Full story on the still work in progress hottest, most talked about tour site in town. As in “Hey, did you hear about Ziggy’s new web site?” “Yes I did, I heard its still a work in progress”, “Yeah, but it looks so clean and neat”, “Yah?”, “Yah!!”
Author Archives: Ziggy
The Case for Private
Categories: New York City
Tags: Food Tours, NYC Food Tours, NYC Private Guide, Private Guide, Travel, walking tours
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Mission Chinese 2.0: Possible
December 20th Update:
Mission Chinese Food continues to tickle and tackle my taste buds. But at the same time its becoming more and more apparent that not all dishes work for everyone, and my ability to properly select from this menu is shaky at best. It almost seems like its strength and claim to fame, the ultra fiery stuff, is also its weakness. People either love the numbing heat or hate it, while the hate is strong enough to keep its Yelp score shockingly low for a place with such profile. But even much of the love.. “The wings were KILLA, but I couldnt finish more than 3” is questionable. In a normal world, you dont recommend a dish you personally gave up after eating laboring a quarter of it.
To me the strength lies in the more subdued plates. Like the Green Tea Noodles, and the simple but proper fried chicken. A less subdued solid discovery…
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Categories: New York City
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American Cut Burger Bar – NYC’s Best Kept Lunch Secret?
Bloggers who lunch. Doesnt quite have the same ring to it, but holds much truth. Bloggers love to eat, and unlike many others respect and value each lunch like their life dependent on it. There’s nothing more disappointing than a lunch fail, or checking the hours of a hot tip only to discover they open at 6 pm. Well, I guess I can think of a few things more disappointing (current Walking Dead season feels like the writers got replaced with real zombies) but you understand what I mean. Talking to some restaurant owners lately, like Bruno Pizza, you get a sense that they would really love to open for lunch but just dont have the talent to do so. Not to mention the slower lunch demand in residential neighborhoods like East Village and Hell’s Kitchen.
Even Yelp is confused on how to handle the current hours of Z-List noob American Cut, as its listing the restaurant, not the bar. But the “Burger Bar” is open in Tribeca and it might be NYC’s biggest lunch secret. You see for a while fellow Anguilla lover Marc Forgione and American Cut offered limited burgers at the bar. They would send a tweet each day at 4:20 to announce how many burgers were available. As a result, people started missing parole interviews and would forget to pick up their kids from daycare, in order to get a crack at the burger. After day care owners complained, and local senior citizens petitioned that they cant get there fast enough, American Cut decided to convert its bar into a Burger Bar with its own dedicated menu a la a less fancy NoMad Bar.
And as you can imagine, burgers dominate much of the menu. There’s a burger of the day, a “competition” shake shack like sounding burger (perhaps thats why its called competition), and a full 8 oz American Cut Burger. Gotta start this new relationship with the namesake, which is a proper steakhouse burger. A perfectly cooked medium rare patty of brisket, short rib and dry aged rib eye, with bourbon onions and beer cheese. Beer cheese! A common thing if you are from Wisconsin, but not so much in NYC. Some will scold at the idea, but if the option is there to add egg, I do it even on premium beef. This burger ranks high up there with the best of them.
And then there’s the MFC, Marc Forgione’s Chicken which I had on another day. Possibly the most outrageous fried chicken sandwich in a city suddenly filled with outrageous fried chickens. Buttermilk/Tobasco marinaded, sprinkled with a special spice blend from the spice master Lior Lev Sercarz, and coated with Chili peppercorn honey which you get more on the side. The chicken lies between two house made everything Biscuits lightly smothered with their own ranch, and pickles. It all somehow works nicely, with the juicy tender crispy chicken leading the way. Only caveat is that the sandwich is a little large and to eat it can be a little laborious. But the way I see it, to fully enjoy a Marc Forgione’s Chicken, you need to work it my friend! Ok ok, sounded funnier in my head
Another little issue with both the chicken and the burger is that the slaw you get on the side is a little too oniony (and i love oniony). And the fries the second time around were overcooked, otherwise they can be solid. Go!
American Cut Burger Bar
363 Greenwich St (Franklin/Harrison), Tribeca
Rating: Two Z’s (out of 4)
Stars range from Good to Exceptional. Simple as that
Categories: New York City, TriBeCa
Tags: American Cut, American Cut Burger Bar, Best Burgers in Tribeca, Burgers, food, restaurants, Travel
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Eating in Prague
Praha, what took you so long. Such beauty, such history, such personality, such food? Yes, apparently! The popular notion that its not especially known for its food scene may have something to do with our hesitation all those years. Conclusion after three days: Color me surprised, and impressed, and.. a little heavier full. There were beer gardens, bistros, and even street vendors, all cooking with high degree of skill. Some meals were better than others (hint: pay special attention to the last three) but overall we did not have a bad one, a rarity during our travels. Every meal offered something. Whether it was the food, the 
beverages, the location, or in some cases all of the above. And yes, there was plenty of pork, there was plenty of beer, and there was even plenty of pork swimming in beer.
At Provaznicewe learned about what happens to cheating Real Housewives of Praha. Nothing better than a nice meal with a life lesson…
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Categories: Austria/Czech Republic
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FOB – You Had Me at Halo Halo
July 4, 2017 Update:
How is this place not packed every night. Yet another great feast at FOB, this time with the family. The chicken wings, overnight Chicken Adobo (with coconut milk this time), Fish Inihaw are absolute musts. But there are a few other potential gems on the menu we didnt get to sample yet. The type of neighborhood place every neighborhood should have. But dont take it too literally chef Armando. I like you in just that one place
December 9, 2016 Post:
If you close one eye and both ears, Brooklyn’s Smith Street during the holidays feels like a small town Main Street. Xmas tree vendors hugging corners. Colorful shops, bars, restaurants getting dressed for the holidays. You can almost hear George Michael’s Last Christmas before the moment interrupted by a commuter. A commuter who believes if he beeps long enough, Santa will come down to part the sea, before heading for some Sisig and a beer.
Homey Filipino F.O.B. is the latest to join the happy Smith Street Mishpucha. And by the look of the Xmas tree dominated glassy front, it’s playing the part. When you sit down, you immediately get the sense that if you drop your napkin, you may just have to pick it up yourself. And that any service mishaps will be treated just like you would at a diner (Though some Yelpers clearly had other expectations from a two week old establishment). The room is simply decorated, and the lighting is an Instagrammer wet dream. In other words, my type of place.
But I didnt come here for the tree, nor the home away from home family atmosphere. I came for what looked and sounded like a promising menu by a Daniel alum, a menu that is lacking in that part of Brooklyn. My extent of the cuisine stretches from visits to Lumpia Shack in West Village and recent visits to Maharlika in East Village where the Sisig became my go to dish. The Sisig at FOB (which of course means Fresh off the {Ikea} Boat. Thats the closest boat to the establishment I can think of) didnt sound too promising to my dining partner so we left it for another day. Oh and did I mention that this meal was one of the best meals I’ve had in 2016? Perhaps it would have been fair to start with that comment before losing 65% of my audience.
Corn Bibingka – A Fine semi-sweet Starter. Rice cake with a nice layer of coconut butter that tastes like cornbread. Reminded me of some Sweet Thai desserts like in Pure Thai Cookhouse, also cooked in Banana leaf.
Spicy Chicken Langkawas – These were quite good. The wings are grilled, so not much of a crunch in the skin. But the flavor is there thanks to the wonderful thick salsa of chilies, lime, and coconut milk. The waiter learned the hard way that any sauce left on the plate is as if any chicken left.
Peel & Eat 7-up Shrimp – The most enticing app was the most disappointing. Some of the shrimp were limp and the sauce just didnt offer much. I was hoping based on pictures for something closer to New Orleans style buttery BBQ shrimp
Fish Inihaw – A strong candidate for dish of the night. Delicately cooked Flounder (fish varies based on market freshness) topped with an extremely complimentary salsa. Better than a similar fish nearby at one Michelin La Vara.
Overnight Chicken Adobo – This was surprisingly excellent (explanation to follow). Two perfectly sized moist and deeply flavorful pieces (half a bird). There’s another chicken on the menu that is “moms” chicken while this Abobo is “pops”. The difference if I understand correctly is that pop doesnt like coconut, so its essentially the same thing without the coconut. Instincts suggest going with mom, but the Adobo is getting a little buzz, coupled with the fact that Mrs Z face turns into Robert de Niro when she tastes coconut (Its quite a funny sight) means we are getting the Adobo.
Sides of Garlic rice and green beans & Longanisa were fine. Especially the Longanisa sausage which was like a delicious tease they can easily make an app from. Better than the Longanisa at Maharlika which is a little too sweet for my buds.
Dessert – The traditional Filipino Halo Halo is bucket list worthy. Not because its so amazing, but because its so different than anything out there. After many attempts at Lumpia Shack where it takes the winter off, this was actually my very first. While it didnt exactly knock my sucks off, I can see myself ordering it again. The flan with caramel sauce on the other hand became boring after a few spoons. Still, a solid 3 Z’s meal in Brooklyn.
FOB
271 Smith St (Degraw/Sackett), Brooklyn
Rating: Three Z’s (out of 4)
Stars range from Good to Exceptional. Simple as that
Recommended Dishes: Corn Bibingka, Chicken Langkawas, Fish Inihaw, Overnight Chicken Adobo, Halo Halo, beans & Longanisa
Categories: Brooklyn, New York City
Tags: Carrol Gardens Restaurants, Filipino Food NYC, FOB, FOB Brooklyn, food, restaurant, Travel
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Introducing EWZ Tours
Some tours developments for ya…
We have a name, a website, and the least attractive attractions on TripAdvisor (meaning the guide, not the experience)
The three tours are shaping up quite nicely. I’ve made some changes to all three already and quite satisfied with all the routes. I’m fairly booked for the holiday season, but not so much after January 3rd. Yes, I’m doing the walking tours throughout the winter
I think the most painful part of this whole process was coming up with the name. Eating With Ziggy Tours ultimately beat Angry Panda, Touring With Ziggy, and Hungry Penguin. I was all set on the last one, but no one liked it. Touring With Ziggy was the natural progression, but then the expectations of Drinking With Ziggy, and Sleeping with Ziggy would follow. I would have already gotten a review on the last one, and I’m afraid it’s not good
It took about 6 weeks but we are finally on Trip Advisor, and Facebook. On Instagram which I finally joined in the summer, I’m “EatingWithZiggy”, and on Twitter I’m still good ol’ Ziggy601
In order to get on TA, I had to quickly create a dedicated site which I’m still working on https://eatingwithziggytours.com/
Categories: Brooklyn, East Village, Midtown West, New York City
Tags: Food Tours, NYC Food Tours, NYC Walking Tours, Tours, Travel
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15 Best Things We Ate in Sicily
16 days in Sicily in July means you are still writing about it in November. Couple that with a trip to Montreal and you essentially got The Summer of Ziggy! It’s the kind of trip I dont believe I can mimic anytime soon, but you the reader can! These 15 items alone should give you plenty of ideas if you researching but I strongly recommend checking out the rest of the Sicily Page. I can easily spend another 3 months writing about this, but wife now wants me to concentrate on Croatia. She’s just a tiny bit spoiled eager. So, pull up our trip theme song one last time, and lets get lost together…
Octopus Carpaccio at L’Arco Dei Cappuccini (Taormina)
Yet another sharp reminder kids. Leave the center, and wonderful things start coming your way. I’m talking unicorns, and puppies, and Octopuses. In this case you need to leave the gates entirely, but not venture too far. Now I’ve had Octopus Carpaccio before, but never quite like this one. They press octopus into this huge cube, smoke it and slice it into thin, silky smooth, Mortadella like slices. Phenomenal starter in our fave in Taormina
Gelsi Neri Granita at La Dolceria (Giardini Naxos)
Davide our trusted host at Agon, and our Etna guide hooked us up with this bakery when I told him about my quest for a good Gelsi Neri Granita (red mulberry ). This turned out to be the best of the trip which included the famed Cafe Sicilia in Noto. This is also the place Davide gets his outstanding breakfast pastries, like the pistachio cream and ricotta croissants. To understand the kind of passion, one needs to meet the baker. After taking some Italian courses! Oh and did I mention the Granita comes with a delicious brioche? Looks like I didnt!
Mussels at Taberna Sveva (Siracusa)
Come for the Polpo Alla Luciana and Busiate Maniace, stay for the mussels. The Siracusan mussels turned out to be the unsung heroes during our stay in magical Ortigia. Fully open, vary in size, but not in taste, and served with a delicate light tomatoee salsa. They tasted fresh, and had this wonderful salty tanginess that carried a lot of flavor. If you see mussels on menus in Siracusa, attack! Just like they did hundreds of years prior in nearby Maniace castle. Though I dont believe they were fighting over Mussels. Maybe Couscous!
Smoked Mozzarella at Borderi (Siracusa)
Visit the end of the market, and you’ll see why Borderi is not exactly a hidden gem. Trip Advisor savvy Tourists and locals flock here in numbers, and for good reason. But we didnt need to work hard. A simple glance and hand gestures I can not describe here by our market tour guide and local celebrity Lele Torrisi and voila! A cheese and salumi plate of dreams, with the smoked mozzarella winning the all around ooohs and ahhhs war.
Chicken at Macallè (Siracusa)
Picking the chicken from the best meal in Ortigia, and in the context of this blog post, feels as wrong as Santa partying in a Bar Mitsvah. We’ve had some much more qualified sounding dishes at Macallè like the squid and the amazing sweet red shrimp from Mazara. But the chicken is the one dish we ordered a second round, and I cant say the same about any other dish in Sicily. Juicy, tender dark meat pure awesomeness. Perhaps the reason to include it is because its, well, chicken! Something requiring skill and hard work to taste so good.
Calamari Siciliano at Ristorante Al Boccone (Marzamemi)
At this sleepy village on the coast, 20 minutes from opposite of sleepy Noto, touristy looking Al Boccone on the water, surprisingly produced a very pleasant meal. The standout here was two behemoth squids stuffed with bread crumbs, pine nuts and other goodies that included more squid. They arrive in a stew like fashion with tomato and onions. A revelation with a view!
Focaccia Tomasini Rolls at Modicarte (Modica)
An outrageously delicious little creation created by one of Sicily’s up and coming young talents. Me! A local traditional snack of Focaccia filled with ricotta, onions, and fresh sausage. The family helped, and of course the talented Maurizio of Modicarte and his mom had a hand in it. But there’s no mistaken who’s masterful touch was key in this cooking class at our accommodations just outside of beautiful Modica
Fresh Ricotta at Iabichino (Ragusa)
This was a special treat as part of our day with Alessandro of Uncovered Sicily. We visited an organic winery, a legendary olive oil maker, and a 4th generation farm. While we were well fed throughout the day, it was the potent, raw fresh ricotta made for us at Iabichino that felt the most special. And while we visited such farms before, there was just something about spending some time with the family, watching them make ricotta the same way they’ve done for over 100 years
Arancini at Azienda Agricola Mandranova (Palma di Montechiaro)
We knew we were heading to an award winning Olive Oil producer. But we didnt know they have no more room on the award wall, and that our local Eataly has an entire section devoted to them. We were treated to a special lunch and a tour at this beautiful estate and the highlight for me there was the best Arancini of an Arancini filled trip. Owner Silvia said they overcooked them this time by a good 30 seconds and I asked if on my next visit they could make this mistake again. As a falafel lover, this had that nice crunch, with a succulent porky ragu interior. Very nicely done!
Mixed Grilled Seafood at Salmoriglio (Porto Empedocle)
Hard to pick a favorite dish from one of the best meals of the trip. It was essentially a spectacular seafood extravaganza that included every sea creature known to man, Sicilian man. But the last seafood dish probably brought the most joy. Perfectly grilled sweet Gambero Rosso, scampi, fresher than fresh Calamari, outrageously good baby octopus, and just about the best swordfish steak I ever had. A welcoming gem between Scala dei Turchi and Valley of the Temples.
Vongole at Tischi Toschi (Taormina)
One of the most anticipated meals of the trip wasnt particularly memorable, but they did dish out one killer Vongole. Beautiful, tiny clams from a lake near Messina where Tischi Toschi got their fame before moving to the mega touristy Taormina. Out of a Vongole filled trip, this was the standout.
Pistachio Cream at Ciuci’s Manor (Aragona)
You start to fully appreciate this gift from Ginevra and mama way before you open the jar back home. Sicily is known for its famous pistachios. And when you enter a food store at say Trapani or Palermo and sample their pistachio cream, you realize you are not in donkey land anymore. Ciuci’s Manor is one of the best sources on the island for pistachios, and every guest receives a jar of the cream after enjoying it every morning. Oh and did I mention this is an Agriturismo (farm), and the most special, dreamlike accommodations we’ve experienced anywhere? Matzah season couldnt come soon enough!
Busiate “Expo” at Sirena di Sansica (Tonnara di Bonagia)
If there’s one thing to learn from this post is this: Stay a few nights at Ciuci’s Manor. If there’s another thing to learn is have a meal at Sirena di Sansica, about 20 minute drive from Trapani. Come early and walk around the port for the mesmerizing views that include the rock of San Vito. And hopefully you’ll also experience the world’s loudest Zumba class. The meal featured more incredible couscous, fresh fish, and the fattest juiciest Gambero Rossos of the trip. But this well balanced, only in Sicily, Busiate with eggplant, pistachio, swordfish, and breadcrumbs stole the show. It’s called Expo because they made this dish for the Milan Expo competition.
Seafood Couscous at Trattoria del Corso (Trapani)
Trapani the city, isnt particularly well represented in this blog post, but this leg was our favorite for food. Trapani is like the Bologna of Sicily, with its plethora of high quality restaurants and unique regional specialties, like fish couscous. And at del Corso the couscous is quite the solid item. It comes with its own delicious fish broth that ties everything together so nicely. Its a bustling, mostly female, Slow Food Trattoria. Very popular with locals, so make those ressies.
Pasta Con le Sarde at La Cambusa (Palermo)
Two weeks after I declared it one of the best pastas of the trip in July, I find it in the latest issue of Travel and Leisure. Same Dish at the same place. Coincidence? Yes! But finally T&L is on to something (I dont usually pay much attention to their food picks). Pasta Con le Sarde of course is the classic Palermo homage to its Arab roots, consisting of raisins, fennel, breadcrumbs, pine nuts, and sardines. A killer combination that resulted in this sweet richness we’ve never had before in pasta. La Cambusa is the place to have it, but just try not to drink and exchange eye contact with the area clown.
Bonus #1: Pizza at Ciccio Passami l’Olio (Palermo)
We didnt come to Sicily for pizza, but it is a thing here that is almost as cultural as in Rome and Milan. It’s thick alright, but in a more bready kind of way, unlike NYC Sicilian. One of the most famous places to experience it is in Pizzeria Calvino in Trapani, but that means potentially “wasting” a meal in Sicily’s most culinary province. Another place we enjoyed was at Le Magnolie in Gianforma where no one spoke English and we were the only tourists in that part of Ragusa country. But our favorite was more of a Neapolitan fair at Ciccio in Palermo where the crust reminded us how we loath for that light, airy delicate crunch
Bonus #2: Gambero Rosso from Sirena di Sansica. Already mentioned this place, but worth mentioning the sweetest and fattest Gambero Rossos of the trip. Top Picture
Ciao for now. Stay Hungry My Friends!
Our Ragusa Day with Alessandro (Uncovered Sicily)
Yes, still not done yet. I have one last day to tell you about before I dwell into our favorite bites in Sicily. While the entire day with Alessandro was a memorable one, our last stop at the winery was a particular highlight. Alessandro is the proprietor of Uncovered Sicily, essentially in the business of selling cultural experiences of all kinds. From archaeological walks with an archaeologist, Museum walks with curators, to Arancini cooking classes with Arancinialogists! Alessandro lives in Ragusa, and not only extremely knowledgeable, but quite passionate about the area and its terrain. We spent the day with him, visiting three places the area is known for most (cheese, olive oil, wine) and even had some time to explore the old town of Ragusa Ibla with him
Iabichino – Our first stop was an eye opener. An old 4th generation dairy farm in a beautiful area. Three generations on premises, along with 80 cows and one very lucky bull. You can see the smirk! Although we’ve been to such farms in Italy before, it was particularly interesting to learn about this farmer’s routine, way of life, and whats in store for the kids living in the farm. Hearing about milking the 80 cows twice a day alone made me look for the nearest bench. Its a hard life that makes you appreciate what you eat. We sampled earthy fresh ricotta they made especially for us, and other traditional Ragusano cheese. This is something you cant do on your own, unless you speak Italian and know the family and area well
Cheese Master hard at work
Cutrera – One of the two olive oil legends we visited in Sicily. The other one is Mandranova which we visited on our own a few days later. You realize the status of the two when you visit Eataly NYC (both of them). While there are all kinds of great oils from all over Italy, the two have their own dedicated sections. We learned about the techniques and hard work that sets them apart, and had some fun with the proprietors. We learned how to sample award winning EVOO properly (apparently just tasting it is all wrong), followed by a simple lunch of.. you guessed it… olives and olive based spreads and salads. Olives is one of the only foods I’m not particularly fond of, but I was fond of this.
Feudo di Santa Tresa winery – I couldnt do the first one by myself, and I needed a designated driver for the third. This appointment alone makes this excursion worthwhile. We were joined by Laura and the winery’s CEO for a property tour and tasting, and boy what tasting it was. Its a beautiful estate in the middle of a rugged area. In the cellars, you practically smell the product and history. We tasted around 7 wines, some of which were quite unique to us. I particularly liked the Rina Ianca white (Grillo + Viognier combo), while Mrs Z was smitten by the Frappato, a red served slightly chilled and can be used for fish. All served with a beautiful lunch spread. But by the end of it all, it was just us having a fun filled lunch with new friends, and a designated driver. Thanks Alessandro!
http://www.uncoveredsicily.com/
Categories: Italy, Sicily
Tags: Cutrera Sicily, Feudo di Santa Tresa, food, Iabichino Sicily, Italy, Sicily, Travel, Uncovered Sicily
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Introducing the Z-List Map
Since so many of you are paying attention to this Z-List for some reason, I figured I might as well help you out with a little map. The same map appears at the bottom of the Z-List page.
Happy Thanksgiving!
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1D349Rvw-nDSZ2D13p0c_7gkL9rA&usp=sharing
Categories: New York City
Tags: best food in NYC, food, NYC dining, NYC Top 50, Travel, Z-List
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Meet the New Mexican Sheriff of Hell’s Kitchen – Tacuba
An update on Tacuba after an all out bash last night.
Tacuba
November 20, 2016 Update: Three months later, Tacuba of Hell’s Kitchen is clicking on all Chimichangas! A big birthday bash for a close friend last night started with a sound concern, but ended with another fun meal. If you go however, try to avoid Friday and Saturday nights if you can. The word is apparently out (ahem!). There were quite a few large groups there besides the usual turnout, and they can get busy. Tacuba has all the red flags of places I usually avoid. Younger crowd, loud, overzealous vibe sometimes. But the touch of Julian Medina (who I finally met last night) of Toloache fame, gives it this nice balance of food and energy you cant get out of Mexican in Hell’s Kitchen. Nothing new to report food wise. Stick to the Carnitas, Pulpo and the rest of the appetizers. And the drinks here are quite good.
August 7, 2016 Post:…
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Categories: New York City
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Eating With Ziggy 