Posts Tagged With: NYC eats

Battle of the Bridges Part Deux – Grub This!

Posted on October 26, 2013 by Ziggy

With 2 major food events scheduled for the weekend, the big news could not have come at a better time. We apparently not pooping properly! Yes thats right! Leave your iphone in your pockets and invest in baby wipes and a little stool for your feet and squat away. Is our society ready for this? Meaning, can I be seen leaving a meeting at work early for the sole purpose of going to the restroom carrying a little stool, or would that be awkward? But it makes complete sense to me. However, as with all the studies out there, I would wait about month for any disputing “Wrong! We ARE pooping just fine” arguments to emerge.

I already wrote about the first event of the weekend. The next day the Hummus Whisperer and I planned another one of those bike bridge tours where we Citibike from place to place and eat various things. A bike tour that would have been so much more fun if not for a certain someone’s WIFE WHO NEEDED HER PRECIOUS TO BE HOME BY 3:30! ok, needed to get it out of my system. Here’s what we did and what we ate last Sunday…

As before, we parked by the Brooklyn Bridge on the Brooklyn Side and biked Brooklyn Bridge to Manhattan. The earlier you do it, the easier it gets on this bridge due to the amount of tourists that flock it.

Stop 1 – Grub Street Food Festival on Hester street. The mother of all NYC food festivals. If you have to choose one food festival to attend a year, this is the one. The who’s who of the top vendor names, great space, plenty of seats, and great music. While we were returning our bikes, we met a dutch couple who were having trouble with their bikes and needed to get to another docking station. They were able to return only one bike. I offered to bike along with the wife to another docking station and walk the wife to the festival but the husband insisted on running along the sidewalk much to the delight of some locals. I cant blame him for not trusting me as I had a very bad hair day. Anyway when they were leaving, they asked me if its a weekly thing and couldn’t believe how lucky they were when I told them its yearly. Here’s what we ate…

Pastrami sandwich from Ducks Eatery – Started with a bang! Very meaty, juicy, thick sliced as pastrami should be. Delicious. Great job by Ducks

Israeli Scotch Eggs from Eastwood. Fan-freakin-tastic. “Taim Meod”. Very unique and very good. Add some Tehina on it and its like the Falafel and Sabich making boogie right in front of your eyes. Eastwood people, I see you now! I dont need a liquor license to visit you. Some Nesher Bira Schora (Israeli black beer) will do, thanks

Khao Man Gai from Khao Man Gai – Essentially Chicken and Rice, ginger based sauce and a light soup. Khao Man Gai is thai street food. Basic compared to everything else but pleasant. To enjoy this one is best with Thai iced tea and a seat

Teriyaki Balls from Mimi and Coco – I dont know why it took me so long to try these. I suppose I was never really in the mood for them, but this time those beautiful Schweddy Balls were like “Come To Ziggy”. These were bursting with flavor on every bite. However, I made the mistake of putting an entire ball in my mouth and for a few seconds suffered greatly from the heat (not spicy, HOT). I would have them again

Canela – Cajeta Ice Cream from La Newyorkina – Perhaps the best thing I ate all day. Very sweet but in a very good way, Mexican caramel, cinnamon and some love. This is artisanal ice cream at its best. No frozen air here.

For the same reason I’m obsessed with travel, walking around Chinatown is one of my favorite things to do in NYC. Live frogs, dragon fruit, massage parlors with “No special favors” signs, 99 cent new favors (see below) and all sorts of prices that cant be beat (except of course if you get for free). Just things I don’t normally see on a daily basis.

I enjoy walking inside buddhist temples (until I see too many swastikas and run the hell out there) and perhaps for the first time heard a “welcome” from a monk. It was in Pu Chao Buddhist Temple on Eldridge street. very nicely decorated, serene temple

Near the temple you will also find one of New York’s hidden treasures, the Museum at Eldridge Street. The museum is housed inside the great Eldridge Street Synagogue, the first synagogue in America built by East European Jews. Built in 1887. A strange location nowadays smack in the middle of Chinatown, but its not stopping from tourists to flock it looks like.

Back to eating, back to the bikes. We alter plans to go to Hells Kitchen and rode back to Brooklyn instead, this time taking the Manhattan Bridge back. Sooo much easier riding the Manhattan Bridge. No people, No ringing, great views (below). BTW, the Hummus Whisperer is the only person I know that rings cars. They cant hear you HW!

We opted to stop by and visit the Brooklyn Navy Yards, a giant shipyard used to build and repair navy and commercial vessels. An informative little museum tells the story of not only the shipyard but the entire city. Tours are offered by either bus or bikes due to the size of the area.

Picked up the bikes again and moved on toward Dumbo, the #1 destination currently for wedding, bat mistvah, get out of prison pictures. People watching and scenery doesn’t get much better than Dumbo these days.

Our destination is the new Smorgasburg which recently moved from Dumbo to Pier 5. Pier 5 is as stunning. Before we parked I get a text from my friend Val saying that he’s at this food festival near the Brooklyn Bridge Park, figuring he’s telling me something new that I ought to know. I surprised him and family minutes later.

We sampled some Short ribs from Takumi Taco yet again. Still good though perhaps a tad drier this time.

Fried Chicken from Buttermilk Channel was just ok. A bit greasy and sweet batter that’s not to my liking. Not a very good line/taste ratio here.

Mighty Quinn’s and its mighty line still rule this show rightfully so, but I didnt have it this time (My friend Val did and loved it)

The best thing that came out of this for me was Vermont Maple Lemonade. This grown man drives every weekend to NYC to open a lemonade stand. Holy smokes it was good. Refreshing and tasty. Perhaps the best lemonade I ever had.

One last bike pick up, a quick randevu with the red hook, a near death with a cabbie, and another one where a leaf landed on my face and blinded me temporarily, and back to the car in one piece. Till next time

Categories: Brooklyn, Lower East Side, New York City | Tags: Ducks Eatery, Ducks Eatery NYC, Eastwood NYC, food, Grub Street Food Festival, Khao Man Gai, La Newyorkina, Mimi and Coco, NYC eats, restaurants, Smorgasburg, Travel, Vermont Maple Lemonade | Leave a comment

Cata – LES is More

Posted on October 15, 2013 by Ziggy

To find my next dining destination, I turned to a little site I like to call Eating With Ziggy. While browsing the site I noticed the following 3 things: I haven’t eaten anything in the Lower East Side for a while; I haven’t eaten tapas in a while; My fonts are terrible; and my tagline “Eating Well Spelling Poorly” makes no sense whatsoever since I use a spell checker. Ok, that was 4 things. It was 3 when I started writing the sentence I promise you that. So I figured its time to eat something in the Lower East Side, and make it tapas. And as to the terrible fonts? Well, that’s your problem! I don’t read the stuff, just write them.

Although I have a list of new restaurants to try that’s almost as big as my Netflix cue (one of those words I hate spelling properly, like “tho”), I tend to sometimes ignore the list and look elsewhere for much added excitement. This time I looked at the newly released Michelin Bib Gourmands. Or “Baby Michelin Stars” if you will, given for quality cheap(er) eats. And I noticed a place that somehow slipped through my radar, Cata. Coupled that with an endorsement from Kathryn off Chowhound and off we went.

While taking a closer look I noticed Cata was Alta’s sister, a place we enjoyed in the past. And like many of my friends and coworkers, Cata owners are big fans of 4 letter words looks like. I suggest Nada for the next one (private joke for my Providenciales friends)

An array of Gin and tonic drinks is one of the specialties here… I liked the Kaffir Lime one. While Mrs Ziggy would not even look at the rest of the menu once she sees her Aperol Spritz. She gets up and does the Macarena from excitement – starting to get embarrassing, for her. The food menu is much better organized than Alta which is one giant list.

So is Cata short for Catalonia or Catastrophe? Lets see..

Baked Cana Cebra – Goat cheese with honey. Quite good. Perhaps not as good as Alta version with lavender infused honey but quite good

Deviled Eggs with fried oysters – Very tasty, if not a tad on the salty side.

Quail Egg Bendecits with chorizo, hash browns (top picture) – Another nice dish. Pretty to look at too. Wife much preferred this over the deviled but the opposite was true for me. So far so delicious

Mushrooms with shallots, red wine – I got to have my mushrooms (especially since she doesn’t eat them) and this did not disappoint.

Tuscan Kale – With Parmigian thin “crisps”. Simply grilled and tasty. Wife liked this one especially

Long Island Razor Clams – Cant pass on fresh razor clams. The one must coming in. Simple, “Meaty”, a tad chewy and absolutely delicious overall

Gambas al Ajillo – One of the best dishes of the night. 4 jumbo perfectly cooked shrimp. I prefer this dish more garlicky but this was tasty nonetheless. I still haven’t found something similar to the Gambas al Ajillo that we had in Ramiro in Lisbon if anyone familiar. Where readers? Where can I have these beauties?

Jamon Iberico Bellota – I asked if they can bring a little sampler instead of the $27 full plate of it and they did for I believe $10. This tasted just fine to me. Not something I would order again. This is some of the finest Jamon Iberico on the planet, made from pigs eating only acorns (Bellota) as their last meals on earth. Coincidentally, this was my wish as well

Skirt Steak – Good, a little uninspiring but good. This is perhaps a good time to complain that it was a little hard to read that menu with dimmed lighting as I initially didn’t see the “Add: Organic farm egg $2”. I would definitely add the egg here.

Charcuteir Board – lard toasts were fine, jamon Serrano we didn’t get due to the Bulotta, Chorizo we didn’t care for – not much flavor. The best part of the board by far were the Almonds. Perhaps this is the only miss of the evening

Torrija – Excellent! Like the crème brule and bread pudding had a baby. A beautiful, delicious baby.

Terrific meal overall

Categories: Lower East Side, New York City | Tags: Cata, Cata NYC, food, Lower East Side Eats, NYC, NYC eats, NYC restaurants, restaurants, Travel | 1 Comment

Betony – From Russian With Love

Posted on October 12, 2013 by Ziggy

* Terrible pictures alert, due to a combination of poor lighting and zero photography skills with poor lighting! *

You know that you spend too much time with a couple when the following happens. You start receiving texts from them intended for each other. Such is the case with Mr and Mrs Hummus Whisperer. Examples:

From MRS HW: “I bought bananas”. Ahhm, OK?!?

From HW: “Just picture everyone naked!”. What? Oh I see. The wife is away presenting something in a conference. Ok, that took me a few minutes

Thankfully, none of the texts were about us or embarrassingly kinky. Though the last one came close. The moment I get a “Carlos Danger” type text from HW it will be pretty much over between us. Pretty much!

A few weeks ago we took Mr and Mrs Hummus whisperer to Betony for HW’s birthday. Betony is the latest brainchild of Russian entrepreneur Andrey Dellos who previously owned Brasserie Pushkin in the same space. This time he brings with him 2 Eleven Madison Park veterans. Bryce Shuman is no stranger to the kitchen and according to his bio, an enemy of cats! Eamon Rockey is formerly with new Michelin star Aska and EMP, and his bio is not clear where he stands in regards to cats. Betony is now a tough ticket after recently getting 3 stars from the New York Time. Many will kill for just one star. And Betony most likely just missed the Michelin 2014 cut, but there’s always a 2015, I think (I dont have the Mayan calendar next to me at the moment)

I must say I was a bit in awe when we entered Betony. A mature, sophisticated vibe that quite frankly we are not used to. But we were comfortable. Not only we were comfortable but the ladies bags were comfortable. You know that you are at a high end place where your bag has its own seat. And I dont mean this. I’m talking about real furniture. The menu is designed for you to spend a little, but eat very very well. They advise you to share the first courses, and to have your own middle and main. Sorry, not gonna fly with us. Sharing is for caring! (Yes I’m looking at you Mrs HW) Something I learned a long long time ago. So imagine our surprise when we ordered just 3 middle courses for the 4 of us, we all get our plates and the birthday boy is the one stuck with a beautiful empty plate. Overall however, good, knowledgeable service and the food delivered big time

Foie Gras Bonbons wrapped in cashew – Quite good. Though the salt from the cashews was a little too dominant, this was enjoyable.

Chickpea Panisse – Liked this one a lot.

Fried pickles – Surprisingly a bit greasy but pleasant nonetheless.

Beet amuse – A bit on the salty side surprisingly as well. So far a bit of a salty start including the salty bread sticks which I didnt care for at all.

Gnocchi with corn – Smokey, super large, very soft and tasty. A bit too soft for me but still enjoyed this.

Chicken liver mouse – Rich and decadent.

Marinated Sardines – Oh this one was quite good. Lovely with that tomato “salsa” Broke a mini streak of stinky sardines

Short Ribs – A revelation! Best of show. Tender and full of flavor. It takes 3 days to make them we were told and HW was please to find out that it doesnt mean we needed to stay there for 3 days. We were free the next day, but not the day after.

Poached lobster – Very tasty as well, but very light (to me at least). Great broth.

We opted to skip dessert on this night. A fine and enjoyable meal overall. Hard to say if I will be back partly because I’m allergic to that location, but I would like to sample that chicken and anything else Mr Shuman got up his sleeves.

Categories: Midtown West, New York City | Tags: Betony, Betony NYC, Bryce Shuman, food, NYC, NYC dining, NYC eats, NYC restaurants, restaurants, Travel | Leave a comment

The Spotted Pig Burger – Its the Fries, Stupid

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Ziggy

The Russians have a saying that loosely translates to “like sunflower seeds” which basically means “I cant stop eating this”. In a culture obsessed with sunflowers seeds, its not unusual to see it served as an after meal snack, and if you don’t hold a bag full of seeds on the Brighton Beach Boardwalk, you risk being frowned upon. And its not that they think sunflower seeds are really that special. They just enjoy eating sunflower seeds, and since its not that filling they have trouble stopping sometimes.

Such is the case with the fries at the Spotted Pig. They don’t seem that amazing as you first eat them, but you soon discover that you cant stop eating them. The fries are shoestring cut (very thin as you can see) which I don’t normally love as I prefer them “meaty” like Belgian style. But all the seasoning, rosemary and garlic chips make SP’s fries truly addictive. Like eating Sunflower seeds!

The burger itself was very good. Especially if you like burgers with Blue Cheese. The Roquefort here is slightly overwhelming for my taste as any blue cheese would, but I still enjoyed it. The meat was cooked well (medium rare, leaning toward rare) but I had to send the first one back after getting it practically well done. While not quite in Minetta’s Black Label territory, a solid burger overall and I can see why its consistently ranked as one of the city’s best.

I don’t know why it took me so long to get to the Spotted Pig, the mother of all the city’s gastro-pubs. The place was busy on Friday lunch time. Two teachers to my right were talking about the teachers favorite subject these days, lice. A Dutch couple to my left was very eager and excited about the meal. And judging by some of the items they ordered they did their homework well (deviled eggs one of the specialties here). My waitress was running around holding my bill for a few painful minutes (for me), forgetting that final crucial step of actually handing it to me. We had a good laugh. She was I must say, very friendly and knowledgeable.

Categories: New York City, West Village | Tags: food, NYC eats, NYC restaurants, restaurants, the spotted pig, the spotted pig nyc, Travel, west village, west village restaurants | 4 Comments

Its a Dumpling/MSE/French Kind of Day in NYC

Posted on September 29, 2013 by Ziggy

Another glorious day for foodies in NYC. The sun was shining, the cabbies were singing, I was excused from apple picking, with 3 food events to boot…

Dumpling Festival.. http://www.dumplingfestival.com/

Taste of France… tasteoffrancenewyork-eorg.eventbrite.com/

Madison Square Eats… www.madisonsquarepark.org/tag/mad-sq-eats

The dumpling festival wasn’t quite what I expected. A little disappointing. You buy a ticket for $20 and you have 4 booths to choose from. Mostly basic veggie and chicken dumplings or greasy empanadas. Nothing creative or expensive like the Pastrami dumplings in Smorgasberg, because you pay in advance in this format it’s not worth it for them to lure you in with creative dumplings. It was more about the dumpling eating competition. A woman from Nebraska ate 90 beating all the men

After some misadventure courtesy of a friend’s Citibike spill, and a visit to CVS, we resumed and headed to Madison Square Eats. New vendor Daleny stole the show with the brisket taco, as great as advertised and more. They put daleny all the way in the back in that quiet corner away from the tourists. Bee sting pizza by Robertas as good as ever. SD26 (another newbie) porchetta sandwich just didn’t do it for me. SD26 is the reincarnation of San Domenico in Central Park. San Domenico is the former home of Massimo “Mad Max” Olivari who owns/cooks at Caicos Café in Turks and Caicos, my favorite restaurant in the Caribbean

Then more misadventure. It occurred to me that it’s 4 pm and Im wearing my prescription sunglasses while my regular glasses are in the car in alphabet city. I get headaches if I wear sunglasses too long in the shade or dark. But instead of going to the car we continued to the French fair in Bryant Park. This was a much bigger and ambitious event than the dumplings festival. But the “Taste of France” was not so much about food (although there was plenty) but about getting a taste of France, meaning learning about the country, it’s regions, it’s corporations. There were numerous French companies representing from Aerospace engines to white flag manufacturers. Live music, hot air baloon, someone sculpting the Eiffel inside a bubble. We didn’t eat anything because we were done at this point.

We returned to East village for the car (another frend joined us). Total darkness at this point, and me blind as a bat, my friend with his back, like coming back from the battle field. After getting my glasses we went to Nicholetta, michael whites pizza place in the east village for for some nice Affogato (unique with soda) and port.

Categories: East Village, Gramercy, Flatiron, New York City | Tags: Dumpling Festival, eating competition, food, Madison Square Eats, NYC eats, taste of france, 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 Andrea, Meet my New Canon T4i

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Ziggy

Well, not really. That was the dream title I was envisioning, but the jew in me somewhat missed the fact that B&H closes at 2:00 pm on Friday. My brilliant plan of going to B&H after work, proceeding to take pictures of pretty flowers and painted rope, followed by dinner at Da Andrea the next day did not go exactly as planned. Instead its: Da Andrea, Meet my (suddenly battery ~~challenged~~ comatose) Iphone 5.

So earlier this month I was asked by members of a Trip Advisor community to pick a restaurant for a meet up. Sort of a no brainer. I’ve been to Da Andrea about 8-9 times now, probably more than any other place in the city. Second only to Caicos Café in Turks and Caicos on the planet (it feels weird writing that. I frequent a place in some remote island more than any other place in NYC. Poor kids, now have to rely on their grandparents for continued education. Well, thats their problem!).

But an annual trip to Da Andrea, brainchild of a trio from Emilia Romagna, has become routine. This routine started in the old location on Hudson street where we stood on line to get inside a shoe box that did not take reservations. Now, double the size (to a her’s and her’s closet) and still the same old line of village people trying to get in.

We started with the usual, one of the MUSTS especially with a group, the Tigelle. Baked on premises tasty buns with some of the most delicious prosciutto you will eat in NYC. A very shareable and tasty snack. The always terrific tower of grilled veggies followed, along with the grilled calamari and octopus salad which I enjoyed more this time than last year (especially the former)

But I’m here for one of my old time favorites, homemade Pappardelle with sweet sausage and truffle oil (half a plate pictured below). Its like a nice glass of wine where the scent of the truffles hits you right away, signaling the level of yumminess to the brain before you even taste it. I order this in other places such as Il Melograno in midtown which I enjoy, but no one makes it like in Da Andrea. Another winner was a rich but light risotto special. Tiramisu here is top notch as well.

I noticed recently they started taking reservations online which is great, but on this one I rather stick to tradition and start the process with a “Buona Sera”. Great food, great new friends, what else can I ask for. A new camera, which I got a week later. Buona Sera friends, and enjoy more Iphone 5 pics

Categories: New York City, West Village | Tags: Da Andrea, Da Andrea NYC, food, NYC dining, NYC eats, NYC restaurants, restaurants | 1 Comment

Best Pizza in Hell

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Ziggy

Who said you cant get good pizza in Hell’s Kitchen? I did!! Time and time again. But things are different now. I’ve scouted, examined, food poisoned the neighborhood to death for you loyal readers, both of yous. Here are the results…

Sacco – You want 99 cents slice? Plenty around. But if you want the quintessential New York slice done right, you head to Sacco, in business for over 50 years. The slice holds it own, nothing soggy, perfect thickness and full of flavor. You will be hard pressed to find a better NY slice.

Don Antonio – The Las Vegas of the NY pizza. Meaning its not exactly your average NY pizza hole in the wall. A full menu of antipasti and a huge array of pies. This is Neapolitan pizza at its best from the Keste (west village) master and Antonio Starita from the famed Pizzeria Starita a Materdei in Naples. Need I say more? I have no idea who they are but it sure sounds impressive. I’ve sampled about 8 pies here. Try the lightly fried Montanara for something a little different, or the Diavola with the Sopressata which is meatier and milder than Merilu’s. Wood burning oven means don’t get too comfortable. You will get your pies within minutes. Great for sharin

John’s Pizzeria – Another old-timer. Eat and pray. This is the touristy one with good cause, set in a former church. Like a huge pizza diner. No slices here and no individual pies like Don Antonio so not that sharing friendly. But what you get is fresh ingredients and an excellent overall pie. Love the Margheritas here

Merilu – From Torino to NYC, Merilu with her 4 children and cousins (husband just eats the stuff, my kind of family) are making some great oblong shaped pies. Is it a rectangle? Is it oval? Who knows, who cares, its delicious. Thin tasty crust with just the right balance of ingredients. My favorite is the spicy sopressata. If they have it out that day that is. Otherwise try the Margherita or anything else that looks good on the display. And if you come on Friday or Saturday you can also experience “the Merilu the meatball a”. Juicy, meaty, cheesy goodness. Fantastico stuff!

Capizzi – A solid alternative to the Don Antonio, John’s craziness and perhaps the closest thing to a pizza parlor you can only find in the outer boroughs. The ingredients speak for themselves, like the bright fresh tomato sauce and the extra meaty pepperoni and sausages

So there you have it. I’m pretty sure I’m not missing anything but if I am, comment away. Buon Appetito Amigos.

Categories: Midtown West, New York City | Tags: Annabel NYC, Best pizza midtown west, best pizza nyc, Don Antonio NYC, food, merilu nyc, NYC eats, NYC restaurants, restaurants, sacco nyc, Travel | 8 Comments

Aska and You Shall Receive

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Ziggy

There comes a time in life when you have to count your blessings for not being allergic to shellfish. Otherwise, you quickly find out if you are allergic to cow’s thyroid or a goat’s heart. Or baby formula!

Aska, is one of those places that you book first and research later. The immediate “hotness” it got off the bat coincided with “where am I eating on my birthday” to the point where I quickly had to reserve a table for 2 before the critics pour in. But the more I looked into it, the more I questioned the decision, especially after seeing the announcement that Saturday’s only option is a 10 courser. Will Mrs Ziggy eat blood sausage, dehydrated scallops, baby formula, cow’s thyroid, anyone’s thyroid? After taking a quick glance at the menu Aska emailed to me, her response was “Its ok I guess”. Good enough for me!

This was a memorable meal to say the least. 20 diners at the back of an art studio, 20 servants (including cooks and the man himself Mr Berselius bringing you teh final touches with the explanations), what seemed like 10o people by the bar, Morrissey blasting in the background, and one extremely interesting 10 courser.

Ok, before I start any rumors, there was no baby formula on this night nor any night as far as I know. But it did cross my mind while we were eating our apple sauce and milk

Started off with some delicious bread, crispy hard bread with whipped NY butter.

Molasses shortbread, trout roe and cheese was interesting. Seemed more like an Amuse than one of the courses

Hay, milk, tomatoes, parsnip, and milk salad. Clearly the best Hay, tomatoes, parsnip and milk salad I ever had. Seriously this was good. I couldn’t help comparing to the amazing Jungsik salad from the night before but this was inventive and satisfying. Great tasting veggies

Parsnip with brown butter and more whipped butter thank you. Delicious! The closest I get to eating parsnip normally is the leftovers from the veggies my wife throws out right after finishing making her chicken and bean bullion. So best Parsnip I ever had goes without saying. Berselius really does a great job bringing all those veggies to life.

Pheasant with sunchoke, liver. Sort of a Pheasant extravaganza with both the dark and white meat (much preferred the dark), and the liver which integrated nicely with the broth of the cooked sunchoke. Sunchoke itself had a nice crispy texture

Blood pudding with seabuckthorn, lardo, dill and anchovies. Pretty to look at without much substance, like Paris Hilton. Didnt care much for this one

Oats, tiny bits of bone marrow, Shad roe, egg yolk (pictured on top). Just like mama makes! All worked together beautifully. one of my favorite dishes of the night.

Pork and beets. A very tasty piece of fatty pork belly and the beets were another example of the great taste Berselius brings out of veggies. Beets is something I never order and the only time I eat them is with an occasional red Borscht, but this was simply delicious.

Whelk – Snails of the sea. Dont believe I ever had them. Although it was very interesting and you could really sort of taste the sea here, it wasn’t one of our favorites. But loved the dehydrated scallop “chips” that cam along

Beef, Burnt potatoes. 60 days aged served rare and very tasty. Potatoes were smoky and fantastic. Add sweet onion – Great dish.

Egg yolk. Not a fave of this one. Looked more promising than its tasted. Sort of sticky, gummy and not much flavor

Apple sauce, oats, cream, baby formula. Awesome! Ok, so there was no baby formula here but as we were discussing with our neighbors it wouldn’t be a total shock to see and Berselius could probably pull it off

Dessert – Some sort of sick ice cream with hazelnuts and other goodies. A great finish.

So there you have it. Dinner was a 4 hour marathon with a lot of big breaks between the dishes. It was mostly a local crowd with the exception perhaps of one particular couple that looked like Michelin inspectors. It was fun seeing the boys (all but one) casually Williamsburg dressed do their thing. Would I come back? Probably not but still a very enjoyable, memorable meal and perhaps the closest I will ever get to Noma, considered by many the world’s top restaurant in Copenhagen.

Categories: Brooklyn, New York City | Tags: Aska, Aska Brooklyn, Aska nyc, food, NYC, NYC dining, NYC eats, NYC food, NYC restaurants, restaurants | 1 Comment

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* Terrible pictures alert, due to a combination of poor lighting and zero photography skills with poor lighting! *

The places