Posts Tagged With: food

Citibike Confessions 2 – Battle of the Bridges

Posted on September 5, 2013 by Ziggy

“We are going shopping”, the most beautiful words for a man to hear since “I do”. “We” – as in just us, without You”. Here’s how I took advantage. A Labor Dy trip report if you will…

Picked up Mr Hummus Whisperer and parked the car by the Brooklyn Bridge on the Brooklyn side. Picked up a Citibike and rode the Bridge over to the other side. Unlike the day before where we walked the bridge after (and before) visiting the Smorgasburg in Dumbo (will try to write a separate post) the bridge in the morning was fairly quiet.

“Cruised” Lafayette and dropped the bikes by Houston. Wanted to try La Colombe Coffee after watching the guy on the travel channel exploring the world for coffee beans but it was closed. I was surprised to learn how many places are closed on Mondays in NYC. Like being in Milan in August. Too hot for coffee anyway. We made our way to Russ and Daughters, picked our bagels and went to a nearby park where an elderly Asian couple were doing an exercise I haven’t seen before: Bouncing a basketball. Buttery Lox, cream cheese, tomato, onions, on a fresh crispy bagel never tasted this good. R&D, one of many Lower East Side institutions is touristy for good reason. We were without the wits of our women which means without napkins but we somehow managed with minimum stain action.

We proceeded to pick up the Citibikes nearby again and rode to Delancey and Williamsburg bridge. We crossed over to Brooklyn and just biked around Kent Ave without a plan whatsoever. None of this was planned BTW. Feeling hungry again we decided to park and just walk to Egg for another round of breakfast. But the line was too big so we just went to Verb Café nearby on Bedford and had ice coffee with our takeout Bialys from R&D. Ok, the R&D mention again reminds me that I need to go back to work.. Ok I’m back.. where was I… Oh ye. Verb Café – Ive been there before. If you ever need a reminder that you are in Williamsburg you head to this café and the mini mall attached to it

We picked up the bikes again and rode the Williamsburg bridge back. An unfortunate incident occurred where a bra-less woman riding a bike was accidentally flashing more than the laws allowed. Unfortunate for her. Anyway, we had a good laugh and continued riding by the East River toward midtown. Nice views of the manhattan skyline open up at some point with the river a few feet away. This is a nice section to bike on. We U-turned on 30th and turned on 20th toward the flatiron area. Just rode around aimlessly until it was time for you know..eat.

We dropped the bikes in the East Village. A trip like this is incomplete without eating something in the East Village. Opted to go to Maharlika but we got distracted by a little piggy and shared a Porchetta sandwich in Porchetta. In here they do it differently than in Italy. They get whole loins with the skin and all, season, roll it, and roast it for 7 hours. The result is one fatty, garlicky, porky goodness. Fantastic sandwich. Highly recommend Porchetta.

Time for a cleanser. Liquiteria is thee place in town according to my juice obsessed friend. I’ve been there before and ordered the same thing again, the Grasshopper – a great blend of apple, pear, pineapple, wheatgrass, mint, old cellphones, or god knows what else they put in there. All freshly squeezed, naturally sweet and very refreshing. A little pricey but you pay for quality

Too full for Maharlika we pick up the bikes yet again and head to Tribeca. Dropped the bikes by Whole Foods and spent some quality R&R time (Relieve and Read) in Barnes and Nobles. This branch has my favorite travel section. We are in Tribeca which means we have to go to Nish Nush. Shared a Masabacha which is essentially hummus with Tahini, some other sauce, chickpeas and boiled egg. Added some Falafel balls as well to this party. Since I introduced HW to this place a month ago he’s been here 6 times. He was so excited he stained himself again right next to the R&D stain. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this is the best falafel in the city.

Time to pick up the bikes again and cross the Brooklyn Bridge back to the car. Now its raining which means I finally look cool on those bikes. I tried the one hand move before and nope.. need it to rain. The bridge is much busier now even with the rain and those darn pedestrians are all over the bike lanes. Of course I was also all over the bike lanes when I was a pedestrian the day before

We dropped the bikes for the last time and started to head home. But hey, we are already here, next to a place I wanted to visit for a while now, so whats the rush. The only one who has the balls to open a pizza joint next to Grimaldi’s is.. well.. Grimaldi. The place is called Juliana’s and the Margherita pie was absolute perfection. I’m not gonna go into the details of the story and controversy here but the gist of it was that Grimaldi’s sold the Grimaldi name rights years ago and now he’s back.. right next door. So when you come to Brooklyn to stand on the hour long line to Grimaldi’s just keep in mind that the place next door with no lines has probably better pizza – I think it does. And for the sake of the neighborhood locals who finally got their pizza back this is the last time I will mention this.

And that’s how I spent my Labor Day.

Categories: Brooklyn, East Village, Lower East Side, New York City, TriBeCa | Tags: food, Juliana's Brooklyn, Nish Nush NYC, NYC dining, NYC restaurants, Porchetta NYC, restaurants, Russ and Daughters NYC, Travel | 1 Comment

Sostanza in Florence – Underdog Pollo

Posted on August 26, 2013 by Ziggy

Another year, another City of David. First Jerusalem, now Florence. After withstanding repeated 14th century attacks by Milan, underdog Florence over time chose David as its symbol. Besides the masterpiece in the Accademia you can see all sorts of Davids everywhere in Florence such as Donatello’s David at the Bargello. It may take more than a day trip to see and understand this phenomenon. And then there’s that other famous underdog, found only in one particular 140 year old trattoria

In a city dominated by the Bistecca Fiorentina, a stocky and bloody T-Bone, the little Pollo al Burro, Chicken with Butter prevailed, reaching legendary status over time. 2 generous breasts are cooked over coal before pan fried with eggs and one stick of butter. Thats still 2 sticks less than the similarly celebrated BBQ Shrimp at Mr B’s in New Orleans, but rich nonetheless. The result is moist and addictive. With the massive Sostanza Bistecca Fiorentina side by side, for the first time ever my fork was reaching for the bird over a well cooked medium rare steak. Long live the pollo!

But that’s not all we enjoyed in Sostanza. Tortellini al Sugo was a subtle, cruel reminder how different are the sauces in the States. A nice assortment of prosciutto, melon, salami, and a well crafted Finocchiona which made us order it just about everywhere we would see it the rest of the trip.

There were a few misses however on this night. The omelette with artichoke which is another signature dish, was just ok for us. I Didnt care much for the artichoke part in particular (out of season perhaps?). A “stew” with beans produced 2 fairly dry bland veal cutlets but mighty delicious white beans.

Sostanza is like a timeless well oiled machine. 7:30 reservations for tourists like us. You may share your table with other {shrug} tourists. 9:30 is for mostly locals who may share a table with more tourists. Although fairly touristy, Sostanza is far from a tourist trap, like this one for example. If you only have the weekend, you are out of luck, as Sostanza closed Saturday and Sunday. Otherwise, try to make reservations ahead of time (by calling only unfortunately). I like places with signature dishes like Sostanza. Easy to write about and easy to recommend. Get the chicken!

Categories: Florence, Italy | Tags: florence, FLorence dining, Florence restaurants, food, Italy, restaurants, Sostanza, Sostanza Florence, Travel | 2 Comments

Cesare al Casaletto – Another Useless Rome Post

Posted on August 19, 2013 by Ziggy

Continuing my streak of useless Rome posts I will now write about our last meal in Italy. Why is a post about this particular meal useless you ask? Well, good question Timmy! The answer lies with Google and the reason I picked this place in the first place. Virtually every Rome blogger and their nonnas has already blogged about Cesare since they opened a few years ago. Some of them even show you the same pictures like the Kodak friendly meatballs and the fried gnocchi. I really don’t have much new to offer here. The Oxtail? Looks like that tip was already covered by Katie Parla. “off the beaten path”, “Last stop on #8 tram”, “Only locals”, “gotta have the fried stuff”, bla bla bla, all of that was already covered extensively. Perhaps I could add a picture of myself trying to smile but that would just make things more awkward and may ruin any appetite you may have, or may make you moody. I got nothing but reconfirm what the locals already said. Cesare al Casaletto has left us impressed.

Its almost like every major Italian tourist destination has this line in the sand. Cross the line and you dine with the locals. Cesare is well beyond the line but extremely easy to get to especially if you are staying in Trastevere. Take tram #8 all the way to the last stop, about 15 minutes from the river, and its right there on Casaletto street.

I almost didnt make it to Cesare after seeing less than glowing reviews on the boards. But then it hit me. Caicos Cafe in Turks and Caicos is just about my favorite restaurant in the world, but does not always get rave reviews from visitors. So just like I expect my friends and family to trust my judgement on Caicos Cafe I decided to stop reading and start trusting.

The menu here reads like a roman cuisine dictionary with a surprising English translation for such a residential area trattoria away from the center. Within an hour the place got filled with locals. How do I know they were all locals? Well for starters everyone got kisses from the staff except us. I tried forcing a wet one but the young waiter got a little confused.

Appetizer portion of the menu consisted of all sorts of fried staff which is a specialty here. Started with a very interesting and very generous fried gnocchi on a bed of light cream. Terrific, although the the gnocchi loving little ones declared their preference for the regular kind. Tough to argue but this was satisfyingly unique nonetheless. Excellent fresh succulent mussels here. The reason we order them everywhere is because the kids ask for them every time they see them. But the star of the apps and perhaps the entire meal was probably the meatballs with pesto. Not the meatballs your mamma used to make. Better! Like an airy slow cooked savory brisket balls. Well done!

The pastas were fine here but again the least memorable course as was the case with all the meals in Rome not named Sorpasso. More of a testament to the other courses here really. You select a pasta type and the classic preparation. I wanted another Carbonara and Cacio but the wife said lets try something else so I opted for a Gricia with Tonarelli and Bucatini Amatriciana which was more satisfying. I realized I prefer all the classics over the Gricia overall. Roman pastas to me is like Mexican food. A 3 to 5 ingredient shuffle. Pasta, Pecorino, Guanciale, black pepper, egg or tomato sauce. Stuff I would eat over Mexican food any time of course.

Another winner was the last course of oxtail stew. Chunky, falling of the bone juicy, tomatoee, packed with flavor meat. Although I forgot to take a picture of this one since we were so engaged telling the kids the story of Maximus (gladiator). I took pictures of pretty much every single dish on this trip except this last one

We skipped dessert this time and left very satisfied. For the price perhaps the best dinner in Rome (70 something. 100 euros less than Roscioli).

Special thanks to Hande of Vino Roma for all her help with the restaurant choices. Thanks Hande!

Categories: Italy, Rome | Tags: Cesare al Casaletto, Cesare al Casaletto Rome, food, Italy, restaurants, Rome, Rome dining, Rome restaurants, Travel | 3 Comments

Malai Marke – Shiva latest + German Draft Beer = Success!

Posted on August 17, 2013 by Ziggy

I will make this one short and sweet and spare you the usual nonsense. East Village is kicking butt lately. What else is new. Already perhaps the best foodie neighborhood in NYC which makes it one of the best in North America, things are only getting more and more exciting, and deserving of a run-on sentence. Its almost like something new pops up in the East Village on a daily basis.

The title refers to Shiva Natarajan, not what you do when your goldfish dies (sit shiva). Malai Marke is the latest from Natarajan, the king of Indian food in NYC. Shiva owns more restaurants than I own boxer shorts and briefs combined (note: I know what you thinking and its really none of your business. Its between me, my wife and my briefs. I should have more briefs but mrs Z keeps throwing out all my “air conditioned” ones whenever she packs for vacation). While Shiva virtually owns Curry Hill including Chote Nawab and about 4 eateries on one block, his presence on “Curry row” is now firmly established with Malai Marke.

I’ve already been to Malai Marke twice now, sampling all sorts of complex deliciousness…

Garlic Naan fresh from the oven as good as it gets. German draft beer, major bonus.

Kurkuri Bindi – Okra. Fried and dry which was a surprise. I was expecting a saucy okra but it was still very good. Reminded me of one of those spicy Indian nut snacks.

Bindi Sasuralwali – I much preferred this Okra – “okra you would eat at your in-laws house.” as it says on the menu just like in Chote Nawab. If anyone here can introduce me to someone who’s parents can cook like this I might need to reconsider my status. My in-laws don’t even know what Okra is.

Chicken Xacuti – Outstanding! Had it twice already. Mild but subtle, with roasted coconut, peanut, and poppy seeds

Lamb Madras – One of the better Madras dishes I’ve had. Tender lamb and the dish overall was fairly similar to the Xacuti

Tand Mix Grill – Another must for me. Great chicken tikka, Tandoor, unique lamb kebabs with just enough heat

Lamb Chettinad – So good. Thicker and heavier than the others but in a good way. Again I expected more heat but was pleasantly surprised with just the right amount.

Chicken Tikka Masala – something I eat often but never in places like these even tho I’m always sure it would be much better. This was no exception. Creamy and perfectly buttery, tho I sort of liked it more as an occasional bite vs eating it continuously if it makes sense.

Chicken Rizzala – Green nutty korma almost dessert like compared to all the other dishes. Korma is another dish we eat often at home and this was like eating it for the first time.

As with pretty much any Indian restaurant I would not bother with dessert. East Village has too many great choices like Chikalicious, Big Gay Ice Cream, Sundaes and Cones

Add another one to your East Village list people. and excuse the horrific Iphone pictures please

Categories: East Village, New York City | Tags: East Village Restaurants, food, Malai Marke, Malai Marke NYC, NYC, NYC eats, NYC restaurants, restaurants | 2 Comments

Nish Nush – Ach Ya!

Posted on August 13, 2013 by Ziggy

A little Borat/Bruno humor there

So the other day something weird happened at night that never happened before. No, not what you think. And shame on you. What happened was I was awaken by Mrs Z’s stomach making all kinds of weird noises. I spent about 10 minutes lying there listening to this processing symphony with a certain amount of fear that she’ll wake up with some sort of ailment. The night before we had an incredible meal at a place where 2 Yelpers got sick recently and I couldn’t help but worry. (That place is not Nish Nush). Unlike snoring, there’s really nothing much you can do in this case. I mean, imagine this conversation..

Her: “What?”

Me: “Ahhm, your stomach is making noises”

Her: “And..what exactly can I do about that?”

Me: “Ahem, can you.. like.. go downstairs and have a turkey sandwich or something”

Her: Speechless

Me: “I love you”

Her: “Fuck You!”

See what I mean? But thankfully Mrs Z woke up fine the next day and everything turned out fine. False alarm. What does it have to do with Nish Nush? Good question Timmy. Nish Nush is sort of a symbol that we are eating out a little bit too much lately, and as I was listening to Amadeus Belly I was wondering if I’m going too far. The place is an hour drive from my house and I already visited it twice in one week.

Quite simply Nish Nush (“snack” in Hebrew) serves the best Falafel in NYC at the moment. Their classic “Green” Falafel is not really green but picture perfect blend of brown and green herbs, mostly brown which I prefer. Along with the perfectly crispy exterior its the closest I’ve had to Falafel in Israel. Although I used to live in Israel as a kid, my best Falafel came last year when I returned as an adult (stop laughing Mrs Z!). Falafel here is made to order which makes a big difference. Pitas are baked in house which is another big plus, and are served warm. There’s free Hummus inside the Falafel sandwich, which is sort of a sad plus. Hummus should always be free, like wifi. So many charge extra for Hummus these days.

But thats not all Nish Nush serves of course. They have a pretty large menu in fact for a place like this. All sorts of Hummus specialties, the Hummus Whisperer a ~~former?~~ contributor to this blog swears by their Masabacha, Hummus with warm chickpeas, boiled eggs, and spices. Hummus is made fresh daily and second only to Gazala’s Place for my taste. The Falafel Platter puts other Falafel platters to shame and I’ll let the pictures do the talking. They also got Sabich on the menu and get this, they even spell Schug correctly.

Move over Taim! Just a little bit

Nish Nush

88 Reade St, New York, NY 10013

Categories: New York City, TriBeCa | Tags: food, Nish Nush, Nish Nush NYC, NYC eats, NYC Falafel, NYC restaurants, restaurants | 5 Comments

Da Roberto in Montisi – Slow Food Nation

Posted on August 5, 2013 by Ziggy

“We are far from Da Roberto” is a phrase I’ve used more than once already. The first time was in Rome’s Le Mani in Pasta where we got treated like second class citizens. The last time was in my house where Mrs Ziggy flat out refused to disclose where she got the couscous. I suspect now that it wasnt organic couscous.

Da Roberto, in the remote Tuscan village of Montisi, represents everything I love about eating in Italy. Fantastic setting, great food, local ingredients, and a man whose passion for food is contagious. I said “Man” instead of “Chef” for a reason. “I’m not a chef, I’m not a cook, I’m simply here to present the finest local ingredients in the simplest form”. And what ingredients they were. Every grain, every bean, every tomato, cow or pig that you will consume at Roberto’s house, its origin will be explained to you in full detail. Roberto’s freezer is turned off and his has no microwave. You get fresh or you get nothing. The only salt in the house is for the pasta water in the kitchen and out on your table. The fact that our American salt demanding palates only reached for the salt once throughout the meal apeaks volumes.

As you come in through Roberto’s herb garden and security guards (pictured above) you immediately get the sense that you are not in Kansas anymore. The 10 or so items you see on the board are carefully selected dishes that showcase what I was trying to describe above. Meaning, you don’t ask “what’s good here” or “what do you recommend”, or what’s the house specialty. The board is the specialty.

Some of the things we ate…

Insalata lagumi (top) – 5 different beans with pecorino, tomatoes, sunflower seeds, carrots, stem of garlic, olive oil. All work together like a beautiful symphony. A fantastic starter

Pici, the Tuscan specialty we couldn’t get enough of, was well represented here, in a healthier more organic way. Pici with Chianina ragu – most excellent. Pici with pork sausage, pecorino and sweet onions was even more satisfying. The fact that we had Pici for lunch that day and the previous day did not affect our enjoyment.

Our short streak of overcooked, dry secondis was stopped here with a lovely, tender roast of chianina. And “The last sausage of the season from a {vendor name} 15 kilometers away”. Sorry Roberto’s guests who came in the following days and months. You missed a darn good sausage.

You will be hard pressed finding a better Slow Food ambassador. “Slow Food”, the fight against fast food and globalization in Italy means fighting a bug that is in its infancy, or hasn’t fully developed yet. While in the USA, its like fighting a late stage cancer. In Lucca, they recently banned any non-Italian restaurants from opening within the ancient walls, leaving 4 kebab houses as the only ethnic options in the historic center. While I, ethnic food lover Ziggy, cant even begin to imagine life without ethnic food, I understand what Lucca, and other Tuscan towns like Siena (who banned fast food in its beautiful historic center) are trying to do. They are trying to prevent the floodgates from opening. Can you really blame them? Its a sensitive subject in Italy that deserves its own post. But as much as I like living in ethnic food capital of the world, New York City, I’m not sure I would mind trading all that for a few Robertos and its farms in my area. Well, at least for a short while. Gotta have that non-organic couscous eventually.

Categories: Italy, Tuscany | Tags: Da Roberto, Da Roberto in Montisi, Da Roberto Tuscany, food, Italy, restaurants, Travel, tuscany, Tuscany restaurants | 5 Comments

Sakagura – Tale From a Crypt

Posted on July 31, 2013 by Ziggy

Taking a short break from Italy blogging.

You think you know someone. I’ve known my friends Igor and Natasha since the high school days. At least I thought I did. Staring somewhat confused at an office building looking for an entrance to Sakagura, Igor turns to an Asian couple standing near us and asks them where is the entrance.. in Japanese. “They said its 2 blocks down” “how can it be 2 blocks away if Google Maps tells me we are standing right in front of the building.” I answer. “And is it my imagination or did you just ask for directions in Japanese in New York City.”

Turns out I needed this to be spelled out to me. Go inside the unassuming office building, go down to the basement and Voila!.. Sakagura, one of the cities most popular Izakayas, aka Sake bar, aka Japanese tapas bar, aka an oasis for Russian middle aged men who somehow picked up some Japanese from coworkers and waited many years to showcase their new found skills to their friends. A quick sprint to the desk by Igor to inform the confused girl that we are here and we get comfortably settled in a nice booth. Décor takes me back to the Tokyo underground dining days. Meaning, the images Ive seen on the Internet

We agreed that I’ll take care of the food ordering while Igor handles the Sake menu. Both quite challenging but I came prepared. But when Igor started talking Japanese to the Sake Sommelier, the shocked fellow had the kind of expression as if he was just asked if his daughter is 18, twice. But we somehow managed and before you knew it the food started flowing. More on Igor later but lets do a quick run down on dishes I (we) liked and disliked. Other than a few clunkers this was a great meal

Liked:

Gomaae – Spinach with sesame sauce. Nice and pleasant to start things off. Aromatic and heavy seasame presence in a good way

Onsen Tamago: Fantastic soup with soft boiled egg, uni and salmon roe. I’m not a huge fan of uni but this was quite good, along with the rest of the soup.

Maguro Tartar – Tuna tartar with all sorts of fish roe and caviar. Best and most expensive ($16) dish of the night

Hirame Ponzu – Buttery, very tasty Fluke Sashimi with this acidy grated radish salad I couldnt get enough of.

Buta Kakuni – Melt in your mouth yummy stewed pork belly. Perfect fat/meat ratio

Tori Tsukune – fairly nice but basic Chicken meatballs with terriyaki sauce. Not all of us enjoyed this one

Chawanmushi – Egg Custard Ponzu soup with chicken and shrimp and something resembling a mini Easter egg

Gindara Yuan Yaki – Not Yaki at all. very nice and sweet black cod

Sremeika Yaki – Grilled Japanese squid with garlic sauce. Was growing on me more and more as I was eating it

Saikoro Steak – diced steak with great sauce. One of the best dishes of the night

Desserts – we sampled 3. Very nice coffee jelly, a savory seasonal Mango pudding, but the big winner was the crème Brule with black sesame. holy smokes that was good

Disliked

Sanma Onigiri – rice balls with shiitake, radished and veggies wrapped in whole baked Mackarel. This had a strong fishy odor and taste. I’ve had mackerel many times but not quite like this

Snow Crab with steamed rice. Quite dry and surprisingly fishy as well. Kept trying it to no avail

Overall a fantastic but pricey meal. Sakagura (“Saki Storage”) is far from your typical Japanese sushi joint. Fine service, cool décor, and “cool” clientele that will satisfy the Anthony Weiners and Carlos Dangers of the world. And as we were leaving…

Mrs Z: I should probably go to the bathroom before the long drive

Igor: Its right there on your right. If you cant find it just ask someone “Toire wa dokoda”. With a slight and sudden head nod after the last word like in those samurai movies

Me: But Igor, we are in NYC and they all speak English here. Why would a white girl… ok never mind. “Tolet wa dokota” got it.

Categories: Midtown East, New York City | Tags: food, NYC, NYC dining, NYC Japanese, NYC restaurants, NYC Sake bar, restaurants, Sakagura, Sakagura NYC | 2 Comments

Da Ruggero {Florence} – “A Good Place to Eat”

Posted on July 28, 2013 by Ziggy

The title of this blog post has a much deeper meaning than it suggests. A meaning I will discuss soon. But first..

When we first decided on a Tuscany/Rome trip in the summer instead of the planned Banff, Canada, I didn’t waste much time and started researching food before I even knew where exactly we are going. Da Ruggero was the first restaurant I read about (on the excellent Elizabeth Minchilli blog) and the first restaurant I added to the itinerary. 3 months later however I found myself struggling to keep it in the itinerary due to its location, but I managed to squeeze in a lunch after Pitti Palace (nice 20 minute walk). A lunch which unquestionably turned out to be the top meal in Florence for us.

When we walked inside one of the first things I noticed gave me a feeling of relief; tattoos. “Why Ziggy did tattoos give you a feeling of relief”. Well I’m glad you asked Timmy! That’s because when I read about this place I saw a few mentions of perfect English coming from the tattooed waiter. You see Timmy, the only Italian I speak is “Menu Italian”. I’m ok with Italian menus and on occasion when we do get English menus I ask for one in Italian just to make sure nothing good is lost in translation. But I cant Incorporate “Menu Italian” into conversation. Except when I learned elementary Italian cursing (while waiting for my International Driver’s Permit imagining being stopped by a cop in Italy). I figured I can utilize “Menu Italian” in phrases like “Tuo padre è un pollo” (Your father is a Chicken). So getting an English speaking waiter means I dont need to struggle and I can enjoy and relax. Of course the opposite is normally true for the waiter(s), but that’s there problem.

I think I digressed long enough this time. Our tattooed friend was pleasantly surprised and reassured us that we ordered all the goof stuff. His great English comes from marrying a Russian, which also means (from experience) that he doesn’t need to make a decision for the rest of his life.

The dishes at Ragurro ranged from Very Good to Andrew Zimmern like facial expressions “This is it” good. Started with another nice crostini with liver, a popular starter in Tuscany. A very pleasant farro salad with asparagus, fresh tomatoes and shrimp was especially liked by Mrs Ziggy. My first Pappa al Pomodoro of the trip might as well have been my last. Delicious! The waiter reassure me that this is one of best Pappas in town. Who knew tomatoes and stale bread can taste so good.

We shared a couple of pastas between the 4 of us and they were both outstanding. An almost see through thin tagliatelle with zucchini flowers and a little bit of heat. And more heat via the Spaghetti Carrettiera, essentially spicy spaghetti. So simple and SO addictive.

For secondi we just shared a pork chop (2 hefty pieces) which turned out more than enough for us. Up until that point our secondis in Florence were less than stellar. This was stellar. I don’t believe I ever tasted a pork chop as moist, juicy and flavorful as this.

On the wall near us we spotted an article by the Seattle Times of all things titled “A good place to eat” touting Mr Ruggero’s restaurant and his cooking. That was 1969. Now in another location, son and daughter are continuing the legacy and judging by the food and the packed house on a Sunday afternoon I would say they are doing a fine job. We were the only tourists there. I can only say it about one other restaurant we visited this trip. Diners included a family with a 4 year who was talking non stop to his uncle about Star Wars. A mother and daughter, an older gentleman wearing a suit. All of which set the scene to one of those memorable meals that remind you why you go to Italy.

Categories: Florence, Italy | Tags: Da Ruggero, Da Ruggero Florence, florence, FLorence dining, Florence restaurants, food, Italy, restaurants, Travel | 6 Comments

Villa Grazianella – Foodie Heaven in Val d’Orcia

Posted on July 26, 2013 by Ziggy

For the past 12 months or so since I started this blog, I deviated from the main subject from time to time. On occasion I would write about a particular play that we saw, or cereal, among other silly things. And although we are very fortunate to be able to feed my other obsession, travel, I have never written about any hotel, B&B or any type of accommodation. In Europe I don’t really care that much for accommodations as I just want a quiet spot and a comfortable bed, even if it means staying outside the city center as we normally do, or getting a room with a view of a brick wall as I opted one time. In Tuscany however I cared a little more and somehow by pure luck scored a villa that left an impression like no other place we visited.

The idea was simple. 5 night stay (later changed to 4) in a place where we can relax a little in the middle of a tiring trip, situated in that classic Tuscan setting we only imagined. Good food and wine was a major plus. We are normally the last people on earth that would spend dinner in a hotel but this is an entirely different ball of wax. Villa Grazianella delivered all that and more in a big way, to the point where we briefly considered extending our stay by another day and cutting our time in Rome short.

When you are situated in a place surrounded by rolling hills, vineyards and complete silence, its impossible to capture that in pictures. Even on the 4th and last morning we found it breathtaking. The villa, a restored former Montepulciano bishop country home, is situated a good (welcome to Tuscany via vineyards) 15 minutes from Montepulciano. However, while most tourists focus on the Val d’Orcia part of the region, the villa is also near the stunning Val di Chiana, or Valdichiana, or the much less sexier name I came up with, “the other side of A1”. Our meal of the trip perhaps just happened to be in that region, 15 minutes from the villa. Much of the vienyards surrounding the villa are their own, Fattoria del Cerro. In fact if you are using a GPS you may be able to find the villa by this name only, although Google can pinpoint “Villa Grazianella” for you

I read about Patrizia’s legendary cooking before we arrived and the plan was to have dinner at the villa on the first night. The dinner turned out to be one the most memorable of the entire trip. Deliciously savory Pappa al Pomodorro, Garganelli with sausage and zucchini ragu one of the yummiest pasta dishes of the trip. Garganneli in NYC restaurants comes in all shapes and sizes due to improper machinery, but this was the Garganelli I know and love. Chicken Cacciatore with green beans just like mamma used to make. Well, not my mamma really. Its just an expression. After that dinner, coming back every night from a different place to a full dining room of guests felt awkward. I had to apologize to Patrizia on a nightly basis and keep reminding her how we enjoyed her cooking. She cooks different items every day of the week by the way. At the pool, fellow New Yorkers were marvelling about her Ravioli form the night before, “best thing we ate this trip”. 2 days later another American couple was describing the singing they heard from the kitchen while the ladies were making fresh Pici, a common Tuscan pasta.

Well I would start singing too if I lived there. Alba, Patrizia, grazie mille! I miss you and hope to see you real soon.

Categories: Italy, Tuscany | Tags: food, Italy, Travel, tuscany, Villa Grazianella | 4 Comments

Roscioli {Rome} – I Dream of Deli

Posted on July 23, 2013 by Ziggy

“United We Stand”, our go to deli by my office in Manhattan which changed its name from “United” after 9/11 cant quite pull this stunt. Nor any of the other delis in NYC numbered in the thousands. It requires special talent, special expertise and a special name which Roscioli got. Not exactly a hidden gem unless your Rome research includes studying Trip Advsior rankings. Roscioli, a deli/Salumeria by day, one of Rome’s top restaurants by night is #742 on Trip Advisor at the moment

Mrs Ziggy thought my trip researching just reached another level when I told her that we can use the bathrooms next door to the Roscioli bakery during lunch since we are having dinner there that night. So I can go in and simply confirm our reservations while everybody uses the bathroom. Brilliant plan! What I didn’t tell her was that it was just a coincidence, or a bizarre 6th ~~bowel movement~~ sense that we don’t know about. The next day my emergency plan was to just enter any random dining establishment and try to confirm our non-existent reservations while the girls use the bathrooms. Of course with the amount of time they normally need, I would be found sitting with a bib around my neck munching on another Cacio e Pepe by the time they came out.

But I digress, again. Roscioli represents everything about why I love going to Italy. Raw material! Roberto from Da Roberto in Mantisi had perhaps the most memorable line of the trip; “I’m not a chef, I’m not a cook. I just present to you the ingredients.” And Roscioli is all about the ingredients.

The first 2 dishes cannot be made at “United We Stand” Deli. A plate of paper thin Mortadella from bologna with 3 year old Parmesan was like eating Mortadella for the very first time. Silky, smooth, salty perfection. Creamy Burrata with semi-dried tomatoes was a dish of the trip nominee, and a reminder that not all black pepper is created equal. I don’t recall sun dried tomatoes as addictive.

What followed was a service misunderstanding. Since we ordered 2 primis and 2 secondis for the 4 of us, the staff assumed that its all one course. Understandable, I suppose. Surprisingly the pastas were the weakest course, although its more of a testament to the quality of the rest of the dishes. A Carbonara was supposedly one of the best in town, but we actually found it a bit too al dente for us, on the 11th day of a pasta filled trip. I’ve had Carbonara and various variations of Carbonara in the US but never quite as al dente as this. Gnocchi Amatriciana was more like it.

Highly doubt our deli even heard about an Austrian Simmental Entrecôte (rib eye if you scoring at home, or even if you are alone) which was perhaps the steak of the trip. Perfectly bloody medium-rare with more flavor than all the Bisteccas we had in Florence and Lucca. Of course all of this meant I get 4 bites, while my 11 year old gets half of it. Meatballs with smoky ricotta was another big winner. Somehow I came out of Italy with an unintended meatball fix instead of the intended Carbonara fix. Meatballs you can get at many delis here in NYC, most likely covered with enough red sauce to compensate for the staleness and fishiness it gets from its neighbor inside the counter. Nice tiramisu and chocolate fondue with fruits to cap a great but most expensive dinner of the trip (160 euros).

Sitting inside felt like sitting in a trendy Soho spot. If you are looking for that Trattoria with locals feel you are not going to get it here. Chances are you’ll be sitting next to other tourists. Either way, you will most likely have an unforgettable meal. Ask if possible to sit in the back or downstairs, as opposed to the front by the counter. I leave you with pictures from both the restaurant and the Rascioli bakery nearby where we sampled some nice pizzas, and a delicious apple strudel.