Posts Tagged With: NYC restaurants

Best Thai in Hell – Pure Thai Cookhouse

Posted on June 16, 2013 by Ziggy

This is the first of a series of posts about the best food in Hell’s Kitchen, a neighborhood in Midtown West, NYC. I already posted about the Best Pizza in the area, but this is the first individual restaurant posting out of many to come.

A quick stroll on 9th avenue, the heart of Hell’s Kitchen, brings up 2 questions. Why am I craving for Bourekas, and why are there so many Thai places around. There must be at least 100 of them, not to mention all the ones on 10th avenue nearby. Ant to top it you also have entire franchises nestled in there. Wondee Siam 2 is almost across from the original (I prefer the newer space and food). Yum Yum 1, Yum Yum 2, and Yum Yum 3 are all right next to each other. Yum Yum 2 recently represented the Yum Yums in the 9th avenue food festival and I’m not sure why Yum Yum 1 and Yum Yum 3 were absent from the event or the reason Yum Yum 2 was representing instead of Yum Yum 1. But I digress

I tried many of the Thai spots over the years, but since I discovered Pure, the “trying” part shifted to trying every item on Pure’s menu. Pure to me is purer Thai than the rest. Not only it feels you are in a foreign country once you enter (its slightly bigger than a shoe box, a hers and hers closet f you will. Yes thats what we call it in our house. I recently lost 2 more shelves to her shoes. I’m lucky I got something left), but the menu doesn’t boast the regular American Thai dishes you see everywhere else. You don’t see the usual green/red curry, drunken noodles, pad dishes that just about every single spot on 9th got (although I enjoy them from time to time like the excellent Kee Mao in Kare Thai on 10th). What you do get in Pure is all sorts of complex flavors leading to a Pure culinary ecstasy. Here are some of my favorites…

Beef Pad Prik Khing & Crab Meat Omelette (top picture) – This is my a new favorite discovered on a recent visit with my friend Alex. Its not on the menu but often appears on the board as a special. Tender, limey, juicy, super flavorful beef cubes with long bean, and sugar snap peas, with this beautiful crab and scallion omelette sitting on a bed of Jasmine rice which was absolutely perfect with the light curry sauce. Fantastic dish all around and worthy of a run-on sentence!

Ratchaburi crab and pork with dry noodles. These guys are serious about their homemade noodles, and this is one dish to sample it.

All kinds of fabulous Wok action:

Curry Paste with Pork, Chili Pepper with Chicken, Cashew Nuts with Shrimp, Chili Turmeric with Beef (Below. Very tasty with plenty of heat)

One particular rice/noodle dish I like is the Jungle Curry fried rice with Chicken – fairly spicy so use caution.

Many of the dishes especially with 3 stars next to the names are not for the faint of heart but you can also ask them to reduce the heat level. Remember what I said about authentic? Authentic translates to Thai spicy (vs American Thai spicy). Its BYOM – Bring Your Own Milk spicy so watch out with those starred attractions., and enjoy Pure Thai Cookhouse in Hell’s Kitchen

Categories: Midtown West, New York City | Tags: Best food in Hell's kitchen, Best Thai NYC, food, NYC dining, NYC restaurants, Pure Thai Cooknouse, Pure Thai NYC, restaurants, Travel | Leave a comment

Why I dont write negative reviews

Posted on June 15, 2013 by Ziggy

Have you ever played “Find the Falafel”? No? Here’s how the game goes… You buy a falafel sandwich from the new kid on the block for an amazingly low price of $3.50 (about half the price of a competitor), and then while eating the falafel, you… you guessed it… try to find the falafel. How many bites of seeing “green” (as in leaves) you go through until you see brown (as in Falafel). The $3.50 Falafel I had a few months ago won easily with an astonishing 5 bites of seeing nothing but spinach.

The game is actually less excising than it sounds. While I was shaving one day I thought about writing a post called “Find The Falafel” where I chronicle this eating event and name this new neighborhood gem. But then I figured whats the point really, and I didn’t take any pictures anyway. Maybe this was the cooks first day on the job. Maybe the real cook is out on maternity leave (this actually happened to me), maybe they are having a falafel shortage crisis at the moment. Maybe the real cook just collapsed after enduring a long week of sleepless nights after a gang of the 17 year cicadas invaded his neighborhood. Who knows really

But that’s not all. This site to me is all about providing food ideas for readers. Not food ideas to avoid in a city with over 30,000 restaurants. Anges from Little Rock reading this blog before her first visit to NYC is looking for food ideas. I don’t think she needs to know that “Famous Falafel” in the East Village (Not a real place) needs to be avoided. BTW how do they get away with injecting the word “Famous” in a brand new place. Isnt that an oxy-moron? There are a lot of “Famous Falafels”, “Famous Pizza”, and “Famous Pharmacy” in NYC

This burger was the latest “taking one for the team” mishap while trying something new in Hells Kitchen, and the main motivation behind this post. “Would you like it medium sir?” “YES!” sensing that they know what medium is, being a French influenced establishment with a French accent cook/server. And everyone knows that the French tend to undercook and I will most likely get medium rare which is how I really want it. The result: WELL DONE! Oh well. Its probably the Cicadas.

BTW, not to go off topic… well actually this is not a particularly exciting topic… so do go off topic. The Cicadas I see are now dying. What a difference a week makes. One week you hear them singing, or sirening, or whatever their sound is called. It sounds like a weird siren. You see them walking around together, not flying, simply walking every evening, a cicada Passeggiata if you will (Italian nightly stroll). They fly into people, really acting as if they own the place. And now you see them dead on the ground or dying, like this poor fellow pictured above, who was on his back before I turned him around. He was found right in front of my kid’s school. The entire scene looked like a scene from Saving Private Ryan with dying cicadas everywhere. See you in 17 years guys!

Categories: New York City | Tags: food, NYC restaurants, restaurants | 2 Comments

Costata – Fiamma Part Deux

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Ziggy

10 years ago if you were to ask me what are my favorite NY restaurants, I would probably mention Union Square Cafe, Blue Water Grill, Gotham, Gramercy Tavern, and my neighborhood Chili’s (Yes thats right Chili’s. In the burbs those ribs are the best thing you can get). Now, although those places are still alive and kicking, I’ve moved on and havent been since. But one place in particular could have become more of a regular for us if it hadnt closed so prematurely, Michael White’s first restaurant, Fiamma. I don’t recall why they closed it. It only got a Michelin star and perhaps more importantly 3 New York Times stars.

10 years later, the boy is now a man. I’m talking about sir Michael White, not Ziggy (I still on occasion cry during Family Guy). White, is now an owner. An owner of 5 restaurants including Ai Fiori and the amazing Marea. (Seriously have you seen the episode where stewy and Brian are stuck in the bank? That was pure emotion). Michael White’s 5th restaurant is 3 week old Costata at the same space as former Fiamma. Naturally, I couldn’t wait much and the result was a glorious meal of the year, and one of the most memorable meals we’ve had in NYC

Inside right away it felt like being in the old Fiamma. But one of the first things we noticed was the number of employees around us. It felt like a factory. Perhaps they don’t want to take any chances in the first few weeks with all the newspaper critics and (ahem) Ziggys visiting. In fact the main manager came over to us mentioning that she saw me taking pictures outside with my fancy new camera, and at first I though I was in trouble, but she assured me that its more than ok and I can take all the pictures I want. So I got a little carried away taking pictures everywhere including with my new best friend Michael White (we bonded while exchanging Hummus recipes)

Costata is as if Marea, Scarpetta and Minetta Tavern got together and made a beautiful baby boy named Tommy. Like Minetta, its a steakhouse with a twist. The twist being great crudo and pastas.

And we started with that amazing Crudo. The scallops with truffle vinaigrette in particular was a stunner and a dish of the year nominee. Buttery, melt in your mouth goodness, and with that amazing but not overpowering truffle sauce was a thing of beauty. Picture perfect razor clams were great as well. With bits of sopressata (wow) and fennel mixed in with the ceviched clams. Brought us back to the awesome razor clams in Venice a few years back. Great start

Pastas were more than satisfying. The Lumache Carbonara was probably the winner for me. Although the pasta didn’t have that Lumache “snail” shape. Like Orecchiette (shape like baby ear) and other pastas the Italians call it as they see it. Though, I’m not quite sure about their motivation behind the Strozzapreti which means priest stranglers! Did someone envision a pasta shape while watching a poor priest being strangled? The Cavatelli with tender juicy oxtail was another winner. The Old favorite Garganelli Alla Fiamma with light truffle cream, the only remaining dish from Fiamma, was still good but I preferred the others a bit more.

Then came the main event. One of the most flavorful steaks I ever had. A mammoth 44oz $120 Tomahawk Ribeye cooked to perfection. We asked for medium (wife demands) so I was a little worried that they would overcook the beast but it came out perfect medium rare for the most part (or “real” medium in high end dining). Black truffle butter was the choice (extra $3) and sides of fries and asparagus ($10 each) complimented nicely. But the steak, OMG the steak, basted beautifully with a rosemary brush was so addictively delicious that I kept getting lost in the moment forgetting the sides. Its almost a cliché but this is probably the best steak we ever had

Desserts were great as well. Enjoyed the Meringa (another Kodak moment) but the Semifreddo with the Rum Raisin stole the show. Kids loved the chocolate tart.

As expected the service was top notch and very knowledgeable (some veterans from Minetta Tavern and Lincoln) as you would expect in a place like this. Jokingly I offered to pay with my Minetta tavern gift card I got from friends for our 20th anniversary (thanks guys if you reading, and even if you are not). I could have really used a card here as this turned out much pricier than anticipated (just north of $400 with tip, including 2 drinks)

So yes, meal of the year and highly recommend Costata. Now if you excuse me, Family Guy is on. Where are the tissues.

Categories: New York City, SoHo, NoHo, Nolita | Tags: Costata, Costata nyc, food, NYC dining, NYC food, NYC restaurants, restaurants, Travel | 5 Comments

10 Things to Try in Eataly

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Ziggy

Something I don’t do nearly enough is read other food blogs. I wish I had the time to just chillax for a full day and read nothing but food blogs. No wife, no work, no kids, just me, myself and blogs. Not possible. But whenever we are about to travel somewhere I put the blog reading on the next gear, and naturally these days I read Italian food blogs. I noticed that not only I get many ideas on what to eat on our upcoming trip in the summer, but I also get plenty of ideas on how to improve the blog.

For example the excellent Katie Parla blog (which I found last fall while researching New Orleans and got the a great Boucherie reco from her) and Elizabeth Manchilli in Rome (and Florence) have given me something to think about, like that my site ~~sucks~~ does not have enough lists. So I gave you Best Pizza in Hell earlier this month and now I figured I’ll write about Eataly. A place dear to my heart and wallet (my wallet strongly believes in keeping your friends close and enemies closer)10 years ago I used to work right across the street from Eataly where it was a Toy Building. While we were too busy at work ~~checking out the modeling action on 22nd st with our binoculars~~ working, we didn’t have much time to check out the toys back then. But nowadays we go there often. Eataly is busy, hectic, full of Italians for some reason, and very very touristy, but for good reason. You can easily spend an entire day there. Well, I can! During the last few years I spent a lot of time there eating, drinking, shopping and learning elementary Italian cursing like “tuo padre è un pollo” (your father is a chicken) comes in handy. So without further ado, here are 10 things to try while visiting Eataly to make your visit more memorable

Sorry about some of the Iphone photos.

1) Italian Soda. My new obsession. The refreshingly citrusy Cedrata, Gazzosa, the ‘root beer on crack’ Chinoto, the lightly sweetened Gus Sodas. Buy a few and see what you like. All with natural ingredients and some like the Gazzosa feature the famous lemons of Amalfi

2) Maitake Mushrooms at Birreria – Put your name down for the roof garden, and wait for the text. The text is your gateway to some of the most delicious Mushrooms you will ever eat. Perfectly chewy and savory Maitake with Pecorino cheese. One of about 3 or 4 dishes in their mushroom section along with nice Oyster mushrooms and fried shiitakes. Also try the Cotechino sausage and pork shoulder

3) Grande Piatto Misto Di Salumi & Formaggi at La Piazza – Say what? thats right. A nice little assortment of the best cheese and Salumi of the day in the Piazza. Prosciutto, salami, 4 different kinds of cheese, honey, figs and more. Add a glass of one of their fine whites and its like having an aperitivo in Piazza Navona staring at la Fontana dei Fiumi. Except that you are in Eataly, inside a building, staring at a German tourist’s sandals with socks.

4) Asparagus and Egg at Le Verdure. Another example that adding egg to anything will make it better. My favorite from the veggie menu of Le Verdure

5) Cacio e Pepe at La Pasta. “A so a simple and a so good a”. Cheese, black pepper, al dente pasta is apparently all you need to make this Roman classic. Perfection on a plate. So what am I doing wrong?

6) Gnocchi at La Pasta – To compliment your Cacio e pepe. Gnocchi, with 3 hours braised + 3 hour cooked + 3 hour groin massaged, wonderful melt in your mouth lamb shank. Also try the Neapolitan pizza while there

7) Fresh Agnolotti cacio e pepe – This is to buy. Pillowy delicate Agnolotti stuffed with pecorino and black pepper. Don’t overcook. Set the timer to what it says on the box – I believe about 3-4 minutes after returning to boil. Add some freshly shredded cheese and butter and invite me for dinner and Voila! I found that a little more than 1 pound (1.2) feeds a hungry family of 4.

8) Truffle sauces. Walk all the way to the right pass the dry pasta section, and you’ll see this mostly Urbani truffle heaven. It will do wonders to your pasta. Just don’t overdo it – add just one of those little babies and invite me for inspection. You can also visit the Urbani NYC headquarters on 11th in the 50’s (I forget)

9) Pesce Alla Diamantese at IL Pesce – Seared fish of the day cooked with tomato sauce, olives, Calabrian Chiles, fennel and capers. Savory, great flaky texture and absolutely delicious. Well played Mario.

10) Gelato – Duh!! Try the Stracciatella (sort of like choc chip) and Nocciola (hazelnut). Fantastic gelato

So there you have it. Buon Appetito, and stay hungry my friends. Some more food porn…

Categories: Gramercy, Flatiron, New York City | Tags: eataly, eataly nyc, food, NYC dining, NYC food, NYC restaurants, restaurants, Travel | Leave a comment

Le Philosophe

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Ziggy

November 1st, 2015 Update: Despite the mediocre mussels this time, still loving Le Philosophe. Over the past few years it transformed into a fine neighborhood bistro. The classics are still on the menu, but the numerous nightly specials must get some attention. The Lobster Thermidor puts all other overly rich Thermidors we’ve had in the Caribbean over the years to shame. The Tournedos Rossini is still a nice ode to the classic, and so are the frog legs with Hen of the Woods (aka Maitake) Mushrooms. The mussels this time did not have the “Balls” of the old ones. Hope they didnt change suppliers. But those Profiteroles, even if you are remotely into Profiteroles, you must get them. Earlier this year, a new half sister called L’Antagoniste was born in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn. Hoping to get there one day, but considering the location its a tough sell.

May 27, 2013 Post:

I don’t wear a single piece of jewelry. For the same reason I don’t wear turtlenecks. I have this thing where if I do wear anything excessive, I would constantly feel the need to free myself of it. Every inch of my body needs to breath. Every inch! I used to wear a watch until I discovered the brilliant invention since the cell phone: Cell phone that shows time.

The last of the Mohicans was a wedding band. By law I had to wear it at all times including funerals. Just in case I would get approached by someone – “Very sorry lady but you see this, I’m a married man”, “Good to know, but I was just wondering if you can spare me some change, as I haven’t eaten in 3 days”.

So with the wedding band, I had the constant need to temporary remove it from the finger and play with it while the finger breathes. And occasionally I would drop it somewhere like in a movie theatre where I would wait until the lights came on in order to find it. But I dropped it the most inside my couch while watching sports. And every time I dropped it, it would take me 2 to 4 weeks to find the ~~will~~ time to get the flashlight and dig out the ring from the couch. Occasionally, I would also find an M&M and a grape if I’m lucky in the process. I remember we would have dinner somewhere where Mrs Ziggy would just stare at my bare finger and go “Inside the couch?” and I would just nod with embarrassment. And so as soon as I got the ring out during the 4th archeological dig, I found myself staring at Mrs Ziggy’s angry hand. She took the ring, and I haven’t seen a piece of jewelry since.

So whats your point Ziggy? My point is I don’t need jewelry to remind myself or anyone that I’m married. In 2 weeks it will be 20 years of being married to the most wonderful ~~cougar~~ woman on the planet. And on her birthday last week, this classy lady deserved nothing less than a classy meal. Hence, the longest prelude to a review on EatingWithZiggy.

The meal at Le Philosophe in Noho (near the east village) was one of the most satisfying of the year. One of those rare meals where every dish offered interesting flavors and did not disappoint. The menu consists of old school French classics that you don’t see in French bistros anymore. As usual I did some homework on what to order and we (4 of us – Hummus Whisperer and “I don’t like to share” wife joined us) couldn’t be happier with the results…

Frog Legs – Completely not the legs I expected. More like a beautiful salad with hen of the woods mushrooms, sunchoke, deboned legs, and a very nice garlicky sauce

Mussels – Fantastic Maine mussels, some of the biggest I’v had. Along with potatoes and more great sauce which became the theme of the night

Escargot – Another classic that didnt look anything like the classic. Major garbanzo presence and more amazing (black garlic, sort of curry’ish) sauce

Tournedos Rossini – Great dish. Its essentially a Filet Mignon sitting on top of a brioche slice, and a piece of Foie gras on top of that. Didnt care for the Foie much, but the filet was perfectly cooked (medium rare, more toward rare) and very flavorful for a filet, perfect with that madeira sauce. I’m more convinced now that Filet Mignon can only be enjoyed with a nice Madeira sauce. Asparagus was a bit too buttery

Duck a l’Orange – Had a few bites and thought it was perfectly cooked, nicely crisped, delicious duck. Not too orangy, more of an orange hint

Black Bass – Another winner. More incredible sauce with dill and mint, perhaps the finest of the night

Maine Lobster Thermidor – Ordered by the “no sharing policy” member of the group who enjoyed it. It did not look like the messy Thermidor I’m accustomed to.

Profiteroles – Awesome

Chocolate Mousse with Passion fruit – Awesomer! Lately I shy away from the Mousses (Mice?) but this was different and with that bitter hints of the fruit absolutely delicious. Although the women didn’t care much for the bitterness.

On one of the walls there’s a mural depicting various French philosophers. From what I understand if you guess all the philosophers you get a free flu shot. We only guessed Voltaire, so left exposed but very well fed. Happy birthday Mrs Ziggy.

Categories: East Village, New York City | Tags: food, Le Philosophe, Le Philosophe NYC, NYC dining, NYC restaurants, restaurants | Leave a comment

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

Chote Nawab – Dinner and movie, without the movie

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Ziggy

As I’m munching on a fiery Indian snack I picked up at a deli in Curry Hill/Little India, I ask myself how come I don’t visit that area more often. I love Indian food, I eat Indian on a regular basis, and I love Bollywood movies. Ok, the last part is not really true. But whenever I pick my Indian order at Basera Indian Bistro I find myself staring at some pretty neat Bollywoody action for a few minutes. I think over the years I’ve watched an entire movie 2 minutes at the time. Just like with Full House episodes at home as my kids watch it religiously for some time now. My favorite part of that Bollywood movie is when the bad guy dies, the pretty girl is rescued, and a huge dance-off unfolds which includes the dead guy.

Chhote Nawab (with the extra h there) was a Bollywood movie, a bad one looks like according the 12 votes on IMDB. Why on earth would they name a restaurants after a terrible movie that received 12 votes on IMDB. Bloomberg do something! Is it because owner, Shiva Natarajan who owns more than 10 other establishments including 3 on the same block as Chote Nawab simply ran out of possible names? Ok, lets get to business…

Fantastic meal! I’m not sure I’ve had better Indian in NYC including some of the higher end spots

Waiter was extremely delighted with my first choice of the Tunde Ke kebab (“Very good choice sir”) as an app but then things went south in a hurry as he got a little annoyed when we asked for 2 main veggy dishes to bring with the first course as well. With that said I prefer a waiter that speaks his mind and we proceeded to have a nice chat later on.

The Tunde Ke kebab (pictured on top) was interesting but after a few bites I felt the need to have something else with it like the veggies or some sauce, which doesnt take anything away from the dish. It came sizzling in a dutch oven, with a spoon sitting on top which we could have used as a potato in a hot potato game.

Bindi Sasuralwali – it says on the menu “okra you would eat at your in laws house” – Flat out lie! Not my in laws I’ll tell you that. I’m not even sure they know what Okra is. But the dish was good and so was the eggplant with a nice peanut masala (Baghara Baigan Mirchi)

Shrimp Pappas was another sauce dish. Not one of my favorites but enjoyable nonetheless. Its cooked with Kokum, an Indian fruit and came with one dried Kokum which didnt taste that great but the dish overall worked well.

Lamb Biryani was one of the better Biryanis I’ve had. Tastes much better thna it looks. Comes with 2 sauces but I didnt feel the need for any. The only thing I wished I had ordered the goat instead if the lamb. Loved the bread covering it – nice touch. BTW, the garlic naan is very good here

The highlight for me was the Chicken Kori Gassi which was packed with flavor. Couldnt stop eating it. The chicken was super tender and very tasty. And a decent amount of heat as with most of the dishes we got

Overall, lets just say I took my time before I washed my hands later that day. Thoroughly enjoyed Chote Nawab

Chicken Kori Gassi

Categories: Gramercy, Flatiron, New York City | Tags: Chote Nawab, Chote Nawab nyc, food, NYC food, NYC restaurants, restaurants | 6 Comments

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

Dear Diary: What to order in Scarpetta

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Ziggy

Doctor’s Orders. That’s what I tell people sometimes when they ask me why I’ve started a blog. My doctor ordered me to start tracking what I eat. Not entirely true. My doctor cares more about what I should be snipping than eating. But the tracking part is true. I love the fact that I finally found a space where I can write about my eats in sort of an organized fashion, just in case I need to retrieve something. Like the other day when I took a group of friends to Beso, I simply looked at the site to see what we liked on our first visit. Or when someone asked us about our Israel itinerary. Brilliant!! 🙄

Something tells me I will need to revisit this post in the future. When my wife and visiting friend from Boston who we shall call Milena, because that’s her name, asked me to order for everyone I was like…(insert angel sound affect). On my second visit to Scarpetta I felt I perfected the ordering part a little more. Here’s one way to experience the best of Scarpetta

1st Course:

The bread – Still one of the best bread baskets in NYC, some of which comes from Sullivan Street Bakery I believe. Stromboli, a nice touch. This is like a full app and more

Raw Yellowtail – Wow! New for us this time. Thick buttery goodness with chunky sea salt. So so good!

Palenta with truffled mushrooms. Still amazing. Definitely one of the classics here. Very creamy, very good, and very grateful my wife does not eat mushrooms.

2nd course:

Spaghetti – Its almost silly calling it a signature dish since there are so many great items on the menu. But its definitely delicious and one of the best Spaghetti with red sauce and basil you will ever eat (likely). The sauce is probably still the best Ive had

Agnolloti – They keep changing the Agnolloti. This time with bone marrow and short rib. Last time with rabbit. But the main difference this time was the breadcrumby crunchy garlic chips. One of my favorite dishes here

3rd course:

Ravioli – Still terrific. stuffed with duck and Foie Gras with Marsala reduction. Although enjoyable I got bored with it eventually unlike some of the other dishes.

Roasted Chicken – Wow this was good. Nice and salty Spaetzle with some very tasty carrots. Chicken was moist and juicy. Enjoyed this much more than the cod last time. Chicken is sort of making a comeback for me in places like this. Trend started at Louro which delivered big time.

4th Course:

Warm Banana Bread – much better than the previous soupy mess of the coconut pana cotta. Great stout ice cream.

Chocolate cake – very good

Only problem was wait between courses was far from even and too rushed at times. They gave us 10 seconds to enjoy the great bread basket before bringing the apps. And the third course was brought in as soon as they took the plates.

Nevertheless Dear Diary, a perfect meal. Looking forward to next visit where I try nothing new

Categories: Chelsea, New York City | Tags: Chelsea restaurants, food, NYC dining, NYC food, NYC restaurants, restaurants, Scarpetta, Scarpetta NYC, Travel | 1 Comment

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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