We are well into Falafel season in New York City (April – March). I will make this one nice and painless, almost W42st pick-5 style. When I want a good Falafel these are the only places I consider. They are fairly spread out, so helps with your sightseeing, quick bite needs. I cant think of a better, more affordable snack in town other than a well crafted Falafel. For most of you EWZ old timers, other than one place perhaps (Ba’al) this wont offer anything new.
Nish Nush – Any Falafel discussion should start and end with the Nish Nushes (or Nish Nishe). Two of them now, though I still prefer the original Tribeca location over FiDi. Pitas at FiDi didnt do it for me last time. The regular “Classic” over the other flavors (Tribeca, FiDi) any time.
Taim – Pronounced Ta-eem, as in “Delicious” in Hebrew. Its indeed delicious, but not exactly a NYC secret. I have to admit, I changed the wording in the first paragraph to “Consider” from “Frequent” since I dont really frequent Taim as much as I used to. The Nolita location crowds makes me slightly noxious when I pass by. But the falafel platter here, with 9 gorgeous schweddy balls, fresh salads, and pita with Za’atar seasoning, is divine. (West Village, Nolita)
Taim
Gazala’s – Although not exactly a recent discovery, I feel like the falafel here is. I’ve had it before, but lately cant get enough of it. I dont know if its the type of oil they use, but it just tastes fresher. Nice golden scrips on the outside, perfectly seasoned and herbed on the inside. This is not a sandwich recommendation per se. You get the plate with paper thin pita (ask for it) and hummus that is another must order (Hell’s Kitchen)
Ba’al Cafe and Falafel – Tucked away in the quieter parts of Soho, Ba’al is the definition of hole in the wall. There’s nothing fancy here but a simple solid Falafel sandwich. My secret weapon (Soho)
Azuri – This is a pick for those looking for a little bit more excitement to their falafel experience. And by excitement I mean something more akin to riding a scary roller-coaster. You not only get a beautifully crafted falafel sandwich in a thick whole wheat pita, but you get to deal with Ezra the Falafel Nazi. (Hell’s Kitchen)
Mamouns – Just kidding.
Nish Nush
Gazala’s
Its fun to watch the hype machine in play in NYC, and see how things develop. While I read all the Hot and Buzz lists out there as everyone else, I learned over time sometimes the hard way, that things are not always what they seem. A name and/or a little bit of money, at minimum $3000 is needed to market yourself as such. An alum of something good in the world… Noma, EMP, Contra, tickles your interest, with a picture of something beautiful that is cooked for two weeks straight, seals the deal. “Brian is a recent graduate of Betty’s school of Hospitality and Accounting” is not gonna be nearly as sexy.
A slight variation to my usual best soups of Hell’s Kitchen post. This month its part of the food issue on W42st. Mooncake Foods and their sick Wonton soup is sadly no more, so needed to replace it with Pam which made the list twice in a row. The only news here to veteran readers is the inclusion of Chong Quing Xiao Mian Noodles. Try saying it just once. As usual you will find Ziggy’s EatList at the small Zine inside the magazine distributed all over the neighborhood. This month’s issue matched my couch perfectly so we may keep it as furniture for a little longer this time.
Bagel at the Delta Terminal JFK before departure. Ok, it wasnt the bagel, nor it was even in Denver. But while standing in line for the bagels, and then waiting for the bagels to come out, the entire time (around 30-40 minutes or so) I was talking to Jeremy Roenick who stood on line behind me. Only the very few of you know about my other obsessions, one of which is Hockey (Or Ice Hockey for some of you foreigners). Turns out he is a big foodie and we actually discussed very little Hockey. We talked about food tours, his food adventures in NYC, Turks and Caicos, my food tours, and a bunch of other stuff. I didnt even mind one bit that they forgot about my order the entire time. Well until he got his at least and left, then I got furious
Well, its been a heck of a start! The tours, particularly the Brooklyn tour have evolved nicely. With so many of you taken or in the process of taking all three tours, I started working on a 4th. It may take a while to design this one, and I cant quite say where it will be exactly (mainly because I’m not sure myself), but it will be Downtown somewhere.
Tip Free Pasquale Jones 
Its a tale of two Thais. Pure Thai Cookhouse, a jam packed frat party at pretty much any time of the day, sometimes even just outside. Pam Real Thai, eerily quiet even at peak times sometimes. Pure has a limited, concentrated menu for Thai standards, while Pam has a megillah that includes all the color of the rainbow curries and other American Thai. Pure is where I bring visitors to experience the vibe and some regional specialties you wont find anywhere else, while Pam is terribly unattractive and uninviting. So why do I keep going to Pam Real Thai.
I once asked a chef in Piedmont where he likes to eat when he goes to NYC. Maialino, he said. But dont you want to eat some Sushi, Thai, or Uzbek, something perhaps hard to get back at home, I asked. Good Roman food is hard to get here too, he said. Perhaps for the same reason you see Italians flock to Eataly here. It took me a few trips to Italy to understand what Italians have been telling me all along. There’s really no such thing as Italian food.
Eating With Ziggy 