When you come across Taboonia off 6th ave just inside Nomad, it looks like just another random fast food joint, a pizzeria even. But its so much more than that. Not only it’s NYC’s second Druze restaurant (first fast casual), but it comes with a tragic underlying story. Raif Rashed, one of the owners was a survivor of the Nova Festival on Oct 7. While he lived in the US, he happened to be in Israel at the time, and agreed to help his brother operate a food stall called Taboonia at the festival. I will spare you the many tragic details except that they both survived.
Opening Taboonia, and introducing Americans to traditional Druze cooking is part of the healing process. When I used to run food tours, one of the stops on the Hell’s Kitchen tour was Gazala Place, our first Druze establishment. I enjoyed talking about the Druze, their believes and the famous Druze hospitality. The same hospitality we experienced in 2012 in Usfiya where Rashed is from. Gazala came from Daliyat El-Carmel, the sister Druze village right next to Usfiya, just outside of Haifa. The tray below is how we got treated at the Druze house.
Our Druze Plate in Usfiya
Taboonia has some things in common, but very different than Gazala which eventually opened a place at the Upper West Side, and closed the original in Hell’s Kitchen during the pandemic. I have vivid memories of walking on 9th ave, seeing Gazala through the window cook that paper thin bread on a Saj oven. I miss her Hummus the most, and that bread was perfect for that.
Taboonia is a lot more low key, but same big heart. You are immediately greeted with some of the best spiced Chai you’ll ever have. I just asked him for the “best of” and the result was glorious. Manakish, essentially Druze pizza with Za’atar, similar to what we had in Usfiya. “Pita Labneh” featuring that thin flat Druze Saj bread stuffed with Tabule, egg, Labneh, and Harissa finished on the Saj oven. I recommend cutting by two instead of three like we did. Outstanding! Even the Potato Bourekas was fresh and excellent.
It’s one of those places where it may not even occur to you that its all vegetarian. All freshly made and solid ingredients throughout. Even the olives were delicious to this olives hater. The location is fine, depending on who you ask. Its fairly central, but the immediate area is mainly of the wholesale variety, though the area is changing. Go!
I’m being very careful with my “Bests” as you can see, and even more careful with the “Absolute Bests”. Anyone remembers the Absolute Best lists from Grub Street? Fun to look at, but very very wrong. It’s NYC. Unless you’ve been to even half of the hundreds of bagel places, you cant declare a best, not alone, absolute best. Just swing by the aptly named BAGELS R US in Staten Island to see the snaking lines on the weekends. You will never see it on any list because influencers and publishers dont travel to these corners of the city.
But I’m fairly confident you wont find better Mexican in Manhattan’s Chinatown, or any of our roughly 5 Chinatowns for that matter. First, its an exceptional, well deserved, one star Michelin. Second, its the only Mexican in Chinatown. When you see it on Allen street, you do a double take at your Google Maps, and then look for the business sign. Its right near Manhattan Bridge, and contrary to some claiming part of it is in Lower East Side, it’s very much inside Chinatown. The only time I’m in this corner of the city when I’m not looking for Chinese food is when I go to the excellent Michaeli Bakery.
Corima is an ambitious project, opened about a year ago by Fidel Caballero and his wife. It took less than a year to receive a Michelin Star, which is not so easy, especially for a place that’s not Japanese or French. Fidel Caballero is a Contra alum but more importantly a student of the legend three Michelin Martín Berasategui in Basque Country. Corima I believe is his first baby. Always interesting to see mega experienced chefs finally put their signatures somewhere.
Our meal in Corima was almost flawless. The only challenging aspect was deciding whether to go with the ever changing tasting menu or a la carte. After much deliberation, I opted for the latter. The two options are very different, as there’s usually only one dish in both, most likely the terrific bread. Without being overly familiar with Caballero, an ever changing tasting menu feels more of a gamble, and its somehow reflected in reviews. While some tried and true hits are only available a ala carte. But then you have people like Ryan Sutton swearing by the tasting menu
A rundown of the dishes, beginning with the question many have been asking for the past year.
Is the infamous $9 Tortilla worth it? YES!!.. and no!! Its a solid, thin sourdough flatbread, like Lavash or the Druze bread if you had it at Gazala’s on my Hell’s Kitchen tours. But since its Mexican it’s “Tortilla”. Probably made with some sort of fat. Good enough to eat on its own, but even better with the accompanied butter where they add roasted onions, mushrooms and chili to it. Not worth $9 but appropriately priced bread course for an ambitious one star Michelin where you spend roughly $120-150 pp. Supply and demand no brainer for the lone single digit item on top of the menu.
Beef Cecina Tlayuda – Superb cured beef. Like a moist beef carpaccio. More of a sum of all parts situation with the crunchy tortilla, Edamame Guac, and a sprinkle of Chapulines (Grasshoppers) so you dont forget where you are. Decent size for a small dish.
Tetela (top) – Replacing the fried Quesadilla on the menu is this fried masa based triangle with flavors reminiscent of a Pupusa. It’s stuffed with Maitake, Quesillo (Oaxacan cheese) and winter greens, and topped with thin truffle puree that looks like too much but once you have it, not enough. The only flaw was that the greens were not evenly spread out. Get this!
Monkfish – As good as the smaller plates were, the bigger were even better. Perfectly cooked firm monkfish, topped with paper thin potatoes, and a foamy seafood bisque. Just wished the fish was a little warmer.
Duck Enmoladas – More Excellence. Like duck enchilada topped with Black Garlic Mole and Cotija cheese foam. All kinds of beautiful flavors and textures with the beautiful duck reigning supreme. A spoonful of pure bliss.
Desserts didnt quite continue the momentum. Took a major step back in fact. When you feel nothing can go wrong and you order two instead of the usual one. Chocoflan with truffles with real truffles, not chocolate truffles was the main offender. Truffles dont belong in desserts, full stop. Give me one of those Mexican flans with caramel any day. The Funnel cake with roasted pears and pistachio was more like it, but considering the place, still quite basic.
The drinks were fine. Out of the 4, one clear winner, the Tequilla based Sinaloa Sling that she had. The rest not super balanced but fine. Still, this was a very enjoyable meal, helped in part by Ivan, one of those super waiters you just want to talk to and know better. The entire staff was in fact great. According to the wife who had a better look at the action, half of the staff featured “Porn Mustaches”. After 32 years I’m still learning new things about her.
Corima 3 Allen St (Chinatown) Recommended Dishes: Tortilla, Beef Cecina Tlayuda, Tetela, Monkfish, Duck Enmoladas
It happens about once a quarter in Ziggy’s household. The announcement that she’s in the mood for a burger. The world stops. I have to pause the Hockey game, oil change, or whatever I’m doing, and start planning something immediately. In a smaller town, this would be an easy task. In NYC, its a project. You just know that she’s not talking about Five Guys. The last time I took her to a fast food joint is actually the last time.
I can probably come up with a list of 50 solid choices, but the usual suspects that come to mind are Red Hook Tavern, Au Cheval, and the Korean/American Nowon. Since we’ve been to the first during the previous urge, and reservations at Nowon are hard to get these days, its Au Cheval to the rescue. Although scoring a table here wasnt a picnic either, and it even costs money (about $2 pp). Happy wife, happy Ziggy.
The best thing I can say about a meal at Au Cheval is that the burger was not the best thing we ate. As good as the burger was, there was one item that we continued to talk about the next day. Maybe I should’nt just say it, but instead provide a series of links where you’ll have to navigate through a bunch of pages featuring a rundown of the dishes, erectile dysfunction ads, and one of those “are you a robot” to make sure everything is running smoothly. Or maybe just stick to this format
That item is the Mac & Cheese. Apologies if you expected something fancier like the Steak Frites or Branzino. The steak is indeed of good quality and perfectly cooked. But this was some of the most addictive Mac & Cheese we ever had. It featured bits of their famous bacon because clearly the thick slabs on your burger are not enough. And enough quality black pepper to make Cacio e Pepe fans drool. Its like the perfect Mac & Cheese and Cacio e Pepe lovechild. Worth coming here just for this.
I already covered the burger here. Its not a case of elevated dry-aged meat, but more of a sum of all parts. Its a solid oversized American cheeseburger. And adding the bacon and egg is icing on the cake, albeit very heavy for shrinking stomachs (the over 50). Once you factor the burger, Mac & Cheese, a riff on General T’so’s, and the rest of the menu, you essentially got American on steroids.
Another highlight at Au Cheval is the beer menu. A good combination of International, domestic, local and very local. The Other Half hazy Session was outstanding as pretty much any Other Half I ever had. Go!
The last time I took a picture of an empty room, the place closed within a year. In a city of over 30k restaurants, good, even great places closing, is a daily phenomenon. But you only hear about the famous ones. One year old Rynn feels different. Besides the fact that its relatively undiscovered, its located in a sleepy area (for NYC) during the day. An early weekday lunch offers the best chance to experience a private lunch. Every blogger’s wet dream.
Thai food in NYC is having a moment. It’s not just Hell’s Kitchen and Queens anymore. Good ones are popping everywhere, even in Staten Island where I live. We went from zero to 3-5 solid choices in the last few years. But the best area to see this Thai renaissance might be North Brooklyn. Court street feels like the new 9th ave, and Smith street is not far behind. I recently covered one of the notables there.
Rynn is an ambitious project, opened by five women in East Village. Some sites like Eater claim five, while other sites, three. Not that it matters much, but there’s not a whole lot of info about the owners and where they worked in the past. Though everything points to very capable and experienced hands in all aspects of hospitality. When I hear of five owners coming from various Japanese and Thai establishments, my first thought is that every person may bring a unique perspective. My second thought is how the heck do they make any money.
Rynn, like Rua and many others are part of the new wave of ‘complete Thais’. You can pop in for a quick lunch, bring a date for dinner, or even your in-laws (not mine, yours). You can enjoy something familiar like Pad Thai or something more unique like their signature Strawberry salad. Instagrammable decor – check! Drinks – check and then some. This is one of the most creative cocktail menus I’ve seen in a Thai place. Even the menu itself is creative. Only issue is that creativity and ingredients here aint cheap.
Starting a meal with the best dish has its pros and cons. Tum Strawberry is as good as advertised. A refreshing mix of strawberries, grape tomatoes and gooseberries doing their best cherry tomato impersonation. It’s spicy, vinegary, and leaves a very pleasant tang. Reminiscent of a dish at the great Kann in Portland, OR.
A slightly less successful potential signature is La Tiang – Sautéed shrimp and pork wrapped with egg nests. Its more of a feast for the eyes than palate, but I’d still order it. Rynn understandably is very proud of the Robert Sietsema (Eater) coverage and they show it throughout the menu. While I’m not always in agreement with Sietsema, I’ve always admired his coverage of the little guys.
Like Butter Chicken or Tikka Masala at Indian joints, Kee Mao is my kryptonite, my weakness. Here it is one of those situations where it looks rather sad, but tastes rather great. Remember the “tastes great, less filling” beer commercials? It comes only as a seafood option as it should be. The calamari can be a little less chewy but the shrimp more than makes up for it, and the chili notes and overall flavor is spot on.
Another solid dish is Nua Yang Jaew – Grilled, thin Ribeye North Eastern Style. That means nicely marinated, fatty in all the right places Ribeye, accompanied by a complimentary fish/chili dipping sauce. You always hesitate to put anything on quality meat, but make this an exception. Not terribly expensive at $28 but it doesn’t come with anything else.
Mango with Homemade Butterfly Pea Sticky Rice is another Thai dish I cant pass on, but almost always disappointed. This was a good version, but I wasn’t quite satisfied with the sweetness. The Mango really took charge, more than I prefer. Pure Thai Cookhouse ruined it for me. But I’d still get this. Mango is of course seasonal, and its the beginning of season now. They even have a drink called “Not Mango Season”.
Rynn is one of those places I dont just want to come back and try the rest of the menu. I want to do it ASAP, like, today. But it’s just so damn cold. Go!
RYNN Thai Restaurant & Bar 309 E 5th St (East Village) Recommended Dishes: Tum Strawberry, La Tiang, Kee Mao, Nua Yang Jaew, Mango with Sticky Rice
Mtskheta, although officially my favorite Georgian in NYC, I still need to Google the name every time I write it. I suspect by the time I finish this post it may change, but this could be just another name on a long list of many that I cant remember how to spell. I stayed at Rendezvous Bay Hotel twice and I still doubt myself. How many T’s are in Werkstatt. I’ve only been there 12 times. As long as I dont confuse my kids name, I’m golden. Oh wait, I do that too. I recently started playing Mahjong on the phone to improve my memory, and even that I had to Google just now.
Mtskheta is named after a city just north of the capital, Tbilisi. If you just replace the “kh” with a throat clearing “ch” sound, its easier to pronounce. Coincidentally, or not, Mtskheta Cafe is just north of US’s Russian capital, Brighton Beach. I mentioned Mtskheta Cafe on other sites like Hungry Onion, but never here. Honestly, the percentage of readers that could manage a meal at this location isnt very high, but I do have some Brooklynites reading the posts.
This is as old school as it gets. They dont have a website for me to link. To reserve a table I have to call. Wines are under $30 a bottle. And the clientele is as local as it gets. When I said to the waiter to say hello to a friend who frequents the place, he said, “which Levani, we have three Levanis that come here”. In all my visits to Mtskheta, our table was the only one not speaking Georgian. I do know some words, but a Georgian restaurant would be the last place in the city, I would practice them.
I think the only thing missing in Mtskheta is a Salt Bae style sprinkling of pomegranate table side. Pomegranate and walnuts are two Georgian staples as you can see here. On this night we had Spinach with walnuts, eggplant with walnuts, walnuts with walnuts, Georgian Salad with walnuts. Needless to say our group of 8, under my command, covered much of the menu, including many Georgian classics.
From the earlier dishes, the only one I’d probably not order again is the spinach. Though I’m pretty sure I said the same thing last time. Its that memory thing again. The dish is fine, just a tad too dense, not creamy enough. Unlike something like the cheesy Khachapuri, always a crowd pleaser. The eggplant remains an absolute must. And the Mchadi (cornbread) with cheese, doing its best Arepa impersonation also moved itself to the must category.
But the one dish that separates Mtskheta from other Georgians in the city is Djurdjari. Either that or Mtskheta is the only one spelling it that way. Either way, I havent seen anything like it on any other menu. Liver, intestines and other meat parts cooked with cumin and other spices. Its a glorious mix of flavors and textures, but not for everyone.
Kupati, the famous fat Georgian sausage is always outstanding. Potatoes with mushrooms, more of a Russian staple, is fairly basic, but a no brainer order with a large group. Same with Ostri, a comforting beef stew with nicely spiced tomato sauce. Fried chicken cooked with garlic sauce is the Georgian answer to Gambas al Ajillo. And the Chicken Kebab here is as tender and juicy as it gets.
For dessert its not a matter of what to pick, but how many Napoleons. While I personally prefer the moist, mushier style, my group even ordered more of this one. Add some cheap Georgian wine, and the feeling of eating in an extended living room is complete. Cant recommend Mtskheta enough.
Mtskheta Cafe 2568 86th St (Brooklyn) Recommended Dishes: Djurdjari, Mchadi, Khachapuri, Eggplant with walnuts, Kupati, chicken with garlic sauce, Ostri, Chicken Kebab, Napoleon
Just your friendly reminder that Fiaschetteria Pistoia is still awesome. You dont survive this long off Ave C without doing something right. And that something is the closest NYC has to a Tuscan Trattoria. When the owners of Pistoia opened this location in early 2017, they knew how to cook one thing, really well. The cuisine of Pistoia. That’s where they lived and owned a restaurant, just outside of Florence. That means Tuscan classics like the bready Pappa Al Pomodoro, Crostini with liver, Pici Cacio e pepe, and other fresh pastas.
Speaking of which (fresh pastas), when I walk inside Pistoia with a group, I know exactly where I want to sit. Facing the pasta making station. Sort of homefield advantage since I’m usually the only one who knows exactly where it is. I can think of very few places, Ulivo one, that offers a selection of high quality fresh pastas in all shapes and sizes. In fact, other than the occasional special, they only offer one Secondi, Veal Scaloppine, which is safe to skip.
Concentrate on the things Pistoia does well, some of which is best in the business variety. My “recommended dishes” here is one of the longest in the EWZ universe. Start with the exceptional Prosciutto San Daniele, or “proshoot” if you are dining with a Brooklynite. The Sformatino is another must. Wonderfully creamy Zucchini flan. Adding the classic Crostini Toscani to recommended list.
Too many great pastas on the menu, so best to bring friends, in-laws, etc. I hosted a wild party there once. By wild I mean some ordered two drinks and there was very minimal weather talk. The Tagliatelle al Tartufo is a new discovery. As expected for $34, its mostly truffle sauce base, but its incredibly satisfying. Another new one is Gnocchi with Spare Rib Ragu. Although the small Gnocchi could have been firmer, the familia had no complaints and I’d order it again.
In Tuscany, Cacio e Pepe is done with the thicker and chewier Pici, and after all these years, Pistoia seemed to perfect their version. In other places it may not be peppery enough, too creamy, or not creamy enough. Same goes for their Tiramisu. I crave it after an Italian meal as such, and it so often disappoints. The Panna Cotta, this time with a berry sauce is another winner. Go!
Fiaschetteria Pistoia 647 E 11th (Off C), East Village Recommended Dishes: Prosciutto San Daniele, Sformatino, Pappa al Pomodoro, Crostini Toscani, Spaghetti, Pappardelle, Maccheroni, Picci Cacio e peppe, Gnocchi, Tagliatelle al Tartufo, Tiramisu, Panna Cotta
Ladies and gents. The moment none of you have been waiting for. The beginning / end of the year biannual update to the Z-List, my favorite 30 restaurants in NYC. Congratulations to the winners.
In:
Cotra Balaboosta Chuan Tian Xia
Out:
Dell’anima (GWM its home, closed) Minetta Tavern (havent been since the pandemic and frankly lost interest FOB (closed)
Smith Street in Brooklyn is having a moment, again. Very few people know that Smith Street was Brooklyn’s original Restaurant Row, before greedy landlords brought things to a halt around 2016. Any locals here remember Saul? The first Brooklyn restaurant to receive a Michelin star, literally putting Smith St on the map, for me at least. The run lasted less than a decade.
RUA Thai is one of a plethora of eateries responsible for the revival and at the same time early revival casualties. Popular places like the fiery BYOB (Bring Your Own Bounty) Ugly Baby, and FOB Filipino either priced out or lost their luster amidst the International expansion. When you look closer today, Smith Street is covering the International scene, from Ramen to Mexican to French, like very few NYC streets. Last month I told you about “Stupid Good” Bar Bete, one of the more interesting new arrivals on Smith.
On the initial glance, RUA might look like just another Thai, not terribly different than the rest. You got all the rainbow color curries, the usual wok suspects, Drunken Noodles of course, crab fried rice and just about every Thai dish known to man. NYC man at least. But looking under the hood, you find a playful menu with plenty of signatures by a NYC Thai veteran. Chef/owner Kornpon Theeraumpornkul grew up around the floating markets of Ratchaburi where he got much of his inspirations.
With such an extensive menu, the three of us just scratched the surface. Other than Mrs Z’s uneven “Lychee Tini” there was no dud in the house. With drinks, any disappointment is usually met with some approval of my own bartending skills. Especially when it comes to Lychee Martinis as she’ll attest. Is there a patting myself on the back emoji?
Started with Shumai-like Dumplings that were above average, and way above once you dipped them in the accompanied curry sauce. I could drink this like a smoothie. The fried wings were ladened with addictive larb seasoning, featuring pleasant lime and chili notes. But the star early on was the signature Shrimp Donuts. Not particularly distinct flavor wise, but quite unique and tasty nonetheless.
The Pad Keep Mao (Drunken Noodles) is above average. Although I really need to stop ordering this with a protein other than seafood. I’ve had the seafood version at RUA on a lunch visit once and it was outstanding. Another signature is the Mama Tom Yum Grilled River Prawns with noodles and veggies spilling out of the Mama bucket. Yes, get this. Good crab fried rice as well although I regret not getting something a bit more interesting for the same price like the Crying Tiger.
“No Dessert Tonight” was code for “We are very busy and understaffed”. While it felt like they were understaffed, especially from our vantage in the front, it was still remarkable that two people somehow managed to run the front while helping the back at the same time. One of the servers handled the bar, took our orders, and spent significant time in the kitchen. Less than a third of the number of employees we find in similar size joints in NYC. That’s one way to survive Smith Street.
RUA Thai 204 Smith St, Brooklyn (Cobble Hill) Recommended Dishes: Fried wings, Shrimp Donuts, Shrimp and chicken dumplings, Drunken Noodles, Mama Tom Yum Grilled River Prawns
Starting 2025 with a lazy one. Blogging is kinda like sex. The more you do it, the better it gets, until you get to the age where the more you do it, the worse it gets (I heard). Hormones often dictate how often we blog and the quality of the posts. Am I in the mood to write a short post about Carnitas Ramirez (spoiler alert: Best tacos in Manhattan, maybe in NYC), another large(ish) post on Piedmont, or just binge-watch Yellowstone. On this lazy Sunday, I have a compromise. A post/reblog.
Ocean View Cafe is like some of these misleading Aruba hotel ads. Is it really ocean view, or even partial ocean view? The cafe is close, but quite far from the ocean. It’s more like Babushka and elevated train tracks view. I never bothered to ask any of the workers or the owner why its called as such in the decades that I’ve gone there. To be honest, I usually keep my conversations to the minimum (“two bags of frozen Pelmeni please”), and I never actually had a conversation with the owner. I’ve also never seen him smile or even talk to anyone. A “made man”?
Maybe we should ask Nicholas Cage. He is more intimately familiar with Ocean View Cafe since filming Lord of War there. You still see his pictures on one side of the wall, although I recall pictures on the other side as well at some point. Nicholas Cage Cafe would have been more appropriate than Ocean View.
Other than less Cage pictures, not much has changed in all these decades other than the neighborhood itself. Brighton Beach is less Russian, and more Uzbek, Georgian, Armenian, etc. Ocean View is one of the last of the true Russian/Ukrainian diners, although I dont recall ever a place quite like it in Brighton Beach. Its Veselka without the hoopla and lines.
After attending the annual Jan 1st Polar Bear Plunge in Coney Island, Borscht and Pelmeni at Ocean View Cafe felt like the obvious choice. Well, more like Borscht for them, Kharcho (The Georgian better tasting cousin) for me. Although, this is just about the only place on the planet where I’d have Borscht. This time we also tried a fine Chicken Tabaka, another Georgian classic. A slow cooked crispy, juicy, butterflied chicken. Along with potato Pierogies/Varenikiy, and fried potatoes with mushrooms.
Ok, enough with the blogging. Here’s a reblog of one of my favorite NYC posts. Back to Yellowstone and Hockey…
Being a food enthusiast while living in the ‘burbs in NYC is a major handicap. There are very few places I can think of, like Chuan Tian Xia in Sunset Park that I frequent about once a year, and that is as regular as it gets for us. There’s a restaurant in Turks and Caicos that we visit more often than 99% of our favorites back at home. Our appreciation of a large number of cuisines, and craving for the new and exciting is largely responsible. The list of places I want to try just about doubles every year.
That’s why it feels strange visiting places I truly admire like Foxface Natural, Werkstatt, Pig & Khao, Pure Thai Cookhouse and so many others without a doctor’s note explaining my absence. Freak paragliding accident in Switzerland. Chest contusion while rescuing baby elephants in Chiang Mai. I can generate a list for each place.
One way to fix this and get my immediate attention is for one of the chefs I admire to open a new place. One month old Leon’s is the latest from Anton’s “mom & pop”, Natalie Johnson and Nick Anderer. According to EWZ historians, Anderer’s name has been mentioned here 10 times between Maialino, Marta, Martina, and Anton’s. That means an obvious exception to the rule of waiting at least a year before trying a new place. I gave the dude a month.
If Leon’s feels like a place that’s been a year in the making, it’s because it was. “Mom and pop” second acts usually dont exist, not to mention as ambitious as this. Sprawling, high ceiling, and smack in the middle of it all on Broadway near Union Square. Technically just outside of East Village, though for the purpose of this blog its in East Village. I realize there’s no “Greenwich Village” category here and changing category names on WordPress is as complicated as rent negotiations. Rarely something interesting opens in the village that’s not in west or east.
Everything about Leon’s is daring. The space has been abandoned for many years. It’s open all day including breakfast. Even the name is gutsy. NYC has almost as many businesses named Leon’s as Ray’s Pizza. The menu is somewhat of a gamble as well, but if anyone can pull this off, its this team. Italian by nature with an Egyptian and French twist. Egyptian, to honor Natalie’s heritage. French, to honor Anderer showing off!
We started with some of the best cold cuts I’ve had in NYC in recent memory. A sweet and aromatic Bresaola with a very pleasant aftertaste. A more delicate, fatty, peppery, not quite Mortadella, Salame Rosa from Berkeley. Try them without the bread first for the full experience. A free Focaccia with quality EVOO. Almost a rarity in NYC these days.
A couple of items where we played my favorite new game, “Guess the Falafel”. The answer is the balls sitting on Tehini sauce of course, but even that may not be real Falafel according to purists. Its the Egyptian version which means Fava Beans instead of Chickpeas. While it may not convert the purists, it’s delicious. With that said, the light, airy Eggplant Boulettes with the creamy tomato sauce is the clear winner in this Schweddy Balls contest.
Another winner is the silky smooth Tuna Carpaccio with capers and fried shallots. Although, I cant help but wonder what it will taste like with a hint or two of pink peppercorns and less oil. This is off the “Mare” section of the Antipasti which sent me back to the coasts of Puglia.
Choosing pastas at an Anderer establishment is like choosing between your children. At the moment its the oldest since she calls more often, and for that reason I chose the Busiate. Pretty much what you expect, a simple but satisfying tomatoee Pistou Rouge with Almonds. Trapanese with a French touch. Fettuccine with Bolognese al Pastore was a lesson in proper ragu. Meaty, rich goodness that left us debating whether to get more bread to properly Scrarpetta that thing.
There’s also a Pasta con le Sarde on the menu, a rare Sicilian classic. Sicily is the one region with a big Arab influence, hence represented at Leon’s. There’s also Spaghetti with Madagascar Cacio e Pepe. If you havent smelled Madagascar peppercorns, you havent lived life to the fullest. Another dish I’d like to try soon is the Brick Chicken Baharat. If you havent tried Anderer’s chickens at Maialino, Marta, and Anton’s, you havent, well, you know. Go!
Leon’s 817 Broadway (E 12th) Recommended Dishes: Salame Rosa, Bresaola, Eggplant Boulettes, Tuna Carpaccio, Busiate, FettuccineBolognese al Pastore
Eating With Ziggy 