Eating With Ziggy

Emilia Romagna – Little Miss Black Piggy

Posted on November 8, 2014 by Ziggy

Moving on to the region I like to call Emilia Romagna, because that is what its called. This is the middle leg of the trip, First leg is here, last still to come. This is the most eclectic leg, featuring a variety of food filled fun… Culatello, Prosciutto, Parma Cheese, Parma, castles, AT&T misadventures, wife finding out that all the shoes you packed have holes in them, and some of the underwear, mountains, black truffles, more great food including another “one of those meals”, and much more.

Day 5 – Cremona and Corte Pallavicina

We drove the two hours from our hotel in Piedmont to Cremona, a town (just outside ER) renowned for its Violin making. Violins, violins and more violins everywhere you turn, workshops, Violin Museums, chocolates shapes like violins. A very interesting, clean, super bike friendly town. As a New Yorker I was staring at old ladies riding bikes with great fascination in particular. This could also be the home to the most underrated Duomo in Italy. But all this fun came to a crushing halt after I called AT&T to upgrade my data service, only to have them disconnect everything completely. Thankfully, I pre-programmed the GPS with most of the sites so we could get to the next destination.

Rest of the day was one of the highlights of the trip, Antica Corte Pallavicina where we spent the night. The entire stay was like a dream, a very good one, and I will have a blog post when the time comes. Corte Pallavicina is renowned for their Culatello, essentially prosciutto on crack, which can only be produced in that area in/near the town of Zibello. Food lovers detour to visit their famous cellar featuring their black pig Culatello aged for Price Albert, Prince Charles, René Redzepi of Noma, Osteria Francescana in Modena and more. Each one comes with a sticker who it belongs to. We used their bikes to ride along the Po river, visited their famous black pigs, white cows, and had a wonderful dinner at their Michelin Starred restaurant, before a friend I met on Trip Advisor Forum joined us for the meetup we’ve been planning for a year

Day 6 – The cheese producer, the meal, the castle

I arranged an early morning visit to CiaoLatte in Noceto, one of many Parmigiano-Reggiano producers in the area. For a mere 10 euros we got a tour and witnessed the entire process of cheese making, along with a tasting of some of their products. This is a small family producer that is very popular with local schools partly due to the efforts of the mother who turned into a Liza Minnelli song and dance routine when she just met us and found out we are from NYC. More on CiaoLatte later

We then visited the town of Felino, known for the Felino Salami, dubbed “King of Salami”. We had a little Felino tasting at a small Salumeria by the Rick Steves of Salumi salesmen who tried to sell us his entire store. We wanted to visit the salami museum in the nearby castle of Felino but it was closed. Although the splendid views from that castle didnt make us feel too bad.

Lunch was probably the most memorable meal of the trip at Locanda Mariella in the mountains. A culinary ecstasy by a Slow Food legend. If you understand Slow Food and seek it in your travels to Italy, it doesnt get any better than this. After lunch, the magnificent Castle of Torrechiara was the obvious choice smack in the middle between Mariella and our B&B. Dinner at Ai Due Platani was good but pales in comparison to lunch and other meals on the trip.

Villino Di Porporano, our B&B for the next two nights did the trick and more. Highly recommend it

Day 7 – Parma

Spent an entire day touring Parma. Visited the magnificent Duomo, Farnese theater and the attached museum where we couldnt for the life of us find the exit when we were done. The stunning Teatro Regio was unfortunately closed due to the Verdi festival rehearsals. Salumeria Garibaldi treated us to a nice light lunch at one of their 3 tables. Then we explored the big park and the city outside of the historic center which we found equally as fascinating. Dinner was a good one at the ancient Cocchi

More to come soon. Going shoe shopping….

Categories: Emilia-Romagna, Italy | Tags: Emilia Romagna, food, Italy, Parma, Parma Itinerary, Travel | 3 Comments

Piedmont in a (Hazel)Nutshell

Posted on November 6, 2014 by Ziggy

“Err” thats what my scale said this morning, two days after we came back from Piedmont and Emilia Romagna. So I tried again, and this time it said “One at the time”, followed by “Err”. But I really dont feel like “Err”. I feel like I ate very well, as in plenty of non processed, organic home cooking very well. In fact, it was the greatest food trip of our young lives, and the first Italy trip where food and wine was the main focus. The biggest tourist attraction on this trip was a statue of an oversized woman squeezing her breasts. I will have much more about this trip, but meanwhile here’s a small recap of what we did in the Piedmont leg where we spent four days filled with wine, white truffles, onions, wrong turns, mushrooms, lakes, black truffles, vineyards, wrong turns after dark, and more white truffles.

Day 1 – Lago di Orta

45 minutes from Malpensa there’s this beautiful gem most Americans never heard of. Lake Orta. We stayed at Agriturismo il Cucchiaio di Legno 5 minutes from the lake, and the entire food itinerary this day surrounded the Agriturismo. Starting with the picnic basket that we used on the picnic tables on the stunning Sacro Monte di Orta where the picture on top was taken. Ending with a 10+ courser at their restaurant. More to come on that too. And in between the meals we explored the magical town of Orta San Giulio, where we bought Raffi, a small but deadly stinky truffle that we carried with us the entire trip, only to discover yesterday that Raffi tragically died

Day 2 – Alba, Cherasco

One of the reasons for this trip is the Truffle Festival in Alba, a town renowned for its White Truffles and hazelnuts. The entire town smells of Truffles and Nutella (this is the birthplace of Nutella). But the big bonus on this day was the huge Saturday market where we indulged in chocolates which I regret not buying more. Lunch on this day was at La Bottega del Vicoletto, a typical small family trattoria, where we had our first of many truffle tastings.

Before checking into a hotel with the best views from the toilet I’ve ever seen, we stopped at the Castle of Grinzane Cavour. Its a magnificent castle, bested only by the stunning 360 panoramic views around it. Its trully a great introduction to the Langhe area

After we rested a bit, we went to explore the town of Cherasco, known for its snails and kisses, as in the famous Baci di Cherasco chocolates. But the main target of course was dinner at Osteria La Torre, one of many great restaurants in that area

Overnight in Tota Virginia in Serralunga D’Alba (3 nights). I chose this place because it was the only one in the area I could pronounce

Day 3 – Neive, Barbaresco, and The Lunch

The main event on this day was the 3 hour lunch at Il Centro in Priocca. A meal for the ages, and an experience we will never forget. The sheer number of great eats within a 20 km radius of Alba is quite shocking. I will have more on this meal in no time

In the morning we explored the tiny, picturesque Neive where we sampled some more wine and crashed a Macedonian religious service. We then went on a drive where I counted 34 ooohs and Ahhs from Mrs Z. Half of them out of fear really. After lunch we explored the village of Barbaresco. And capped the day with a nice dinner at Castello di Verduno winery’s restaurant Ca Del Re in Verduno, another local Slow Food place

Day 4 – Barolo, Another great lunch, Serralunga

Drove to Barolo the long way to find this odd looking church. Barolo is another stunner, not overrun with tourists considering its name. But we were more interested in the breadstick manufacturer than wine, where we got a private demo of the breadstick making process. More spectacular views everywhere we turned, but none perhaps like the drive from Barolo to Serravalle D’alba and our power lunch with the three brothers at Trattoria La Coccinella. Yet another gem.

After lunch we drove to Serralunga D’Alba to explore the village and take a tour of the castle, one of many in the area including a pretty one viewed from the toilet at Tota Virginia. Dinner at Schiavenza, another popular local winery

Click here for the of the trip

Categories: Italy, Piedmont | Tags: Alba, food, Lake Orta, Piedmont, Travel, white Truffles | 8 Comments

Seven Provo Bites – October 2014

Posted on November 3, 2014 by Ziggy

A sample of some of Provos top dishes as featured in the latest issue of Where When How. For past Provo Bites, click here.

Grouper at Three Queens – Any more “local” than this, and you are waking up early to milk the cow, play a game of dominoes, and take the kids to school. The cliche “like eating at someone’s house” was born when someone ate at Three Queens. Fresh grouper, lightly seasoned and sautéed to flaky perfection, comes with rice and peas, and slaw. While other groupers on the islands require heavy dressing and extra seasoning to compensate for their unfreshness, this one needs no messing around with. Just stop by at the church first on the way to pray the fish is on the board today. Or jus call Dick. Whatever works!

Yellowfin Tuna at Le Bouchon Du Village – Touchdown! Score another one to column favorite Le Bouchon which keeps producing dishes more robust than the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Squad (Let me know when it becomes obvious that I’m watching Football while writing this. My Fantasy team is losing so I need to focus on something else. Its not working). Black sesame crusted, lightly seared tuna, gently dressed with ginger tomato reduction just enough to bring out the flavor of the fish and take it to the next level. Add Jasmine rice, fresh veggies action on the side including avocado and you got yourself a winning dish. Plugging another classic to the list that already includes the Conch Chowder, Escargot and the Steak au Poivre. That’s a great meal right there

Ribs at Chinson’s – Ribs, the official cure to summertime sadness! These babies were wet rubbed, super tender, with a little kick, and quite possibly the best ribs I ever had in Provo. Helped by an owner that redefines “Hospitality”. Combine the ribs with their Jerk Chicken, the homemade ginger beer and the highway view in front of you transforms into a field of tulips… with potcakes, rainbows and an ocean in the background.

Fish and Chips at Hemingway’s. While we can debate who has the best fish tacos (hint: Hemingway’s) until the conchs come home, there’s no debating who got the best Fish and Chips. An absolute must for us on every visit. “Meaty”, flaky fried grouper, along with Belgian style fries cut and seasoned to perfection. Let me put this another way.. The dish is so good, it will make your kids put their phones down and tell you about their day!

Octopus at Caicos Café. Just Octopus! Not mixed in with pasta, risotto, dehydrated shrimp and scallop sauces. Just the octopus please. A selfie worthy beauty from Portugal, via Miami. You can tell sometimes by the size of those things that Portugal is the source. And no one on the island can make it as tender and flavorful as “Mad Max” from Caicos Cafe. Last time I ordered an octopus dish like this in NYC it was as much fun as a vasectomy consolation.

Jerked Gherkin at Danny Buoy’s. One of the most surprisingly tasty little bites as of late came from Danny Buoy’s during the World Cup final. We had to double down on this to lower the agony of defeat. Jerky Dill Pickle, cheese, and bacon, essentially all the basic necessities wrapped in pastry with spicy chipotle-like sauce. Like tiny pickle/bacon Wellingtons.

Tuna Sashimi with Wasabi mustard at Seaside (Top) – Young chef Francois has more moves than Nicky Minaj. He takes South Caicos caught tuna “cubes”, adds fresh radishes, scallions and tomatoes, dresses it lightly with wasabi mustard and layers it all nicely on Teriyaki glazed tortilla chips. A tuna festival in your mouth. And if you don’t order the lobster risotto and the now legendary Peruvian Conch Salad, we are no longer in speaking terms. “Hi”, “bye”, that’s it!

Categories: Turks and Caicos | Tags: food, Provo Bites, restaurants, Travel | 1 Comment

Top NYC Pastas

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Ziggy

Last update: August 23, 2016

Just a quick note that some of these pastas are seasonal and arent on the menu the entire year, but worth mentioning anyway

Trenette Al Pesto Trapanese at Mercato.

From the port of Genoa sailors brought Trenette al Pesto to Trapani, Sicily where the dish was perfected even further with the addition of almonds. Homemade chewy dried Trenette cooked to al dente perfection, with almonds, garlic, tomato and basil. Its fresh, simple, and quite tasty. I havent seen this dish anywhere else, and at $12, I feel like I negotiated something at the shuk with a simple stare

Fusilli with Octopus and Bone Marrow at Marea

One of two NYC classics on the list, and perhaps the most celebrated pasta in ~~NYC~~ America. Articles, blog posts, children books (Goodnight Fusilli with Octopus!) have been written about this clasic. The twisted homemade Fusilli is tossed with the most addictive fresh red sauce you will ever taste, with Sangiovese braised octopus, and bone marrow being the culprits. A no brainer on this list

Strozzapreti Con Aragosta at Lincoln (top)

One of the best pastas I ever had is on, off, on in the seasonal Lincoln menu. Calling it simply Strozzapreti with lobster should be punishable by Italian law. The beautiful Strozzapreti, which most likely were invented when someone envisioned a pasta shape while witnessing a priest being strangled to death (Strozzapreti means priest chokers) are made with lobster coral hence giving them the orange look. They are mixed with not only sweet chunks of lobster but also lobster and scallop sausages (my favorite part) which is like eating the most glorious chicken skin you can imagine. The sauce is zesty, light, and the perfect compliment to this delicate dish. A classic in the making. Not always on the menu, and preparation may differ based on season.

Black Spaghetti at Babbo

A menu staple at a NYC staple. How can one go wrong. I’ve seen Babbo post a picture of this dish on Twitter one day, and the rest as they say, is history. Squid ink Spaghetti, Rock Shrimp, Spicy Salami Calabrese and Green Chilies. Its another good example of a fairly dry pasta, that is packed with wonderful flavor and texture. The Spaghetti has that wonderful sweet inky richness, with that crunchy salami, shrimp, and occasional garlic, like the gift that keeps on giving. This is one of those dishes that makes you Google recipes when you get home. Until your mind get intercepted by more Kardashian news. Apparently Kim already lost 80% of her baby fat.

Babbo Black Spaghetti

Malfadini at Lilia

Choosing a favorite pasta at Lilia is like choosing your favorite current presidential candidate. But for opposite reasons. The ‘imperfect’ conveyor belt-like Malfadini is essentially Cacio e Pepe on crack. Take your average Cacio e Pepe, change the pasta to something with more texture, add sharper cheese like Parmigiano Reggiano, and pink peppercorns, and you essentially got Cacio e Perfect

Agnolotti del Plin at Pasquale Jones

I dont care if this wintery delicatessen is not on the menu as of this writing. You should be eating pastas here regardless. They do have a lovely sounding Tajarin with summer truffles which just adds to the impression that Tim Caspare just knows how to handle those Piedmontese classics. This is the only del Plin in NYC that stays true to its origin, and would make any Piedmont nonna blush. Buttery, pillowy, explosive little dumplings, packed with Guinea hen, sage and Pancetta. PANCETTA!

Pasquale Jones Agnolotti

Uni Mushroom Ramen at Jun-men Ramen

Calling this one Ramen is like calling Maialino’s Cacio e Pepe, Ramen. Its essentially a nicely crafted, rich, and gorgeous looking pasta. Mushrooms, salty Pancetta, Porcini butter, truffle oil, noodles, and Uni that gets better and better in quality. I keep returning to Jun-men for this.

Jun-men

Pasta with Crab at Ulivo

If you are scoring at home, or if you are alone (stupid old Baseball joke) we have more than 10 pastas this time. Which is why I had to remove the “10” from the title. And while you are alone, you should try this messy beauty by Mercato’s baby sister, otherwise you will find yourself alone in a hurry. The sauce featuring spicy slow braised stone crab is worth the price alone. Add an entire meaty stone crab to play with, and its party time. No one that I know, makes this.

Ulivo Crab Pasta

Spaghetti with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Basil at Scarpetta

Simple isnt it? Well, why dont you try it, and invite me for a tasting. Recipes are all over the internet. Chances are unless you are Scott Conant reading this (sup man) you will not succeed in matching the flavors of this classic. Its fresh, bright, and utilizes the highest quality raw material. Scarpetta’s signature dish and the most celebrated Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce and Basil this side of wherever they make the best Spaghetti with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Basil. Pure awesomeness on every bite. The smell alone will cause shaky hands, and blurry pictures. See?

Clams Grand Lisboa at Nishi

While polishing up on their policies, and any identity issues, one thing remains constant at Nishi. Executive chef, Joshua Pinsky dishing out some of the most unique pastas in NYC. The clams are dressed with Oregano based sauce, sitting on top fried Chow Mein noodles and cabbage. Calling this Cho Mein almost sounds like an insult to this dish. Its cooked with apple sauce which gives it this sweet deliciousness you wont find anywhere. This is David Chang’s favorite dish here and I can see why

Nishi Grand Lisboa Clams

Agnolotti at All’onda

As of this latest update, not on the menu, but All’onda continues to make killa pastas. This is a tricky one since its not even the most popular pasta at All’onda (that honor goes to the Bucatini or Garganelli), nor the second or third most popular actually. But in this town, its more unique and interesting to me than the others. Not your average Agnolotti, nor “Plin”. They are Mortadella filled with pistachios, and a crazy tasting homemade XO sauce made with dried shrimp, scallops and soppressata. XO is a sauce that Cognac laden Hong Kong chefs invented in the 80’s, except they forgot to add the key ingredient, Cognac. This version of the sauce adds a funky aroma, and plenty of depth to otherwise just fine Agnolotti

Tonnarelli a Cacio e Pepe at Maialino

Open the drawer in the kitchen where you keep the pens, ribbons and paper clips (just in case that paper clip emergency comes), take a pen and write the ingredients for Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe… Tonnarelli, Cacio, Pepe! The Romans like to keep it simple (Carbonara, Gricia). And when I was in Rome, in a way I was disappointed that I wasnt exactly blown away by all the wonderful Carbonaras and Cacio e Pepes because Maialino quite frankly spoiled it for me. If you’ve never had this dish before perhaps because “pasta with cheese and pepper” doesnt sound very enticing, now is a good time to have it.

Stracci at Osteria Morini

From the one who knocks I bring to you the one dish that you will not find in Emilia Romagna out of that splendid ER inspired menu. Wonderfully chewy wide ribbon pasta inherits the juices of the succulent braised mushrooms. I would be happy with just the mushrooms. It was love at first Stracci at one of my favorite Italians in town

Pasta with White Truffles At ??

Ok for this one you need to do a little bi of homework. Its white truffle season at the (original) time of this writing and you can enjoy your Tagliatelle, risotto, scrambled eggs, pizza, car keys or anything else you desire with White Truffles from Alba, Tuscany or Umbria. I know Lincoln, Maialino, Marta have it currently and last year The NoMad (below) offered it at cost. Its a feast for all senses, especially the nose. Me? I’m not touching the stuff this season in this town, as I’m heading to the source, Alba white Truffle festival. Buon Appetito! Ciao, Ziggy

Categories: Brooklyn, Chelsea, East Village, Gramercy, Flatiron, Midtown West, New York City, SoHo, NoHo, Nolita, West Village | Tags: All'onda, Best Italian in NYC, Best Pastas in NYC, food, Lincoln, marea, Nishi, Osteria Morini, Pasquale Jones, restaurants, Scarpetta, Travel, Ulivo | 6 Comments

I Rank Empanada Mama’s Empanadas

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Ziggy

A Hell’l Kitchen Guide staple from day one, this mama hasnt skipped a beat since it opened. Even when things seem slow everywhere else in the neighborhood (between lunch and dinner), these guys are busy. I’ve gone on a special empanada diet for the past few weeks. And for the purpose of this post, I picked 10 Empanadas which consists of all the popular ones, plus a few I was just curious about (e.g. polish). Scoring is 1 to 10 Z’s, with 10 Z’s being the best. Congratulations to the winners.

ZZZZZZZZZ (9) – SPICY CHICKEN. The creme de la creme. Chunks of chicken breast slowly cooked in mama’s special picante sauce which is reminiscent of the Israeli S’chug, a fiery delicious Yemeni spread. This is the definition of “pleasant Heat” that stays with you for a few hours. Fairly spicy, not for everyone

ZZZZZZZZ (8) – BRASIL – Traditional Brazilian style empanada with ground beef, olives, sauteed onions, and potatoes. Juicy, flavor packed with excellent depth.

ZZZZZZZz (7.5) – CUBAN – Slowly roasted pork, ham with mozzarella cheese and a touch of sofrito sauce. Very nice! The ham and the sauce take this to another level

ZZZZZZZz (7.5) – DESAYUNO COLOMBIANO – Colombian sausage, cheddar cheese, eggs and Spanish onion. A solid breakfast snack that’s available throughout the day.

ZZZZZZZ (7) – VIAGRA – Seafood stew with shrimp, scallops, and crab meat. The shrimp half is a bit boring, but then when you get to the other stuff.. oooh boy! Nice fishy flavors. The Viagra especially goes well with the Brazil!

ZZZZZZZ (7) – TJC – Mama’s tuna melt with cheddar cheese and jalapenos. While I didnt rate it here because I havent had in a while, the Tuna/Jalapeno Empanada (no cheese) may be even better

ZZZZZZZ (7) – MAMBO ITALIANO – Roasted Italian sweet sausage with red and green peppers, onions, mozzarella cheese and a touch of tomato sauce. Pretty much exactly what you’d expect… Sausage and Peppers

ZZZZZZ (6) – POLISH – Polish sausage (Kielbasa) sauteed with sauerkraut. Good if not a bit bland. I like my Kielbasas a bit tangier.

ZZZZZ (5) – REGGAETON – Caribbean style roast pork with sofrito seasoned yellow rice and peas. I’ve enjoyed this in the past but now finding it a little dry and in desperate need of that green sauce. Would have been better without the rice

ZZZZ (4) – CHEESESTEAK – Skirt steak with mozzarella cheese and a Latin twist. The latin twist is it squirts all over the place when opened! Steak a bit tough, no flavor, no likey

Even though I ranked the Polish and Reggaeton at the bottom, the only one I would avoid is the last one. Reggaeton is fairly popular.

The green sauce is nice. Red sauce not so much

Categories: Midtown West, New York City | Tags: Empanada Mama, food, restaurants, Travel | Leave a comment

Five Pre-Theater Restaurants to Target

Posted on October 17, 2014 by Ziggy

Taboon

The other day I was checking out a restaurant in the theater district for a friend and the very first line of the first Yelp review made me almost spit out the Shawarma I was eating. “Theater District is well known for its dining”. What? Where? Boise? If you say it out loud to someone in the subway you will get crazy stink eye stares from the locals. The pre-theater bunch on 46th street and around has plenty of decent options like Carmen’s, Becco, Basso56 and its not necessarily a bad idea to dress up and go to one of those. Most likely the average place is an upgrade over Boise. But considering the level of cooking you find everywhere else in NYC, the truth is that Theater District dining is close to the bottom of the pack.

But the point of this post is not to slam Theater District dining, though I do get some pleasure from it it seems. The point is to make it easier for the Hell’s Kitchen’s guide followers to pick a solid, affordable but somewhat unconventional place to eat before or after your show. The HK guide is one big mishmash of mostly cheap ethnic eats, not really suitable for pre-theater unless thats what you are after. So to make it easier for the readers I’ve flushed out five places out of the guide where you can have an exceptional meal. All these places are not in the district but close enough (5-10 minute extra walk on average depending on the size of your heels). Or you can just take a 5 minute taxi ride that will add $5 to your $500 evening. I think you can afford it

Taboon (Middle Eastern)

In that spot (10th/53rd) you gotta be good to succeed. Nothing but data centers, a liquor store, a deli and appartment buildings surround you. Taboon utilizes its good looking “Taboon” oven to create the type of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern dishes that will make your kids put down their phones and tell you about their day. Yes, that powerful. One of the top chefs in Israel help create the menu for Taboon initially. Try any of their bread specialties, the chicken with the Israeli couscous (big and bubbly just like I like em), and the sick Silan, one of my favorites desserts in the city.

Danji (Korean)

An instant winner with the Michelin man, this Hooni Kim’s Korean inspired tapas joint dishes out greatness in consistent fashion. When you sit next to your new friend at the Broadway show who will boast about her Filet Mignon at Joe Allen, astonish her with the Tofu with Ginger Scallion Soy Vinaigrette, and the fiery Korean Chicken Wings, Bulgogi Beef Sliders and the Pork BibimBop you just attacked at Danji. And after you explain to her what a Bibimbop is, perhaps its also a good time to tell her that there’s also a Joe Allen in Miami Beach where she lives and/or she can get a decent filet mignon in Boise

Mercato (Italian)

You have a plethora of Italian joints in the area. Plenty of mediocre ones with Becco and Carmens one of the better and most popular, especially with families seeking family style dining. But I have a different spin on “family style”. Instead of sharing one huge chicken parm and penne alla vodka (Carmens) or order the all you can eat pastas of the day (Becco) why not share four or five different pastas that are much closer to the true south Italy cooking, vs the the south Italy cooking Americans often confuse with. Pastas like the stupendous but simple Trenette with garlic, almonds, tomato and basil, or the rich gnocchi with finger licking beef and pork ragu, or the pasta of the day like the Cavatelli. This is true Italian, by Italians, with Italian accents (for those with a Fish Called Wanda syndrome)

The Marshal (American)

Sysco, Cargill, Fats R Us, are some examples of names you will see if all the area restaurants would require to print their distributors on the back of their menus. But at the Marshal you will see the 14 local farms they deal with to produce just about every ingredient on the menu. This is our answer to Slow Food in Italy. If something is no longer on the menu it means its not currently grown. A brilliant sides lineup, along with the best bread and butter in the area, followed by roasted chicken, meatloaf, best mussels this side of Newfoundland, and an amazing ice cream sundae to boot. American food, in America, cooked by Americans (with a little bit of help by Central Americans!)

Ippudo (Ramen)

You may not be able to hear each other, but you will have more fun than 96.5% of all the restaurants in the district. Between all the shouting of the staff every time someone comes in (“welcome”), leaves (“Thank You”) or goes to the bathroom (“aim well”), and the slurping of the best noodle soup you will ever have, you wont have time to talk to your spouse anyway. Dont be surprised if you are the only none Asian couple in the room (unless you are not a non Asian couple of course). The best pork buns in the city (I tried a bunch) and you will be hard pressed to find better Ramen than the splendid Akamaru Modern

Happy Eating!

Categories: Midtown West, New York City | Tags: Best Pre-Theater restaurants in NYC, danji, food, Ippudo, Mercato, Pre-Theater NYC, Taboon, The Marshal, Travel | 2 Comments

Somtum Der and Hava Nagila Shoes

Posted on October 14, 2014 by Ziggy

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

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

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

Papaya salad

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

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

Marinated Pork

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

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

Rice and Pork

Beef Skewers

Chicken

Sausages

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

Fan Mail

Posted on October 10, 2014 by Ziggy

One of the unexpected joys of being a popular blogger is reading all the various fan mail one receives as a result. I never shared any of this before because I normally view this sort of thing as private matter. But lately, the amount, and the sheer magnitude of the love portrayed in those letters is inspiring and uplifting. And while sharing some of them with you readers, I can only hope that you may find inspiration as well. To protect the privacy of the fans, I will only repeat the first few lines, the most important ones, along with my response…

“Jenny26 wants a booty call” – See what I mean by “Uplifting”? I’m most touched by this, especially since I never met this person

“Ziggy Brazilian girls Have Recently Viewed Your Profile” – Thank you! I worked very hard on that profile and I’m glad Brazilian fans viewed it.

“Natalia Wants to Mary You” – If you are new to blogging, you may be experiencing doubts at this point. This should help you erase them. For some reason the Russian fans go straight to the marriage proposals.

“How are you sexy? Its me Adriana you remember me from Facebook? I saw your pictures today and you’re CUTE!” Of course I remember you Adriana, dont be silly. But I have to ask you one last time to please stop emailing me (You also mistakenly sent one to Mrs Z looks like). What happened in the Finger Lakes stays in Finger Lakes. Kapeesh?

“Ziggy, Asian girls are interested in meeting you” Well, this is a little more direct than the Brazilian girls situation. I presume the Asian girls already looked at my profile, and are now taking the next step. Again, I’m touched

“Do You Have These Symptoms? Fatigue, Stress, Weight Gain, Bloating” From the more concerned fans I suppose. Yes, of course, all foodies probably experience this symptoms at some point. Fish oil helps the bloating a little, and another fan recommended baby wipes which I should probably try. Its almost like a team!

“Records Indicate you May Qualify for New FHA Reverse Mortgage Plans” – Ok, so I’m probably not the expert on this, but I suspect that this is spam! Just wanted to point out the difference between spam and not.

“A Stronger, Thicker, Improved Performance P…” – Yes please. It sure looks like I’ll need it between all of this

PS. This is that time of the year where I send a lot of email to Italy to reserve stuff, and I wonder where the return mail is. So I have to look at the fan folder on occasion.

Categories: New York City | 2 Comments

Great Vietnamese Combo at Cull & Pistol

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Ziggy

It hit me, like the sharp dressed man, missing a step, stumbling on the steps of the subway today, that I havent been to Chelsea Market since spring.

But lets stay with the stumbler for just a minute. Have you ever stumbled while walking and decided that its the perfect opportunity to start jogging so to avoid the embarrassment of stumbling. That doesnt work very well sometimes, especially if you are wearing heels, or a suit. The frontal balding stumbler this morning, wearing a sharp black suit, holding a suitcase in one hand and a bag in the other, stumbled on the next to last step coming off the subway into street level. But he’s waaaay to proud to stumble. The folks behind him, me included watched in horror as he tries to regain his balance by stumbling and pretty much jogging his way into a full blown puddle after refusing to go down initially. I admire the baldy’s perseverance and technique but a quick fall would have been far more graceful. His entire right leg along with the $800 Salvatore Ferragamo shoes was inside a puddle on a beautiful sunny day. I dont know about you but this is why I go to work.

I also go to work to eat, and this week has proven very interesting so far. I came to Cull & Pistol looking for more Uni Tagliatelle (below) but instead I got back to back visits eating some of the best Banh Mi and Pho I’ve had in NYC. Introduced just this Friday as part of a new Fall menu.

Swordfish sandwich was simply outstanding. Hoisin glazed, moist, meaty Swordish, pickled carrots, ginger aioli in a nice warm baguette. Swordish is a tough fish, and I normally try to avoid after having one too many dry ones. But this preparation nailed it.

Lobster Pho the next day was even better. Lobster stock with vermicelli, lobster and hake chunks, mussels, with strong lemongrass action. It was served with a plate of condiments that included coriander, basil, and mint leaves. I turned possessed while eating this thing, like eating after a fast.

Cull and Pistol, is quite possibly Chelsea Markets biggest gem, somewhat hidden. Its owned by the same team that owns Lobster Place next door, and so they share some of the same fresh seafood. In addition to the fantastic squid ink Taglietelle with Uni you also have a hefty lobster roll with fries, fish and chips, and the scrumptious Long Island Clam Toast with ham from Disckson’s a few doors down.

Check it out. Just watch your step. And try not to open the main door unless you dont mind suddenly turning into a door man waiting for an entire polish tour group to walk in. Just let someone else open the door for you

Categories: Chelsea, New York City | Tags: Chelsea Market, Cull & Pistol, Cull & Pistol NYC, food, NYC seafood, restaurants, Travel, Vietnamese food in NYC | 1 Comment

Hell’s Kitchen – What’s Up?

Posted on October 5, 2014 by Ziggy

I haven’t eaten much to write about lately. Partly due to religious holidays where I either had to eat at the in-laws or survive the annual semi fast (eat light, not brush teeth..). So I’m taking this opportunity to update you all that there are no updates to the Hell’s Kitchen guide. “That’s it. He officially ran out of things to write about” So, so not true. I have plenty of things to write about. Like, about the wonderful fan mail I’m finding in my Spam box lately (Brazilian girls are big fans apparently, all sorts of Russian marriage proposals, quality of life improvement suggestions…). Anyway, here’s what’s happening in the neighborhood of Hell’s Kitchen lately

Pizza. New gourmet pizzas are popping up everywhere these days in the area. I already discussed Pamela… err I mean Annabel (confusing spam email fans). Vinyl owners teamed up with NYC-LA-Back to NYC chef Jason Neroni to open B-Side (Get it? Vinyl, B-Side? I actually don’t get it). It looks very promising and I plan to check it out very soon. There’s another place on the Capizzi side of the area that I’m long overdue for a first visit.

Larb Ubol (above) – Big Mazal Tov to LU for joining the coveted Michelin Bib Gourmet list, awarded to best cheap(er) eats. Although awarding the same distinction to Khe-Yo means that I dont quite understand the qualification or I should probably get half of my Khe-Yo check back

Danji – Losing their Michelin star this week. Does this mean it should be avoided? My theory is that the Michelin inspector sat in the same seat as I did a few weeks ago where I couldn’t open the drawer at the bottom to get the menu out as it was hitting against the side of the wall. That’s the only explanation I have since the menu hasn’t changed since they got the star, and the dishes come out in consistent fashion

Oxtail – One of the best things I’ve eaten lately is the Oxtail soup at Pam Real Thai. With two Thai places already on the list I’m not so quick to add a third, but this soup is tremendous. Pleasant heat, A LOT of pleasant heat, with deep lasting flavors and a coupe of hefty meaty bones. There are all sorts of amazing soups in the area I’m enjoying lately, perhaps worthy of a post?

No Addition – Not that I’m not trying new places. Briciola – Feh! and awkward. Puff Cha – Dido. But trying desperately to like it. I’m completely content however with the current list and dont feel the need to add anything.

Now, back to fan mail…

Categories: Midtown West, New York City | Tags: B-Side Pizza, food, Hells kitchen, Larb Ubol, Pam Real Thai, restaurants, Travel | Leave a comment