SPOOK-tacular Pizza!
Friday, October 30th, 2009
(2 out of 5 hot dogs)
Loading ...Gonzo
140 W 13th St (6 and 7)
Time: October 31, 5-8
Price: 2-for-1 Pizzas at $17-19
If you are into large crowds, and things like that, and are planning on going to the annual Halloween “I’m-having-a-heart-attack-because-I-am-crushed-between-spongebob-and-an-obese-belly-dancer” Parade, stop by Gonzo before and get two pizzas for the price of one!
http://www3.timeoutny.com/newyork/the-feed-blog/restaurants-bars/2009/10/cheap-eats-two-for-one-pizzas-at-gonzo-on-halloween/
For the third installment of Mim’s meals, we wanted to switch it up, so we went to (surprise!) a French restaurant on the upper east side. When we opened the front d’or, it was like opening a time capsule, where the décor and food hasn’t changed since the 1930’s when Le Veau opened. Robert, the elderly owner sits in the front both overseeing, while his daughter (played by Juliette Binoche in ‘Mim’s Meals: the Movie’) cheerfully works the floor. Mim and I both started with the onion soup. I don’t consider soup a real food, and don’t usually waste my time with it. But the this soup… Out. Of. This. World. I could eat it seven days a week. I leaped at the opportunity to order frogs’ legs ($28) for my entrée, and they didn’t disappoint, all sauteed and garlicky and such. Mim had the coq au vin ($25), which was also top-notch. For dessert we had parfait au rhum, which was coffee ice cream with rum in it. We, of course, told our server to go heavy on the rum, so he brought us the whole bottle to pour as we pleased.
Oysters are considered an aphrodisiac. I’m not sure what about slurping raw mollusks out of a crusty shell people find arousing, but it definitely seems fancy. And after the lobster poop incident last week, I figured I should continue my trend of ‘rich people food at poor people prices’ and go for the oysters. Fear not all you 9-5ers, Fish’s ‘Red, White and Blue special’ is available all the time. It consists of six blue point oysters, or clams, and a glass of wine or a PBR. Oysters typically go for around $2 each in NYC, so this is a good deal already, and then add in some house merlot, and I couldn’t be happier. But beware, entrees at this seafood joint are pretty pricey, so come in for the special, and then row your boat out the door before being tempted to spend $22 for seared scallops. There is also a $19 all-you-can-eat steamed Maryland crab special from 12-3 everyday for your feasting pleasure.
I was very excited to have an affordable fresh Maine lobster right here in NYC. I ventured to Beach Café to check it out (which by the way isn’t very beachy, in menu or décor). They offer 1 ¼ lb lobsters, which turned out to be pretty small with very little meat inside (scrumptious though). Luckily there is a bread basket, and baked potato to fill you up. Lobster isn’t usual fare for a cheap foodie like myself, so I was perplexed and a little revolted by the green stuff that covered most of the body. When I asked my waiter what it was, he said that he didn’t know, but that I should probably just eat it. I sampled a little bit, and it tasted like lobster poop. Hmmm fishy. When I got home, I did a little internet research and found out it’s called tomalley, and it acts as the digestive system for the lobster (that explains the taste…) AND it probably should not be eaten because high levels of toxins. Cool. A bottle of Listerine and a couple shots of tequila later, I felt cleansed of crustacean crap, but I don’t think I’ll be doing the Baywatch run back to 70th street any time soon.
There’s nothing better than great gelato, or even average gelato for that matter. I didn’t even realize it was possible to make crappy gelato, until my trip to Melt. Good thing it is “made exactly like they make it in Italy.” Really. I didn’t realize the gelato in Italy has artificial sweeteners and little bits of ice. I ordered the vegetable panini, which turned out to be a limp tomato, basil and mozzarella. Technically, tomatoes are fruits and basil is an herb. Maybe there was something growing on the cheese that constituted ‘vegetable,’ but one can only hope. The salad was a toddler’s handful of greens soaked in oil. I had high hopes for this lunch special, but all my hopes were melted, in a bad way.
After the previous post, it seemed like an appropriate title. But yet again, we are just talking about food (food that just happens to not be heated above 118 degrees Fahrenheit to keep the enzymes intact.) Raw meals, contrary to logic, usually cost upwards of $30, so this is a pretty good deal if you want to experiment with the raw lifestyle. I tried the spinach onion ravioli with pasta. In this case the ravioli shell was made of paper-thin turnip skin and the pasta of shaved squash. It tasted good at first, but you can only eat so much. Since the food here is filled with fiber, and often nut-based, a small plate will surprisingly fill you up. The best part of lunch was my drink, the fresh-squeezed apple cider, it was spicy and thick and clear. To be honest, I felt a little ill for a few hours after I ate, but perhaps was just my body adjusting to eating real food after twenty-four years of high fructose corn syrup and bleached enriched white flour.