Posts Tagged With: NYC

Jungsik Style

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Ziggy

Sorry about the grainy pictures. Looking for a new camera. And a photographer.

Part 1 of a crazy B-day eating weekend. Myself, the Hummus Whisperer, candle light, and a 10 courser which was more like 16 once you include all the freebies. Jungsik was just about on top of the places to try list. Gourmet Korean? Korean influenced American? Not too clear. But what I’m sure about is that this is fine dining that even Dennis Rodman can appreciate.

This was a truly spectacular meal and one of the top overall dining experiences we both ever had. From the beer, to the various flavors, surprises, and presentation. A total culinary triumph.

But with all that glitziness and professionalism we still could not help but imagine an Arirang-like scene where they dim the lights and crank out a crazy Jungsik style happy birthday routine. So immature!

Here’s a dish by dish recap…

Great bread trio especially the barley with raisin. I’m not sure if it was by design but we only got the bread around midway

An Amuse Bouche plate like I’ve never seen (below)

Wonderfully smoky clam chowder. One of the best I’ve had. I might as well copy the “one of the best I’ve had” line to the clipboard

First course of Foie Gras – One of the best I’ve had. Certainly the sweetest, and creamiest. What a glorious start

Yook Hwe – Enjoyed it although I enjoyed my seaweed risotto birthday freebie a bit more which came at the same time. Supposedly its a Korean tradition to eat this on birthdays as it adds a year to ones life. Ordered 50 more

Jungsik Salad – Cant even begin to describe this. Simply an amazing combination of flavors

Octopus – Another big hit. Braised for 3 hours, very tender and a wonderful soy pepper sauce compliments it so nicely. One of the best I’ve had

Pork Jowl – very good. Couldn’t decide if I liked it more without the slightly overwhelming accompanying Blue Cheese

Paella – With squid. Started slowly but was sort of growing on me and by the end I loved the dish and the aftertaste

Snapper – Terrific. So good looking I forgot to take a picture. Hot oil poured on the skin to integrate it nicely and give it that crispy texture. Very tasty.

Steak (top) – 2 pieces of savory Wagyu. I think I would prefer with only a touch of kimchee sauce or none but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

Desserts courses were great as well especially the pumpkin cheesecake. They added 2 more dessert courses and by the last course I was fighting it a little.

So there you have it. This is not cheap of course as the cost of the 10 course tasting is $155 and overall damage of around $450, but worth every penny. Check out Jungsik readers. Both of you!

Categories: New York City, TriBeCa | Tags: food, Jungsik, Jungsik NYC, NYC, NYC dining, NYC food, NYC restaurants, restaurants | 1 Comment

How I spent my Birthday Weekend

Posted on March 30, 2013 by Ziggy

Last weekend will forever be remembered as “The Weekend”. We are still talking about it. We are talking about it with people who don’t really care to hear about it. Like when you have young kids and talk about them constantly even with childless parents who don’t particularly care to hear that nonsense but you don’t care since you are getting a certain enjoyment out of it. Yes, it was that kind of weekend…

Friday – 10 courser at Jungsik with the Hummus Whisperer. One of the best meals I ever had at perhaps the only swanky Korean in the city. Somewhat romantic which made things a bit interesting and uncomfortable for HW. The food was truly a work of art. Foie Gras, salads like I never had before, and about 16 magnificent courses all together if you count all the freebies. And with all the glitziness and professionalism we couldnt help but imagine them dimming the lights for a minute and crank out a special Gangnam Style bday dance

Saturday – 10 courser with the wife at Aska. One of the most highly anticipated and talked about places in the city at the moment. Just us and 18 other diners incluing 2 that looked like Michelin inspectors at the back of an art studio in Williamsburg. Whelk (sea snails), Blood pudding crackers, dehydrated scallops, apple sauce with baby formula, heavy accent chefs come out to explain every dish was only part of the experience. One that we’ll never forget. Ok, there was no baby formula but thats the one place that can pull it off

Sunday – “Normal” meal with the family at Louro in West Village. On top of my list to try for so long no more. Did sort of a tasting menu of our own and besides a few surprising clunkers and a a fancy diner like feeling, another fantastic meal in the city. Some of the best chicken in recent memory. Sort of an American, Italian, Portuguese influenced menu that changes almost on a daily basis by a celebrity chef (David Santos) with a menu OCD

Monday – Unplanned lunch at Cafe Kashkar in Brighton Beach. Delicious Uighur food. Amazing Lagman noodles specialties including a ramen-like soup. Another example that you can find any cuisine you want in NYC. You Googling Uighur arent you?

Categories: New York City | Tags: Aska, Cafe Kashkar, food, Jungsik, Louro, NYC, NYC dining, NYC food, NYC restaurants, restaurants, Uighur | 1 Comment

My Top 10 bites of 2012 in NYC

Posted on January 11, 2013 by Ziggy

Some of the best eating we’ve done in 2012 was outside of NYC. Mainly in New Orleans, Israel, and Turks and Caicos. But there was plenty of eating in our back yard…

Marea – Astice. Nova Scotia lobster + creamy Burrata, + Eggplant al funghetto + beautiful pesto drops = pure ecstasy in every bite. I remember the feeling while eating it. The Spaghetti with crab and fusilli not too shabby either. Photo below courtesy of bionicgrrrl at Bionicbites

Zabb Elee – Pad Ped Moo Krob. Crispy fried and refried pork, green peppercorn, ginger, Thai eggplant and spicy curry. A lot of heat and a lot flavor
Aldea – Shrimp Alhinho – loved the dish, not the meal. Large succulent shrimp with a nice complex sauce. Well done!
Alta – bacon wrapped dates. Skip the other half of the dish (the olives) and get more of these babies. Bacon never tasted that good.
Scarpetta – Rabbit Agnolotti – Perfectly cooked rabbit in those pillowy delicate Agnolotti bursting with flavor (silence of the lambs sound)

Roberta’s – Bee sting pizza. Great tasting pie. Spicy Sopressata (spicier than other Sopressata I’ve had) and the added honey contributed to interesting contrasting flavors. Liked it more than Paulie Gee’s similar Delboy. Or maybe it was the waitresses Roberta's Bee Sting Pizza
Sanrasa – Lamprie. This Dutch influenced Sri Lankan classic is a piece of art. Rice, meat, curry, caramelized onions, cashews, all baked wrapped in banana leaf. What a great dish
Gazala’s Place – Hummus with lamb and pine nuts. Nuttiest, creamiest, freshest Hummus I’ve had in NYC.

Minetta Tavern – Black Label burger. Best burger we ever had. 50% of it is prime 48 day aged rib eye.

Danji – Chicken wings. This gourmet Korean tapas joint serves some mean chicken wings. Cant wait to have them again. Danji

Categories: New York City | Tags: Aldea, alta, danji, food, Gazala's Place, marea, Minetta Tavern, NYC, NYC food, NYC restaurants, restaurants, Roberta's, Scarpetta, Travel, Zabb Elee | 4 Comments

Hey reader, want to help Staten Island? Here’s how

Posted on November 11, 2012 by Ziggy

We spend our entire lives witnessing and discussing various disasters, natural or not, occurring all over the world. Its then somewhat surreal when one of those hits your back yard.

Its our turn to ask for help and here’s how you can…

Simply show up. Grab some supplies (masks, gloves) and perhaps even some pizza and simply show up anywhere in the affected areas like South Beach, Ocean Breeze, Midland Beach, Oakwood Beach, New Dorp Beach and Oakwood Beach.

Some of the neighborhoods like Ocean Breeze have set up a facebook page where you can get more details and meetup times. https://www.facebook.com/AngelsRelief

You can also follow “Occupy Sandy” on facebook and on http://interoccupy.net/occupysandy/. They give you some fairly specific needs at any given time.

If you want to send money that would go to Staten Island directly you can do so with the Sillar Foundation, www.tunneltotowers.org. Click on Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund, then check the box for “Staten Island“. If mailing a check put “Staten Island” on it.

You can also stop by at the Sillar Foundation headquarters at 2361 Hylan and drop supplies there. They are right in the middle of things arranging BBQ’s and helping out in a big way.

Other ways to help…

*The Red Cross is accepting donations of large packages of bottled water at their temporary kitchen, 2900 Veterans Rd. (Home Depot parking lot).

*Large donations (truckloads, shipping containers) can be sent to a 60,000-square-foot warehouse at New York Container Terminal at 300 Western Ave. near the entrance to the Goethals Bridge – secured by Molinaro and Rep. Michael Grimm — that is storing supplies for distribution to hurricane victims. Please call, (718) 816-2000 to coordinate delivery. Only large-scale donations will be accepted at this location.

*Volunteers are needed to drive, sort items and unload vehicles. They should report to Midland Beach (981 Father Capodanno Blvd).

*Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, who organized a cleanup of Midland, New Dorp, Oakwood and Cedar Grove beaches over the weekend, is continuing her efforts. Volunteers should bring what tools they can — rakes, shovels, push brooms and work gloves to help remove debris and help clean out homes damaged by the storm. In addition, manpower is needed to move donated items to the New York Container Terminal, said Ms. Malliotakis. “We are looking for trucking companies with trucks, U-Hauls or vans to transport goods to the container port,” she said.

*Project Hospitality is seeking volunteers and donations. People can register as volunteers, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Project Hospitality, 100 Park Ave., Port Richmond, to help receive donations and restock the organization’s storm-damaged warehouse. The organization is also taking donations of new socks, toiletries, canned food, heavy duty garbage bags, C and D batteries, underwear, sweatpants, sweatshirts, towels and blankets.

*Movement Church, based in Castleton Corners, is looking for volunteers to clean out destroyed homes, as well as donations of children’s clothing, socks, underwear, diapers and baby food. Clean-ups are taking place each day between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Volunteers can report to Hett Avenue and Marine Way. For more information call, 718-812-9894 or 718-216-9416.

*Donations of cash, goods, services, or to volunteer, can be made at: http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycservice/home.html.

*St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Bulls Head is accepting clothing, cleaning items and personal necessities.

*Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts will be collecting food from shoppers to help restock Project Hospitality’s pantry Saturday between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. at Pathmark at 2875 Richmond Ave. in New Springville, Key Food at 450 Forest Ave. in West Brighton, Shop Rite at 2424 Hylan Blvd. in New Dorp, Stop & Shop at 2754 Hylan Blvd. in New Dorp, Pathmark at 3501 Amboy Rd. in Prince’s Bay and Key Food at 778 Manor Road in Westerleigh.

*Young Israel is collecting donations of cleaning supplies, such as garbage bags, gloves, bleach and mops that can be left in the lobby of 835 Forest Hill Rd. in Willowbrook.

*Those interested in volunteering with the Red Cross can call 1-877-RED CROSS or consult http://www.nyredcross.org. To make a monetary donation, text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to automatically give a $10 donation.

*The Mayor’s Fund to Advance the City of New York, which has a Hurricane Relief Fund, is accepting donations at: http://www.nyc.gov/html/fund/html/donate/donate.shtml.

*United Way Hurricane Sandy Recovery Fund is accepting monetary donations, which can be made online at http://www.uwsandyrecovery.org. A $10 donation can be made by texting the word RECOVERY to 52000.

*New Dorp Moravian Church needs baby clothing, baby food and formula, blankets, towels, sheets, pillow cases and pillows. The church will be serving food on Saturday. Donations are being accepted at the Diforte Agency at 1194 Hylan Blvd. between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Wednesday to Friday.

*Silver Lake Masonic Lodge in Port Richmond and Silver Queen Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star joined together to provide non-perishable food, water, clothing and other necessities. They need donations of cleaning supplies. For more information, call 347-416-3288 or tmartin@rwdsu.org.

Categories: New York City, Staten Island | Tags: food, Hurricane sandy, NYC, Staten Island, Travel | Leave a comment

Sleep No More – Random Thoughts

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Ziggy

Sleep No More is a unique NYC theatre experience set in a so-called “abandoned” hotel called the McKittrick Hotel. Instead of watching a play unfold you run around up and down stairs wearing a mask following characters from room to room and watch various dream-like sequences of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. I will not bore you with any specific details but instead I WILL bore you with various Random Thoughts I had from scene to scene…

Scene 1 – Well, this is interesting

Scene 2 – I wonder who wore the mask before me

Scene 3 – what’s up with the mad rush. Joining the mad rush. Losing the mad rush after the couple before us exited prematurely

Scene 4 – I can’t breath through the mask and I’m starting to sweat. almost profusely

Scene 5 – where did I park my car

Scene 6 – I swear to god if this woman steps on my toes one more time I’m tackling her.

Scene 6- oh! it’s my wife

Scene 7 – getting hungry. should have made resvs at Mineta Tavern instead of rubirosa.

Scene 8 – Wow, this scene is intense. Wonder how far we can go if we try to recreate it at home.

Scene 8 – tired of holding my wife’s hand

Scene 9 – what if we can get bar seats at Mineta. We need to start eating at the bar like the cool folks

Scene 10 – Now sweating profusely.

Scene 11 – Wait a minute I’ve seen this scene already

Scene 12 – I tell the wife that it’s important for us to follow lady Macbeth after this scene. I did not tell her that I got that info from a blog post about how to get the most nudity from the show. Hey don’t judge. That’s the first thing that google brought up when I typed sleep no more.. and nudity.

Scene 12 – I should have paid more attention when we learned about this in school.

Scene 13- trouble breathing again. What if I get a heart attack right here during this scene. Will they take off my mask? If they do would everybody just converge near me to see what I’ll do next? Perhaps it’s best if they leave the mask. Will the paramedics need to wear masks too? Not a good place to have a heart attack

Scene 14 – wow, she has small…

Scene 15 – Wheres the exit

Scene 16- mistakenly found 2 more scenes while looking for the exit

Categories: New York City | Tags: Art, NYC, Sleep no more, Theatre, Travel | 4 Comments