Author Archives: Ziggy
New Orleans Sculpture Garden
Categories: New Orleans
Tags: New Orleans, New Orleans Sculpture Garden, Travel, travel+photography
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Walk in the Park Part 3 – Dinner at Gazala’s
The trilogy conclusion you were so anxiously waiting for. Part 1 is here. Part 2 is here
****Spoiler Alert****: The killer is the hummus!
Although I’ve been to Gazala’s Place in Hell’s Kitchen probably more than 20 times, I never actually met Gazala herself, the hardest working woman in showbiz. That’s because she is hardly ever there. A few years after opening tiny Gazala’s Place she opened this Upper West Side flagship where she spends most of the time. To finally meet her and see her in action was as thrilling to me as meeting Michael White, or Bobby Flay. She is a woman of few words, and all business in that kitchen.
Thankfully for us, Gazala chose the al-Juhhāl (loosely translates to “the Ignorant”) way of life in the Druze village near Haifa, Israel where she grew up. It essentially means she chose the non-religious way, which meant among other things, she is free to travel and in this case, spread the word about the Druze. The word is Hospitality. When you visit a Druze village like we did in Israel a few years ago (coincidentally Gazala’s sister village), you are welcomed and greeted with warmth warmer than your aunt Sally. And so much of that welcome is conveyed via what I can only describe as Trays of heaven. No way aunt Sally can cook like this
Treys of heaven started flowing in very quickly at Gazala’s by the usual army of Russian waiters/waitresses I’ve come to know over the years. Don’t be fooled by the “Asian” looking waitresses, as they are also Russian. For some reason, perhaps a misunderstanding with the agency Gazala works with, other than the cooks, she only employs Russian workers at both branches. A fine Labneh (goat cheese) with Zaat’ar spices to start the party. The Bourekas (flaky pastry) is top notch as usual. They call it the “Boureka of the day” but we all know they always have the Cheese/Sun Dried Tomato which is what I usually get, Cheese/Spinach, and on occasion the Cheese/Mushroom. This is the only place where I order this as I’m not normally fond of the Bourek/Bourekas. Fresh Israeli salad, and surprisingly punchy meat cigars were in the starters mix.
Here me now and listen to me yesterday (an old SNL joke for the uninformed, or “Ignorant”). As I’ve said before many times, this is my favorite Hummus in town. Freshly made daily, it has that perfect creamy texture and that extra oomph that I’ve only had in Israel. Nish Nush makes a fine rendition, the Hummus Kitchen chain produces a good one, but this is still the one. I can taste it as I’m writing this.
The big meat platter, Moshokal, with lamb, chicken & kafta kebab with rice delivered strong flavors, perhaps with the exception of the slightly bland lamb. The Date cookies and the Baklava we got by mistake were fine but perhaps the biggest discovery this time was a pair of Yogurt puddings charged with oranges and rosewater called Osh Al-Saraia. A heavenly finish at heavenly Gazala’s
Gazala’s
380 Columbus Ave
$$
Recommended Dishes: Hummus (plain or with chickpeas), falafel, Bourekas, grilled chicken, Osh Al-Saraia
Walk in the Park Part 2 – The Walk in the Park
Part 1 is here. Part 3 (the highlight) to come
Water and Israel were the theme in Central Park on this day (June 1st). Israel supporters swarmed the park after the annual Israeli Day Parade to commemorate Israel’s independence. Coincidentally, water is the theme in the Israeli holiday Shavuot which followed this day. Wrong day to be a tourist in Israel where kids flock the streets with water guns and water balloons. Perhaps the spritzer above us at Rosi’s was just practicing? (read part 1)
We started at the usual magical spot, where we sang Strawberry Fields Forever. Well, I sang, while the kids sang “stop”. One of the parks gems for sure. We then moved to the always striking Bethesda Fountain, until we settled at the Boathouse to stand on line for a boat. Playing tourists in our own town. It took about 40 minutes, which turned agonizing to the couple in front of us who realized they didnt have the $35 cash to rent a boat ($20 of that refundable)
The boats were fun, although most likely built during biblical times. I developed a child labor technique called OOM-PAH (patent pending). Shouting “OOM-PAH” meant they both row to the drum-like beat, “OOM” means just the right child, “PAH” means left. The faster the chant, the faster the row. It worked for us in that we got back in time (1 hour) and no baby turtles were hurt in the process. One mother turtle got almost killed, but she was at the wrong place, at the wrong time.
After that we looked for a table at the boathouse for a drink but no luck. So we trekked a little further to the other boat rental spot where you rent a remote control to navigate your assigned sailboat. Had some fun with that, climbed Alice in Wonderland (I think I may have killed something else – another turtle), Belvedere Castle, and headed toward dinner.
Walk in the Park Part 1 – Lunch at Salumeria Rosi
The first part of the “Walk in the Park” trilogy. Not just any park – Central Park. It was one of those great food days you can only have in NYC. And in some parts of Jersey, Central Connecticut and Israel. First stop is a visit to this guy’s place which included great food, an assassination attempt, and saving a tourist from bankruptcy and potentially messy divorce.
Cesare Casella who always smells of fresh Rosemary for some reason is quickly becoming a NYC culinary force to be reckoned with. Not surprising from someone who took his parent’s restaurant outside of Lucca (one of the most magical cities we ever visited) and transformed it into a Michelin star celebrity magnet. Now, two restaurants hugging Central Park from both sides are owned by Cesare and his partner Parmacotto, a cured meat producer from Parma.
Salumeria Rosi is not your average NYC Italian restaurant like a Maialino or a Mercato. Its a Salumeria, where you can sample some top quality cured meats, pastas and other small plates consisting of high grade ingredients not normally available at a Trattoria near you. Leave it to the guy with the fresh Rosemary in his shirt pocket…(hmm, that may explain the question above)
Caprese Salad – Fresh, refreshing. Everything you expect from a Caprese
Salumi Board – As good as it gets in NYC (and we’ve had our share). All my favorites minus Finnocchiona were featured on this board, so beautiful that it deserves 2 pictures. Prosciutto di Parma, Mortadella from Bologna, Both sweet and spicy Soppressata, Coppa (like Prosciutto but from shoulder), Cotto (Cooked ham), and the red little things peeping out in the middle are Cacciatorino, small spicy hunter sausage. We returned later on to buy more of these goodies for the kids school lunches.
Assassination Attempt – Midway through the meal we got splashed with water (I hope it was water) coming from the building on top of us (we were sitting outside btw). It happened so quick that we didn’t know what hit us at first. But it wasn’t too bad and more importantly NO SALUMI WERE HARMED in the process. Although the kids were wondering if I wrote something bad about someone who lives in this building. Pretty sure this was coincidental
Categories: New York City, Upper West Side
Tags: Cesare Casella, food, NYC, restaurants, Salumeria NYC, Salumeria Rosi, Salumeria Rosi NYC, Travel, Upper West Side
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Top 10 Things We Ate in New Orleans
“America has only three cities: New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans. Everywhere else is Cleveland.” ― Tennessee Williams
Having been to New Orleans, and San Francisco, while living in NYC, I’m starting to believe it. He was talking about food, right? I believe so. As I’ve said before, I always compare the excitement of going to NOLA to that of Italy. Amazing, in a way somewhat foreign cuisine in one heck of a unique setting. Without further ado, here are our top NOLA bites during a recent trip.
(Note: For the Dessert list, click here)
BBQ Shrimp at Bevi – I’ll start with the no-brainer. Perhaps our top eat came from a little shack in Metairie about 30 minutes out from the quarter, close to the airport. We came for the Crawfish boil and got that and so much more. Huge, plump fresh perfectly cooked head-on gulf shrimp complimented by what I can only describe as Sauce of Dreams. Or maybe it was the beer talking, as in Canebrake beer, the sauce main ingredient. Move over Mr B’s, and say hello to Mr B!
Savory Bread Pudding at Atchafalaya – Funny how this trip turned out. After eating our way through eight sweet Bread Puddings on the previous trip and therefore aiming for more of the same this time, it was actually a savory one that won top marks. Filled with Mushroom, Sundried tomatoes and topped with tomato sauce, this was addictive stuff to say the least. A joy with every morsel at this popular neighborhood brunch spot. Bonus: Try the Eggs Atchafalaya and Shrimp and Grits
Blue Crab Beignets at La Petite Grocery – This is an absolute must at LPG. Those little suckers are packed with fresh crab and explosive flavors. For my TCI readers these are like Conch Fritters on crack! Bonus: Get the Ricotta Dumplings, Hand-Made Spaghetti and Turtle Bolognese
Chargrilled Oysters at Felix’s – Last trip we enjoyed them at Drago’s who invented the Chargrilled Oysters, but now we have a new favorite looks like. They are not as cheesey and buttery at Felix’s but lightly breaded, some lemon, oil and a little bit of cheese just enough to bring out the flavors of the oysters without overpowering.
Gnocchi Bolognese at Herbsaint. So much for the “Lets avoid all things Italian since we enjoy great Italian where we live and in Italy” — We not only managed to eat a lot of interesting pastas pretty much daily, but somehow 3 Bolognese dishes. Expertly done pillowy goodness with a fine lamb ragu. But the thing that took it to another level was the herby notes from the Mint Gremolata. Get this. Bonus: Spaghetti with Guanciale and Fried-Poached Egg, Lamb Neck. Pastas here are superb
Whole Grilled Redfish at Peche – Another no brainer. This one is quickly becoming one of the most celebrated dishes in town. Expertly cooked Redfish, perfectly complimented with first-rate minty oily Salsa Verde. You dont mess around too much with greatness. This little guy can easily be shared by 3, 4 at this multiple James Beard award recipient. Bonus: Crawfish Pasta (Top Picture) and too many to mention. Read the post
BBQ Shrimp at Mr B’s – Yes, two BBQ Shrimp dishes on the list this time, which prompted to ask on Chowhound where can I get this in NYC. No replies so far and its been at least 5 minutes! This thing was our top eat last time and the only repeater on the list. If you cant get to Metairie, or even if you can, get this!
Beef Cheeks at Sylvain – If you never had beefy cheeks, you are in for a treat! Beef doesnt get any more tender and juicy than this, without getting all soft and mushy. Especially love the supporting cast here of potato purée and field peas. PS. New Yorkers, try Bar Bolonat’s Tagine for more cheeky goodness. Bonus: Shaved Brussels Sprouts, Chick-Syl-vain Sandwich
Seafood Platter (aka the “Shell Beach Diet”) at Brigtsen’s. Six different items on the plate including a great Drum Amandine with plenty of almond action, two different baked oysters, a terrific smoky shrimp jalapeño cornbread (really liked this) and shrimp coleslaw. The only thing I didn’t care for is the Why-So-Sweet scallop but what a fantastic jam-packed plate. Bonus: Crawfish Shortcake, Paneed Rabbit, Pecan Pie
Beignets at Café Du Monde – Yes, this is a cliché I know. But considering we ate Beignets every single morning I have no choice but give credit where credit is due. Just edging out Café Beignet, these Beignets were consistently great. Nice texture, not too daughy, not too airy, just perfectly executed Beignets. The lines for a table move quick, and don’t forget to look inside for the best views of the action and history
Categories: New Orleans
Tags: Atchafalaya, BBQ Shrimp, Best Food in New Orleans, Bevi Seafood, Brigtsen's, Felix's, food, Herbsaint, La Petite Grocery, Mr B's, New Orleans, peche, Sylvain, Travel
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Danji – One of a Kind
I will make this one nice and quick, just like a lovely lunch at Danji in Hell’s Kitchen. Photos this time courtesy of the Iphone 5 with semi sweaty palms. Spring was cancelled this year in case you haven’t noticed, so we went from winter straight to sweaty palms
Danji, the only restaurant in the world that owns both a Michelin Star and a spot in Ziggy’s Hell’s Kitchen Survival Guide. No one else can claim this dubious distinction. Hakkasan, the only other Michelin Star establishment in Hells Kitchen, tried but failed. Maybe next year Hakkasanians. Don’t know how Daniel and Masa alumni Hooni Kim feels about this accomplishment, but my gut tells me he probably doesnt even know. I mean seriously, how many people you know even heard of Michelin Stars! Certainly none of my Korean American friends.
Anyway, Danji is the type of place you take your sexy new coworker for lunch to introduce her to the neighborhood. I cant think of a better culinary introduction to Hell’s Kitchen, even though Danji is not located on the prettiest block (ugly industrial looking office buildings + an army of people waiting for a table at Totto staring at their phones). Reservations arent accepted for parties less than 6, but I never had any trouble getting a table for 2 and something 4 for lunch. The menu, which you will find in a drawer under your table is full of a Korean inspired fancy bar food. Mostly small plates.
After several lunches with family, friends, loved ones, here are 4 dishes that will make your taste buds go Gangnam style
Tofu W. Ginger Scallion Dressing soy vinaigrette – Creamy interior, crunchy exterior, delicious all around. One of the best tofu dishes I ever had. EWZ historians claim that this is the only recommended tofu dish on EWZ
Spicy ‘K.F.C.’ Korean Fire Chicken Wings honey, garlic, four chilies – These are simply some of the tastiest wings you will ever have in NYC. Plenty of heat, plenty of joy, and plenty of finger licking followed by Gynecologists convention like finger smelling session
Bulgogi Beef Sliders spicy pickled cucumber and scallion salsa – One of Danji’s specialties. Small and explosive
Kimchi Pork Bibim-Bop satur farm vegetables, jidori egg, and aged kimchi w. pork – My latest discovery (top picture, below mixed). Mix in all the goodies with the sauce and you got a beautiful medley of textures and flavors. Note, my vegan friend, lets call her Phoebe (because thats her name) really liked the veg version. Bring your vegan friends here.
Categories: Midtown West, New York City
Tags: Best Korean NYC, danji, Danji NYC, food, Hells kitchen, Michelin Stars, resaturants, Travel
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Scenes From the Ninth Avenue International Food Festival
Warning: Some of these images may be disturbing. They may include large crowds, pictures of alcoholic beverages, tender grilled octopuses (yes, octopuses is not only acceptable but rolls off the tongue better.. try saying it a few times.. Octopuses) and ways in which we can cheat the system and walk around holding an alcoholic beverage on the streets of NY. They may also include scenes way too familiar to the average NY food festival goer including pictures of Shish Kebab, corn, and strange looking dudes sporting cats and giant beer bottles on their heads.
I’m also taking this opportunity to award the first ever ZAG award to the vendor showing excellence via most palatable eats. The ZAG (Ziggy Against Gyros) goes to Empanada Mama and their terrific Brazil and Spicy Chicken Empanadas. Congratulations guys.
Categories: Midtown West, New York City
Tags: Empanada Mama, food, Hells kitchen, Ninth Avenue International Food Festival, NYC eats, restaurants, Travel
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Bevi Seafood – Game of Prawns
Opulence! they dont has it. No chandeliers, no white gloves, no benches for your man-purse can be found in little Bevi in Metairie. What you got here instead is some outstanding seafood. This small shack off the main road close to the airport delivered quite possibly the most memorable meal of a trip that included some pretty nasty eats (Peche for one). It took just one bite of a BBQ Shrimp dish to confirm we are not in Kansas anymore. We are in New Orleans, Louisiana – Seafood country!
Fresh Seafood that is. The “if not fresh, we dont have it” kind. When I ordered the BBQ Shrimp, the nice girl at the counter said “Let me see if we still have fresh Shrimp”. She might as well have said “Let me go check in the back if you can get the best thing you will ever eat in this town”. Who knew so much was at stake. Ok, I may be a tad melodramatic here but this BBQ Shrimp instantly beat the BBQ Shrimp at Mr B’s Silly. What it was lacking in butter, the addictive sauce more than made up for it in Canebrake beer and spices. The ultra plump, ultra fresh head-on Gulf Shrimp swimming in that bright, flavor packed sauce can only be described by this quote from Seinfed “They are real, and they are spectacular”. I just couldn’t get enough of this dish. An unexpected gem that was not the main reason we came here. That honor belonged to the boiled crawfish which we absolutely smothered. There was plenty of meat in those little tails that day. We also shared a smokey Oyster Po-Boy with smoked Gouda and pastrami bacon, dressed in delicious toasty bread. I imagine long lines for this thing at the next Po-Boy festival uptown.
After the meal a nice chat with chef/owner Justin LeBlanc revealed the passion and motivation behind this project. Bevi may be new but Justin is no stranger to cooking, and it shows in the attention to details in those dishes. I must have looked at their menu over 20 times before the trip, trying to remember the reason for schlepping the family up there. You know its far when the name of the street is Airline Drive, and those cab rides can get as comfortable as a Donald Sterling interview sometimes. But its all about the end results. Counter order food has never tasted this good. If only they had those little benches for your purse.
Bevi Seafood
4701 Airline Dr
Metairie, LA
$$
Reccommended Dishes: BBQ Shrimp, Smoked Oyster Poboy, Crawfish (in season)
Annisa – Eating Without Borders (and Dictionary)
So I finally shaved and went to Annisa. Anita Lo’s “Baby” has been on my list for a long time now, but not until the New York Times awarded it its third star, I figured its time. Besides, I couldnt think of too many places that can match the elegance of birthday girl Mrs Ziggy on this rainy night (Awwweee! Ok enough). Lo’s career reads like a movie script. Highly acclaimed internships, Iron Chef win over Batali, a cookbook named Cooking Without Borders is just a small sample of Lo’s accomplishments. But what separates this NYC food celebrity from the rest for me is instead of trying to build an empire, she’s staying put and concentrating on one place, her 14 year old “Baby”, Annisa.
Cooking without Borders means you cant quite categorize Anita Lo’s cuisine. Hence, the default American (New) title is applied for Annisa. The menu includes influences from her French training, Middle East, plenty of Asian, and yes there’s even some American (New). It also made me feel culinary dumb, (what the heck is a Satsumaimo). Not as dumb however as I felt after I got a little tipsy and forgot where I parked the car after dinner. Mrs Z thought it was Jones St, I said Waverly, while a homeless gentleman who overheard us talking kept yelling “WAVERLY” and pointed to it in case we didnt notice that Waverly was right in front us. At some point we gathered for a brainstorm session with me, wife and the homeless guy who just kept saying “Waverly”, trying to figure out where we came from. We finally found the car on Waverly as I and homeless guy predicted
I love coming to a place with a sound ordering plan. Sometimes it doesn’t work too well, but this was not one of those times.
Black Sea Bass Sashimi with trout roe, Yuzu Pearls and Shiso – Delicate, expertly cut Sashimi with the mild caviar that’s not overpowering. We shared this one as our first course before the next two apps. While I thought I ordered just enough or a little too much food, the couple near us who apparently was there a few times in the last few weeks ordered 4 apps, and 4 mains. The waiter tried to convey that its too much food but quickly lost the argument. These were some true Anita fans!
BBQ Squid, Thai Basil, Fresh Peanuts and Edamame (top) -Perhaps the dish of the night. You just cant get more tender, better tasting squid than this. With the peanuts probably getting boiled the heck out of them until their texture pretty much matches the Edameme, the sweetness from the Howisin sauce and minty hints, you got yourself a great dish
Seared Foie Gras with soup dumplings and Jicama – Very good as expected from one of Lo’s signature items that’s been on the menu form day one. Since you get three dumplings we added one more which amounted to $28. Sitting on top of vinegar reduction, you pick up the dumplings with your spoon, bite one end of it and suck out some of the soup much to chagrin of your 4 apps, 4 mains neighbors. Then you eat the rest of the dumpling that includes plenty of crunch from the Jicama. An enjoyable dish but despite the Foie presence, the few bites dont live up to the price tag in my opinion
Broiled Spanish Mackerel, Garlic fried Milk, Satsumaimo, Korean Chili. A lot going in this one. The fiery Korean Chili sauce balanced out nicely the strong Mackerel flavors. Small cubes of Satsumaimo which is Japanese sweet potato and more ingeniousness from the Garlic Fried Milk balls. Nice dish!
Pan Roasted Chicken – There are those places where you simply must order the chicken (the NoMad, KFC) and this is one of them. Something Lo picked up from her work in Chanterelle. Tender, juicy, perfectly crisped skin, stuffed with pigs’ feet and chanterelles and sitting on a bed of creamy puree of White Truffle, Sherry and roasted onions. This dish was sensational!
And what a fitting finish for us to end this one with what I call “The NOLA duo” (which confused the Maitre d a little). From the Beignets of the previous post to the great little Pecan and Salted Butternut Beignets with Bourbon Milk Ice. Although I was full I could have had another dozen of these. The airy and scrumptious Bread and Butter pudding with lemon curd would fit nicely with the bread pudding behemoths in New Orleans. There’s all sorts of mediocre bread puddings all over town, but this is certainly not one of them
Annisa
13 Barrow St
$$$$
Recommended Dishes: BBQ Squid, Black Sea Bass Sashimi, Pan Roasted Chicken, Beignets, Bread Pudding, Dumplings if you dont mind the price
Categories: New York City, West Village
Tags: Anita Lo, Annisa, Annisa NYC, Best Restaurants in West Village, food, restaurants, Travel, west village
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Beignets – The Secret to Healthy Eating in New Orleans
No, you didn’t accidentally stumble upon another health site. I’m talking about the other “Healthy”, as in “of a satisfactory size or amount”. How to eat well in one of the greatest food cities in America. It took me a few trips to come up with the secret formula and now I am ready to pass this on to you dear reader(s). Its all about what you eating for Breakfast that will set you free to fly with the Kale munching foodies of today (ok not sure what it means either, but I think you get the idea). So grab a pen and pencil (because you know the lone pencil you have in the house is never sharpened) and write down the following recommended breakfast schedule…
Day 1: Beignets
Day 2: Beignets
Day 3: Beignets
Day 4: You guessed it… … Crackers! (Preferably with honey… to cure the hangover accumulated from the past 3 days)
Any questions?
If there’s one thing I learned from all those trips to Italy is this… Eat like an Italian. A croissant, pastry, coffee for breakfast and you are on your way to enjoy the two main things you came here to enjoy: Lunch and Dinner. I approach travelling to New Orleans the same way now, but it wasn’t clear to me at first. On my first trip as I would normally do, I researched the heck out of the city including the towns best breakfast spots, and had solid plans for the usual 3 meals per day. The result was coming to dinner fairly full. I recall hours before dinner I would wish that by the time dinner came I’d be hungrier than I was at that moment. I was fantasizing about “Hunger Pills”, not pills that reduce hunger, but the ones that increase it. But of course, in our backward society our scientists keep concentrating on the former!
Its very simple my friends. New Orleans cuisine is fairly rich. And even big eaters like Ziggy here will have trouble fitting in three full meals. Something has to give, and that something is breakfast, which is why Beignets is the perfect breakfast choice. Here are the obvious and not so obvious options you have in/near the French Quarter and my feelings on who is better.
Café Du Monde – As much as I like the underdogs, CDM won the Beignet war by a small margin. Great texture, not too daughy, not too airy, just perfectly executed Beignets. The lines for seats look longer than they actually are. The lines for takeout look exactly as they are. Get a table, order the amazing Café au lait, Beignets (the only thing they have) and take your time to enjoy this one. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or trying to pass a town not supported by Chris Christie, you probably already know about Café Du Monde, one of the greatest American institutions. BTW, once you are in looking for a table take a peak inside the building and try to grab seats there. Even while sitting out, take a look at the scene inside.
Café Beignet – Two convenient locations and very solid Beignets. The reason I wouldn’t rank them higher is that some beignets were a bit more dense and chewier than others. Both locations are very popular and the lines can get painful at times, but the Beignets (below) are top notch
Morning Call – We tried the one at City Park and while I was expecting something that would at least rival the other two due to its extensive history, it did not. These were simply not as fresh and not as great, but still a decent convenient option at the park
Categories: New Orleans
Tags: Beignets, Best Beignets in New Orleans, Cafe Beignet, food, Morning Call, New Orleans, Travel, travel+photography
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Eating With Ziggy 