I know I sound like Jerry Seinfeld, but what's the deal with the chain pizza places in New York City? I just don't get it. By chain, I'm not talking about Ray's or Abitino's or anything like that. I'm talking about those chains you find in the midwest like Domino's and Papa Johns.
The only arguement that wins with these chains is that its cheaper. No one can possibly say that pizza from these places is better. The crust is always soggy, the sauce tastes canned, the toppings aren't fresh. Simply put, these pizzas are awful. And yet people still order from these places. Some of Mike's co-workers actually request this pizza.
The question is, if you are tight on cash, is it actually worth ordering from these places? As a case study, I selected 10 random pizza delivery places and priced their large cheese pizza. I then compared them against Papa Johns and Dominos. All results were based on prices per menupages.com:
Abitino's- $15.95 (15 inch)
NY Delicious Pizza- $13
Pizza & Pita- $13
Bravo Pizza- $17.07
Ray's-$16.50
Low-End Average- $15.10
Artichoke- $20
Mozzarelli's-$16
Two Boots- $16.95
Pizza 33- $17.50
Adrienne's- $16.50
High-End Average- $17.39
And per the chain pizza place websites:
Domino's- $12.99
Papa John's $12.99
Chain vs. low end- $2.11 more for low end
Chain vs. high end- $4.40 more for high end
Based on these price differences, I can understand if someone doesn't want to pay an extra $4.40 for a high end pizza. However, not ordering from a low end place for $2.11 more is absurd. Now, I understand that might be a decent amount of money to some people, but if you are working/living in Manhattan, $2.11 is nothing. Additionally, I think that generally the pizzas are larger from real pizzerias than from the chains, so you may even have leftovers, which makes it completely worth it. A chain pizza place is not that much cheaper than a lower end new york pizzeria. Please spread the word and stop eating this crap.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Top Chef
I just mentioned that I love Top Chef. Great show- I watched it from the beginning.
Since the new season just started, I thought I would share my top contestants. The ones I'm listing are the ones I like in general. I am listing them in order of who I think has the best chance to win, along with their odds at this point in the competition:
Fabio- (3 to 2) Great cook, funny, judges like him, seems to know when to keep things simple
Leah- (2 to 1) New yorker, cute, jewish... seems to be a solid chef- I just think she is likeable
Stefan- (3 to 1) Great chef but a bit too serious
Jamie- (3 to 1) Did poorly this week, but she seems to be one of the best
Jeff- (7 to 1) Just seems like a professional. Reminds me of a good friend...sayings save us
Ariane- (8 to 1) Won this weeks challenge. To me, she is a hometown favorite
Hosea- (15 to 1) I like him, but he hasn't stood out yet. Seems like he is playing it safe
Gene- (25 to 1) Not clasically trained, but seems like he knows his stuff- definitely an underdog
Since the new season just started, I thought I would share my top contestants. The ones I'm listing are the ones I like in general. I am listing them in order of who I think has the best chance to win, along with their odds at this point in the competition:
Fabio- (3 to 2) Great cook, funny, judges like him, seems to know when to keep things simple
Leah- (2 to 1) New yorker, cute, jewish... seems to be a solid chef- I just think she is likeable
Stefan- (3 to 1) Great chef but a bit too serious
Jamie- (3 to 1) Did poorly this week, but she seems to be one of the best
Jeff- (7 to 1) Just seems like a professional. Reminds me of a good friend...sayings save us
Ariane- (8 to 1) Won this weeks challenge. To me, she is a hometown favorite
Hosea- (15 to 1) I like him, but he hasn't stood out yet. Seems like he is playing it safe
Gene- (25 to 1) Not clasically trained, but seems like he knows his stuff- definitely an underdog
Stanton Social
I really like food. I love eating, I love going out to eat, I love creative food, I don't mind cooking sometimes. Top Chef is one of my favorite TV shows, but that is for another post.
The other night I went to Stanton Social for dinner with Diana. I really love that place. You know, the food is good, its not amazing. But it tastes good, and its fun. I think that is what matters the most to me.
They basically have a lot of small plates that you can share. For our meal, I started with a Jalapeno, blood orange margarita. Then we shared spicy glazed edamame, tuna tartare roll, squid lettuce wraps, a kobe slider, and a grilled cheese slider. In the past, I've also had the french onion soup dumpings, the sweet and sour spring roll, and some other stuff. I think I just love little food- cocktail hours, hours 'd vours, all that stuff. That is one of my restaurant ideas- all you can eat cocktail hour food. Every meal would be like a party- who wouldn't like that?
The other night I went to Stanton Social for dinner with Diana. I really love that place. You know, the food is good, its not amazing. But it tastes good, and its fun. I think that is what matters the most to me.
They basically have a lot of small plates that you can share. For our meal, I started with a Jalapeno, blood orange margarita. Then we shared spicy glazed edamame, tuna tartare roll, squid lettuce wraps, a kobe slider, and a grilled cheese slider. In the past, I've also had the french onion soup dumpings, the sweet and sour spring roll, and some other stuff. I think I just love little food- cocktail hours, hours 'd vours, all that stuff. That is one of my restaurant ideas- all you can eat cocktail hour food. Every meal would be like a party- who wouldn't like that?
Website Lineup
Everyone has a website lineup, right? You know, your go-to sites. When nothing else is going on, you run through the lineup, site after site, until you went through them all. And then, you start over again, and hope that something new was added to one of your sites in the meantime. It's the circle of life.
Well it has been a slow week at work waiting on financial statements from the client. I have really made the rounds on my lineup (which is why I started this blog in the first place). The following is my current lineup, in order of frequency:
espn.com
fantasysports.yahoo.com
metsblog.com
mlbtraderumors.com
wsj.com
dealbreaker.com
nymag.com
nyt.com
baseballmusings.com
fantasybaseballgenerals.com
hardballtimes.com
imdb.com
netflix.com
Those are the regulars, of course I throw a bunch of randoms in every now and then.
Well it has been a slow week at work waiting on financial statements from the client. I have really made the rounds on my lineup (which is why I started this blog in the first place). The following is my current lineup, in order of frequency:
espn.com
fantasysports.yahoo.com
metsblog.com
mlbtraderumors.com
wsj.com
dealbreaker.com
nymag.com
nyt.com
baseballmusings.com
fantasybaseballgenerals.com
hardballtimes.com
imdb.com
netflix.com
Those are the regulars, of course I throw a bunch of randoms in every now and then.
Mets Off-Season
I am an absolutely huge Mets fan. An obsessive Mets fan is more like it. I have a baby shirt of the Mets 1986 world championship. My Dad was at the first Met game at Shea Stadium. It is in my blood.
Its been quite a run for the past few years. I keep saying each year and tragic loss that passes will make it that much sweeter. Hopefully I am right. I was at game 7 of the NLCS in 2006 when the Mets blew it to the Cardinals (the game with Endy's catch). I was at John Maine's near no-hitter in the second to last game of the season in 2007 (Glavine's stellar outing was the following game). I was at The Last Game at Shea this year, which despite the loss was a pretty cool experience. I'm going to miss Shea- a lot of great memories. I kind of grew up there. Seeing pictures of it dismantled is pretty crazy, but I can't wait for CitiTaxpayerField.
In fact, over Thanksgiving weekend my Dad, brother, and I bought tickets for opening day. My Dad can now say he was at first/last at Shea, and first at CitiField. Pretty cool.
So what the heck should the Mets do now that its the offseason? Here is my game plan:
Bullpen: Sign Wood or K-Rod to a 3 year deal. K-Rod is only 26. Its the length that worries me, so if we can get him for 3 years, I think its a no brainer. Fuentes makes me nervous- he's lost the closer job before. Sign some strong middle reliever arms- Juan Cruz, Joe Beimel, Brandon Lyon. I'd almost rather trade for a young, live arm than sign a free agent. Its all about power these days, and guys like that come out of nowhere sometimes (Grant Balfour on the Rays comes to mind).
Outfield: We have a great offense. We just need a solid middle of the order bat. I like Raul Ibanez, and given the surplus of outfielders this year, I think we can get him for a reasonable deal.
2nd Base: Castillo has to go. He promises he will be in better shape this year? He should have thought of that before he gave up on last season. Talk about a fat and happy free agent. Sign Orlando Hudson. Eat Castillo's contract.
Starters: We need to replace Ollie, and we need a #5. For the #5, sign the cheapest out of Garland, Byrd, or Wolf to push Niese. Someone always gets hurt- might as well have 6 guys to throw out there. As for the #2, I like Sheets and Lowe. To me, Burnett has no track record. Sheets has a track record- he's injury prone. But when he's healthy he's an ace- more so than Burnett. If I'm going to take a risk, it is Sheets. He is the kind of guy that can put you over the top. I like Lowe a lot for the Mets- great sinker, reliable. It is all about the contract though, and I have a feeling he is going to be too pricey.
Lineup: Reyes, Hudson, Wright, Beltran, Delgado, Ibanez, Church, Schneider
Rotation: Santana, Sheets/Lowe, Maine, Pelfrey, Garland/Byrd/Wolf/Niese
Bullpen: K-Rod/Wood, Juan Cruz, Beimel/Lyon, Smith, Feliciano, Stokes
I like it. I can already taste the BBQ, taquitos, and shakes...uh, I mean hot dogs, beer, and peanuts (we will still be able to get that stuff right). CitiTaxpayerField, here I come!
Its been quite a run for the past few years. I keep saying each year and tragic loss that passes will make it that much sweeter. Hopefully I am right. I was at game 7 of the NLCS in 2006 when the Mets blew it to the Cardinals (the game with Endy's catch). I was at John Maine's near no-hitter in the second to last game of the season in 2007 (Glavine's stellar outing was the following game). I was at The Last Game at Shea this year, which despite the loss was a pretty cool experience. I'm going to miss Shea- a lot of great memories. I kind of grew up there. Seeing pictures of it dismantled is pretty crazy, but I can't wait for CitiTaxpayerField.
In fact, over Thanksgiving weekend my Dad, brother, and I bought tickets for opening day. My Dad can now say he was at first/last at Shea, and first at CitiField. Pretty cool.
So what the heck should the Mets do now that its the offseason? Here is my game plan:
Bullpen: Sign Wood or K-Rod to a 3 year deal. K-Rod is only 26. Its the length that worries me, so if we can get him for 3 years, I think its a no brainer. Fuentes makes me nervous- he's lost the closer job before. Sign some strong middle reliever arms- Juan Cruz, Joe Beimel, Brandon Lyon. I'd almost rather trade for a young, live arm than sign a free agent. Its all about power these days, and guys like that come out of nowhere sometimes (Grant Balfour on the Rays comes to mind).
Outfield: We have a great offense. We just need a solid middle of the order bat. I like Raul Ibanez, and given the surplus of outfielders this year, I think we can get him for a reasonable deal.
2nd Base: Castillo has to go. He promises he will be in better shape this year? He should have thought of that before he gave up on last season. Talk about a fat and happy free agent. Sign Orlando Hudson. Eat Castillo's contract.
Starters: We need to replace Ollie, and we need a #5. For the #5, sign the cheapest out of Garland, Byrd, or Wolf to push Niese. Someone always gets hurt- might as well have 6 guys to throw out there. As for the #2, I like Sheets and Lowe. To me, Burnett has no track record. Sheets has a track record- he's injury prone. But when he's healthy he's an ace- more so than Burnett. If I'm going to take a risk, it is Sheets. He is the kind of guy that can put you over the top. I like Lowe a lot for the Mets- great sinker, reliable. It is all about the contract though, and I have a feeling he is going to be too pricey.
Lineup: Reyes, Hudson, Wright, Beltran, Delgado, Ibanez, Church, Schneider
Rotation: Santana, Sheets/Lowe, Maine, Pelfrey, Garland/Byrd/Wolf/Niese
Bullpen: K-Rod/Wood, Juan Cruz, Beimel/Lyon, Smith, Feliciano, Stokes
I like it. I can already taste the BBQ, taquitos, and shakes...uh, I mean hot dogs, beer, and peanuts (we will still be able to get that stuff right). CitiTaxpayerField, here I come!
Playoff Time
Well last week concluded the regular season for my fantasy football league. This was only my second year playing fantasy football and I came in first. Playoffs are three rounds- as the first place team, I have a first round bye. Heading into the playoffs my roster is as follows:
QB Jay Cutler (drafted 10th round)
RB Marion Barber (drafted 1st round)
RB Matt Forte (drafted 7th round)
WR Andre Johnson (acquired via trade, was drafted 2nd round)
WR Randy Moss (acquired via trade, was drafted 1st round)
WR Hines Ward (drafted 5th round)
WR/TE Antonio Bryant (picked up off waivers)
K Mason Crosby (picked up off waivers)
DEF Philly (picked up off waivers)
Midway through the season I traded Peyton Manning and Mushin Muhammed for Andre Johnson and Matt Cassell. I also made a last minute trade with Walt- Andre Johnson for Antonio Gates and next year's 3rd and 6th round picks.
Pretty excited for the playoffs- I have a first round bye so nothing to worry about this week. Winner brings home $900. If I seal the deal, I'm going to Gramercy Tavern. Its also a keeper league. I'm leaning towards Johnson, Forte, and Culter (2nd, 7th, and 10th rounders) but we will see. That would allow me to move Barber/Moss in the off-season to make up for my picks. Should be an exciting finish!
QB Jay Cutler (drafted 10th round)
RB Marion Barber (drafted 1st round)
RB Matt Forte (drafted 7th round)
WR Andre Johnson (acquired via trade, was drafted 2nd round)
WR Randy Moss (acquired via trade, was drafted 1st round)
WR Hines Ward (drafted 5th round)
WR/TE Antonio Bryant (picked up off waivers)
K Mason Crosby (picked up off waivers)
DEF Philly (picked up off waivers)
Midway through the season I traded Peyton Manning and Mushin Muhammed for Andre Johnson and Matt Cassell. I also made a last minute trade with Walt- Andre Johnson for Antonio Gates and next year's 3rd and 6th round picks.
Pretty excited for the playoffs- I have a first round bye so nothing to worry about this week. Winner brings home $900. If I seal the deal, I'm going to Gramercy Tavern. Its also a keeper league. I'm leaning towards Johnson, Forte, and Culter (2nd, 7th, and 10th rounders) but we will see. That would allow me to move Barber/Moss in the off-season to make up for my picks. Should be an exciting finish!
First Post
Well, here's the first blog post, coming at you live from midtown manhattan. Good times all around. I'm going to be posting a whole bunch of random stuff on this blog, including my thoughts on the Mets, work, NYC restaurants, fantasy sports, and vacations. Basically, everything I know best. Posts might be multiple times daily or once every few months. I have absolutely no idea- let's see how it goes.
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