The pigs have been replaced by marlins and the barbecue with fish, but many of the bones of the old Brother Jimmy's space on 2nd Avenue remain in its new incarnation as Ziggy's, a mezcal and mariscos bar opening next week. Corrugated metal and wooden barrels fit the California (as opposed to Carolina) vibe equally, it seems, but the uniquely-shaped bar and the Skee ball have been nixed in favor of a more open floor plan. If it sounds like I know a lot, I do: I worked for the company for five years before decamping to the blogosphere.
Noah Arenstein, proprietor of excellent new Mexican eatery El Atoradero in Prospect Heights, teamed up with Brother Jimmy himself, Jimmy Goldman, to open Ziggy's. Here, Arenstein's knowledge of mezcal will be put to good use. Cocktails skew "retro California," according to Arenstein, which means tiki offerings like Pain Killers ($13) and Mai Tais ($14) made with mezcal. Brother Jimmy's notorious Swamp Water fishbowls (mercifully) aren't returning, but a Scorpion Bowl ($30) has moved in to take its place.
Though the food offerings include a wide range of Mexican and Mexican-inspired dishes, seafood's the main attraction. "It's really not a thing that they have in New York City," Arenstein says of mariscos. "Big seafood platters, some of it bathed in butter or cooked in Mexican beer. It's Pacific coast of Mexico seafood bowls."
Platters serve between one and six people and come filled with oysters, clams, crab claws, scallops and mussels with a side of Ziggy's Sauce, their take on the typical guajillo chili sauce served with the seafood. Raw preparations includine oysters ($1 for happy hour and on Mondays) and the Pacific Seafood Cocktail ($15), shrimp calamari and crab served in a tomato sauce with tortilla chips.
Ziggy's is slated to open Monday.
1485 2nd Avenue
