East Village

Somtum Der and Hava Nagila Shoes

Posted on October 14, 2014 by Ziggy

The other day I went to a fairly lavish wedding. There was caviar, lobsters, oysters, and all sorts of opulence. Heck, I even had to not only wear a suit and tie, but also the special shoes that are hidden in the hers and hers closet. The special Hava Nagila shoes! You know, the ones that you only ~~allowed~~ can take out when there’s Hava Nagila involved. Another words, a big, special event. So we danced, we laughed, we cried, and we met some unexpected familiar faces which was a big surprise since I came expecting to know no one. In fact when someone asked me how I’m related, I said “you know the mother of the bride? I know her boss” Meaning my wife. That’s the only person I knew. But on this day, with all the caviar and all the wonderful things I ate, the best things I ate was fried chicken and grilled marinated pork, just 5 hours earlier at Somtum Der with none other than the Hummus Whisperer.

Somtum Der is the type of place you wouldnt caught me dead wearing Hava Nagila shoes. Meaning she will kill me if I ever attempt this terrible crime. But the place is pretty neat. I normally avoid eating Thai outside of Hell’s Kitchen since Hell’s Kitchen is fairly represented. You want Isan cooking, we got that. You want Ratchaburi, Hell’s Kitchen got that too. But there were two places outside of HK that I wanted to try for a long time. Somtum Der and Uncle Boons. One down, one to go.

Somtum Der is a newish Isan, joining Zabb Elee, Larb Ubol and the great Queens Isan joints. Isan is the historically poor Northeast Thailand region. Normally poor means a lot of seasoning to compensate for the otherwise uneatable meats and fish. Poor = creative = opportunity. Like the folks in Turin, Italy back in the day, who added hazelnuts to chocolates to compensate for the great cocoa shortage, hence opening the doors to Nutella, Ferrero Rocher and every chocolate with hazelnut out there you’ve enjoyed all those years.

Papaya salad

This Isan feels different than the rest. The Papaya here is king as the name implies (Somtum means Green Papaya Salad. Der means Dare as in “I dare you Americans to eat our Green Papaya Salad”). In fact, “Papaya King” was replaced in the title by “Hava Nagila shoes” midway through the article. Yes, thats how I operate. Sickening isnt it? But dont worry, I’m seeking help. The menu is filled with 8 papaya salads. Like kindergartners, we chose the one on the menu with the biggest picture, the one that says “Recommended”, while the rest of them either said “Not Recommended” or “Not Obamacare Friendly” (meaning, Thai spicy). Our Tum Thai Kai Kem, papaya salad with salted egg was just right. Just what one would expect from a Papaya Salad. Some traditionalists may expect something more fiery but it was just right.

“Sharing is Caring” is the motto here, eating with forks and fingers, no knives (just like in Laos inspired Khe-Yo. Laos is Isan’s neighbor, sharing some of the dishes and traditions. Papaya salad was actually invented in Laos). The Khao Moo Tod Kratiam Prik, fried garlic pork with jasmine rice and fried egg was good, Sa Poak Kai Tod Der der-style deep-fried chicken thigh was one of the highlights. Moist, juicy, very flavorful, and not greasy at all. Moo Ping Kati Sod grilled coconut milk marinated beef skewers was another winner. “Moo” oddly means pork, not beef, but you can sub it with beef. A tiny bit dry but excellent profound sweet coconut flavors. Perhaps the dish of the day was the Moo Rong Hai Der, house special grilled marinated pork. Fantastic seasoning producing deep lasting flavors, with two coconut rice sticks to help cool things off. Just about each dish came with the house made hot sauce, other than the rice dish which came with fish sauce. The only disappointment was the Sai Krok Isan, fried Isan sausages. Not much flavor, or crunch on those sausages. We tried to revive them with fish sauce, hot sauce, mouth to mouth to no avail

Marinated Pork

Dont leave without trying their refreshing Lemongrass Juice, and Thai Iced Tee. In that order. They were sadly out of the Taro in Condensed Coconut Milk, but the Thai Tee Panna Catta was surprisingly scrumptious. It tasted just like Thai Iced Tea. Cant wait to try the rest of the picture friendly menu

Somtum Der
85 Avenue A
$$
Recommended Dishes: Lemongrass Juice, Sa Poak Kai Tod Der, Moo Ping Kati Sod, Moo Rong Hai Der, Tum Thai Kai Kem

Rice and Pork

Beef Skewers

Chicken

Sausages

Categories: East Village, New York City | Tags: Best Thai in NYC, East Village Thai, food, restaurants, Somtum Der, Somtum Der NYC, Travel | Leave a comment

Chicken and Wine

Posted on August 30, 2014 by Ziggy

Is the new Pizza and Beer. Sometimes tasty surprises come at the most unexpected times, which is why they are called tasty surprises. I’m in the process of writing about yet another “one of those meals” I had the other day but I’m just running out of time, so instead I decided to write about my day today so far (Yeepee, how exciting! I know, right?)

At noon today I took a wine class with Corkbuzz in Union Square, examining the great reds of Piedmont and Tuscany. While I’m mostly already familiar with Tuscan wines overall, I still learned a great deal about them, such as the story behind bad boys “Super Tuscans”. But it was Piedmont I was mostly interested in, to prepare for my upcoming ~~white truffle orgy~~ trip in the fall. We tasted some fine Brunello (which made me dizzy just thinking about all the zigzagging Ziggy Andretti did on the way to Montalcino last summer which got some of us sick), Super Tuscan, Barbaresco, Barolo and more. All nice and dandy, until master Sommelier and owner of Corkbuzz, Laura Maniec poured a bonus bottle of 2000 Pianpolvere Soprano Barolo Bussia Riserva that made the other Barolo, and everything else seem light and uneventful. Dark, intensely aromatic (I can still smell it as I type) with big tannins, and a beautiful finish. Hints of plum, vanilla, and scallions (I wonder how long it was stuck between my teeth as I didnt have any today). Quite a lovely bottle, and the heaviest one I ever held. This was a very informative class overall and I’m looking forward for more from Laura, but its really just Italian wines I’m into

So I come out and right away I realize that my much anticipated pasta appointment across the street at All’onda is cancelled because they are not open for lunch on weekends. The Chutzpah! So what to do, where to eat. All that truffle talk with my neighbors at Corkbuzz got me in the mood for truffles so I was ready to settle for truffle oil with Pappardelle and sausage at nearby old fave Da Andrea. Oops, DA never open for lunch which I keep forgetting. Perhaps go to Gaia finally? Mighty Quinn’s for wings? Random filthy thoughts fill my mind. Oh what I’d do to that Motorino Pizza right now.

But then I remembered the recently opened Root and Bone and their infamous fried chicken, so off to Alphabet City I Citibike. Let me tell you folks about this crazy bird. Insanity in a basket. Sweet and zesty, dusted with dehydrated lemon powder which looks sort of weird at first. The bird is brined in sweet tea, onions and garlic for 24 hours before drying, and is simply marvelous. Cant get much better than this in NYC. Bike, dont run to Root and Bone folks

Categories: East Village, New York City, West Village | Tags: Corkbuzz, food, NYC, restaurants, Root and Bone, Travel, wine | 1 Comment

Tourist in My Own Town – Day 4

Posted on August 21, 2014 by Ziggy

Partially thanks to the new view, I slept like a baby. I woke up every 3 hours needed to be fed and changed. I’m attaching a picture of the “Courtyard View” which I requested over the street view we got last week. We checked out after playing a game we invented called “I spy a courtyard” (I won!) and off we went to Everyman Espresso for another fantastic latte.

We are walkers, especially in the morning, and on this morning we decided to walk all the way to Battery Park passing approx 17 neighborhoods on the way give or take. East Village, West Village, South Village, Greenwich Village, Nolita, South East Village, Chinatown, Soho, you get the picture. Free tip for men: The best time to walk through Soho is Sunday morning where its nice and quiet, and all the stores are closed!

We reach the Irish Hunger Memorial, dedicated to the million Irish killed in the great potato famine around 1850. The great hunger led to millions fleeing to NYC, New Orleans, Australia and the relocation greatly shaped many NYC neighborhoods especially Hell’s Kitchen. Its a memorial, not a museum, so there’s not a whole lot to see, but its fairly unique. Large stones were brought in from the different Irish counties to represent them, and other stones were brought in to replicate a typical 1850 Irish cottage.

The transformation from the hustle and bustle of the city to Battery Park is akin to travelling from Milan to a small unassuming Italian Village with fewer cars, tourists, and more families. We walked by the water toward our main destination of the day passing unique playgrounds, nice looking lawns with stunning settings, beach volleyball, and skateboard courts. Kids here have it all. When I was a kid, all I had was a tiny toy soldier, and a pack of cigarettes (I started smoking at 5, quit when 6, true story). The Times They Are a-Changin’.

It may sound strange to new readers, but perfectly fine to the rest, that I built the entire day around a Lobster Roll. Well, not just a Lobster Roll. The Grand Banks is a Schooner (a ship for the German readers) that is parked off Pier 25 and offers one of the best lobster rolls in town until November when they go south. The roll is done Maine style which means cold, and I’m not the biggest fan of Maine style rolls unless they are done right using the meatiest parts of the lobster. This one features plenty of Maine claw meat with tarragon mayonnaise, cucumbers and worth every penny of the $25. Fries would have been nice but the potato chips are spiced so very nicely. “Is Very Nice!” Borat would have said. The boat rocks by the way. I mean literally. At some point after a few beers, the thought of pirates came creeping in. The Somali type!

We then picked up CitiBikes and rode Hudson River Park a bit toward Chelsea and the Highline. By this point Mrs Z is like a pro, utilizing all her fingers and command of the language. I’m very lucky to have her. The Highline on a Sunday afternoon is Meshugenah! Crazy busy. At some point we were stuck behind a family of 4, a rooster, and a pair of parakeets. It was a zoo!

Real tourists, you are standing on the wrong line. Instead of tacos, you need to stand for the greatest Brisket in the tri-state area, Delaney’s Brisket. It was comical to see no line to this while a long line for the tacos. A trip to Briskettown the flagship in Williamsburg may also be necessary if you are a brisket fan. I once drove for takeout with the Hummus Whisperer to bring back to Staten Island. Also right next to Delaney is great gelato from L’Arte del Gelato and not too far, north is a La Newyorkina stand offering artisanal ice pops. Don’t discount those stands, as this is great stuff folks.

We shared the brisket sandwich, with the 2 great sides, and off we went to the subway to catch the L to cross East to 1st Ave. We then picked up the bikes again and rode them all the way to 60th, and I must say once again, if Mrs Z can do this, so can anyone. And besides, 1st and 2nd avenues are great for bikers and very Obamacare friendly since all the hospitals are right there.

We took the Roosevelt tram to Roosevelt Island. I was there a few weeks ago for the first time and this time came back with Mrs Z for her first time. Again, I went the south route to the new FDR memorial park via the only ruins in the city of New York (Smallpox hospital). FDR has a special meaning for us since we met in FDR high school in Brooklyn (awwwwe!). Cant say enough about New York parks these days

I picked dinner close to the tram and for me it was a no brainer especially after the movie the day before, Moti Mahal Delux. Locals and most visitors may not realize that this is actually part of a world wide empire chain, originating in India. While menu wise it didn’t feel as sexy as a Kokum, Chote Nawab, and some other we’ve visited over the years, this was a solid North Indian fare.

Evening time, we realize we have kids, they are coming tomorrow, and fridge is empty. Back to Union Square and Whole Foods. But right before, we found ourselves singing and dancing with Israel supporters at Union Square Park, which over time became a center for political rallies.

After Whole Foods we loaded the car next to Liquiteria, a new location right in front of the Hyatt which I only noticed on Day 3. Got my favorite juice the Grasshopper, and back home to Staten Island.

And thats all she wrote folks. Now if someone volunteers to take my kids to Aruba (or Turks and Caicos) next year again, I would write another NYC Trip Report. But, until then…Ciao baby!

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Categories: East Village, Gramercy, Flatiron, Midtown East, New York City, SoHo, NoHo, Nolita, TriBeCa | Tags: Delaney's Brisket, food, Irish Hunger Memorial, Moti Mahal Delux, restaurants, Roosevelt Island, The Grand Banks, Travel | 5 Comments

Tourist in My Own Town – Day 2

Posted on August 14, 2014 by Ziggy

******* YOU MUST BE 18 YEARS OLD TO READ THIS *********

WordPress issues last night published this thing prematurely

Day 1 can be found here. Day 2 was interesting to say the least.

There’s something about spending the evening in NYC while knowing you don’t have to drive home soon. Although my favorite part is waking up in the big city. There’s this level of serenity, like the great calm after the storm. Beautiful young drunk boys and girls are coming home after their one night stands, one reminder after another that you went to sleep way too early last night, and you are just old. People talking to themselves without ear pieces, is another early morning phenomenon.

The best advice I can give a real tourist (as oppose to the fakes like me) is to skip the hotel breakfast option. Come out, explore, follow your nose to the nearest bakery, coffee shop, etc. A Frenchman walks into a bar with a toad on his head. The bartender asks “where the hell did you get this”, the toad replies “In France, they got a million of those” So is coffee shops in NYC these days, and bagels everywhere you turn. Squirrel seekers can even find a plethora of flat whites all over town these days. Instead of sharing a hotel dining room with sandal and socks wearing tourists, come out and eat where the locals eat, and meet some of them. Like Everyman Espresso around the corner from the Hyatt Union Square. Voted by the Daily Meal as one of the best coffee in America, where we enjoyed some fine latte and flavored muffins. A light little breakfast, to save room for a great lunch and dinner, is the way to go in NYC

We then checked out of the hotel and started walking toward our next destination, the one that crashed Trip Advisor. A trip without walking through Madison Square Park is a like a trip without sunshine. Its not only the squirrel capital of the world and the place to see unique art installations, but this is also the place where magic happens… Shake Shack. Well, the original one at least. Shake shack employees and a few squirrels joined together for a pre-opening meeting this fine morning. It occurred to me how large this SS operation really is.

Whenever we look for parking in that area with the kids, somehow, for some bizarre Freudian reason we find a spot right by the Museum of Sex. The kids are too shy and embarrassed to ask any questions about this, and we are too embarrassed and lazy to explain. Since wifey and I are now kidless we decided to pop in. Would you believe it if I told you that this was not only fun and unique, but educational? You got an interesting exhibit dedicated to Linda Lovelace. Funland, a playground for adults that features a new spin on Kentucky Derby horse racing, Grope Mountain climbing!, and a bouncy house where you are surrounded by inflatable fake breasts, some of which were more wrinkly than others I noticed! And who witnessed a German tourist breast suddenly pop out while bouncing? This guy! The educational part: Animals and sex. Very interesting facts and tales like about ducks raping other ducks after chasing and killing them. Another floor offers extremely interesting displays that I can not possiby describe here, and the first floor is a store offering among other things, new pasta shapes I havent seen yet. A new meaning to Al Dente (firm… get it?)

We proceeded to walk toward our first culinary highlight of the day, but first we pass Eisenberg’s Sandwich Shop and it occurred to me.. I havent been here in 13 years since I worked at Forbes.com around the corner. That brought back memories. “Just browsing” I told the clerk, as I had brunch plans. This is not the place for browsing. You attack this thing with full force.

Add the burger at The Gander to the list of NYC growing must eat burgers. This beauty is priced well at $16, available for lunch/brunch only. 28 day dry-aged beef, cheddar – adding anything else to it except for the bone marrow mayo that comes on the side would be criminal. Juiciness level I haven’t experienced since college! Confit Duck Hash, Poached Duck Egg, Port Béarnaise, Duck Chicharrónes was very good, while could have used some acidity in the form of roasted tomatoes or something, but enjoyable nonetheless. Good drinks, great service, nice looking rooms (got filled up a few minutes after the picture was taken). Will be back for more at this 2 month old for sure

We then took a walk along 6th ave toward midtown to witness one of our great holiday celebrations… The Dominican Day Parade (special thanks to TER and ZTAKS from Trip Advisor for this suffering ;)) It was actually quite fun though a tad too crowded. We overheard one visitor ask a police officer if this was the American Independence Day parade.

A mistake on my part. Plan at this point was to walk all the way west to 12th ave, Hudson River. The 20 minute walk turned to be challenging due to the heat. And on top of that, the Citibikes in that station (12th and 40th) had problems with credit cards and 24 hour passes. I have an annual pass but Mrs Z doesn’t.

We managed to get bikes a block away and Mrs Z managed quite fine for her first bike ride in the city without any incidents. I chose the Hudson River Park as its flat, carless, and quite Obama-care friendly. We then parked the bikes in West Village and took advantage of the green space on that end of Hudson River Park, one of my favorite parks in the city overlooking the Hudson and Jersey City. Manhattan has pretty cool parks these days, something I wasnt able to say 10 years ago. We then walked all over West Village all the way to the hotel crossing the always vibrant Washington Square Park yet again

Although we already checked out of the hotel, we were able to use the facilities to make ourselves pretty, or make Mrs Z pretty for our dinner at Ma Peche with friends from Brooklyn. Cant say enough about this place, their new cart service, the fried chicken, and those addictively sick rice cakes (Korean gnocchi on crack) I constantly dream about. Highly recommend Ma Peche. Try the Seven Spice Sour cocktail if you go

We capped off the night at one of my favorite bars in town, the rooftop at Ink48. Glorious moon, glorious views, and another glorious day in the city I call home!

Day 1

Day 3

Day 4

Categories: East Village, Gramercy, Flatiron, Midtown West, New York City, West Village | Tags: Everyman Espresso, food, Hudson River Park, Ma Peche, Museum of Sex, restaurants, The Gander, Travel, travel+photography | 7 Comments

Tourist in My Own Town – Day 1

Posted on August 12, 2014 by Ziggy

There’s very little doubt as to what is my 12 year old’s favorite store in the entire world. M&M’s World. Whenever we enter the store, her eyes bulge, and she’s not sure what area to hit first. She’s like a kid in a candy store! In a way, I felt similar symptoms when I found myself kidless for 9 days for the first time in 14 years. There’s only one thing I love more than exploring NYC with my beautiful daughters.. exploring without them. Although I normally feel free to eat wherever I want, this is a brand new level of culinary freedom, with endless wants and possibilities. Instead of skipping town, Mrs Z and I decided to stay put and play tourists. We wanted the real Australian tourist experience which includes staying in a trendy hotel, complaining about hotel A/C noise, and taking pictures of squirrels. Day 1 out of 4…

*****Mostly iPhone pictures on day 1 as I wasn’t planning to do this post. I don’t want you to think that I’m a terrible photographer. I am, but I don’t want YOU to think that.

My weakened eating adventure started the day before where I enjoyed a Don Antonio Diavolo pie and a shared this pizza Fritta, a giant fried calzone stuffed with mozzarella, tomatoes and salami. Don Antonio to me is the closest to eating pizza in Italy due to the style, ingredient quality, and female employees speaking with Italian accents

We started our day 1 around noon in Hell’s Kitchen, where we met Mr Hummus Whisperer and wifey for pre-matinee lunch at Ippudo. My goal for this weekend was to impress mrs Z with good food and get her dunk. Good start so far. The Akamaru Modern on point as usual. Pork Buns so fine that will make you slap your mama. Chicken wings, fried chicken (fried chicken won by a chicken skin hair), and some gelato and sorbet from Il Laboratorio del Gelato where the black sesame winning top marks.

Book of Mormon. The show that upon purchase, made me tell my kids that they need to start being nice to their grandparents as they will need to rely on them for continued education from now on. I believe its the most expensive broadway show in history. And with all those inflated expectations, we still managed to enjoy it tremendously. Like a bizarre, super clever Mel Brooks, Howard Stern collaboration that makes you want to “Baptize” someone in the next few days

I work in Hell’s Kitchen, and ‘Disiac lounge off 54th and 9th is the place my coworkers frequent the most. I’ve seen the bar much more livelier than on this Saturday afternoon, but we did discover something important about us. We don’t like CAIPIRINNA, the Brazilian national drink. Getting mrs Z drunk – Failed! We did enjoy however in this Israeli owned bar, a falafel platter, with hummus, babaganoush, grilled pitas, and fine red Yemeni S’chug. My favorite Hummus in the area is still at Gazala’s however.

My hotel of choice was the Hyatt Union Square, a stylish boutique with ultra modern rooms (the ones where you can see yourself shower), comfy bed and pillows, a magazine rack in the bathroom with magazine! (for those not willing to spend extra for wifi!), valet parking (if it costs $65 is that still considered an amenity), and perhaps my favorite amenity in any hotel.. A Flat Screen TV! If there’s a flat screen TV in every single hotel in the world, is it still considered an amenity? Why not list “Bed” as well? But in all seriousness, this was a fine stay that would have been finer if they hadn’t put us next to the elevator.

We’ve been to Washington Square Park before many times, but never experienced it quite like this time. A giant Star Wars flash mob cock fight. It was quite a scene. We didnt stay late enough but at some point we were told that they got divided into groups to fight each other to the death. Or until their little Jedi swords broke, whichever came sooner. There were also the usual park musicians and art like sand displays, and a fake birds eating fake pizza showing.

We capped off the night at Casa Mono, one of the premier tapas joints in town. All 6 dishes including one dessert were quite good. I especially liked the duck egg with potatoes, Mojama and some ultra perfumy summer black truffles. The calamari like Razor clams were slightly overdone though still quite enjoyable. Nice skirt steak with Romesco, reminiscent of the Gato scrambled egg. Goat confit was expertly prepared with avocado purée. I can’t get enough goat lately. Perhaps my favorite dish however was the Fideo with chorizo and clams. I don’t understand why I so rarely see fideo on menus. The one big issue I had was the frequency of the dishes coming out. Started with two right away, and the next 3 came in at the same time pretty much. In a place like this where sharing is key you would think they would get it by now

A nice walk back to the hotel included a visit to Union Square Park where I saw the the youngest street performer I’ve ever seen (5 maybe?) among a group of many other dancers. Day 2 coming up! Any comments? Question? threats?

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Categories: East Village, Gramercy, Flatiron, Midtown West, New York City, West Village | Tags: Book of Mormon, Casa Mono, food, Hyatt Union Square, Ippudo westside, restaurants, Travel, Washington Square Park | 34 Comments

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

Hearth – The Booze Megillah

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Ziggy

February 20, 2017 Update:

This is not your ex’s Hearth. The 13 year old East Village staple got a makeover, Marco Canora seems happier and healthier, and the menu essentially turned upside down. Some of the remains like the terrific Gnocchi, the Spatchcock chicken, and the light but pungent Rigatoni with pork ragu are now the classics, but much of the menu has changed. The emphasis continues to be on highest quality raw material. In fact you can even say some of this stuff, like the bone broth is life changing. Although I’m almost ashamed to say I only had it once, from the Brodo window. While it was great, its hard for this non-resident to go for bone broth in arguably the best food neighborhood on the east coast.

But I’m more convinced now that this may be New York’s best Gnocchi dish. The texture of these melty pillows cant get much better. This time a little more peppery which means more brownie points. And when you get a pasta dish like the Rigatoni that is not smothered in saucy ragu, but tastes just as rich, its a home run. The Rigatoni itself had a nice bite and was cooked to a perfecto al dente. This night we also discovered a wonderful tender rabbit with polenta (below). Although the mushroom app didnt wow as the hen of the woods last time, I would still order mushroom here. And the Cecina sent us back to the old town of Lucca.

But the main reason for the 2 stars instead of 3 is the value. I rarely complain about dish sizes here. I think I complain more about dishes being too large if anything. There’s no doubting the quality of the four pieces of Hanger, but when you share with your family of four steak loving freaks, you are left with a few bites and a tease. This steak is about 50% smaller than similar steaks. Same idea goes for the $22 Roasted Octopus. Its an app priced like a main. And the time when you got some nice slices of Sullivan Street Bakery bread for free are over I suppose. But this is high rent New York City. And chefs that can survive this long in this ultra competitive city know a thing or two. We complained a little to ourselves, but at the end of the day, we left full and satisfied. Hearth is still a Go!

hearth-rabbit hearth-steak

July 21, 2014 Post (Shivers, I wrote this?)

I’m on page 18 of the Wine List at Hearth, and I still haven’t seen any mention of wine. I am about to get brainwashed into ordering a Riesling by the 10 pages of why I should be drinking more Riesling, followed by an essay about the glory and history of Riesling, followed by a solid argument that Riesling is more fun than babies. This is like letting one of those Jehovah witness pairs inside your house (Why do they always come with a kid?). Readers, this thing is freakin 75 freakin pages. It provokes you, it challenges you, and it makes you order Riesling

I called it the mothership because Hearth and its Megillah spawned a whole bunch of Terroir wine bars all over town. I think their goal is to have one for every page. We passed one just between the parking spot and the restaurant. Inside its a little bit dark (for the camera), a little bit loud, and I’m a little bit hungry. “Put yourself in our hands” the top of the menu reads. NEVER! Havent you done enough? I’m sitting here writing this, drinking a freshly purchased cheap Riesling straight from the bottle. Anyway, no tasting menus tonight as we are with the kids this time. Here’s what we ordered

Ricotta Sformato – A nice ode to the dysfunctional Broccoli family. Roasted Broccoli, Pine Nuts, Cauliflower, Spigarello and ricotta. Enjoyed this one

Grilled Quail – Expertly cooked quail with rosemary, but what stole the show was the accompanying salad of Faro, Cucumber, Onions, Quail Egg, and very nice tomato preserve that tied everything together. I would order just the salad

Rigatoni with pork ragu – Outstanding! Not your typical heavy ragu. More like a light summary version. In the picture you can barely see any pork, but there was just enough porky goodness. Ther was peas, ricotta and more rosemary, as if fellow Tuscan Cesare Casella of Salumeria Rosi came to visit. Note: Only two pastas at this Tuscan inspired joint, an attribute I actually find refreshing. The smaller the amount the better

Gnocchi side – This led to an uncomfortable conversation with the waitress as I remember reading years ago about the legendary gnocchi of Hearth as one of the best gnocchi dishes in NYC. I asked the waitress if there was perhaps another more substantial gnocchi dish on the menu before (answer is no) and I had to repeat a few times “don’t get me wrong, this is great”. This was excellent but basic cheesy buttery pillowy gnocchi side dish. I do recommend getting this

Spatchcock Spring Chicken – Good, moist, but after a few bites tasted like ordinary chicken. Not as flavorful or imaginative as all the great chickens we’ve enjoyed over the years in the city (NoMad, Annisa, Louro, Scarpetta), but still a solid shareable option for the picky eaters. If not for our Grouper fest last week in Turks and Caicos I would have ordered the fish here.

Veal and Ricotta Meatballs – Absolutely delicious meatballs. But once you take out the Swiss Chard Cannelloni that comes along you are left with $10/meatball. Perhaps the priciest in NYC?

Hen of the Woods side – Even though I’m the only one in my family that likes mushrooms I had to have this thing. Its such a distinct earthy taste, and so so ugly looking (I cant even show you the picture or the selfie I took with it)

Panna Cotta – Good but could have used a little more berry compote. Venice Panna Cottas spoiled us forever. I also noticed they have an Affogato which made me wonder if Affogato can be without any sort of liquor (just ice cream and espresso) and lo and behold it can. I learned something new today

Overall we enjoyed this one and can comfortably recommend Hearth especially to the pickier eaters out there

Hearth
403 E 12th St
$$$$
Recommended Dishes: Quail, Rigatoni, Gnocchi, Meatballs, Rabbit, Mushrooms, Cecina

Categories: East Village, New York City | Tags: Best restaurants in East Village, East Village dining, food, Hearth, Hearth NYC, restaurants, Travel | 5 Comments

Narcissa – The Cow Says Mmmm

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Ziggy

Readers, meet Narcissa, the cow resident at the Locusts farm on the Hudson. Narcissa’s hobbies include walking by the river, grass, and Turkish prison movies. Unlike Rob Lowe whose looks killed his career, Narcissa killer looks keep her at the top of the food chain, or pretty close to it. The new restaurant at The Standard in East Village is named after her. An honor you just don’t see these days. We are talking about the full name, not just the first letter the way soooo many babies are named these days. I mean if you gonna name your baby after your great aunt Ethel, Emma is not gonna cut it. And who decided it has to be the first letter anyway.

Narcissa, just like the cow, is a stunner. Two spacious, comfortable, nicely laid out rooms. Perhaps a little too attractive to accept the initial offering of the seats next to the busy reception area, while the rest of the row was entirely empty. The couple seated right after us questioned the move as well, but elected to stay. I never understood the logic behind this practice, but no harm done. A very interesting cocktail list with the least imaginative names: “Roll in the Hay”, “So Pretty”. Or fairly imaginative depending on how you look at it. Started with a spicy offering (forgot the name) but much preferred the latter herby and refreshing “Gentleman’s Framer”.

If you haven’t figured it out by now, Narcissa is all about Farm to Table. Unlike other Farm to Tables that could be easily called American or American (new), the veggies here truly shine. Juts about every menu you see these days has that one veggie main, usually the first dish, that is normally lonelier than that single sock in your sock drawer you keep just in case its partner by pure miracle comes back one day. That lone dish in Narcissa is the star of the menu, the Carrots Wellington.

Lets start with the apps. Two well cooked Short Rib pieces with pastrami spices, buttermilk and radish salad with a nice amount of mustard presence. The pastrami wasnt evident much, but the dish enjoyable nonetheless. The sweet “meaty” Crisped Beets with bulgur salad, apples, and creamed horseradish was similar in some ways to the short rib dish. Just a nice combination of textures and flavors. I never ever order beets anything as I don’t particularly care for them but this was really nice.

The highlight as mentioned was the middle course of Carrots Wellington. Should have ordered it as the main course and the Barley Risotto as the middle as originally planned, but commitment issues prevailed (Its a carrot dish!). The sweet, tender carrots did a great job replacing the beef in those pastries, and the accompanied veggies especially the earthy Bluefoot mushrooms elevated this thing to the next level. The carrot dish to beat perhaps (over Pioras) in NYC

The two mains were far less thrilling however. The duck breast was lacquered, undercooked (for my taste) on the rare side, covered by a thick fatty layer, with cranberry sauce. Just didn’t care for the overall texture and flavor. The best part was the gingered butternut squash on the side with spiced cranberries. Should have ordered the much better looking lamb loin. We expected much more from the “whole” Branzino, filleted and topped with a salad that included fennel and onions that were somewhat off-putting to Mrs Ziggy. Dried up fairly quickly by the time I got to it. A rarity for us as we prefer the simpler way we grill them at home, with the bones and skin and all, lemon and olive oil. Carrot fries tempura style side was the saving grace of the mains. Just get all the carrot dishes here.

Desserts were stellar. Just about the best carrot cake (what else) you will ever eat, and an even better runny creamy chocolate tart with toasted bananas and espresso ice cream. Yummo!

A few important bathroom tips in a place called “The Standard”. Remembering how you got there may not be enough. Pay attention to the tiny red light on the door. Turn the lock all the way.. again (learned the hard way – sorry strange lady).

A fine meal overall. Narcissa is not for everyone (I must get the Cialis commercials out of my head). But if you want to experience something different, especially root vegetables that come to life in ways you never had before, check it out

Narcissa
21 Cooper Square
$$$
Recommended Dishes: Short Ribs, Crisped Beets, Carrot Wellington, Carrot cake, Chocolate tart

Categories: East Village, New York City | Tags: East Village Restaurants, Farm to Table NYC, food, Narcissa, Narcissa nyc, NYC, restaurants, Travel | 1 Comment

Mighty Quinn’s – A Man and his Bone

Posted on March 11, 2014 by Ziggy

Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, the Naked Cowboy, the woman on the C line that forgets her pants sometimes, Brontosaurus Rib at Mighty Quinn’s. Things that remind you that you are not in Keukenhof anymore. This is America, where you American food, cooked by Americans, in America! The BBQ renaissance in NYC is in full force. You simply can no longer say that there’s no good BBQ in NYC. Try saying it… See? You cant!

At first you feel like you need some sort of a game plan on how to share this massiveness of a beef bone. But after a quick poke, no knives, and no archers needed. A simple fork attack will do for this super delicate, juicy piece of meat. At BBQ joints I normally pass on beef ribs in favor of the pig, but here my gut told me I had to fork in the $23 for this bone (by gut I mean I’ve been reading and hearing about it for a while) and the gut was right.

Second prize went to the glorious pulled pork which we already tasted in the Dumbo Smorgasburg. The carver splashes their own BBQ sauce at the cafeteria like counter to give it that special depth of flavor. Perhaps the pulled pork to beat in NYC

The spare ribs were disappointing in the sense that I only got to try one. Why oh why they did not become vegetarian, like the cool Manhattan kids. While missing the wow factor of its cousins, the rib was exceptional. A delicate crust that lets the tender meat do the talking. The moist Brisket, with all its fatty glory did not disappoint as well

This is not the place to discount the sides. They may look like Boston Market, but taste like Per Se. Did you know there’s no Boston Market in Boston (other than one perhaps)? Yes, you’ve been living a lie. Who doesn’t like sweet potatoes? Me! Not a fan. But add some pecans and maple syrup and you got yourself a scrumptious little side. The Edamame and pea salad was as good as Edamame and sweet peas can potentially get.

Mighty Quinn’s, possibly the city’s best all around BBQ, represents everything I love about eating in the East Village. Its like a giant Smorgasbord of artisanal goodies. Where else can you have ribs, Thai, a gay bar and Hamantash (March mean Hamantash season) at Moishe’s all right next to each other.

Mighty Quinn’s

103 2nd Ave

Categories: East Village, New York City | Tags: Best BBQ in NYC, East Village BBQ, food, Mighty Quinn's, Mighty Quinn's NYC, NYC BBQ, NYC eats, restaurants, Travel | 5 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

East Village

The places