Posts Tagged With: Travel

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

What to Eat in Smorgasburg Dumbo

Posted on September 26, 2013 by Ziggy

A semi lazy post if you will. If you havent made it to Smorgasburg Dumbo you have until November 24th. Every Sunday in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Ribs, Jerk chicken from Royal Cuisine. While not exactly falling off the bone, fairly flavorful if you crave the jerk

Short ribs from Takumi Taco – Absolutely delicious! One of my favorite items here

Lobster rolls from Red Hook Lobster Pound – A no doubter

Porchetta from Porchetta – I’ve had it in the East Village location and this cant be that different

Baguette from Pain d’Avignon – One tip I got from Chowhound. This is one of NYC’s best baguettes. Try getting it from the Essex market for maximum deliciousness

Pastrami Dumplings from Brooklyn Wok Shop – Very Nice!

Brisket Sandwich from Mighty Quinn’s – Angels singing! But if the line is too long you may turn into a food messenger for a while while your SO stands on line.

Red Curry coconut Chicken with cashews bun from Bite Size Kitchen – Well done! (chicken sandwich on the right)

Truffled Adobo Mushroom Rolls from Lumpria Shack – Filipino Spring Rolls never tasted this good – well, I’m not sure I ever had them but you get the idea

Black and White Cookies from Lassen & Hennings – I didnt have any but the rest of the family did and absolutely loved them. So much so that I didnt have a chance to take a picture

Categories: Brooklyn, New York City | Tags: Bite Size Kitchen, Brooklyn Wok Shop, food, Lassen & Hennings, Lumpria Shack, Mighty Quinn's, Pain d'Avignon, Porchetta, restaurants, Smorgasburg, Smorgasburg Dumbo, Takumi Taco, Travel | 3 Comments

10 Things To Eat In Florence

Posted on September 21, 2013 by Ziggy

It was like seeing your dentist in the supermarket. Flying from Newark, the last thing I wanted to see upon landing in Florence was standing there in all its glory, IKEA! And it was not your average IKEA, no. This was a mean and scary one. I mean the Airport is located in its parking lot! I did not come 4182.6 miles which included a scenic tour around Charles de Gaulle on a shuttle from hell to eat Swedish Meatballs. I needed to see pizza ASAP and 90 minutes later I did.

When in Florence, or Rome, or anywhere else pretty much, leave your eating habits behind. Forget the bread with butter, your evening cappuccino, your well done steak. Eat and drink like a local and let the chefs do their thing without asking for alterations. When we went to Portugal a few years ago we kept hearing about the Portuguese obsession with Bacalhau, and how they can make it in 365 different ways, for every day of the year. Well, we must have picked the 2 worst days. Tried it once and hated it just enough to try again at one of the top spots in Porto, and hated it even more. However, the opposite was true with Porto’s famous 5 meat beast, Francesinha. I expected to hate it but absolutely loved it. For every Bacalhau there are 10 Francesinhas sitting there waiting for you. A statement borderline offensive.

Anyway, here are 10 items to try in Florence. Some unique to Florence, some unique to Tuscany, while some aren’t unique at all. Hey, its my list and I’ll do what I want to. But feel free to comment on anything that I’m missing of course. In no particular order…

1) Pizza/Bakery. Yes I know, I know, Pizza is not a Florence thing. Leave it to Rome or Naples. But it doesn’t mean there’s no great pizza here. Try Pugi while visiting David or San Marco. Grab a number, and while you wait look at all the Foccacia and Schiacciate coming out of the oven. Then point to what you want, point to your mouth, show them the size you want with both hands (like an NFL referee showing how many inches are left for the first down) and you are all set. The smells alone at Pugi is worth going. Another popular pizza option is Gusta Pizza near the Pitti Palace

Pugi Florence 2) Bistecca alla Fiorentina – This is a no brainer and required eating by local law. A massive bloody rare Chianina raised Porterhouse cooked to perfection. Cooking it any differently will result in what I call a Paris Hilton – Pretty to look at but with zero substance. My personal preference however in the region is Tagliata style, which is sliced Chianina and served with with olive oil and spices. Just about every Trattoria in Florence offers it seems like. All’Antico Ristoro Di Cambi and its 21 day aged Bistecca, Trattoria Mario, and Sostanza are good bets

3) Pappa al Pomodoro. Tomato and bread sounds as sexy as a George Costanza pose, but surprisingly delicious when done right. Garlic, Basil, Pepper, spices are added accordingly to create this beautiful dish. Try it at Da Ruggero. And while you at it try the Ribollita, essentially bread, white beans and veggies.

4) Crostini – Talking about bread, more please. You wont find many great bread baskets in Florence or Italy as a whole but I love everything else they do with the bread. The Tuscan Crostini, rich buttery liver goodness is the perfect starter. Especially when paired with savory Salumi like the fennel studded Finocchiona (so so good). Try the liver crostini at La Pentola dell’Oro, or better yet the entire assortment plate they offer.

5) Pollo al Burro at Sostanza – Perhaps the most celebrated single dish in Florence. Chicken with butter! Or is it butter with chicken, not sure. Rest assured there’s plenty. Check out this dish and the rest of our meal at Sostanza here

6) Panini – This goes hand in hand with #9. In Italy Panini simply means sandwich (other than sandwich made of sliced bread) and trying all the various sandwiches in foreign countries is always fun. Try any of the tripe stands all over town, Bollito with Salsa Verde (Boiled beef with green salsa) in Nerbone, top notch ingredients in legendary ‘Ino, and something we truly enjoyed: mini sandwiches at Procacci. They are known for the truffle sandwiches but we really enjoyed the rest of the lineup as well. Don’t eat the biscotti sampler.. you will wind up buying a case for your entire family and your neighbor, even though their dog is annoyingly wakes you up early in the morning and is ugly. Had to get it off my chest

7) Pici – Pici is more of a regional dish and you will see Pici predominantly featured in the country side. Its essentially a thick round spaghetti, very “meaty”, very delicious, and very absent in the USA. When we learned how to make Pici in Montelpulciano our instructor made us add a little big of egg, though normally its eggless. Try it anywhere with any ragu like cinghiale (wild boar).

8) Anything in Mercato Centrale – Here I am torn. I need help from the locals as I see 3 options. A stupendously cheap full meal at Nerbone (inside the market), or just walk around the market and try everything in sight including the cured meats and cooked on the spot fresh seafood. Or, both of the above. 2 trips here would be ideal

9) Tripe – Ok, I have to admit, this is my Bacalhau in Florence. Meaning I wasn’t exactly crazy about what I tried. The plate of Lampredotto I tried at a restaurant that shell remain nameless was the worst thing I ever ate in Italy. Lampredotto is made from the fourth stomach of the cow. Maybe I’m just a first and second stomach kinda guy, or maybe this tripe thing is not for me. Either way, I tried it, I hated it, and I’m taking you all down with me. I mean, YOU may like it. Thats what I’m trying to say

10) Gelato – I started with something that isn’t so much a Florence thing and I’m ending with something thats definitely is. Some of the best Gelato in the world is right here, but you need to do a little homework in order to take advantage of this artisanal craftsmanship. We tried all sorts of Gelato all over town. Pretty much anything that starts with “Cara” is good (cara I think means delicious ice cream!) as in Carabe and Carapina. Gelateria dei Neri was another winner

What not to try in florence:

1) Swedish Meatballs

Categories: Florence, Italy | Tags: florence, florence eats, Florence restaurants, food, Italy, restaurants, Travel, What to eat in Florence | 15 Comments

Piccola Trattoria Guastini – Meal Of The Year

Posted on September 10, 2013 by Ziggy

August 21st, 2019 Update

Allora, so which is my favorite restaurant in Tuscany? A question I get asked often. Its actually easier for me to answer this than naming my favorite NY restaurant these days. The answer is Piccola Trattoria Guastini in the little hamlet I call Torrita di Siena, because thats what its called. The post I’m bumping is also to announce a location change. Emanuela and Davide Guastini moved the restaurant from close to home in Valiano to the other side of the Autostrada, 12 km north of Montepulciano.

The title refers to the meal we had here in 2013. But this one was not too shabby either. New location, same family, new atmospheric terrace with some of the best views in town. Although Davide seemed to age a little so I dont know if I can wait another 6 years to visit this gem. His wife Emanueala however, hasnt missed a beat. A super versatile chef who is like Houdini in that kitchen.

Piccola Trattoria Guastini - Faraona

One can spend hours on that terrace. And we did. But before you knew it, we were munching on delicate eggplant parm featuring fresh, tangy tomato with buffalo mozzarella. Then came the same great crostini with creamy chicken liver, onion and apple we had last time. Superb Pici topped with tomatoless Ragu of Chianina, the local cattle so prized its announced on the menu. It always amazes me how the Tuscan extract so much flavor from such little meat. And of course there was Tortelli again, packed with that addictive fresh ricotta.

That versatility is especially showing with meats, particularly game birds. This time we enjoyed a fantastic, most tender Faraona (guinea fowl) with pistachios and raisins. And a roasted Maialino – delightfully salty, crunchy, and fatty in all the right places. Like slow dancing with your mother-in-law. A proper Tiramisu, and an even better Ricotta with honey. All enjoyed with a Pieropan 2015 Soave. GO!

Piccola Trattoria Guastini - Picci e Tortelli

September 10, 2013 Post (Old Location)

The “Saving the best for last” cliché doesn’t quite make sense to me in this context. How do you know its the best if you haven’t done it yet. Surely it can turn out merely “pretty good”, or perhaps one of the earlier meals rises to the occasion. With that said, I cant help but anticipate and suspect whether I’m leaving the best for last sometimes. Piccola Trattoria Guastini, our last meal in Tuscany was not only the best meal in Tuscany, it was the best meal of the entire 12 day trip which included about 20 pretty good ones.

Emanuela and Davide Guastini run this popular spot in the tiny village of Valiano not too far from Montepulciano. Sunflower galore on the way there from the Cortona direction. Gorgeous terrace overlooking the area I can only describe as “the other side of A1” which doesn’t sound as sexy as the real name I keep forgetting (Val di Chiana). Everything was working that night – the sublime food, the wine, the mood, the comfort, the gracious hosts, and the one ingredient missing from just about every other place we visited, locals.

Started with, what else, more amazing crostini this time with chicken liver and caramelized onions – sweet and savory. Followed that with an ultra fresh Caprese salad. Cant get much better than this. Tortelli with ricotta were topped with fresh tomatoes and basil, almost resulted in a family feud (I won simply by staring). One particular stunner was the ravioli stuffed with pigeon with 2 succulent pieces to boot. Our first pigeon of the trip resulted in a messy moment of silence.

More deliciousness followed in the form of fried rabbit which we couldnt get enough of. Glorious duck encrusted with fennel, one of those dishes you know will be good as soon as it arrives. My nose and sense of smell were working overtime that night.

I had a long talk with Davide about food and after voicing my slight disappointment with the Bisteccas in Florence and the region, he comes back minutes later with a full plate of Tagliata, sliced Chianina beef perfectly cooked with olive oil. This was absolutely delicious. Who knew that the best steak of the trip would be the free one. Great desserts here as well. Panna Cotta with chocolate sauce, ricotta mousse with honey and hazelnuts (seems like a specialty here in the region) and a fine tiramisu.

It was packed with locals which was not surprising considering the restaurant was suggested by a restaurant owner in Montepulciano. Reservations are a must. If you want a quick meal, this is certainty not the place. Like Da Roberto and many of the other places we visited, Guastini oozes Slow Food freshness. A meal you need to experience at least once on vacation. Guastini is why I come to Italy

Categories: Italy, Tuscany | Tags: food, Guastini Tuscany, Guastini valiano, Italy, Piccola Trattoria Guastini, restaurants, Travel, tuscany, Tuscany restaurants | 11 Comments

HKSG – The Update

Posted on September 7, 2013 by Ziggy

5.7 pounds (and counting) and 3 months later it is time to update this beast. But first a word from our sponsors… oops we have none. But, I do want to say a few words about this list because it became more popular than the original intent.

This list is not for everyone. If you are looking for the prototypical pre-theatre dinner where you are nicely dressed, most of these options are not for you. This list is all about the food, mostly on the casual, cheap side, and mostly really its about what Hell’s Kitchen does best – ethnic food. If you want to eat at a “Nice” place than I suggest picking a different area. If you are looking for that special pre-theatre meal and really care about the food than I would suggest looking at places that are not in the area but not too far. i.e. Betony, Marea, NoMad, The Modern. You are already spending $300 for a show, surely you can afford a $5 cab fare to add. Although after a nice long meal, I rather take a nice long walk.

The complete guide is here…

https://eatingwithziggy.com/2013/06/27/the-hells-kitchen-survival-guide/

Here’s whats being added to the guide…

Italian – Mercato. This is quickly becoming not only my favorite Italian in the area but my favorite restaurant in the area. I cant quite explain how I missed it all those years. Truly flavorful, mostly authentic southern Italian dishes like the excellent homemade Trenette with garlic, almonds, tomato and basil. Check out the simple spaghetti, and the flavor rich gnocchi. Owners from Sardinia, chef from day 1 from Sicily, good looking all Italian wait staff means I fit right in.

Thai – Larb Ubol. My favorite is still Pure overall but this new kid on the block is quickly gaining traction. Larb Ubol is an offshoot of Zabb Elee in the East Village, specializing in authentic Isan cooking. Like Pure, some of these dishes not for the faint of heart. Even more so here actually. If you want your typical American Thai dishes this is not the place. Go to something like Kare Thai on 10th or Wondee Siam 2 instead. In Larb Ubol what you get is complex flavors like you never experienced before (unless you did!). Try the Pad Ped Moo Crob – Crispy pork, thai eggplant, basil, peppercorn, ginger, and spicy curry paste

Ramen – Ippudo Westside. Perhaps the most exciting HK opening in 2013. One block away from Totto making HK a NYC Ramen powerhouse. Just like Totto, this is an experience but quite a different one, starting with all the yelling in Japanese every time a new guest arrives, leaves, a dish on its way, or a guest going to the bathroom. I have no idea what they are yelling but its fun, and after a few minutes you start to yell as well. Clearly my favorite here so far is the Akamaru Modern, but you must add the egg, and for a little more spice add the spicy miso paste. Highly recommend this one

Chicken Over Rice Guy – 11th and 51st (Northwest corner). Every neighborhood has a favorite chicken over rice guy. This one is mine. Try the chicken over rice!

Tried a few other new places like Nook… Feh!

Randon tidbits on existing places…

Szechuan Gourmet 56 – I had my first terrible meal here, followed by an excellent meal. Keeping it on the list for now but inconsistency will not fly

Gazala’s Place – I’m not big of the Bourekas overall, but the cheese and sun dried tomato Bourekas here is the bomb. The bomb I tell ya

Sullivan Street Bakery – Quickly becoming one of my favorite breakfast places in the area. Discovering all kinds of bread goodies lately

Guelaguetza – Spicy chicken burrito is now officially my favorite Burrito in the area. Readers, its official!

The Complete Guide…

https://eatingwithziggy.com/2013/06/27/the-hells-kitchen-survival-guide/

Categories: Midtown West, New York City | Tags: food, Hells kitchen, Ippudo NYC, Larb Ubol NYC, Mercato NYC, NYC dining, NYC restaurants, restaurants, Travel | Leave a comment

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

Lazy Post – Morning in Trastevere

Posted on September 1, 2013 by Ziggy

When in Rome… do as the tourists do. Explore all the major sites which can take about 3 days. But, it pays to stay a few extra days and explore some neighborhoods such as Trastevere. As is the case with other major cities in Europe we visited, we prefer to stay away from the center, in a more residential area. I rather open my window to a line of laundry in the morning rather than an Eifel Tower, or Colosseum. When leaving to do our thing as tourists I like to see the locals starting their daily routines, kids going to school, Orange Yogi man preparing for work. Trastevere, although a bit more touristy than I imagined in the evenings (those damn pesky tourists) was just that in the mornings…

Categories: Italy, Rome | Tags: Italy, Rome, Trastevere, Travel | 4 Comments

Confessions of a Citibiker

Posted on August 30, 2013 by Ziggy

On a balmy August Monday, as I sweep ever so dangerously between a sea of cabbies on 8th ave in Midtown, I reach a red light. And within seconds I’m surrounded by 5 other frontal balding middle aged men looking “Heisenberg” tough on those blue Citibikes. We all look at each other with a sense of accomplishment, uber coolness, until we smoothly shift attention to the lowly pedestrians crossing the street. Say my name pedestrians!

Ok, I need to stop watching Breaking Bad. It affects my sex life and now my writing style. But I did join the Citibike program 6 weeks ago with an annual membership. Today, I got notice that the credit card they have on file will soon expire and I spent no time rushing to correct the issue. Which means I cant be without it even for a day. Citibike is the best thing that happened in NYC since the invention of General Tso’s Chicken.

I somehow convinced myself that one reason to join was to lose some weight. I was only about 5-10 pounds overweight, but I figured that if I join, riding the bikes will give me that much needed exercise I lack in my daily routine. Well, I gained 5 pounds since I started. Not 5 pounds of muscle. 5 pounds of glorious white fat. And the reason is fairly simple. The bike takes me to more food and I eat more. Last night I took the bike to Di Palo, a store in Little Italy, and now my fridge is stocked will all sorts of Italian imported Salumi and truffled Pecorino cheese. Last week I met a friend at the Chelsea Market where we shared all kinds of goodies together. I’m discovering all sorts of new 9th ave possibilities that were not very easily reached pre Citibike, and I go there alone since non of my coworkers have memberships. The bikes are a game changer. But with the weight thing and eating more solo, something will have to give. As of now I vote for anti social and weight gain.

Ok, I’m half kidding about the anti social stuff. The truth is I’m actually meeting quite a few people while using the bikes, whether meeting someone at a bar for lunch (no worries Mrs Z its just casual sex. Not true love) or a tourist struggling with the process of getting a bike which is very common for first timers. The other day I helped a German couple take out their bikes and besides the fact that at that moment my breath was sporting a garlicky, peppery mess courtesy of Szchechuan Gourmet where things got mildly uncomfortable, it was pleasant meeting and talking to them. A few days ago I met a Russian ~~stunner~~ student who was having a hard time with one particular station so I walked her to the nearest station. Although I had to go back to work she really needed some help.

And now to the big confession you’ve been waiting for. I, Ziggy, am not wearing a helmet! Why aren’t you wearing a helmet Ziggy? Good question Timothy. Here’s why…

1) I don’t like wearing helmets

2) Its not like the bikes can go very fast. There are 3 speeds… slow, slower, and Angela Lansbury. You can pedal as fast as you can (and look like a dork as a result) and still stop within 2 seconds.

3) Not that many are wearing helmets. 50% of all bikers out there wearing helmets and less than 25% Citibikers wear them. The ones that do look like dorks, especially the ones on the Angela Lansbury speed. The other NYC phenomenon, walkers who text and cross the street while doing so need helmets more.

4) In order for me to wear a helmet I would pretty much need to carry one at all times. Take my helmet on the bus, to work, take it to lunch, and take it back home.

5) The most important reason. The cool factor. You cant look cool on those bikes no matter how hard you try. On my first ride I got yelled by an old lady “Arent you too old to ride on the sidewalk? idiot!”. That was my grandma. Sometimes you have no choice but ride on the sidewalk a little bit to avoid traffic. I already touched on the speed issue and how dorky you look when you pedal like superman in order to go 3 miles per hour. And then there’s that old 1 hand move trick. You see a beautiful girl and suddenly you are cruising ever so smoothly with only one hand. Doesn’t quite work on the Citibike, I tried. Today I saw someone ride a regular bike with no hands, while texting. Now he looked cool even with the helmet.

But don’t try that at home kids. Citibikes like I said is the best thing that ever happened to NYC. Riding on the west side by the Hudson especially is such a delight. The inner Ziggy comes out of hibernation, free to explore, and eat more while doing so

Categories: New York City | Tags: Citibike, New York City, NYC, Travel | 2 Comments

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

Parking in Tuscany – The Survival Guide

Posted on August 22, 2013 by Ziggy

After reading the helpful tips below, click here to view the parking maps.

So you decided to rent a car in Tuscany? Mazal Tov! Here’s what you need to do first…

1) Get up and dim the lights

2) Open that bottle of Prosecco you were saving for that special occasion. The special occasion is here.

3) Open your laptop and pump up this baby in the background…

4) Go to Google Maps and start “Google Driving” all over Tuscany. Thats it. Rinse and repeat the next day

What is Google Driving you ask? Its driving using Google’s “Street View” feature. If you haven’t been using it to prepare for a trip somewhere, you need to start now.

While you are at it, you need to get familiar with ZTL

And now, everything you always wanted to know about parking in Tuscany (But were too afraid to ask). Thats one of the most common questions on the boards and I spent more than my fair share looking for the most convenient lots while avoiding the dreaded ZTL signs. Your GPS doesnt care about ZTL zones. But Ziggy does!

So here’s what you need to know. Click on each map to enlarge and save the locations to your maps as needed. Disregard the “A” flags on the map and focus on where the little guy is

Note: I had to move the map to this page…

https://eatingwithziggy.com/where-to-park-in-tuscany/

Categories: Italy, Tuscany | Tags: Italy, Parking in Tuscany, Travel, tuscany | 4 Comments

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