Brooklyn

Nargis Cafe – Uzbek Beauty With an Attitude

Posted on September 14, 2014 by Ziggy

8/30/15 Update: Another great lunch in one of my Brooklyn faves. You cant get this stuff in Manhattan. The Plov is still Killa! So are the Monti, those giant dumplings filled with cuminy meaty goodness. The chicken kebabs and Lyulya kebab are some of the juiciest tenderest kebabs you will ever eat. Among the starters I particularly like the red eggplant dish (over the green) and the avocado salad. They make Lagman noodles but only offer it in soup (very good). It doesnt look like they have Pilmeni any more but they do offer its fried uzbek cousin Chuchvara. Wash it all down with the Szech draft beer (the second one, forgot the name) or their terrific Kompot (Russian fruit punch). Very busy place, sort of approaching local institution status. You cant get this in Manhattan. Did I already say that? Well I’m saying this again. I just read the post below and I think I must have been high on something…

Original post 9/14/14:

A love hate arranged relationship followed by a happy marriage is a good way to summarize this one. We started dating awhile back, sparks were flying and things got intense. But then she started seeing other people. A lot of them! To the point of having to make an appointment and sharing her while sitting very close to the other people and having to leave much sooner than before. Time for a break, and to check out the rest of the Uzbek fish in the sea. There was Kashkar, Oasis and some other flirts, but I kept thinking about her, my Nargisachka, who pleased me like none of the others. To quote from the great Top Secret, “she took advantage of me in ways I cannot describe” “Oh Nigel, it must have been awful” (Rolling Eyes Smiley)

Anyway, in a town suddenly filled with all sorts of Uzbek action, Nargis is probably my favorite at the moment. You got all the usual Russian/Uzbek goodies here, and pretty much everything is cooked well. Nice little Pilmeni (Russian dumplings) which I particularly like here because of its cumin action. Good eggplant salad, fried potatoes with mushrooms which is a staple among the “Russian” spots in the city. Great Monti, like giant Pilmeni that come covered in a basket. Samsa, the Uzbek bourek is another winner at Nargisachka. Last time they had a Samsa special, a hefty Chicken Samsa surrounding a drumstick. Like a Samsa lollipop if you will. They are known for their Uzbek Plov with lamb, chickpeas and liberal use of fresh scallions. Terrific Tashkent Salad (meat, shredded radish, eggs, fried onions). The kebabs here redefine tenderness and juiciness. Chicken, lamb, veal, Lulya kebabs are as good as you will find anywhere on Coney Island Ave (plenty of competition on this street)

This is a very popular spot with the local families, and its best to come here with a group so you can sample enough.

Nargis Cafe
2818 Coney Island Ave, Brooklyn
$$
Recommended Dishes: Plov, Samsa, Tashkent Salad, Monti, Avocado Salad, Kebabs, eggplant salad, Chuchvara

Categories: Brooklyn, New York City | Tags: Brooklyn Restaurants, Brooklyn Uzbek, food, Nargis Cafe, Nargis Cafe Brooklyn, restaurants, Travel | 3 Comments

When Ziggy Met Zizi {Limona}

Posted on September 7, 2014 by Ziggy

March 9th, 2015 Update

Another fun meal at Zizi with friends. You know that you are eager to get somewhere when you park in front of a fire hydrant and don’t realize it. Like a Bulldog going to his favorite poop spot. Everyone enjoyed the meal. Aunt Trippo is now my favorite aunt by default. My only requirement is the ability to make a decent falafel. I’m very east. Grilled Beets, surprisingly appetizing for a non beet supporter. Crazy Baba is still Meshugenah, and the Shishito with white beans is a fun little snack

The tender Chicken Tagine was a winner, spiced properly with Moroccan spices, with chickpeas and Israeli Couscous (bubbly tiny pasta balls). Some enjoyed their fish with tomato based sauce a la Taboon. My Short rib was as tender as short rib should be if not a little gamey (in a good way). It came with Risotto style Freekeh (a Farro like grain), and tasty wild mushrooms. Nice dish. And speaking of Taboon, they even have their own version of the great Silan, which could use some crunch (nuts of some sort), but it didn’t stop me from a full blown attack.

In true Middle Eastern fashion, you will not find anything bland here. A fun, eclectic menu in an energetic room. Great place to take friends, second dates, or a hot mother-in-law.

September 7th, 2014 Post:

It was love at first chick(pea) at the Israeli Williamsburg neighborhood hotspot, Zizi Limona. Stemming from the two city hummus empires Hummus Place and Hummus Kitchen owners, plus another Israeli chef, the three Israeli amigos opened a very affordable place that every neighborhood should have. Mine has a good shoe repairman, a gas station, and your ordinary Chinese, which is why I sometimes have to eat in other neighborhoods (40 mins away) and pretend I live there. But if I ever need to repair my flip flops while waiting for my gassy General Tso’s, I’m all set. At Zizi on the other hand you can also shop for Pereg seasonings among other products off their shelves. If they could also offer the much sought after refrigerated Pereg stuff like the best S’chug ever made, and repair your flip flops while you wait for your hummus, rent in that hood will skyrocket

Zizi is like Balaboosta light, or a slightly less polished Bar Bolonat. The lunch menu is small but deadly. When it comes to menus, the smaller the better as far as I’m concerned. Drives me nuts seeing reviewers complain about such things. Drinks here, you can tell, are taken very seriously. My “Mosquito” was like a refreshing twist on Israeli “Limonana” (Lemonade with Mint) with Moscato, lime, mint, and soju. Wifey enjoyed her pomegranate Zimosa, and kids claimed “best water this side of the Gowanus!”. But I couldnt help but recall the “Mosquito” fart in the phone app, and when we hid the phone along with a timer at a co-worker desk when he went to the bathroom. “What kind of blog is this” I hear the three Israeli owners asking. The good kind amigos. The kind you dont see on SeriousEats. But lets dive into the food before they stop reading…

The Falafel plate, Aunt Trippo’s Falafel is of the Revelation kind. Who is this Aunt Trippo and what is she smoking? Golden, crisped to perfection balls sitting on top of this brilliant curry Tahini yogurt which I swear I just had this same sauce somewhere but cant remember where. Pickle, and some ultra tasty smoked tomato to round up this little one. I would come back just for this. The next aunt is another Crazy Baba, as in Babaganoush, but this one is “greened” with basil and is spot on. You will be hard pressed finding a better Baba in the city including in Brighton Beach. Rule of thumb in Israeli spots, if you see Grilled Cauliflower, order 17 of those. This grilled beauty included artichokes and did not disappoint. When you find yourself with three plates sitting there where you cant quite decide which direction your fork should go, you either came to the absolute wrong place, or the right one. Loved the apps here.

Baba

grilled veggies

Falafel

The Chicken Shawarma served on thick solid Hummus is what every Chicken Shawarma should taste like. The Cowshuka was far from your ordinary Shakshuka, where much of the tomato stew was substituted with Tahini, with eggs and in this case “I cant believe its not polish sausages” sausages that won me over (top pic). More of their Hummus came in the form of the Hummus Masabacha with eggplant, hard boiled egg, and tahini. For the Brooklyn Challenged, you can also get a nice Masabacha in Nish Nush in the city. We capped this one off with an exceptional Malabi. $90 later, all I can say is that I cant wait to have dinner here. GO! Nice to meet you Zizi. Ziggy

Zizi Limona
129 Havemeyer St, Brooklyn
$$
Recommended Dishes: All of the above, especially the small plates

Masabacha

Shawarma

Categories: Brooklyn, New York City | Tags: food, restaurants, Travel, williamsburg food, williamsburg Israeli, Zizi Limona | 1 Comment

Riding With Ziggy – Battle of the Bridges Part III

Posted on July 31, 2014 by Ziggy

Twice a year the Hummus Whisperer and I are freed by our spouses to ride with the winds between the boroughs of Brooklyn and Manhattan while enjoying culinary freedom. This time our tour included a neighborhood in Brooklyn, a romantic deserted island, a burrito, and a whole lot of butt texting. All photos and texting courtesy of an Iphone 5 fresh off a broken lock button, which meant butt calling and but texting galore before I realized that the top button no longer does it job. I would call people while talking to them.. “Excuse me… oh its you”.. “What?”

We parked near the entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge as always, and this time we opted to stay relatively close for a breakfast snack and explore the area of Boerum Hill. Walking on Smith st reminded me how much I miss that area. I dont know if it was a hangover symptom but you can actually hear birds singing in some of the relatively quiet and tree lined side streets. Smith st. has some of the best concentration of fine dining/bars/food stores in Brooklyn. It was slightly truer before Michelin Starred Saul moved to the Brooklyn Museum.

Our first food stop was Shelsky’s, a mini Russ and Daughter’s with an attitude if you will. The plain bagel with cream cheese and a silky smooth Gaspe Nova was just what we ordered! Great loxy flavor without the R&D pain (I’m talking about both Russ & Daughters and the lox our R&D dep’t consumes).

After our little picnic in Brooklyn Borough Hall, we picked up a bike and crossed Brooklyn Bridge which was relatively quiet at 10 am. Plenty of bike lane wary tourists still but not wall to wall zoo as before.

On the Manhattan side not too far from the bridge I noticed a large Asian group practicing Falun Dafa (or Falun Gong) meditation. This practice which disciplines Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance, got so popular in china in the 90’s that it was quickly banned by the government as it was seen as a threat. I was told by a Chinese woman that a million Chinese followers have either died or imprisoned over the years and the rest of the world cant do much about it. Seeing this group was a sharp reminder that we take our freedom for granted.

Riding in Chinatown is not the most pleasant ride, but always interesting. There arent too many neighborhoods out there where you get a sense of community like here. At some point on Hester street we saw people dancing in a park. Where else do you see that at 10 am? HW and I debated whether to show them a few moves of our own but we had an appointment with dumplings, Prosperity Dumplings. Four meaty, greasy (in a good way) pork and chive dumplings for a buck. You cant get a better deal than this in NYC – its not economically feasible. Last week I tried the recently opened Mimi Cheng’s dumplings in East Village which is getting some press and lines out the door. While they were good, for $8 per 6, I would take Prosperity any day.

We continued to ride to the East Village for a desperately needed thirst quencher and its pretty clear where we are headed since we get this drink on every one of those rides. The Grasshopper at Liquiteria, a popular neighborhood fresh juice joint. They used to make it fresh on the spot but now you can find it in the fridge on the left. Try it with some Gray Goose for a much smoother Citibike ride

We now head North to the romantic portion of the trip to 60th, riding entirely on 1st ave which has a great bike lane btw. Both of us making it to Roosevelt Island for the very first time. I always thought I would make it with Mrs Ziggy one day, never with the romantically challenged Hummus Whisperer. It took us about 30 minutes of aimless walking and some bus shuttle hopping to nowhere to realize that god invented Google for a reason. Apparently we need to head to one of the ends, the closest one. So we head south and now I see what the hoopla is all about. Nice park along the water, another park, NYC’s only monument ruin (an old smallpox hospital), and right on the tip, FDR Four Freedoms Park. This is got to be one of New Yorks most stunning parks, and what a setting. FDR’s huge bust overlooking the island brought me back to my old FDR high school in Brooklyn where I learned how to write properly (you guessed it, the school is now closed!)

We headed back to the mothership island, and straight to a game I call Amazing Citibike Race. Its where we realize that the area around us is suddenly short on bikes and we have to scramble. For 15 minutes we had to scramble and run around while constantly checking the bike app. We split, we texted (both real and butt) and at some point some running was even involved, until we got the bikes.

We cruised 2nd ave all the way back downtown. I must say the east side (2nd and 1st) is much friendlier for bikers than the west side (8th,9th). Our best eating is still to come. Well, we haven’t eaten much as you can see and I’m approaching the elusive 1000 word mark (what the hell did I write about). We nixed the two Ivan Ramens and opted for an infamous burrito, and one particular place in Brooklyn that I feel embarrassed for visiting for the first time.

The chicken Burrito at Missions Cantina was a burrito revelation. I’ve had some crafty burritos over the years but this one may have topped them all. The main difference.. no rice. The lack of rice meant less heaviness (a welcome plus in the summer) letting the rest of the ingredients shine. And the toasty flour tortilla is crispy, thin but holds its own for pleasant mess-free eating. I want to come back for the wings and tacos.

You know that the burrito was good when the ride across Manhattan bridge becomes a little more difficult. I felt like telling everyone passing me “dude, I had a burrito.. without rice, more beans”. Manhattan Bridge is a solid alternative to Brooklyn if you don’t want to share the lane with pedestrians taking selfies of themselves getting hit by bikes.

Pok Pok, the Hummus Whisperer’s favorite restaurant in NYC was our last stop. Although I’ve been a big fan of Andy Ricker, I somehow never made it before. The new location in Red Hook looks like a simple diner, but the food is anything but. We only had room for 2 dishes and one of them had to be the wings I kept hearing about. Very solid meaty delicious wings that were plenty sweet and plenty of spice. I liked the Cha Ca La Vong even more (below). Catfish marinated and fried to flaky perfection with all sorts of herb action, rice vermicelli and tangy pineapple-y sauce. Now I really cant wait to come back for more. Great finish to a wonderful day

The End

Categories: Brooklyn, Chinatown, East Village, Lower East Side, New York City | Tags: best food in NYC, food, Liquiteria, Mission Cantina, Pok Pok Brooklyn, Prosperity Dumplings, restaurants, Shelsky's, Travel | 2 Comments

Dude, You Are Researching NYC Food All Wrong

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Ziggy

Dear Tourist,

So you’ve decided finally to go on a “Holiday” to New York City. Mazal Tov! You probably read by now in your guide books that NYC is the greatest food city in the world. And you are probably waking up every morning thanking god for the gift that keeps on giving, the TripAdvisor Rankings. Between the rankings, the guidebooks, and all the great recommendations by your neighbor’s house sitter Betty (you must go to bubba gump you must) who eloped to NYC last year with 75 of her closest friends, you are all set. Right? Not exactly. Lets take a moment and examine what is wrong with the above plan, and come up with a new one.

Whats wrong with the TA rankings: Everything, and nothing. Its just totally meaningless, especially in NYC. TA is a great traveling tool, but ~~pretty much~~ totally useless in NYC as far as restaurants are concerned. The main reason for its uselessness is that there are much better research tools in NYC. (more on that later). But lets discuss the rankings for a second shall we. They are so flawed and so out of tune with reality that’s not even funny. The top 50 at the moment is a bizarre mishmash of classics and places I never even heard of. First of all the TA algorithm puts some major weight on the number of reviews. So older establishments may be higher than better reviewed younger ones. And then there are those that have 27 remarkably high reviews that made it all the way to the top 20. And not to mention that 25 of them may be coming from all their employees and families. I always recall this one particular place in Milan where the owner single-handedly put his place #1 with a bunch of obvious fake reviews. At some point he mistakenly gave himself one star, and that followed with 4 quick glorious reviews with a similar language. And once real reviews started coming in, he found himself arguing with every reviewer

But fake reviews don’t have much of a bearing on the busy NYC listings. Tourists do. TripAdvisor is predominately used by tourists, and its especially true in NYC. While you may see locals contribute in other towns and countries where there’s not much of a choice other than TA, in NYC locals use other sites like Yelp. Now, couple the tourist factor with the high volume factor I mentioned above and you can see why something like Basso56 will be near the top as its heavily reviewed by tourists thanks to its location near Times Square. Besides Basso, at the top of the Italian chain on TA at the moment you can find other Italian behemoths like Rafele, Piccola Cucina, Via Della Pace – places I never even heard of. But if you need more convincing than “Ziggy never heard of”, why not just go to Chowhound where all the NY foodies hang out and pull threads that discuss the best Italian in town. You will not find any of those places mentioned. What you will see mentioned are places like Maialino (#95), Babbo (#602), Marea (#194), Lincoln (#882), or even Ziggy fave Costata (#2605). TA numbers are all over the place as you can see, well outside of the top range for the unsuspecting tourist. So while you are eating a Carbonara with cream and bacon at a high ranked theater district place near you, locals out there enjoy the real thing with Guanciale and egg at Maialino.

Same applies to using the rankings everywhere else in the world. My favorite restaurant in our adapted home of Turks and Caicos is Caicos Cafe, rated #20 at the moment, pretty low in T&C standards.

Now, its time to ditch the guide book. Ok, wait.. pick it up.. its actually quite useful for many things. But not so much for food. Yes, you will get some good tips on some NY icons like Katz’s and Russ and Daughters that I recommend. But then you have something like pizza (namely Grimaldi’s) and bagels that NYC is so famous for. While you will not easily find better pastrami than Katz’s, you will easily find better pizza than Grimaldi’s. Actually, all you need to do while standing on line at Grimaldi’s with the rest of the tourists is look to you left at Juliana’s window to see where the real Grimaldi is doing his thing nowadays. But you dont even have to leave your neighborhood in Manhattan to get great pizza that is arguably better than Grimaldi’s.

Besides pizza, your guide book will mislead you in other areas. E.g. Hell’s Kitchen is not a safe area, the place for Italian is Little Italy, and Times Square is a foodie paradise. Your guide book may be up to date as far as facts are concerned (MoMA hours) but not concepts. Little Italy is now a block inside Chinatown riding one of those concepts. There are no Italians living there. Another thing to keep in mind is that the food contributors to the guides may not be necessarily “foodies”. Rick Steves for example does not strike me a foodie, and to follow his advice in Italy or anywhere else is Europe in this day and age is pretty silly. Eating at guidebook recommended establishments and high ranked TA spots also means eating with other tourists who are doing exactly the same thing. Some may find comfort with that, but if you are reading this blog chances are you want to eat where the locals eat.

And as for your neighbor Betty recommendations go, treat them like meeting your dentist at the supermarket. Smile, and move on. Unless Betty, is an avid Eating With Ziggy reader and/or does any of the following…

Read Chowhound – as I mentioned, this is where many of the NYC foodies hang out, and where I get many ideas. Chowhound is probably my wallet’s single worst offender.

Read Yelp Reviews instead of TA reviews. I already touched on this, and its fairly simple. Locals use Yelp, tourists use TA.

Read or Subscribe to Grub Street – You can get all sorts of interesting ideas there, especially from the power rankings. Same idea applies to Eater, or Serious Eats.

Hang out in the TripAdvisor NYC Forum. You dont even have to participate. Its amazing how much knowledge you can get just by reading the forum for a month or two. There are plenty of locals who contribute on a daily basis, and you can also find many discussions on dining by using the search feature

And the most important tip…

Read EatingWithZiggy. Whats so funny. Where do you think I derive my ideas from.

Happy eating, and happy planning!

Categories: Brooklyn, Chelsea, Chinatown, East Village, Gramercy, Flatiron, Lower East Side, Midtown East, Midtown West, New York City, SoHo, NoHo, Nolita, Staten Island, TriBeCa, West Village | Tags: best food in NYC, food, restaurants, Travel, Where to eat in NYC | 6 Comments

Henry’s End – Game of Thrones

Posted on January 21, 2014 by Ziggy

Winter is coming! An odd thing to say in mid January. Game of Thrones has made “Winter is Here” or every other phrase with the word Winter in it(e.g. “Winter Coats for Sale”) sound uncool. Besides, you could be reading this post in the Summer or Fall, and as long as our moon is intact, winter will be just around the corner. Imagine for a second Planet Earth without a moon, or a much smaller moon. The earth’s rotational axis would pretty much not exist, hence no fixed seasons. It could be Turks and Caicos weather for 7 years, or Antartica for 9. Imagine having to wait years or decades for Henry’s End Winter Game Festival. Its like imagining the unimaginable. Like Kim without Kanye. Hooray for moons!

File this one under the I cant believe I haven’t done this before. We were again with Mr and Mrs Hummus Whisper, a prenatal eating tour if you will for them. Turns out HW is still recovering from catching his former nanny wearing his boxer shorts. Knowing the former nanny, I now join in the recovery efforts. It was also very cool meeting Steve from the Chowhound board finally after first meeting him on the Italy board. The rustic Henry’s End by the Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn was packed on a Friday night as it should.

Enjoyed the Turtle Soup. Got it lukewarm but it was just fine. Finely chopped turtle meat, nicely spiced. Recipe originally came from Paul Prudhomme when he was with Commanders Palace, incidentally the last Turtle Soup I had. The CP soup nowadays is a bit different, with chunkier meat, which could be turtle or not. Turtle soup to me is not so much about the turtle meat. It could be veal, pork or rubber ducky meat as far as I care. But the manager at Henry’s assured me it was real Turtle from Louisiana.

The Game Charcuterie Plate was something else. Great Buffalo, venison, duck pate. Venison sausage was nice and earthy, almost mushroom like. My favorite however was the rabbit with ginger sausage. So tender and flavorful. Wife enjoy her corn chowder.

For main we shared a few dishes. Nice Rabbit Strudel – a bit too sweet for my taste but enjoyable. The Pappardelle with Buffalo short rib ragu was one of the best Pappardelle with ragu I ever had and certainly one of the the meatiest. Melts in your fork, super tender, tasty meat which looks a bit one sided in the picture but it wasnt. The New Zealand Elk Chops however stole the show. Huge, rich, lean tender chops, herb and breadcrumb crusted on top of a very tasty Madeira wine sauce. Just excellent excellent stuff! I was giving a food tour to a couple from New Zealand right before dinner, so it was a NZ kind of a day for me

Dessert was fine. Liked the homemade banana gelato. Another memorable meal in Brooklyn

Henry’s End

$$$

44 Henry St, Brooklyn (Right near the Brooklyn Bridge and DUMBO)

Recommended Dishes: From the Game menu: Turtle Soup, Game Charcuterie Plate, Elk Chops, Pappardelle

Categories: Brooklyn, New York City | Tags: Aska Brooklyn, Best restaurants in Brooklyn, food, Henry's End, Henry's End Brooklyn, NYC food, restaurants, Travel | 5 Comments

NYC – Top 10 dishes of 2013

Posted on January 6, 2014 by Ziggy

Another year, another amazing eating year in the city of New York. Keeping up with all the new and excitement here is like keeping up with the Kardashians. But 2013 proved to be one heck of a year, probably the best ever. And if there’s ever a post on EWZ that could be helpful to visitors or locals seeking great chow in NYC, this is IT!

Ma Peche – Fried Chicken (with a side of the Brussels Sprouts). I’ll start with the last great dish. Haute Fried Chicken doesnt get any better than this. Habanero, coriander, black pepper and other spices used to create this fried pieces of awesomeness. Its a large shareable whole chicken at $48, but for lunch you can get half for $24 which can still feed an Armanian village, or 2 Americans. And the amazing Brussels Sprouts dish are worthy of their own spot here.

Ivan Ramen Slurp Shop– Smoked Whitefish Donburi. With salmon roe, sweet soy dashi, cucumber, scallion over rice. Need I say more? I probably should. Tell me if you heard this story before. A Jewish man from Long Island opens a Ramen shop in Tokyo which becomes critically acclaimed, then comes back to NYC to open a Ramen shop in the New Gotham West Market in Hell’s Kitchen. Sounds familiar? The Donburi is a nice clash of the 2 cultures (Japan meets Jew)

Momofuku Ssam Bar – Spicy Sausages & Rice Cakes. Second Momofuku mention already (Ma Peche is the first) This dish is insane. Plenty of heat and plenty of joy. Its a beautiful medley of ground sausage, Chinese broccoli, Sichuan peppercorn, and the awesome rice cakes which were essentially Korean Gnocchi made from rice flour. Puts the Mssion Chinese rice cakes to shame. Photo courtesy of Never Too Sweet

Betony – Short Ribs. A revelation! Tender, full of flavor goodness. It takes 3 days to make them we were told. We told the waitress that we cant stay that long, but we quickly understood the meaning.

Maialino – Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe. Its so simple, it shouldnt be here. But along with the carbonara perhaps my favorite dish at one of my favorite Italian spots in the city. Perfectly creamy, peppery, and addictive. Having it sit there among the other pastas on the table is like visiting the bunny ranch after trying out all the bunnies, and constantly picking your favorite.

The NoMad – The Chicken. This is a no brainer, and a top dish nominee even before it reached our table. Once you get over the facts that a) is costs $78 (for 2) and b) its freakin chicken, you will enjoy this one no doubt. Perfectly crispy skin, moist juicy white meat, along with some foie gras and black truffles (all cooked) nicely tucked beneath the skin. Each bite of that combination together was a Tour de Force. But that’s not all. Add a glorious plate of the dark meat with garlic espuma (foamy light garlic goodness) in the middle to share.

Ippudo – Akamaru Modern (with egg). “Welcom”, “Goodbye”, “Aim Well”? I have no idea what they are screaming in Japanese at Ippudo every time someone arrives or goes to the bathroom. All I know is that this is my favorite dish here. Rich, complex pork broth, along with hefty pieces of pork belly. Add the egg and spicy miso paste for even richer flavors

Costata – The Costata. Perhaps the dish of the year. A mammoth 44oz $120 very shareable Tomahawk Ribeye cooked to perfection. Basted ever so beautifully with a rosemary brush, this beast was a feast for all senses. Add some Black truffle butter, fries and asparagus, but good luck remembering the sides in between bites of perhaps the best steak in town

Nish Nush – Falafel. I know Falafel. I grew up with falafel. My car runs on falafel (its the trade-in period while waiting for the new car so dont want to use the real thing). This is good falafel. Fresh pita from the oven, and free (great) hummus can only help

Kashkar Cafe – Geiro Lagman. Little Asia in little Odessa (Brighton Beach) and perhaps the only Uyghur spot in town. I’ve had this dish 3 times in the last 8 months. Nice and chewy hand pulled noodles with lamb, veggies, cumin, garlic, other spices and herbs make up this highly palatable dish.

Special mentions:

Malai Marke – Chicken Xacuti (and Bindi Sasuralwali)
Sakagura – Maguro Tartar
Pure Thai – Wok Curry Paste with Pork
Mercato – Trenette
Jungsik – The rice dish that comes for free for b-day boy 😉
Louro – Octopus Bolognese (tie with monkfish)
Mission Chinese – Kung Pao Pastrami

Categories: Brooklyn, Chelsea, Chinatown, East Village, Gramercy, Flatiron, Lower East Side, Midtown East, Midtown West, New York City, SoHo, NoHo, Nolita, TriBeCa, West Village | Tags: Best restaurants in NYC, food, NYC, NYC eats, NYC food, restaurants, Top NYC dishes, Travel | Leave a comment

Brighton Beach For Meshugenahs

Posted on November 29, 2013 by Ziggy

Post Sandy Brighton Beach is not only alive and well but kicking some serious foodie tuches these days. Tuches (pronounced Tooches with a jewish Chhh), if you are scoring at home (or if you are alone) means rear-end in Yiddish. Its one of a few Yiddish words you need to know when visiting predominantly Russian speaking Brighton Beach. E.G. “$3 for this Mondalech? You can kiss my Tuches”. Anyway, there’s all sorts of deliciousness waiting your way in good ol’ BB. And as you will see here only a portion of it is actually Russian.

One can actually argue (me included) that the best food in Brighton Beach is not really Russian at all. An argument I wouldn’t make with the Dominoes players on the boardwalk or on Ocean Parkway. But if you must, here’s another word you need to know: “Gavno”. As in “Their Strogonoff looked like my Yozhik’s Gavno!”. In addition to Russian, you can get some tasty Georgian, Turkish, Uzbek, and even Mexican food in Brighton. BTW, to demonstrate how predominantly Russian this neighborhood is, just hang around in any grocery store and hear Mexican workers ~~argue~~ converse with Russian Babushkas in Russian. It can be quite hysterical when you witness it for the first time. Babushka asks a question in Russian, you think OMG this is too funny, but when the answer is in perfect Russian you feel like the joke is on you.

Yes, one can survive without knowing the language here I suppose. Well not for too long at least. Dont be surprised if someone approaches you in a restaurant or a store speaking to you in Russian. But no worries, Ziggy is here to help. First step to enhance your experience, do it Ruskie style: Empty a bottle of water, fill it with vodka, and put inside your jacket/bag. It will be handy later on. So lets go for a ride, shall we…

Vintage Foods – Lets start with my favorite store located on Brighton Beach Ave (Between Brighton 2nd/ Brighton 3rd) . This is a Mediterranean specialty food store that needs to be explored thoroughly. You can find not only every nut known to man but every nut known to man covered in some sort of chocolate (ok, a little exaggeration with the last part). In fact it started as a simple Nut and dried food store but now expanded into something so much more. You got a plethora of various Russian chocolates – I usually get some sort of mix (rule of thumb: Anything with a picture of a squirrel or a camel is normally good). I also get some of the exposed giant dark chocolate bars used for cooking. I use it for eating! The Halva is very good, as well Turkish breads, coffee and so much.

Pierogi Window – Right to the left of Vintage Foods (when looking at it). This is the national snack. A large fried dumplings usually filled with savory meat (my favorite), potatoes (possibly with peas), or sauerkraut. For normally around a buck and half this can be pretty filling and satisfying. You can wash down the national snack with the national drink, Kvass, a malt beverage that for the most part quite frankly doesnt taste that great. If you can get your hands on Israeli Black Beer (non alcoholic) sold in various markets/delis, its a much better alternative.

Oceanview Cafe – Right across the street from Vintage on the corner of Brighton 2nd is this little cafe serving all your classic Russian dishes. Here you can sample good Borscht, Kharcho (lamb, rice soup I prefer over Borscht), and its a good place in particular for Pelmeni. If you dont feel like experiencing the scene at Glechik (more on that later) and want more of a quick and relaxed meal, this is a nice alternative.

A word on Pelmeni: Essentially the Russian Ravioli. Mike Tyson’s favorite Russian food as its related to the Italian Orecchiette by name alone. Both names mean something along the line of “Little Ears”, though the Pelmeni origin isn’t Russian. Different Pelmeni kinds include chicken, veal, mystery meat, or my favorite the Siberian which is a mix of ground meats like beef, pork, or veal and spices. Most people enjoy them with sour cream which will be served in some places (otherwise ask). But my preference is with black pepper and white vinegar which you can ask

for if its not on the table already. You also have the Pelmeni’s uglier but pretty on the inside cousin, the Ukranian Varenyky, flatter, may be filled with different stuff as well but for the most part Varenyky referred to the ones stuffed with potatoes (correct me if I’m wrong Varenyky aficionado). Another cousin is the Manti, aka “Pelmeni Gone Wild” found in the various Uzbek spots in the area. More on Manti later

Kashkar Café – Remember when I talked about Manti 🙄 If I have to pick one place to visit in Brighton, I think this might be it. This is the place where you get your Uyghur fix ladies and gents. Closer to Asian food than Russian overall, the flavors here are little bigger and more coplex. Try the homemade Lagman noodles in the form of a soup or a dish called Geiro (top picture). Here you can also sample those Manti, and the Uzbek Plov (rice Pilaf), along with some of juiciest and cheapest chicken and lamb kebabs. Tremendous stuff here folks. There’s a similar place on Brighton 4th with a Korean twist where the name translates to something along the lines of “Cafe At Your Mother’s-in-Law”. The name is a big reason why I never set foot there, but I’ve read its pretty good. I will spare you the historic details of the Korean Uzbek connection. I recommend this thing called Google.

Georgian Bread – Or Tone Café as its now called since it expanded. Those love boats are just something else, baguettes on crack. People flock here mostly for the bread, and the patient ones stick around for the Oasis of the Seas, the Adjaruli Khatchapuri, a mammoth boat with Farmer’s Cheese and egg. This is very shareable of course. And if you are staying take advantage of some other goodies like the terrific Lobio, a red bean salad, with ground walnut, pomegranate and spices. This is on Neptune Ave which is a couple of blocks north from the main hub Brighton Beach blvd. But the mini schlep is a worthy one.

Café Gletchik – A Brighton institution/Pelmeni legend. Right off the main blvd on Coney Island Ave. This is where you can have your complete traditional Russian meal in a lively setting. Wash it down with a Kompot, the Russian fruit punch. This is where your water bottle can become handy. Below is an example on the type of meal you can enjoy here (note: Pelmeni, a must here, is already pictured above)…

Herring with potatoes

Borscht

Potato Varenyky

Cherry Varenyky

Homemade Napolean. Perhaps the best I ever had

Homemade Napolean. Absolute must!

Schnitzel with Egg. More like a big fat chicken cutlet

Bakery La Brioche Cafe – This is one of the premier dessert spots on Brighton Beach blvd and Brighton 13th. Last time I brought my baking obsessed sister in law who required to be dragged out of there with police escort. Things turned a little ugly when she had a Borat Cheese moment where she went down the aisle and asked the clerk what each item was, until the clerk finally gave in and said “This is cheese Ok?, its Cheese!”. I kid you not! And there was no cheese there.

Anywhere on the Boardwalk. Cant get any more people watching than this. Between good ol’ Tatiana and its neighbors (or is it down to one neighbor now) you have your pick. And dont forget to buy Russian seeds on the far left corner (Brighton 4th) of the boardwalk. I’m pretty sure its illegal to walk on the Boardwalk without holding a bag of seeds but I may be wrong.

So let me ask you now tourists. Will you come to South Brooklyn next time to eat a hot dog (Nathan’s) as instructed by your guidebook, or visit the neighborhood next door.

Other than food there’s plenty to do and see in Brighton Beach. You can visit stores like Kalinka (corner of Brighton 4th) for your souvenir needs. Or check out the latest Babooshka fashion trends on the Boardwalk. In the warmer months don’t be surprised to see street performers entertaining Russian children, and if you are really lucky, drunk Parakeets cursing in Russian.

Categories: Brooklyn, New York City | Tags: Brighton Beach, Brighton beach Food, Brooklyn eats, food, NYC, restaurants, Travel, what to eat in brighton beach | 9 Comments

Georgian Bread in Brighton Beach – The Looooooove Boat!

Posted on November 3, 2013 by Ziggy

If only my parents would have taken me to Georgian cafes for some delicious Khatchapuri instead of staying home watching The Love Boat all those years. Would I have appreciated it as a kid? Not sure. I know my youngest who went with us to one of those a few weeks ago, would have rather stayed home and watch the same Full House episode for the 25th time. You realize that your kid watched a particular episode for the 25th time when you as a parent already know the entire episode by heart without actually ever watching it. I’m still convinced that that is the reason our goldfish, Ziggy Jr. Jr. (not to be confused with our previous goldfish Ziggy Jr.) leaped to his death. When you hear that music, when one of the adults on the show explains yet another life lesson to the kids, on an hourly basis, there’s just so much you can take.

You know the place is authentic when you are not sure exactly of its name. Georgian Bread? Tone Cafe? Khachapuri-R-Us? Whatever its called, this Brighton Beach gem is worth the schlep, even while being a little out of the main babushka hub. Lets call it Tone. Tone recently renovated to transform a takeout place into a takeout place with a cozy, rustic, attached sit down with gorgeous views of the oven. The only type of oven in NYC where you can say “gorgeous views of the oven”. In a city filled with some amazing and unique bakeries, add Tone, or the Georgian bread place near you to you list.

The main draw here is the Khatchapuri, essentially bread with cheese which can come in various forms and sizes. But the one to get is the Adjaruli Khatchapuri, a boat shape bread topped with Farmer’s Cheese and an egg cracked open right before serving. You then mix in the egg with the cheese and the result is a gorgeous feast for all senses. The bread is hard, crispy and the perfect partner for that rich, runny mess you just made.

The Adjaruli is made to order, and can take as much as an hour to make. Anywhere between 30-60 minutes to be exact. And while you wait, you can either order other things, or drool over all the bread being made next door via the glass wall , or do both (RECOMMENDED!). So grab a napkin (something heavy duty and pretty. Not what you got in the deli last night and saving them for a special occasion) and lets take a look at how they are making those other love boats, the plain ones…

Master slaps the bread inside the stone oven

Bread master prepares the bread

Mmmmm… come to Ziggy

Guy with the stick puts the bread into cooling area

We managed to eat about half of the Adjaruli because we were no longer hungry after pre-stuffing ourselves with the following goodies. The best perhaps came first. Lobio, essentially a sick red bean salad, with ground walnut, pomegranate and spices. The perfect starter! Imeruli was another form of Khatchapuri, this one being cheese filled soft bread. Satisfying, although not particularly unique to us. Mtsvadi, Shashlik (Shis Kebab) was a decent kebab. The “Kababi” on the other hand, ground beef pork perfectly seasoned and slow cooked, wrapped in flat bread was fantastic. Drinks available are the normal Russian fare including the sweet Pear Soda, and the Kompot (like a fruit punch), which the Russians like to dilute with vodka they carry in water bottles.

Categories: Brooklyn, New York City | Tags: food, Georgian Bread, Georgian Bread brooklyn, Khachapuri, restaurants, Tone Cafe Brooklyn, Travel, what to eat in brighton beach, what to eat in Brooklyn | 4 Comments

Battle of the Bridges Part Deux – Grub This!

Posted on October 26, 2013 by Ziggy

With 2 major food events scheduled for the weekend, the big news could not have come at a better time. We apparently not pooping properly! Yes thats right! Leave your iphone in your pockets and invest in baby wipes and a little stool for your feet and squat away. Is our society ready for this? Meaning, can I be seen leaving a meeting at work early for the sole purpose of going to the restroom carrying a little stool, or would that be awkward? But it makes complete sense to me. However, as with all the studies out there, I would wait about month for any disputing “Wrong! We ARE pooping just fine” arguments to emerge.

I already wrote about the first event of the weekend. The next day the Hummus Whisperer and I planned another one of those bike bridge tours where we Citibike from place to place and eat various things. A bike tour that would have been so much more fun if not for a certain someone’s WIFE WHO NEEDED HER PRECIOUS TO BE HOME BY 3:30! ok, needed to get it out of my system. Here’s what we did and what we ate last Sunday…

As before, we parked by the Brooklyn Bridge on the Brooklyn Side and biked Brooklyn Bridge to Manhattan. The earlier you do it, the easier it gets on this bridge due to the amount of tourists that flock it.

Stop 1 – Grub Street Food Festival on Hester street. The mother of all NYC food festivals. If you have to choose one food festival to attend a year, this is the one. The who’s who of the top vendor names, great space, plenty of seats, and great music. While we were returning our bikes, we met a dutch couple who were having trouble with their bikes and needed to get to another docking station. They were able to return only one bike. I offered to bike along with the wife to another docking station and walk the wife to the festival but the husband insisted on running along the sidewalk much to the delight of some locals. I cant blame him for not trusting me as I had a very bad hair day. Anyway when they were leaving, they asked me if its a weekly thing and couldn’t believe how lucky they were when I told them its yearly. Here’s what we ate…

Pastrami sandwich from Ducks Eatery – Started with a bang! Very meaty, juicy, thick sliced as pastrami should be. Delicious. Great job by Ducks

Israeli Scotch Eggs from Eastwood. Fan-freakin-tastic. “Taim Meod”. Very unique and very good. Add some Tehina on it and its like the Falafel and Sabich making boogie right in front of your eyes. Eastwood people, I see you now! I dont need a liquor license to visit you. Some Nesher Bira Schora (Israeli black beer) will do, thanks

Khao Man Gai from Khao Man Gai – Essentially Chicken and Rice, ginger based sauce and a light soup. Khao Man Gai is thai street food. Basic compared to everything else but pleasant. To enjoy this one is best with Thai iced tea and a seat

Teriyaki Balls from Mimi and Coco – I dont know why it took me so long to try these. I suppose I was never really in the mood for them, but this time those beautiful Schweddy Balls were like “Come To Ziggy”. These were bursting with flavor on every bite. However, I made the mistake of putting an entire ball in my mouth and for a few seconds suffered greatly from the heat (not spicy, HOT). I would have them again

Canela – Cajeta Ice Cream from La Newyorkina – Perhaps the best thing I ate all day. Very sweet but in a very good way, Mexican caramel, cinnamon and some love. This is artisanal ice cream at its best. No frozen air here.

For the same reason I’m obsessed with travel, walking around Chinatown is one of my favorite things to do in NYC. Live frogs, dragon fruit, massage parlors with “No special favors” signs, 99 cent new favors (see below) and all sorts of prices that cant be beat (except of course if you get for free). Just things I don’t normally see on a daily basis.

I enjoy walking inside buddhist temples (until I see too many swastikas and run the hell out there) and perhaps for the first time heard a “welcome” from a monk. It was in Pu Chao Buddhist Temple on Eldridge street. very nicely decorated, serene temple

Near the temple you will also find one of New York’s hidden treasures, the Museum at Eldridge Street. The museum is housed inside the great Eldridge Street Synagogue, the first synagogue in America built by East European Jews. Built in 1887. A strange location nowadays smack in the middle of Chinatown, but its not stopping from tourists to flock it looks like.

Back to eating, back to the bikes. We alter plans to go to Hells Kitchen and rode back to Brooklyn instead, this time taking the Manhattan Bridge back. Sooo much easier riding the Manhattan Bridge. No people, No ringing, great views (below). BTW, the Hummus Whisperer is the only person I know that rings cars. They cant hear you HW!

We opted to stop by and visit the Brooklyn Navy Yards, a giant shipyard used to build and repair navy and commercial vessels. An informative little museum tells the story of not only the shipyard but the entire city. Tours are offered by either bus or bikes due to the size of the area.

Picked up the bikes again and moved on toward Dumbo, the #1 destination currently for wedding, bat mistvah, get out of prison pictures. People watching and scenery doesn’t get much better than Dumbo these days.

Our destination is the new Smorgasburg which recently moved from Dumbo to Pier 5. Pier 5 is as stunning. Before we parked I get a text from my friend Val saying that he’s at this food festival near the Brooklyn Bridge Park, figuring he’s telling me something new that I ought to know. I surprised him and family minutes later.

We sampled some Short ribs from Takumi Taco yet again. Still good though perhaps a tad drier this time.

Fried Chicken from Buttermilk Channel was just ok. A bit greasy and sweet batter that’s not to my liking. Not a very good line/taste ratio here.

Mighty Quinn’s and its mighty line still rule this show rightfully so, but I didnt have it this time (My friend Val did and loved it)

The best thing that came out of this for me was Vermont Maple Lemonade. This grown man drives every weekend to NYC to open a lemonade stand. Holy smokes it was good. Refreshing and tasty. Perhaps the best lemonade I ever had.

One last bike pick up, a quick randevu with the red hook, a near death with a cabbie, and another one where a leaf landed on my face and blinded me temporarily, and back to the car in one piece. Till next time

Categories: Brooklyn, Lower East Side, New York City | Tags: Ducks Eatery, Ducks Eatery NYC, Eastwood NYC, food, Grub Street Food Festival, Khao Man Gai, La Newyorkina, Mimi and Coco, NYC eats, restaurants, Smorgasburg, Travel, Vermont Maple Lemonade | Leave a comment

Pizza and Beer With Bonci and Parla

Posted on October 21, 2013 by Ziggy

My publicist advised me that my next career step should be to either start attending food events or look into hair replacement procedures. On Saturday I attended a food event.

Gabriele Bonci, one of Italy’s greatest pizza makers, and Katie Parla one of Italy’s greatest food publicists/experts/educators/sommeliers/Uyghur food lover, were doing their thing at Paulie Gee’s in Greenpoint. Bonci was dishing out some fantastic looking and tasting pizzas, Parla was serving Italian craft beer, and Paulie was busy giving away wifi passwords. Actually it was fun chatting with Paulie again. You will never meet a more down to earth guy.

A few months ago we went to Rome, and one of my “musts” was a visit to Pizzarium, Bonci’s place behind the Vatican. But the closer I got to the date the more I knew that its just not gonna be possible due to the proximity of Pizzarium to the Vatican exit. All I had to do was envision that look. The look I would get from Mrs Z after a pilgrimage to a place with no seating at a moment where seating is absolutely crucial (Vatican museum + 2 hour Vatican garden tour + St Peters = Seating). However, thanks to Katie Parla and her foodie colleagues, Il Sorpasso turned out to be a valid alternative. So, I couldn’t go to Pizzarium, but Pizzarium came to me, to Brooklyn

The Pizzas were as good as advertised. Slice after slice coming in bursting with flavor from the various combinations, showcasing Bonci’s creativity. From the Speck with Pumpkin to Funghi/Potato/Taleggio to Swiss Chard with Guanciale. Bonci, who had to make some adjustments working with Paulie’s oven then finished by pulling out something that resembled (with the help of Katie’s beer) 3 chickens lying in the missionary position. But after a closer look, it seemed more like the opposite position. Another closer look revealed it was just pizza dough. And the surprise inside was a pork loin – DELICIOSO!

Parla’s craft beer selection was spot on. We couldn’t get enough of the citrusy Seson with Chinotto, at least until the next one arrived. Fantastic aromas, and deep lasting flavors all around. It was great to finally meet Katie, and mama Parla who practically painted our entire Italy itinerary for the next trip.

The thought crossed my mind while driving in. Perhaps Bonci’s old friend Anthony Bourdain will be there. But instead I got to meet Nick Anderer of Maialino. It was perfect timing as well after I posted on Chowhound my sound approval of the new white truffle prices at Maialino, lowest in the city turns out, until the NoMad started offering them at cost (lunch there tomorrow). I wish I could have spent more time chatting with Anderer, but I couldn’t leave Mrs Ziggy alone for too long. With her “Fish Called Wanda” syndrome and all the Italian men roaming around, potentially a deadly combination.