikes again and rode them all the way to 60th, and I must say once again, if Mrs Z can do this, so can anyone. And besides, 1st and 2nd avenues are great for bikers and very Obamacare friendly since all the hospitals are right there.
We took the Roosevelt tram to Roosevelt Island. I was there a few weeks ago for the first time and this time came back with Mrs Z for her first time. Again, I went the south route to the new FDR memorial park via the only ruins in the city of New York (Smallpox hospital). FDR has a special meaning for us since we met in FDR high school in Brooklyn (awwwwe!). Cant say enough about New York parks these days
I picked dinner close to the tram and for me it was a no brainer especially after the movie the day before, Moti Mahal Delux. Locals and most visitors may not realize that this is actually part of a world wide empire chain, originating in India. While menu wise it didn’t feel as sexy as a Kokum, Chote Nawab, and some other we’ve visited over the years, this was a solid North Indian fare.
Evening time, we realize we have kids, they are coming tomorrow, and fridge is empty. Back to Union Square and Whole Foods. But right before, we found ourselves singing and dancing with Israel supporters at Union Square Park, which over time became a center for political rallies.
After Whole Foods we loaded the car next to Liquiteria, a new location right in front of the Hyatt which I only noticed on Day 3. Got my favorite juice the Grasshopper, and back home to Staten Island.
And thats all she wrote folks. Now if someone volunteers to take my kids to Aruba (or Turks and Caicos) next year again, I would write another NYC Trip Report. But, until then…Ciao baby!
Coming up…
We just finished our great Stay-cation. For those checking in looking for the rest of the reports…
Day 3 – Tuesday
Day 4 – Thursday
Incredible time, and more incredible food on those 2 days…
Tourist in My Own Town – Day 2
******* YOU MUST BE 18 YEARS OLD TO READ THIS *********
WordPress issues last night published this thing prematurely
Day 1 can be found here. Day 2 was interesting to say the least.
There’s something about spending the evening in NYC while knowing you don’t have to drive home soon. Although my favorite part is waking up in the big city. There’s this level of serenity, like the great calm after the storm. Beautiful young drunk boys and girls are coming home after their one night stands, one reminder after another that you went to sleep way too early last night, and you are just old. People talking to themselves without ear pieces, is another early morning phenomenon.
The best advice I can give a real tourist (as oppose to the fakes like me) is to skip the hotel breakfast option. Come out, explore, follow your nose to the nearest bakery, coffee shop, etc. A Frenchman walks into a bar with a toad on his head. The bartender asks “where the hell did you get this”, the toad replies “In France, they got a million of those” So is coffee shops in NYC these days, and bagels everywhere you turn. Squirrel seekers can even find a plethora of flat whites all over town these days. Instead of sharing a hotel dining room with sandal and socks wearing tourists, come out and eat where the locals eat, and meet some of them. Like Everyman Espresso around the corner from the Hyatt Union Square. Voted by the Daily Meal as one of the best coffee in America, where we enjoyed some fine latte and flavored muffins. A light little breakfast, to save room for a great lunch and dinner, is the way to go in NYC
We then checked out of the hotel and started walking toward our next destination, the one that crashed Trip Advisor. A trip without walking through Madison Square Park is a like a trip without sunshine. Its not only the squirrel capital of the world and the place to see unique art installations, but this is also the place where magic happens… Shake Shack. Well, the original one at least. Shake shack employees and a few squirrels joined together for a pre-opening meeting this fine morning. It occurred to me how large this SS operation really is.
Whenever we look for parking in that area with the kids, somehow, for some bizarre Freudian reason we find a spot right by the Museum of Sex. The kids are too shy and embarrassed to ask any questions about this, and we are too embarrassed and lazy to explain. Since wifey and I are now kidless we decided to pop in. Would you believe it if I told you that this was not only fun and unique, but educational? You got an interesting exhibit dedicated to Linda Lovelace. Funland, a playground for adults that features a new spin on Kentucky Derby horse racing, Grope Mountain climbing!, and a bouncy house where you are surrounded by inflatable fake breasts, some of which were more wrinkly than others I noticed! And who witnessed a German tourist breast suddenly pop out while bouncing? This guy! The educational part: Animals and sex. Very interesting facts and tales like about ducks raping other ducks after chasing and killing them. Another floor offers extremely interesting displays that I can not possiby describe here, and the first floor is a store offering among other things, new pasta shapes I havent seen yet. A new meaning to Al Dente (firm… get it?)
We proceeded to walk toward our first culinary highlight of the day, but first we pass Eisenberg’s Sandwich Shop and it occurred to me.. I havent been here in 13 years since I worked at Forbes.com around the corner. That brought back memories. “Just browsing” I told the clerk, as I had brunch plans. This is not the place for browsing. You attack this thing with full force.
Add the burger at The Gander to the list of NYC growing must eat burgers. This beauty is priced well at $16, available for lunch/brunch only. 28 day dry-aged beef, cheddar – adding anything else to it except for the bone marrow mayo that comes on the side would be criminal. Juiciness level I haven’t experienced since college! Confit Duck Hash, Poached Duck Egg, Port Béarnaise, Duck Chicharrónes was very good, while could have used some acidity in the form of roasted tomatoes or something, but enjoyable nonetheless. Good drinks, great service, nice looking rooms (got filled up a few minutes after the picture was taken). Will be back for more at this 2 month old for sure
We then took a walk along 6th ave toward midtown to witness one of our great holiday celebrations… The Dominican Day Parade (special thanks to TER and ZTAKS from Trip Advisor for this suffering ;)) It was actually quite fun though a tad too crowded. We overheard one visitor ask a police officer if this was the American Independence Day parade.
A mistake on my part. Plan at this point was to walk all the way west to 12th ave, Hudson River. The 20 minute walk turned to be challenging due to the heat. And on top of that, the Citibikes in that station (12th and 40th) had problems with credit cards and 24 hour passes. I have an annual pass but Mrs Z doesn’t.
We managed to get bikes a block away and Mrs Z managed quite fine for her first bike ride in the city without any incidents. I chose the Hudson River Park as its flat, carless, and quite Obama-care friendly. We then parked the bikes in West Village and took advantage of the green space on that end of Hudson River Park, one of my favorite parks in the city overlooking the Hudson and Jersey City. Manhattan has pretty cool parks these days, something I wasnt able to say 10 years ago. We then walked all over West Village all the way to the hotel crossing the always vibrant Washington Square Park yet again
Although we already checked out of the hotel, we were able to use the facilities to make ourselves pretty, or make Mrs Z pretty for our dinner at Ma Peche with friends from Brooklyn. Cant say enough about this place, their new cart service, the fried chicken, and those addictively sick rice cakes (Korean gnocchi on crack) I constantly dream about. Highly recommend Ma Peche. Try the Seven Spice Sour cocktail if you go
We capped off the night at one of my favorite bars in town, the rooftop at Ink48. Glorious moon, glorious views, and another glorious day in the city I call home!
Tourist in My Own Town – Day 1
There’s very little doubt as to what is my 12 year old’s favorite store in the entire world. M&M’s World. Whenever we enter the store, her eyes bulge, and she’s not sure what area to hit first. She’s like a kid in a candy store! In a way, I felt similar symptoms when I found myself kidless for 9 days for the first time in 14 years. There’s only one thing I love more than exploring NYC with my beautiful daughters.. exploring without them. Although I normally feel free to eat wherever I want, this is a brand new level of culinary freedom, with endless wants and possibilities. Instead of skipping town, Mrs Z and I decided to stay put and play tourists. We wanted the real Australian tourist experience which includes staying in a trendy hotel, complaining about hotel A/C noise, and taking pictures of squirrels. Day 1 out of 4…
*****Mostly iPhone pictures on day 1 as I wasn’t planning to do this post. I don’t want you to think that I’m a terrible photographer. I am, but I don’t want YOU to think that.
My weakened eating adventure started the day before where I enjoyed a Don Antonio Diavolo pie and a shared this pizza Fritta, a giant fried calzone stuffed with mozzarella, tomatoes and salami. Don Antonio to me is the closest to eating pizza in Italy due to the style, ingredient quality, and female employees speaking with Italian accents
I work in Hell’s Kitchen, and ‘Disiac lounge off 54th and 9th is the place my coworkers frequent the most. I’ve seen the bar much more livelier than on this Saturday afternoon, but we did discover something important about us. We don’t like CAIPIRINNA, the Brazilian national drink. Getting mrs Z drunk – Failed! We did enjoy however in this Israeli owned bar, a falafel platter, with hummus, babaganoush, grilled pitas, and fine red Yemeni S’chug. My favorite Hummus in the area is still at Gazala’s however.
My hotel of choice was the Hyatt Union Square, a stylish boutique with ultra modern rooms (the ones where you can see yourself shower), comfy bed and pillows, a magazine rack in the bathroom with magazine! (for those not willing to spend extra for wifi!), valet parking (if it costs $65 is that still considered an amenity), and perhaps my favorite amenity in any hotel.. A Flat Screen TV! If there’s a flat screen TV in every single hotel in the world, is it still considered an amenity? Why not list “Bed” as well? But in all seriousness, this was a fine stay that would have been finer if they hadn’t put us next to the elevator.
We’ve been to Washington Square Park before many times, but never experienced it quite like this time. A giant Star Wars flash mob cock fight. It was quite a scene. We didnt stay late enough but at some point we were told that they got divided into groups to fight each other to the death. Or until their little Jedi swords broke, whichever came sooner. There were also the usual park musicians and art like sand displays, and a fake birds eating fake pizza showing.
We capped off the night at Casa Mono, one of the premier tapas joints in town. All 6 dishes including one dessert were quite good. I especially liked the duck egg with potatoes, Mojama and some ultra perfumy summer black truffles. The calamari like Razor clams were slightly overdone though still quite enjoyable. Nice skirt steak with Romesco, reminiscent of the Gato scrambled egg. Goat confit was expertly prepared with avocado purée. I can’t get enough goat lately. Perhaps my favorite dish however was the Fideo with chorizo and clams. I don’t understand why I so rarely see fideo on menus. The one big issue I had was the frequency of the dishes coming out. Started with two right away, and the next 3 came in at the same time pretty much. In a place like this where sharing is key you would think they would get it by now
A nice walk back to the hotel included a visit to Union Square Park where I saw the the youngest street performer I’ve ever seen (5 maybe?) among a group of many other dancers. Day 2 coming up! Any comments? Question? threats?
RIP Robin
I know some readers are checking in looking for our NYC stay-cation trip report, and I will try to write something in the coming days. I’m just not in the mood to do any sort of blogging at the moment after learning about the passing of Robin Williams. I thought it was a hoax at first due to the magnitude of the news. I once booked a trip to Vegas just to see him perform, and I cant think of anyone else who would make me do something like that. Simply put, a natural funny man genius. Depression is a real thing. And its ironic that someone who brought so much joy to so many people was battling depression for a long time. He will be greatly missed.