New York City

Minetta Tavern – The Burger and the Beast

First an update on Ziggy Jr our goldfish.  He’s dead!  Pretty sure he took his own life after watching the 100th episode of Full House which my kids are now obsessed with since discovering it a few months ago.  Half of our DVR is filled with the stuff.  But lets move on to one of the best meals of the year…

Minetta Tavern is very unique in that it can be included in more than one or even 2 “Best Of” lists.  Best Steakhouse, Best Burger (Black Label Burger), Best Steak (Cote de Beauf), Best French bistro, and even Best restaurant in its class.

MT is located on the somewhat “divey” MacDougal street, and has a sort of unassuming exterior.  But as soon as you go in and open the red curtains you are transported somewhere else. 1930’s perhaps?  The place is not big and is packed.  The bar area is packed and they sit you almost like they sit you at a family reunion.  Except you sitting next to an Armenian cousin you didn’t know existed.

***Customary horrible pictures with iphone excuse****

Pasta Za ZaI was reading on Chowhound about Minetta not allowing taking pictures so the first few shots were taken with no flash.  Here’s the rundown…

Pasta Za Za – Very good.  I have a weakness for fresh pasta with egg.  They split the dish and put one egg on each.  Although we enjoyed it, not nearly as good as Herbsaint’s version in New Orleans

Bone Marrow – This was just ok for us.  Less so for the wife.  What saved the dish for me was the shallots with port – so delicious.  The baguettes were so buttery almost to the point of inedible.

Black Label burger – Met the high expectations.  The juiciest most flavorful burger that I can remember.  50% of it is 48 day dry aged prime rib eye with the other 50% a combination of brisket, rib and other goodies.  The fries were just ok for me however – not sure what the hoopla was.  Bone MarrowThey were barely seasoned and the aioli didnt save them for me.  But the burger was insane.

NY Strip – Excellent!  We ordered medium and it came medium-rare as expected.  Great, nicely seasoned crust and a very flavorful piece overall (28 day dry aged).  But the next day we were talking about the burger.

Chocolate Soufflé – AMAZING!! So rich and yummy

In short, this meal made a mark.  One of the most enjoyable meals of the year.  With drinks and tax $260 for the 2 of us.  Would definitely order the pasta, burger and soufflé again and perhaps go for the massive Cote de Beauf when we go with more people.

NY Strip

Categories: New York City, West Village | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sri Lankan in Staten Island – Another reason to visit

LakruwanaLets recap some of the biggest reasons to come to Staten Island…

1)  Staten Island Ferry.  Staten Island is a very unique place.  One of the biggest attractions in NYC is to get there and then get the hell out of there.

2)  To see Meerkats on a lookout at the Staten Island Zoo.  If you have never seen this, here’s an example from another zoo…  

3)  The new annual “Running of the Zebras and Ponies”.  I have a feeling this is going to be a big hit.  Here’s a footage from the last event (play the video)

4)  To see “The Yankees”.  Its the Staten Island Yankees, but most tourists will not know the difference.

5)  For the new “EYE”.  Ok, its a Ferris Wheel that hasnt actually been built yet but is in the works, and it will be bigger than the London eye.  

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-26/nyc-said-to-plan-staten-island-ferris-wheel-to-rival-london-eye.html

LakruwanaAdd Sri Lankan food to this impressive list.  Sure you have some other nice options like Vida, and the rotating nonnas of Enoteca Maria, but nothing perhaps is as unique as the wonderful Sri Lankan cuisine on the island.  Since the late 60’s Sri Lankans have been flocking the island to create the 3rd largest Sri Lankan community in the US.  Here are 2 of the better options on the island of Staten

LakruwanaLakruwana – Entering Lakruwana is like entering a Sri Lankan museum with every inch of the restaurant decorated from floor to ceiling.  We did their excellent Sunday buffet served in clay pots.  From Boiled egg with curry to Kale with coconut, to Pol and onion Sambols, and the delicious crispy pork.  Although there were only 2 meat dishes, even the carnivores will admire the different variety and the complex flavors.

Sanrasa – Here we did a saturday dinner.  Although Sanrasa has more of a homey look and feel as opposed to Lakruwana, the flavors are as spectacular.  The chef used to work for Lakruwana and also I believe for a saudi prince.  If its good enough for a Saudi price, its good enough for Ziggy.  Some dishes we tried…

Chicken with cashew curry – very good. nice and tender chicken
Lamb with black curry – lamb a little dry but the sauce more than made up for it. Couldn’t get enough of it really.
Hoppers – very nice and unique, like little spongy pancakes made with rice flour and coconut milk, with some cooked with eggs
Kottu Roti – nice. They have an array of roti and hopper specials that come with your choice of meat curries
Lamprie – This is the house special and a must IMO. All kinds of goodies including rice, meat, curry, caramelized onions, cashews, all baked wrapped in banana leaf.  An old Dutch influenced classic
Deviled Shrimp – Fantastic, Thai-like, very spicy sizzling unpeeled shrimp with veggies.
Lamb Biryani – very good
Nice Mango Lassi as well.

There you have it folks.  Another reason to come.  As if you needed any more after surviving the running of the zebras and ponies

Categories: New York City, Staten Island | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Taim is ‘Taim Meod’ but WTF is S’rug

First I should probably explain the title…

Taim – Means tasty in Hebrew.  And is a popular Falafel joint in the west village

Taim Meod – Means very tasty in Hebrew

WTF – Means What The Fuck

But –  Means except for the fact…

S’rug – ??? not sure (more on that later)

Taim

          Taim Falafel and Smoothie Bar on Waverly serves some very Taim Israeli pocket food and more.  Small but fierce Falafel balls come in 3 different flavors:  “Green” which most resembles the traditional Israeli falafel, “Harrisa” which is red and packed with mild Tunisian spices and my personal favorite, and “Red” which is another red but mixed with roasted peppers.  The best way to try all 3 is to get the mixed platter which is a good amount of the 3 (around 10 balls – compared to the slightly larger 3 balls by Azuri café, another best Falafel in NYC candidate but losing ground with me).  In addition you get a very Taim, creamy and nutty Hummus, Israeli Salad and a Taboule salad.  The pita is warm and sprinkled with zatar seasoning which is a very nice touch.

s'chugYou also get 3 different sauces with that: Tahini, Amba (terrific, smell my finger pickled Mango chutney), and something called S’rug which is supposedly a Yemeni hot sauce.  Now here’s the thing.  I am very familiar with the similar Yemeni Hot Sauce called S’hug and I’ve seen it spelled S’chug and Z’hug, but S’rug is something new.  In fact if you Google S’rug you will only find it mentioned in relation to Taim pretty much.  Quotes by Yelpers and other food bloggers mentioning Taim’s hot Yemeni sauce S’rug as if such a thing exists.  Why do they call it S’rug?  Its like a place that makes Falafel but decides to call it Fakafel, joined by a food blogger army praising the Fakafel without ever mentioning the real thing, the Falafel.

Wait, not finished digressing.  I also happened to be a big fan of the S’chug which is a staple in my fridge.  In fact I have 2 kinds at the moment including the pictured Pereg S’chug which is my absolute favorite.  I spread it on everything.  Goes very well with bread and salami.

But now I digress.  Taim, also serves a delicious Sabich, the falafel’s shy and not as good looking cousin.  Sabich is eggplant, hard boiled egg, Tehini, Amba, and Israeli salad inside a pita.  And their smoothies such as the date, lime, banana, are fantastic as well.

Taim is a tiny popular neighborhood spot.  Its more of a takeout place as it has just enough room for 4 adults and a small cat.  Everything about this place is fresh and delicious including of course… that Yemeni hot sauce… S’rug.

sabichfalafel

Categories: New York City, West Village | Tags: , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Hey reader, want to help Staten Island? Here’s how

We spend our entire lives witnessing and discussing various disasters, natural or not, occurring all over the world.   Its then somewhat surreal when one of those hits your back yard.

Its our turn to ask for help and here’s how you can…

Simply show up.   Grab some supplies (masks, gloves) and perhaps even some pizza and simply show up anywhere in the affected areas like South Beach, Ocean Breeze, Midland Beach, Oakwood Beach, New Dorp Beach and Oakwood Beach.

Some of the neighborhoods like Ocean Breeze have set up a facebook page where you can get more details and meetup times.  https://www.facebook.com/AngelsRelief

You can also follow “Occupy Sandy” on facebook and on http://interoccupy.net/occupysandy/. They give you some fairly specific needs at any given time.

If you want to send money that would go to Staten Island directly you can do so with the Sillar Foundation, www.tunneltotowers.org. Click on Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund, then check the box for “Staten Island“. If mailing a check put “Staten Island” on it.

You can also stop by at the Sillar Foundation headquarters at 2361 Hylan and drop supplies there. They are right in the middle of things arranging BBQ’s and helping out in a big way.

Other ways to help…

*The Red Cross is accepting donations of large packages of bottled water at their temporary kitchen, 2900 Veterans Rd. (Home Depot parking lot). 

*Large donations (truckloads, shipping containers) can be sent to a 60,000-square-foot warehouse at New York Container Terminal at 300 Western Ave. near the entrance to the Goethals Bridge – secured by Molinaro and Rep. Michael Grimm — that is storing supplies for distribution to hurricane victims. Please call, (718) 816-2000 to coordinate delivery. Only large-scale donations will be accepted at this location.

*Volunteers are needed to drive, sort items and unload vehicles. They should report to Midland Beach (981 Father Capodanno Blvd).

*Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, who organized a cleanup of Midland, New Dorp, Oakwood and Cedar Grove beaches over the weekend, is continuing her efforts. Volunteers should bring what tools they can — rakes, shovels, push brooms and work gloves to help remove debris and help clean out homes damaged by the storm. In addition, manpower is needed to move donated items to the New York Container Terminal, said Ms. Malliotakis. “We are looking for trucking companies with trucks, U-Hauls or vans to transport goods to the container port,” she said.

*Project Hospitality is seeking volunteers and donations. People can register as volunteers, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Project Hospitality, 100 Park Ave., Port Richmond, to help receive donations and restock the organization’s storm-damaged warehouse. The organization is also taking donations of new socks, toiletries, canned food, heavy duty garbage bags, C and D batteries, underwear, sweatpants, sweatshirts, towels and blankets.

*Movement Church, based in Castleton Corners, is looking for volunteers to clean out destroyed homes, as well as donations of children’s clothing, socks, underwear, diapers and baby food. Clean-ups are taking place each day between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Volunteers can report to Hett Avenue and Marine Way. For more information call, 718-812-9894 or 718-216-9416.

*Donations of cash, goods, services, or to volunteer, can be made at: http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycservice/home.html.

*St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Bulls Head is accepting clothing, cleaning items and personal necessities.

*Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts will be collecting food from shoppers to help restock Project Hospitality’s pantry Saturday between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. at Pathmark at 2875 Richmond Ave. in New Springville, Key Food at 450 Forest Ave. in West Brighton, Shop Rite at 2424 Hylan Blvd. in New Dorp, Stop & Shop at 2754 Hylan Blvd. in New Dorp, Pathmark at 3501 Amboy Rd. in Prince’s Bay and Key Food at 778 Manor Road in Westerleigh.

*Young Israel is collecting donations of cleaning supplies, such as garbage bags, gloves, bleach and mops that can be left in the lobby of 835 Forest Hill Rd. in Willowbrook.

*Those interested in volunteering with the Red Cross can call 1-877-RED CROSS or consult http://www.nyredcross.org. To make a monetary donation, text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to automatically give a $10 donation.

*The Mayor’s Fund to Advance the City of New York, which has a Hurricane Relief Fund, is accepting donations at: http://www.nyc.gov/html/fund/html/donate/donate.shtml.

*United Way Hurricane Sandy Recovery Fund is accepting monetary donations, which can be made online at http://www.uwsandyrecovery.org. A $10 donation can be made by texting the word RECOVERY to 52000.

*New Dorp Moravian Church needs baby clothing, baby food and formula, blankets, towels, sheets, pillow cases and pillows. The church will be serving food on Saturday. Donations are being accepted at the Diforte Agency at 1194 Hylan Blvd. between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Wednesday to Friday.

*Silver Lake Masonic Lodge in Port Richmond and Silver Queen Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star joined together to provide non-perishable food, water, clothing and other necessities. They need donations of cleaning supplies. For more information, call 347-416-3288 or tmartin@rwdsu.org.

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This is where I live

Some of us blog about various subjects like travel, food, and blogging, while at the same time follow other bloggers of similar subjects.  But how much do we know about our fellow bloggers?  Do we know for example where they live?  Well I for one, live in Staten Island, NY.

My previous post was 2 days after the worst natural disaster hit NYC.  I don’t think our mayor understood the severity of the damage the storm caused at that time.  Neither did I.  While doing some volunteer work for Mt Loretto church, daily trips to different parts of the worst affected areas have left me in a state of disbelief.
The island is divided.  One part looks fairly normal except for some ridiculously abnormal lines for gas that last anywhere between 3 to 20 hours, and some large trees down causing some havoc.  The other part is post war Iraq…
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When the going gets tough…

The tough buys cereal on the Internet at almost triple the price…

It is best to explain this with the following timeline.  Some of the dates are approximate while other are completely made up.  Important note about the hurricane all the way at the bottom.

1564 – The Algonquians, native Americans of New England discover Maple Syrup

2002 – Post Foods introduce Post Select Maple Pecan Crunch cereal

2003 – Ziggy discovers Post Select Maple Pecan Crunch cereal.  Ziggy abruptly ends Halva addiction

2003 – Ziggy gets ridiculed for drinking cereal from a mug by his 8 years old daughter.  “What the f%^$ are you doing pops” were her exact words.

2006 – Ziggy’s local markets no longer carry the Maple Pecan cereal.  Time to go hunting

2006 – Mrs Ziggy is ecstatic that her husband has finally turned things around and spends more quality time with the family like going food shopping

2007 – Ziggy finds the cereal in Wegmans in Woodbridge, NJ.  Dispatches Mrs Ziggy on a monthly basis

2009 – NO MORE CERAL IN WEGMANS.  Ziggy goes camping in Woodbridge by himself.  He tells his wife he “Needs to find the inner Ziggy”

2010 – Ziggy finds the cereal in Da’gostino’s in Manhattan, removes patch from left arm.

2010 – 2011 – The golden years

March 2012 – Da’gostino’s no longer carries the cereal.  Their salad bar is still abysmal, and their sushi chef is depressed, most likely due to their lack of quality cereal.

May 2012 – Ziggy spends month drowning sorrows with Halva

July 2012 – Da’gostino’s call the cops due to suspicious activity

August 2012 – Ziggy tries to enjoy his vacation in Israel

October 2012 – See picture!

Hurricane Sandy has hit New York and New Jersey 2 days ago.  I have friends in Brooklyn that are still pumping water from their homes.  If I made them smile or anyone else affected by the storm, its a successful post.   Hang in there guys

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Eating Without Ziggy – Hummus Whisperer’s San Francisco Report

I was already eating good food in NYC the day of my flight, as I somehow convinced the wife and daughter to attend the annual Grub Street Food Festival in LES, per Ziggy’s recommendation from the night before.  We arrived at the start at 10am and tasted the freshest bites.  The most memorable items included the melt in your mouth smoked short rib & pork shoulder chili with hominy from Char No. 4 (not Chanel No. 5 as they told me), borscht from Gifelteria, and coffee with a delicious pear walnut tart from Cafe Grumpy.

This was my first business trip in 2 years and last time I went to Des Moines, Iowa, enough said. First stop was at the Newark airport terminal C, the Grand Central Oyster Bar at the Newark airport Terminal C!!! Had a lovely platter of 8 oysters, the best in NYC, per Ziggy, and definitely the best at Newark Airport. Next was my first class meal with my 3rd Bloody Mary.  The chicken was a TV dinner, but the ice scream sundae on this United flight was a pleasant surprise.

There are 4487 restaurants in San Francisco according to an online review site and I’m here for 4 nights.  I think there are just as many restaurants as the homeless on the block of my hotel,  and according to a local friend they come here from all over the country to get paid a stipend and enjoy the mild weather. Apparently the city is believed to have the highest number of homeless people per capita of any major US city.  One of the reasons they arrive, in my opinion is…Sardines. It’s so important to the food scene, that Ziggy gave me an assignment to blog about “Sardines and anything else, but mostly Sardines.” It appears that there are actually no more than a dozen restaurants in SF that serve sardines, but I will look for Sardines as I don’t want to disappoint.

Lunch: The Melt – the place specializes in melted cheese sandwiches. Trust me they know what they are doing. I had the “ballpark sandwich,” a weekly special in honor of the SF Giants, spicy cheddar with hot dog and special secret mustard recipe – very tasty, they grill the bread perfectly and hide the pickle underneath the gourmet chips, all for $5.50.


For dinner I convinced my coworkers to have our first experience with Burmese food, Burma Superstar in the Inner Richmond neighborhood. I knew that the place usually has a 1 hour wait, but because the SF Giants were playing game 7 of the National League series, the place easily had room for 4. The restaurant looks like a typical eatery you can find in NY’s east village, but no human feels like a sardine here. What I didn’t know is that their tea leaf salad and rainbow salad were recently featured on the Food Network.

Each one was a perfect blend of ingredients, 21 and 25 ingredients respectively. As for the rest of the menu, I learned that the depth of smells and flavors far exceeds Chinese, Thai, Indian, and Korean food. I had a delicious mixed vegetable curry (pictured on left), my coworkers had the pumpkin shrimp and garlic shrimp dishes. The calamari salad was also outstanding. I had a Soju, Ginger, and lemon juice drink called “i know Kung  fu” as a perfect accompaniment. If you are looking for a delicious, authentic Asian experience in SF, this is the right place.

Breakfast and lunch were an easy choice with The Plant in the building. A great selection of organic juices and smoothies, as well as manual drip coffee, a concept I have not seen in NY, used to achieve the perfect brew.  Same place for lunch, a veggie burger to die for (the bun was red!).  I had one with melted cheese and mushrooms and another with wasabi Aioli. I also ate a tasty red Thai curry veggies with coconut rice.
In my hunt for sardines, I climbed a mountain, actually a Russian Hill to Pesce. Should I take a trolley? Neh. I climb like a local, even the roads have marks so you don’t slip. Note to self, stay at the Fairmont next time. That’s where the Detroit Tigers World Series delegation is staying. Grace cathedral down the block, they do yoga in there!! An hour an a half later, I finally arrived at Pesce, serving Venetian Cicchetti.  The chef is from Venice. I’m definitely the only tourist in a mile radius excluding those traveling on the trolley.  I picture the entire Tanner family from the show Full House eating here.  immediately sat at the bar and Ordered the Grilled Sardines!, squid ink risotto with Calamari, and one of my new favorite vegetables, the brussels sprouts.  First bite of sardines…delicious, no bones.  This is the kind of place I want to visit once a week. Then burned it all off by walking more steep hills and took a trolley downhill for an exhilarating ride.  Next stop, Venice.
On my last night I chose to explore a different side of the city that most tourists don’t dare to visit, the Mission District, better known as “the Mission.” You can consider it a hipster neighborhood similar to the Lower East Side with a rich history of immigrants from Germany, Ireland and more recently Mexico. Walking through the neighborhood, I saw pot smoking bums, hipsters, Punks – a thriving subculture there, packed tattoo parlors, and churches with Mexican mariachi bands, as well as Mexican, Honduran, Salvadoran and Guatemalan restaurants. I passed a famous french Michelin two star rated restaurant called Saison. There are over 350 restaurants in the Mission alone. I arrived at my destination, Gracias Madre, a Mexican restaurant famous for its unique, fresh vegan cuisine. From the first taste of their home-brewed ginger ale and bite the Appetizer, butternut squash and caramelized onions folded into tortillas with cashew nacho cheese and pumpkin seed salsa, I can tell that they emphasize healthy, organic, fresh local ingredients and flavors.  For main course I continued a squash theme with a delicious Roasted poblano chile stuffed with butternut squash and caramelized onions, topped with pecan cream sauce and pomegranate seeds, served with black beans, rice, and tortilla with side of zucchini. Also ordered a cashew version of Flan, which turned out more delicious than regular Flan.  In my opinion, this is one of the best vegan restaurants in the world.
Categories: New York City | Tags: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

More Ratatouille Moments at Scarpetta

Scarpetta
I have mentioned this phrase before.  Ratatouille moment.  What is a Ratatouille moment Ziggy? Well, I’m glad you asked Timmy.  A Ratatouille moment derives from the movie “Ratatouille” and the moment is when the tough, ugly, mean, hard to please critic takes that mega important bite of the Ratatouille.  Well, you can see for yourself

For me Ratatouille moments are a bit different.   They are not really about me reminiscing about something I ate as a kid.  Although I did have Bacalau in Portugal that reminded me of some awful Gifilte fish I had as a kid.  That would be the opposite of a Ratatouille moment I suppose.  After the 10th Gefilte fish I was the youngest member of our city to file for a restraining order against his parents.  And as far as Bacalau in Portugal goes, they say they can make it in 365 different ways for every day of the week.  We must have picked the 2 worst days.  The 2 ways they invented in days 364 and 365, well after they ran out of ideas and just focused on completing the cycle.  But I digress.
Scarpetta, tied with Marea for the meal of the year, gave us some “Moments”…
We started with a stunner.  Without a doubt the most impressive bread basket I have ever seen.  It included a Focaccia, a Stromboli (mozzarella and salami sandwich) among other goodies.  And it comes with 3 great condiments, a great tasting butter, eggplant salad and olive oil.  What a start.  After nibbling on some nice apps like the ribs, Mozzarella, and the Farmers Market with truffles, the monsters have arrived.

Creamy Polenta with truffled mushrooms – Fantastic! creamy and light polenta with those savory mushrooms took me back to Enoteca Valpolicella in Italy’s Valpolicella wine country.   I was counting the blessings of being married to a family that did not like mushrooms which includes my wife, her sister and her mom.

Polenta at Scarpetta

Cavatelli Capretto – Melt in your mouth, juicy tender Capretto. Some in our party claimed this was their favorite.

Rabbit Agnolotti – This was a personal favorite.  Nice perfectly cooked rabbit in those pillowy delicate mini raviolis bursting with flavor. Couldnt get enough of this.

Spaghetti with tomato & basil – This is one of Scott Conant’s signatures and the most famous Spaghetti with red sauce dish in NYC. Homemade fresh pasta with the most amazing tomato sauce I ever tasted. Another one I couldnt get enough of.  Reminded me of a simple pasta I had once in Varenna.

Spaghetti at Scarpetta

Duck & Foie Gras Ravioli with marsala reduction – Spectacular looking and spectacular tasting. All kinds of nice contrasting flavors packed in this one. Another must

Duck & Foie Gras Ravioli at Scarpetta

We could have stopped right there but we didnt.  What followed was a much less memorable cod, and a finish of an odd coconut Panna Cotta which had a soupy texture that I did not care for.  The Hummus Whisperer had the Sheep’s milk Ricotta from Lazio with honey which seemed like a better choice

Generally I favor the places that have a signature dish like the Spaghetti in this case.   But I especially favor places that offer many other options that are equally as good.  The experience was less perfect for my wife and her sister who will be quick to note the cramped space (for the 8 of us) and less than stellar service.  And normally I would be quick to note the same.  But when you are in one of those moments, any flaws are not only quickly forgotten, they get ridiculed

Scarpetta

Categories: Chelsea, New York City | Tags: , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Sleep No More – Random Thoughts

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 steps on my toes one more time I’m tackling her.

Scene 6- oh! it’s my wife

Scene 7 – getting hungry. should have made resvs at Mineta Tavern instead of rubirosa.

Scene 8 – Wow, this scene is intense. Wonder how far we can go if we try to recreate it at home.

Scene 8 – tired of holding my wife’s hand

Scene 9 – what if we can get bar seats at Mineta. We need to start eating at the bar like the cool folks

Scene 10 – Now sweating profusely.

Scene 11 – Wait a minute I’ve seen this scene already

Scene 12 – I tell the wife that it’s important for us to follow lady Macbeth after this scene. I did not tell her that I got that info from a blog post about how to get the most nudity from the show. Hey don’t judge. That’s the first thing that google brought up when I typed sleep no more.. and nudity.

Scene 12 – I should have paid more attention when we learned about this in school.

Scene 13- trouble breathing again. What if I get a heart attack right here during this scene. Will they take off my mask? If they do would everybody just converge near me to see what I’ll do next? Perhaps it’s best if they leave the mask. Will the paramedics need to wear masks too? Not a good place to have a heart attack

Scene 14 – wow, she has small…

Scene 15 – Wheres the exit

Scene 16- mistakenly found 2 more scenes while looking for the exit

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Staten Island – Viva la Vida

Our goldfish Ziggy Jr. is not well.  He hasn’t eaten in 2 days, he is slow to react to disturbances and stimuli, and his poop has sort of a mahogany tone to it.  Our history with previous Ziggy jr’s indicate that he does not have much time left.

What Ziggy Jr. desperately needs is a meal at Vida (OMG I can just see Vida’s owner rolling her eyes at this transition :roll:).  Vida has all the ingredients for a fun meal with the family.  It got that nice neighborhoody vibe, quirky waiters, and home cooking that is better than mama’s.  Ok, cooking better than my mama is not exactly a stretch (thankfully my mom does not read this blog, nor does she know I have a blog, or knows what a blog is) but Silva Popaz, Vida’s chef/owner sure knows her stuff.  Vida is a chef’s restaurant.  When the chef de cuisine is out, the restaurant is closed.  So many more known establishments in the city don’t follow this rule.

Reading the menu at Vida is like visiting Disney’s Epcot.  It’s as eclectic as a menu can get.  Between the Asian style shrimp, Gumbo, Hummus,  chicken Francaise, and the rest of it, all major continents are well represented.

We started with the always reliable Vida bites — pulled pork, pico de galo and avocado sauce on bread.  Another regular for us is the mussels with cilantro, shallots, garlic, and white wine.  This decadent sauce normally screams for some serious  finger dipping, until they bring more bread.  I wasnt quick to wash my hands following the meal.

Vida

For main the wonderful special Butternut Squash Lasagna with marsala reduction well demonstrated Silva’s talent and originality.  The marsala, just like with Scarpetta’s foie gras ravioli added nice intensity to the dish.

Vida

My feeling of uncertainty after not getting my usual gumbo dish this time and ordering something I normally never do, did not last long.  The special chicken stuffed with sausage, spinach and mushrooms was outstanding.  Perfectly crisped skin with that savory filling made every morsel regret sharing the dish with Mrs Ziggy.

The kids were enjoying their linguine Fra Diavolo with shrimp, calamari, mussels, and Asian style hanger steak.  Sorry about the quality of the pictures which I blame on lack of lighting, and lack of skill

I normally get the bread pudding for dessert but this time I was convinced to try the Tiramisu cheesecake.  Wowser!  Perfect finish to one of the best meals we had in Staten Island.  Is wowser an acceptable food blog word I wonder?  I’m still new to this blogging thing and I dont want to embarrass  myself.

Silva gets much of her culinary influences from her trips around the world.  A recent trip to Morocco can almost assure a bigger arsenal of exotic spices and perhaps a nice Lamb Tagine in the near future.

Vida up until recently was the only restaurant in Staten Island included on the coveted Michelin Bib Gourmand list.  Its like a michelin star for affordable neighborhood joints.  The excellent Enoteca Maria has now joined the list for 2012.  If Vida is not Staten Island’s best, she is not far behind.

Recommended dishes:  Vida Bites, Mussels, Gumbo, Stuffed Chicken, Tiramisu cheesecake

Categories: New York City, Staten Island | Tags: , , , , , | 1 Comment

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