New York City

The Marshal – Farm to Hell’s Kitchen

Posted on March 22, 2014 by Ziggy

Courtesy of The Marshal

Adventurous diners, ready for some Pig’s Blood Flatbread with Smoked Salmon Roe? Perhaps a decadent Mugwort Foie Gras, or how about the good ol’ Geoduck? Well, you will find none of that at the Marshal in Hell’s Kitchen. Not even close. In fact chances are that you will have a hard time bragging about your meal to your girlfriends and making it sound remotely sexy. “OMG so we had this thing called Meatloaf that was like the most amazing thing ever. Here’s a selfie of me and the meatloaf” Meatloaf, Pot Roast, Salmon.. there’s no conceivable way to make them sound sexy these days. But this 6 month old 10th avenue “Farm to Table” comes as close as you can get

Courtesy of The Marshal

Adventurous Foie seekers should still be able to appreciate the flavors and attention to detail here. Although the menu reads like “American (Old)”, just about every item is listed almost like a paragraph describing the origin of the ingredients. The back of the menu features 14 local farms where they source much of those items. Almost like eating at Da Roberto in the village of Montisi, Tuscany. Almost! “Slow Food” models such as Roberto, and other Farm to Table places in Italy are simply called restaurants, or Trattorias. While in the US, its a concept. But it is what it is. And in ethnic happy Hell’s Kitchen, Solid “American” may seem like a concept in itself.

Rule of thumb – when you see bread on the menu in NYC as opposed to your typical free basket, get it. The warm French Loaf is crunchy and soft in all the right places and will make your taste buds believe it was baked seconds ago especially for you. Bread and butter bliss.

Chicken Liver Pate was solid. Refreshingly fresh Caprese included sizeable sweet tomatoes, with handmade mozzarella, fresh Shushan Valley basil and balsamic reduction. But the early highlight came in the form of the meaty, scrumptious Newfoundland Mussels. Its creamy, garlicky white sauce is so appetizing you want to dip anything in it…bread, fingers, metrocards, anything!

And then there was that meatloaf which was just like at grandmas. That’s after grandma graduated from Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute followed by a 2 year stint with the Canadian navy. Similarly, the goat cheese and herb stuffed chicken just doesn’t get much more tender and juicy than this. The wood oven Mac and Cheese with bacon hit the spot. On another visit I enjoyed a perfectly cooked and juicy burger which is only available for lunch.

The sides here require a PHD in sides. We opted for a fine bacon wrapped wedge of white cabbage, simple roasted potatoes, and a sweet potato and kale au gratin which took the gold. And don’t leave home without trying the mammoth hot fudge, walnuts, cherry, vanilla ice cream, or any of the other two desserts featuring ice cream from the nearby Je & Jo. Welcome to the hood Marshal.

Categories: Midtown West, New York City | Tags: Best food in Hell's kitchen, Farm to Table Hell's Kitchen, food, Hell's Kitchen NYC, restaurants, The Marshal, The Marshal NYC, Travel | Leave a comment

Gato – Pussy Galore

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Ziggy

One of those meals that stays with you for a few days. You think about it when you have your boring scrambled eggs in the morning, and your gloomy salad with kale for lunch a couple of days later. All while you sit there massaging your cat, with soft classical music in the background, sporting a scar. That’s how I pictured Bobby Flay in his new Mediterranean hot spot in NOHO (cat in Spanish) named right after a cat went between his legs while waiting for the real estate broker. But instead of sitting holding a cat, he was in the kitchen doing his thing.

In a city packed with celebrity spots, one does not need to eat in one to have a great meal, and a great meal is certainly far from a guarantee. But this was one of the most enjoyable meals in recent memory (well, 3 months is just about as far as I can go these days — thankfully I have this blog to remind me). With the “5:30 or 10” hotness at the moment, I opted for the senior citizen slot of 5:30. The hostess seemed a little puzzled when I asked if “We are team #1” much to the horror of my kids. Perhaps to clarify the “Amazing Race” reference, I should invest in one of those Travelocity gnomes (though the dude is scarier than some people I know without makeup)

The space is quite striking. It has a spacious, warehousy, rustic, modern but casual feel, with no neighbor in sight. A rarity these days. Though they are taking it slow at the moment and not trying to fill the room. Some prefer to wait until the establishment settles down into a comfortable groove, but not Ziggy. Bring on the uncomfortable groove. With the entire town watching they simply can not afford to make a mistake. Flay is in the kitchen even on a Sunday night. A slew of hostesses, 3 of which helped with our coats. Employees outnumbering guests roughly 3 to 1. The kids had a blast counting the number of times their water was filled (12 times, mostly when it was above 3/4 full). Overall however, no issues whatsoever.

Drinks — Wife enjoyed the Bolo Sangria while my Negroni was spot on.

Bar menu — Pick 3 for $17. The 11 layer scalloped potato and the duck liver were quite delectable, but the Eggplant with Manchego and Oregano solidly triumphed above the rest.

Appetizers– Expertly cooked oven roasted Shrimp with Diavolo oil, garlic chips and chile that provided a nice punch. A notch above the average Gambas dish at a tapas joint near you. Octopus was quite scrumptious and when you get it as tender as this, its most enjoyable. The pungent green pepper and salty bacon bits just added to the joy. Pizza with lamb sausage was just a good pizza with lamb sausage, missing the drama of the other dishes. Perhaps losing to Giove is still not sitting well with Flay. Dish of the day nominee… Scrambled Eggs! A Revelation! Almond Romesco (spanish red pepper sauce), Boucheron cheese, super fluffy eggs… what a combo. I suggest trying this without the accompanying oily tomato toasts which have no business being there except to complete the otherwise naked dish

Mains — Crab Risotto (enlarged app) was original and exceptional. Mushroom and Kale paella with egg and artichokes was a glorious combination of flavors and textures, especially once you mix the sticky “Socarrat” from the bottom and the egg. The Halibut was one of the better “white fish with red broth” dishes I’ve had, all due to the addictive saffron tomato sauce with mint and couscous and a perfectly cooked fish.

Dessert —Espresso soaked bread pudding – somewhat flat, more like a weak tiramisu. Not gonna win any awards in NOLA. Chocolate Crema Catalana with hazelnut was much more like it. Like a sick chocolate hazelnut Creme Brulee with that toasty crust and richness beneath. Complimentary Sherry, and exceptionally fresh Biscotti capped off this awe-inspiring meal. I’m a fan!

Gato

324 Lafayette St

$$$$

Recommended Dishes – Eggplant (bar menu), Shrimp, Scrambled Eggs, Octopus, Crab Risotto, Halibut, Mushroom and Kale paella, Chocolate Crema Catalana

Categories: New York City, SoHo, NoHo, Nolita | Tags: best food in NYC, Bobby Flay, food, Gato, Gato NYC, restaurants, Travel | 3 Comments

Best Dishes in Hell – Round One

Posted on March 15, 2014 by Ziggy

Dear readers, it is with extreme pleasure and slight gastro discomfort that I welcome you to the first installment of Best Dishes in Hell, where we feature 5 dishes to target in this little foodie heaven I like to call Hell’s Kitchen. Each of these bites is guaranteed to put a smile on your face and put all your troubles behind. Or not!

Bourekas at Gazala’s Place – Bourekas, or Bourek is something I ate often as a child, but not really by choice. I hated it! So if I list a Bourekas in this space, it can only mean that this is not your ordinary Bourekas. Your choices are normally Feta with spinach or Feta with sun-dried tomatoes. I prefer the latter. One bite of that beast to feel that explosive, rich, flaky goodness and you’ll understand why. And did I mention that it comes with a side of my favorite Hummus in the city.

Egg Bowl at Little Chef – The winter version below, while the regular version is pictured on top. Health food that I would gladly go out of my way for, but luckily I dont need to as I work 12.3 minutes from Gotham West Market (I timed it). The current version features porky cranberry beans, salsa rojas (roasted red salsa), and just about the sickest breadcrumbs on the planet. Same breadcrumbs featured in the non-wintery bowl which includes fresh greens and assorted roasted veggies like broccoli and potatoes. Glorious stuff my friends

Sausage Pizza at Capizzi – Avid readers of EWZ already know that there’s no reason to cross bridges and tunnels for pizza. However, very few places in the city (Manhattan) have that homey pizza parlor feel that is very common in Brooklyn and Staten Island. Capizzi tucked away in “Downtown Hell’s Kitchen” got it and more. This pie is a sausage fest of deep flavors made from fresh ingredients cooked in a wood fired oven. Not quite NY style pizza, and not quite Naples style, but very NYC

Akamaru Modern at Ippudo – A recent article by the NYT reaffirms the belief that Hell’s Kitchen is a ramen force to be reckon with. And in the middle of this ramen revolution is this super popular Ippudo branch. Start with their terrific smooth pork buns and move on to the Akamaru, a complex porky broth and just about as addictive as Ramen gets in NYC

Canotto at Sullivan Street Bakery – Love at first bite. Sometimes its slightly off, but for the most part its pastry perfection. Brioche filled with mascarpone, berries, topped with crumbs and some salt. What I love about this is that every bite is different. On one bite you taste chewy, cheesy, salty, next is crunchy, fruity, and so on

Categories: Midtown West, New York City | Tags: Best food in Hell's kitchen, Capizzi, food, Gazala's Place, Hells kitchen, Ippudo westside, Little Chef, NYC, restaurants, Sullivan St. Bakery, Travel | 2 Comments

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

Restaurant Week is Over. Here’s What You Missed

Posted on March 9, 2014 by Ziggy

1) A Slew of participants. None of which are the hottest/trendiest places at the moment. Mostly establishments that can use more bodies during Monday-Friday.

2) Menus designed for restaurant week. A $25 lunch menu that normally includes a minuscule or none inspiring appetizer like the ever so trendy kale soup. A main entree that is either off the regular menu, a smaller version of the regular menu item, or a new cheap invention. You certainly did not miss the signature dishes, or the dishes that truly define the participant establishments

3) Dessert. Seriously, who orders dessert during lunch anymore in NYC other than the business lunchers or “Ladies Who Lunch”. At the end of the day, once you calculate all you had versus what the regular menu offers, you wind up with a free dessert

4) Cold Service. Yes this will vary from place to place and certainly debatable I suppose. But when you are suddenly staring at a full house filled with diners taking advantage of this opportunity what you get is servers treating you like you are part of this RW herd. At one establishment a server asked me in a thick French accent “How was you lunch”, and proceeded to turn around before I completed my response. Clearly saying “I was trained to ask you people questions but I dont really care about what you have to say”. At another place I was given the first course 20 seconds after I got the bread basket (with dip), and I was given the second course 15 mins into the meal. Herd mentality goes both ways. The kittens are shown in, and then out as quickly as possible.

5) Salmon

6) Absolutely Nothing!

You missed nothing. Consider this quote from the great David Chang who prior to creating his empire worked in many places that participated in RW. “You just have to cook like a maniac. Cooks are creatures of habit all of a sudden your room’s full, and you have bunch of people that want stuff well done. It’s not what you want to be doing.”Most chefs will tell you that it’s great. I guarantee you there’s not one cook that is excited about restaurant week.” Here’s the Source. I believe him.

Restaurants are in the business of making money. Since Restaurants Week is now twice a year, and more than one week sometimes, the various establishments cant afford to lose much on these deals. Instead of trying to impress the average RW goer and convince folks to come back, I gather the average participant views the goer as someone who most likely not come back any time soon. So lets make a quick buck.

Of course with so many participants there are bound to be exceptions. The Dutch RW menu allows you to order anything from the full menu. Maialino’s RW menu is a combination of items from the regular menu. But in order to digest all the RW menus for the purpose of figuring out what is worth it and whats not, you need to hire an assistant.

Think of it as a 10% off sweater sale at Bloomingdales where sweaters are normally marked up significantly higher than the clothing store you frequent. Or better yet, a free dessert. To truly experience those establishments I suggest doing so during regular none RW times, and order from the menu that made them who they are.

Categories: New York City | Tags: food, NYC Eating, NYC Restaurant Week, Restaurant week, restaurants | 3 Comments

Sleep No More – Random Thoughts

Posted on March 3, 2014 by Ziggy

An oldie but goodie post…

Eating With Ziggy

Sleep No More is a unique NYC theatre experience set in a so-called “abandoned” hotel called the McKittrick Hotel. Instead of watching a play unfold you run around up and down stairs wearing a mask following characters from room to room and watch various dream-like sequences of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. I will not bore you with any specific details but instead I WILL bore you with various Random Thoughts I had from scene to scene…

Scene 1 – Well, this is interesting

Scene 2 – I wonder who wore the mask before me

Scene 3 – what’s up with the mad rush. Joining the mad rush. Losing the mad rush after the couple before us exited prematurely

Scene 4 – I can’t breath through the mask and I’m starting to sweat. almost profusely

Scene 5 – where did I park my car

Scene 6 – I swear to god if this woman…

View original post 268 more words

Categories: New York City | Leave a comment

Chelsea Market – 10 Great Eats

Posted on February 27, 2014 by Ziggy

Ever since god invented the CitiBike, I’ve been spending more time chowing in ultra touristy Chelsea Market. A pleasant 15 minute ride there, and a strenuous 25 minute ride back on a ~~gassy~~ full stomach. Navigating through the tourists at the market during lunch time should be an Olympic event. The Chelsea Slalom. Opening the door without letting an entire large polish group in and losing your family as a result somehow requires an online course. With that said, unlike most touristy spots in NYC (e.g. Little Italy, Times Square, Restaurant Row) there’s good food to be had here.

Chelsea Market is a little misunderstood. Since this is by far New York’s most famous “Market”, many avid tourists come here expecting a market similar to the Boqueria in Barcelona or Mahane Yehuda in Jerusalem. Chelsea Market is nothing like it. Its indoors, not really ingredient heavy, but more a of a collection of unique restaurants and food purveyors. And just like Eataly, Chelsea Market requires some exploring in order to get it, and avoid disappointment.

Adobada Tacos at Los Tacos #1 – The more I eat those little porky things the more I like them. Tacos on the small side when you compare to what you get at a NYC bodega, but they are well marinated and deadly. I often see tourists and locals fill the tacos with salsa and all the other free goodies available on the counter, ever so slowly killing the flavors. Let the meat do the talking guys.

Pastrami Sandwich at Dickson’s – These guys, who look mostly like Boston Bruins enforcers, dont mess around with their meats. Top quality stuff is sourced directly from a few hand picked local farms, enabling Dickson’s to produce tasty sausages, hot dogs (great dogs here) and this pastrami sandwich with Apricot Chutney. This is not your average pastrami. Bright, peppery, well marbled, fatty in all the right places. Like slow dancing with your mother in law.

Cappelletti al Prosciutto at Giovanni Rana – Fresh pasta galore at this Verona import. After trying an array of pastas here (including a surprisingly flavorless Carbonara) I would stick to what they do best; Ravioli/Tortellini, and the rest of the ravioli familia. The “little hat” shaped Cappelletti is packed with flavorful, salty, porky goodness

Chirashi Bowl at Lobster Place – Tourists flock to LP for the lobster, not realizing the tremendous sushi strength here. One of the best ways to sample the fresh seafood at LP is via the Chirashi, a rice bowl topped with chef selected fresh raw goodness. Other than the somewhat soggy octopus this thing simply rocked. As long as you dont mind splurging the full $24 for the full bowl if sitting at the counter

Peppercorn Catfish at Num Pang. Love me some good fish sandwich. Something you cant easily find in NYC. This is a fine combination of flaky catfish with mild pleasant heat, fresh veggies, and crispy baguette-like bread adding to a mighty fine Vietnamese Banh Mi resemblance

Uni Tagliatelle at Cull and Pistol. Squid ink pasta to me is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you going to get. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt. This one works big time. The richness, and sweetness of the uni sauce puts the Tagliatelle into another dimension. And while the cherry tomatoes, and squid are just there to look pretty, they don’t hurt. Even my oldest (13) who swore against squid ink pastas when she tried it in Venice, enjoyed this one.

Lobster. When I first decided to do a blog post about the Chelsea Market, I said to myself. “Ziggy, be unique. Give them something more than what those Asian tourists are coming for”. But who am I kidding. Nothing says NYC more to me than this only in NYC thing. The Maine Lobster Roll! You can get it at the Lobster Place, or its sister Cull and Pistol with the most addictive, perfectly cut and seasoned fries. Or, do it Asian tourist style – grab a table and share an entire one.

Mighty Mushroom Roll at Beyond Sushi. Dont say I’m not thinking of you Mr and Mrs health nut. For something that is less than zero calories (you lose while you chew and lose some more while you fight a polish tourist for a sit at the steps) this is pretty darn good. And its not just the truffle essence that puts this thing on the list, its also the Enoki, Shiitake, Tofu, Micro Arugula, Shiitake Teriyake sauce… err who am i kidding, its mainly the truffle essence. The same essence I blame for not taking a picture.

Chocolate Chip Cookie with Caramel at Liddabit – This is simply an awesome cookie! Dont believe me? I once brought the cookie to my cookie obsessed/snob co-worker Lou…

“So, how do you like it?”

“This is a good cookie!”

See? What sets it a part for me is not so much the caramel, but the liberal use of dark chocolate chunks all around.

Nocciola delle Langhe at L’Arte del Gelato – Pure awesomeness. If there’s better gelato in the city, I didn’t have it yet. If you always wandered about the difference between ice cream and gelato, this is a good place to see the difference.

Categories: Chelsea, New York City | Tags: Beyond Sushi, Chelsea Market, Cull and Pistol, Dickson's, food, L'Arte del Gelato, Liddabit, Lobster Place, Los Tacos #1, Num Pang, NYC, restaurants, Travel, What to eat in the Chelsea Market | 4 Comments

Lazy Post – City as Canvas

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Ziggy

Whether you are for or against public graffiti you may still appreciate the City Of Canvas exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York. Martin Wong who died of AIDS in 1999 was an artist and a graffiti pioneer in NYC, the city that defined the whole graffiti movement. He amassed a huge graffiti collection during the 1970’s and 1980’s which he later donated to the city. Wong’s works can be found in other museums all over the city including the Met. After his death the Martin Wong foundation was created to continue his legacy

This is not the only reason to visit the Museum of the City of New York. Rising Waters, a touchy subject with the Ziggy clan depicts the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Activists New York explores the entire history of activism in New York, among other exhibits on display.

Categories: New York City | Tags: City as Canvas, NYC, Travel, travel+photography | 1 Comment

The Road Trip Every New Yorker Should Do At Least Once

Posted on February 20, 2014 by Ziggy

Rumors have it that our new mayor has dropped the groundhog on his head and as a result we are suffering through the worst winter in recent memory. Major salt shortages all over the city. Lower back spasms from all that reaching to the wallet to pay the shovellers. And not so much eating out lately. Quality of life is taking a hit due to this winter, and instead of the usual food porn I’m presenting you with the finest New England lighthouses and pretty bridges with flowers. Yes, the inner Ziggy is out at it again.

With that said, I was asked quite a few times for that New England road trip we did a few years back, and I figured its time to put it up here. This is an 11 day road trip showcasing some NE highlights. If anyone has any suggestions/comments/threats please dont hesitate to share in the comments. But overall, road trips out of NYC dont get any better than this (and we had our share which includes Niagara)

The short Version (1 night each unless noted):

Newport

Sacco

Bar Harbor – 3

Boothbay

Portland

Gloucester – 3

Day 1 – Newport, RI. One night. Along with the drive back home this is the longest drive of the trip. You are here to see the mansions, the gigantic summer cottages where the wealthiest Americans came to play in late 1800’s, early 1900’s. You have just enough time for a couple of mansions on day one. Allow around 75 minutes in each. The Breakers, Elms, Marble house and Rosecliff are the musts IMO. Consider the behind the scenes tour at the Elms. Breakers stays open later in the day so you can squeeze it in the first day. Have dinner in Salvation cafe. Save your money and spend the night somewhere in Middletown very close by. There’s a Holiday Inn express among other chains.

Day 2 – Morning in Newport, and off to Maine. Visit the rest of the mansion you want to see and do the spectacular cliff walk. Park somewhere on Narraganset ave and walk to your right and back. Visit the Touro synagogue, the oldest in the USA (1763). Not the most beautiful and not the most interesting tour, but it will make you look good at future cocktail parties. Take a drive on Ocean ave and have lunch in one of the wharf’s. Black pearl is decent. Good clam chowder. Overall, Newport is fairly touristy (for good reason) which means not the most exciting food town. After lunch start driving toward Bar Harbor with the idea of spending the night somewhere in the middle. Hampton Inn in Saco near the highway is a good cheap option for families. On the way to Saco however if its a nice clear day, take a detour to Cape Neddick to see the striking Nubble Lighthouse. Stop by at the famous Clam Shack in Kennebunkport for a lobster roll on the way to the hotel.

Day 3 – Drive to Bar Harbor. About 3.5 hours from Saco or Portland. Take the 295/95 route and leave the scenic route 1 to the way back. A convenient lunch in the area is the Chart Room off the main road. This is a good day to simply relax and enjoy your hotel and Bar Harbor, but also a good day to go on a lobster tour with something like Lulu lobster because the rest of the days you would want to stay out of the area as much as possible. Its a good day to start your lobster meal marathon somewhere although I dont have a particular recommendation. Last time we had lobster crapes at Maggies but looks like its now closed. Have lobster ice cream at Mount Dessert Ice Cream. Again, for the purpose of future cocktail parties (“Darling, you should have seen all the crazy gelato flavors being scooped up in Rome these days.. Anchovies! Feh! “, “Well, I bet it still beats Lobster gelato in baa haaba, my dear”). You get my point.

I recommend splurging at the Bar Harbor Inn for 3 nights. Spectacular setting, old rustic hotel with a lot of charm. While there, please tell them to stop emailing Ziggy promotional material. I will revisit when I’m ready. Thank you!

Day 4 – Explore Acadia. Essentially you want to do the 27 mile Park Loop road that takes you to all the cool spots. Start with the visitor center and get a map. Stop at Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, and other stops on the route. Have lunch at the Jordan’s pond (get the popovers, good lobster rolls). This is a must. You will be hard pressed to find a more stunning setting, in the park’s only restaurant. After lunch or before take a walk around the pond. Then climb the South Bubble on the other side of the pond for more incredible views. Drive up Cadillac mountain and walk around the summit and stay till sunset. Its cold up there so bring a sweater, or a jumper if you are British.

Day 5 – Perhaps my favorite day of the entire trip. Explore the quiet side of Mount Dessert Island: Got to Somesville and look for the bridge (top picture). Go kayak on Long pond, take a swim at stunning Echo lake beach, visit southwest harbor, do the ship harbor trail, and look for bass lighthouse. “But Ziggy I still don’t see why this is your favorite day” Have lunch at Thurston’s lobster pound in Bernard. “Ahh. thank you!”

Day 6 – Back on the road. Time to hit Route 1 – Not the most scenic drive, but all sorts of interesting stops on the way. Consider spending some time in Camden. But right before you get to Camden drive to the top of Mt. Battie for some great views of the bay. Not a strenuous climb by any means. In Camden enjoy the various galleries, shops, etc and you can take a 2 hour Schooner cruise if you like from the various vendors lined up at the port. Have lunch in Camden or area. Continue driving on route 1 south. Another spectacular lighthouse on the way is the light at Pemaquid point. Spend the night in Boothbay harbor, and consider dining at, what else, the lobster dock.

Day 7 – Back on the road. Visit the surprisingly majestic and serene Coastal Botanical Gardens. Its huge, so you can easily spend half a day here if you like. Walk the forest. Continue to Freeport and visit the original LL Beans store. They have all kinds of activities and clinics you can sign up for in advance like archery and canoeing. Spend the night in Maine’s largest city and one of the greatest food towns on the east coast, Portland. Consider dining at Street and Co. or its sister Fore Street, widely considered as one of the best restaurants in the USA by all the publications/lists out there.

Note: If you opt to stay longer in Freeport to take advantage of the LL Beans clinics and still do the botanical gardens, you may need to stay an extra day in the Portland area or adjust the itinerary as needed.

Day 8 – Visit Portland sites including and especially Portland Light (yes another lighthouse – what else is new, but this is an absolute must). This is more of a giant sprawling park that attracts a lot of locals and tourists and offer some of the best photo opps of the trip. Its been over 12 hours since the last lobster meal so lunch at the nearby The Lobster Shack at Two Lights. Drive toward Glaucester, Mass via Kennebunkport and the popular summer resort Ogunquit. The idea here is to stay 2 nights in or near Gloucester. Consider staying at TownePlace Suites in the town of Danvers. Cheap 2 BR units right between Gloucester and Boston for easy access to both. I found that the Gloucester popular hotels sell out quickly and/or too expensive for this purpose.

Day 9 – Take the 4 hour whale watching trip with 7 Seas Whale Watch out of Gloucester. Should be one of the highlights of the trip. Reserved in advance. We saw 11 whales last time. Or one whale 11 times. Either way it was a blast

Note: The summer is the best time to see whales in the area. In order to play it safe weather wise you could do the Gloucester leg of the trip on the way to Maine instead of back, and switch if necessary in case the weather turns resulting in choppy water.

Day 10 – Visit Gloucester sites including the various monuments, Hammond Castle, the nearby Rockport and do not miss Motif Number 1, the most often-painted building in America. And in case it looks familiar and you feel like you’ve seen it a hundred times, you did. When your kids watched “Finding Nemo” over and over again. Its one of the paintings at the dentist office. Have lunch in Causeway (good haddock) and check out Halibut point park

Day 11 – Visit Boston

Taboon – Magic Oven

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Ziggy

Courtesy of Taboon

March 3, 2016 Update:

Taboon is better than ever. Our first visit since Efi Nahon came back to where it all started resulted in the best Taboon meal ever. After leaving his marks at Barbounia and more recently at Bustan, Efi is back with a vengeance at the place he helped built back in 2004. He got a Sicilian type offer he couldnt refuse. There he was at the kitchen, doing his thing while us and another couple waited patiently for our table. Best time I ever did! Since I had the opportunity to talk to the man next to the blazing, beautiful Taboon oven, like two ~~lovers~~ people near a fire place. Well, I’m sure he didn’t quite take it like that, and I already had a few drinks by then. Ok, just one.

You can tell just by looking at the menu that its no longer the same old Taboon, even though many of the classics like Chicken Taboon, Hanger Steak, and Heraime are still on the menu. One big difference was the number of interesting specials that night. And sure enough a Crab Shawarma special, featuring Lior Lev Sercarz’s La Boite Shawarma seasoning and artichokes, turned out to be one of the highlights of the evening. Other early winners were the cauliflower and a shrimp filled, harissa and paprika spiced “Red Falafel”. The Lamb Kebab pot pie Terra Cotta was like going back to Haj Kahil in Jaffa. A classic you don’t normally see here. If there’s one criticism now that I’m no longer standing next to Efi (He’s bigger than me, and more importantly Israeli!) is that the Sambusak (bread stuffed with feta) this evening was saltier than usual, and didn’t pair well with the rest of the apps. For dessert we had just about the entire lineup, and sure enough, the great Silan, was still the clear winner. Check out this Z-List winner!

February 11, 2014:

10th avenue is the new 9th avenue. Thats what I tell visitors when I bring them to 10th ave in ethnic rich Hell’s Kitchen. That line either prompts a smile, confusion, or in one particular instance, gas. Among the various new eateries that popped over the last few years, which includes Peruvian, Thai, Mexican, Italian, farm-to-belly (yes The Marshall, I see you), Korean Chicken Wings, “Middle-terranean” Taboon stands as the grand ol’ daddy in this rejuvenated, gentrified, stretch of Hell’s Kitchen. You could not open a place like Taboon 18 years earlier (Taboon opened in 2004) in that neighborhood without having a Shepherd’s Pie in the menu, or other classics from the Irish mob cookbook.
I was given a task by a group of hard to please New Jerseyans to pick a nice Israeli place in the city for a group dinner, and I immediately thought of Taboon and Balaboosta for a slightly cheaper fare. Balaboosta’s somewhat limited group menu, and my two year absence from Taboon made the choice clearer. A coin flip! Ok, not really. The choice was clear and needless to say the South Jerseyans who miraculously arrived on time after carefully planning a route via Chris Christie supported towns, seamed pleased with the end results.

Courtesy of Taboon

Taboon means oven in Arabic, and your host for the evening is the domed wood burning, brick oven which greets you as soon as you arrive. This is the stuff that dreams are made off. And pizza! And once seated it didnt take long to get a taste of the that oven. Focaccia that would make Italian gourmands proud. Perfect depth, golden crispy exterior, brushed with just enough olive oil, with a touch of rosemary and salt. But the bread doesnt just stop there. A splendid Sambusak stuffed with feta cheese, jalapeño and onion follows.

Along with the bread, came an army of mezzes. Well, an army for NYC standards at least. In any Arab restaurant in Abu Ghosh near Jerusalem this would be called “Closed till further notice”. An acceptable Hummus, tzaziki, taramosalata (roe spread – the older I get the less I like it), baba ghanoush, green schoog (the older I get the more I like it, but I prefer it like my wine, red), red pepper spread (the older I get the more I like cookies. Nothing to do with red pepper spread [which was lovely btw] but I thought this is as good as a time to mention it). The lovely mezze parade then continued with a refreshing avocado salad, and salmon ceviche (I believe it was salmon, it says red snapper on the site). But the mezze war was won by the fantastic falafel balls with an all too familiar taste (Amba – that mango condiment we enjoyed so much in Israel last year), and the crowd favorite Zucchini cakes with sauteed snow peas, cipollini onions, fresh herbs topped with yogurt/garlic/mint sauce

As for main, I enjoyed my perfectly cooked Hanger with potatos, Brussels sprouts, and garlic. But I quickly realized that I had this steak here twice before, and a quick look to my right gave me some serious and extremely rare chicken envy. Yes, the first time New Jerseyan ordered better than me. The mighty fine looking Chicken Taboon was featuring my true love, Israeli couscous.

A note about Israeli couscous. Israeli couscous is not like the couscous you know and love and really only called Israeli couscous in America. In Israel, its called “Ptitim”, and its essentially tiny oven toasted “Pasta balls” invented when Israel’s first prime minister asked Osem to develop a rice substitute. For a while it was nicknamed Ben-Gurion’s rice.

Back to the mains. Two fish dishes that have been on the menu for as long as I remember are particularly popular. The whole baked Branzino, and the Heraime – wild striped bass, baked in the taboon oven in a ragout of roasted pepper, tomato, cilantro, mild Moroccan spices, artichokes and hot paprika oil served with regular couscous (booo, but I get it). If you like meaty white fish with red sauce, get this. Did I mention that a top Israeli chef who happened to be owner Ayala’s uncle (I think) was brought in to help generate the menu?

Normally in Middle Eastern/Mediterranean I find my refuge in all the apps/mezzes, and the desserts, and any greatness in the middle is a bonus. Bonus! The desserts here are just fantastic. The Silan in particular is a thing of beauty – Vanilla ice cream with puffed rice and date honey sprinkled with caramelized pistachios and topped with shredded halva, I’ve had this on every single visit. The Lava Cake however was this crowd’s fave, and the Knaffe capped another great meal at Taboon.

Taboon
773 10th Ave, 52nd Street
$$$
Recommended Dishes: Focaccia, Sambusak, Cauliflower, Terra Cotta Lamb, Falafel, Zucchini cakes, Chicken, Heraime, Silan, Lava Cake