31 Days of Pizza '04

[Sean_Taylor]

October is National Pizza Month.

I intend to observe National Pizza Month the best way I know how...and that is to eat pizza every day of the month. Like last year and the year before that, I will endeavor to eat at least one slice of pizza each day with at least one other person at 31 different pizza places. Then, each night I intend to update this journal with the day's events.

I encourage everyone reading this now to eat pizza every day in October as well. If the idea of 31 days of pizza doesn't sit too well with you then just try 30 days (or 29, or 28...). Also, if you are in the NYC metropolitan area, invite me along. No matter how you plan to observe National Pizza Month '04, always feel free to follow me in my pursuit of the 31 days on this journal - but just so you can put your expectations at the appropriate level you may want to the view the archived Pizza Month 03 and Pizza Month '02 journals as a reference.

If you're still interested and want to take part in Pizza Month '04 then please click here for this year's calendar and "sign up" where the schedule permits. Don't hesitate to sign up on a day that's already booked...the more the merrier!

> > > SIGN UP FOR PIZZA MONTH '04 < < <

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 1: October 1st
LOCATION: Patsy's Pizzeria (23rd St and 8th Ave, NYC)
GUEST(S): Kevin Cragg, Sarah Johnson, Terrance Johnson, Jennifer Prescott, Tony Carnevale, Erika Kern, Natasha Levinger, Jen Hammaker
ORDER: 2 slices of cheese, 2 slices of pepperoni and mushroom

PIZZA REPORT: Four more slices of heaven. I know that is a lofty claim but even if Patsy’s is not heaven on earth, you got to admit it’s pretty close. Ooh, and keep in mind that it is a chain. Surely the sum of all the Patsy’s Pizzerias in New York City has got to be greater than or equal to heaven. If you need more proof, look no further then the four slices I had today. My first two slices, the pepperoni and mushroom ones, were picture perfect. The cheese, toppings, and basil leaves were distributed perfectly. The cheese slices were each from two different pies. One of them was well done and the other one wasn't. I prefered the one that was well done. This ensures the toppings are thoroughly cooked and also makes the thin coal-fired crust a tad bit crispier.
MISC.:

• I was happy to see Natasha Levinger and Jen Hammaker but since they were all the way on the other side of the table I didn’t get to talk to them. We didn’t have time to take another photo after they arrived, so I took another one with just them. Here it is:
  
• I already knew Kevin Cragg from improv comedy classes and shows but I was lucky enough to meet two (2) more Craggs today. Kevin Cragg’s sister, Sarah [Cragg-] Johnson and her husband, Terrance [not-Cragg] Johnson joined us for pizza. We had to eat and go rather quickly because most of us went to a one man show called I’M NOT MARK TWAIN starring Stephen [Kevin and Sarah’s brother] Cragg. It was an outstanding show. After this great show, which was after great pizza, I snapped this great picture of my three favorite Craggs:
  
• Before today, I had not seen Jennifer Prescott since our level 4 class with Billy Merritt a couple of years ago. Since then, she has been very prolific; producing 2 screenplays and 1 baby.
• Tony Carnevale starts a new job as a fulltime writer at VH1 on Monday.
• Erika Kern and I work for the same company and while we used to work 2 cubicles and a networked printer away from each other, we now work in different buildings but, thanks to advanced technology, can still use the old networked printer.

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 2: October 2nd
LOCATION: Gigino Trattoria (323 Greenwich St; bet Duane and Reade Sts, NYC)
GUEST(S): Charlie Todd, Alan Fessenden, Tony Carnevale
ORDER: 1 individual pepperoni pizza

PIZZA REPORT: Good and gone. This pizza looked and tasted perfect...the one drawback is that it may not be big enough to satisfy your appetite. It didn't take me long to eat every bit of it - including the tasty brick oven charred-to-perfection crust. I use the phrase "may not be big enough" because there is a possibility that my appetite opened up since it tasted so good. I swear I detected a mixture of cheeses and maybe some olive oil in addition to the sauce and pepperoni that made every bite a flavorful experience. It was what I imagine a gourmet restaurant in Italy would give you if you ordered a pizza.
MISC.:

• I took a photo of the oven where all the pizza is made. It takes up a pretty good percentage of space in the restaurant. That being said, I think if I ever have the space and the resources, I would love to buy an oven like this and eat pizza all day everyday.
  
• Charlie Todd's gym membership enables him to shower just about anytime and anywhere in the city including across the street from the pizza place. He opted not to before we got pizza but did say "it's nice to know that I could if I wanted to."
• Breaking News: Alan Fessenden may soon be changing his facial hair pattern. You know what that means...no more comparisons to Captain Morgan
  
• Tony Carnevale and Charlie Todd love the band Magnetic Fields. Tony even emails one of the band members. What if they take his email and make a song out of it? That would be cool. Be looking out for a Tony based Magnetic Fields song in the near future.

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 3: October 3rd
LOCATION: Two Boots - Brooklyn (514 2nd St; bet 7th and 8th Aves, BROOKLYN)
GUEST: Petra Boden, Tony Carnevale

ORDER: 2 slices of Verdi e Bianco Pizza, 1 slice and 1 bite of Pepperoni
PIZZA REPORT: Stick with the signature dishes. I thoroughly enjoyed my first slice of Verdi e Bianco (Green and White) pizza. I have never even had regular white pizza so this slice of white (with a bit of spinach) was a real eye-opening experience. Pizza can be good without sauce - who knew? That being said, Two Boots is so named because it draws on food influences of Louisiana and Italy (both geographically shaped like a boot). Since the word "pizza" is Italian, most pizza places automatically influenced by Italian cuisine. So, what sets Two Boots apart from other pizza places is the Louisiana (cajun cuisine) influence. I should have and recommend going for the cajun pizzas offered on the menu. The Pepperoni is good, but why not go for the Cajun Pepperoni or the Crayfish or the Spicy sausage? I will...next time (and there will be a next time).
MISC.:

• When the pizza journey began, Petra Boden, Tony Carnevale and I meant to go to a place called Franny's in Brooklyn. Since it was a good walk away we decided to go by way of Prospect Park. As we were walking beneath a tree, I got crapped on, literally. It looked like bird droppings but when I looked to see the culprit, there was no bird...just tree. I blame the tree. Look out for trees near Prospect Park. A TREE CRAPS IN BROOKLYN, maybe the long-awaited sequel to A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN. At the end of our trek we were greeted by a guy wiping the inside window of a locked Franny's. It was closed! Here's a picture.
  
  Tony says that the picture of the pizza in the review looked good so it would probably be worth another trip out there during regular business hours.
• I saw Tony Carnevale's new apartment in Park Slope, Brooklyn. It's a great apartment with a roof access with an incredible view of the Manhattan skyline and certain Park Slope neighbors.
• Petra Boden had a speaking role in the movie FARGO. If you don't believe me, check the credits.

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 3: October 3rd
LOCATION: Famous Famiglia (686 8th Ave at 43rd St, NYC)
GUEST(S): Will Nunziata, Michele Medlin, Jeff Scherer, Kevin Hines, Tony Carnevale
ORDER: 1 slice of white

PIZZA REPORT: Solid slice. Solid in every sense – solidly good tasting, solidly dense, and solidly not a liquid or gas. Since this is the second time (in as many days) I have ever had a white slice, I am still not used to biting into ricotta cheese. I, however, am quickly coming to appreciate it in combination with the mozzarella. This slice had more than a hint of garlic but not so much as to overpower the baked-in goodness of the conventional oven crust. I felt like the cheese could have been distributed closer to the outside crust than it was but the homemade bread taste of the crust greatly reduced the need for cheese or even sauce.
MISC.:

• Will Nunziata is the first pizza month participant that arrived with a guitar. He’s also set the standard on great impressions with his rendition of Borat (from DA ALI G SHOW) saying "Nnah-ice!"
• Today also marked the crossover of the pizza journal I am writing in now and Jeff Scherer’s Mug Shot Journal. After we ate pizza he took a photo (mug shot) of Michele Medlin, another one of today’s pizza month guests.
• It turns out, Jeff Scherer is a photo doctor. No, he's better than that, he's a photo surgeon! For instance, Tony Carnevale arrived late to pizza day so he missed the photo. However, I did take a photo of him here.
  
  and then Jeff added him to the group here...
  
• Kevin Hines made his pizza month debut today at Famous Famiglia. The two time champion (Champion = guy who has attending most pizza days with me in the month) has a friend that doesn't understand an email if there is a word misspelled. Therefore his friend wouldn't understand half the things I wriite.

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 5: October 5th
LOCATION: Ottimo (6 West 24th St, NYC)
GUEST(S): Kelly
ORDER: 3 slices of an individual margharita pizza (out of 4)

PIZZA REPORT: Awe-thentic. This wood burning brick oven pizza was probably the most Italian pizza I have ever had. I say this primarily because it was cooked by well-known Italian chef Salvatore Esposito. I have accepted the fact that despite my lack of experience with it, I like authentic Italian pizza. I'm not sure if it was the extra bit of tomato sauce, or the additional bit of garlic, or perhaps the tinge of olive oil but something really brought out the flavor in each bite. Since I am a bit unaccustomed to the "real thing" I feel hesitant to judge it too much. I will say the slices of mozzarella cheese well-known Italian chef Salvatore Esposito used (instead of shredded) was a nice touch.
MISC.:

• Well-known Italian chef Salvatore Esposito, smiled in my general direction as he walked by me.
• I met Kelly as a result of the NY Post's dating column. We were featured in last Sunday's issue (she was one of three candidates from which I was to choose).
  
  (larger img)
  It only listed her first name so I figured I, too, would only list her first name (even though I know both names).
• Kelly is intelligent (law student with a master's degree), athletic (enjoys all sports and currently plays in a soccer league), organized (proud owner of pocket pc/phone combo), cosmopolitan (going to Napa, California to taste wine this weekend) and as of now - Kelly is forever a part of Pizza Month '04 (for more information on the evening, pick up this Sunday's NY Post).

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 6: October 6th
LOCATION: Alex Hot Pizza (32-04 30th Ave, QUEENS)
GUEST(S): Benepal Singh
ORDER: 1 slice of cheese

PIZZA REPORT: Timely and Tasty. I got the first slice of a pizza that had just came out of the oven. Jackpot! I have nothing against pizza places that toss your slice back into the oven to reheat it but I am thrilled when the person behind the counter says, "I got a new pie coming out of the oven". And the slice was great. "Great" in taste and in size. The slice must have been nearly 10" from crust to tip. The tomato sauce was surprisingly subdued (not too strong, not too much) and the cheese was pretty standard. All in all, a good slice.
MISC.:

• My boss called me while I was out bowling with my team and asked me to come back to work. We then worked until 11:15pm. This left me 45 minutes to find a pizza place I hadn't yet been to this month, and find at least one other person to eat with (for full explanation of my self-imposed rules please see initial journal entry). Since we worked beyond 9pm, our company provides us a car home. Whew! I told my driver to take me home and "if we could stop by a pizza place on the way, I'll buy you a slice." Benepal Singh, my driver, nodded his head and, thus, saved Pizza Month.
• I saw that the photo of the pizza place was not very good so I decided to take one more photo in the car before I got out. Here it is.
  
  While I took this, I later discovered my wallet fell out of my jacket and into the car. If you blow up the photo, it might even be visible. Anyway, when I discovered I had lost my wallet I assumed it was gone for good. Nope! I soon received a call from the car service dispatcher telling me that my wallet had been recovered. My driver had found and returned my wallet. I don't know if it's because I bought him a slice of pizza or because I had taken his photo so many times, but suffice to say, Benepal Singh is a good man.

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 7: October 7th
LOCATION: Arturo's Pizzeria (106 W. Houston St, NYC)
GUEST(S): Rachael Mason, Jo Miller, Carl Arnheiter, Andrew Butterworth, Petra Boden, Tony Carnevale
ORDER: 3 slices of Sausage and Peppers, 2 slices of Pepperoni

PIZZA REPORT: Classic! As hackneyed as that word has become, it is the single word that comes to mind when I reflect on the pizza I ate at Arturo's Pizzeria. Coal-fired (and delicately singed) crust with fresh toppings, Italian tomato sauce, and just the right amount of mozzarella cheese. This was my first slice of sausage and peppers...it was also my second and third slice of sausage and peppers.
MISC.:

• Andrew Butterworth arrived sporting his Bill Mueller influenced salt and pepper goatie. He intends to keep it as long as the Red Sox are in the playoffs. Here is a photo of Andy's idol.
  
  The goatie has brought with it very inventive thinking. For instance, I witnessed Andy jump starting his old piece of gum with a listerine breath strip.
• Tony followed doctor's orders and ate several slices of a bacon pizza. In this case, the doctor is Carl Arnheiter.
• Jo Miller arrived after we had already started. She was a first time attendee of Variety Underground and Pizza Month - all in one day.
  
• Petra Boden really enjoys the fall.
• Rachael Mason used to go to Arturo's as a child and recommended the sausage and peppers pizza. She also has perfect eye sight.
  

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 8: October 8th
LOCATION: John's Pizzeria (260 West 44th St at 8th Ave, NYC)
GUEST(S): Kate Spencer, Maggie Kemper, Nate Shelkey, Violet Krumbein, Pete Olsen, Amy Rhodes, Terry Jinn, Pat Baer, Petra Boden
ORDER: 2 slices of Peppers and Mushrooms, 1 slice of Cheese

PIZZA REPORT: Divine. Ambience should not affect the taste of pizza but this one-time church's beautiful artwork, high ceilings, and unique floor layout really adds something to the average pizza-going experience. The murals and stained glass, however, weren't the only pieces of art in John's Pizzeria tonight. The pizza that came out of one of the multiple coal-fired brick ovens was a thing of beauty. The mushrooms and freshly cut green peppers that were so perfectly distributed atop the melted mozzarella made it near criminal to eat it. But "eat it" I did...and at a very rapid pace as well. I also had a slice of a cheese pie. I must say if you want good pizza in it's purest form, just order one large cheese pizza and don't share it with anyone.
MISC.:

• While most people were watching either the baseball playoffs or the Presidential Debate, the cast, crew, and good percentage of the Girl Crush 2040 audience went for pizza. Who was the real winner tonight - Bush, Kerry, David Ortiz, or Pizza? I think you know the answer.
• Kate Spencer and I think Johnny Damon should be considered as a candidate for Most Valuable Player of the American League divisional series. I wonder though, do they name an MVP of a divisional series?
• Maggie Kemper has veto power on all photos. She always looks great so she probably only uses the power on photos she's not in.
• Nate Shelkey loves bridges. Not the bridges that span waterways but musical passages that link two sections of a composition.
• Violet Krumbein prefers crust-like-a-cracker pizza.
• Pete Olsen reads transcripts of the debates.
• It was an honor to be seated next to Terry Jinn, one of the best Halo players I know. He seems like a nice guy but I hear when he picks up the joystick, he becomes a ruthless killer. This ruthless killer was also able to persuade Amy Rhodes to stop by and join us at John's.
• Pat Baer is preparing to document the eating of a bag of chips every day.
• I found out my little sister, 20 years old, got engaged yesterday (well, 11:45pm, October 6th to be exact). Here's a photo of her, her fiance, and her ring.
  
  While this whole thing makes me feel old, I'm really excited for my sister and couldn't wait to tell my friends. Lucky for me, my pizza guests included several girls. Petra Boden, for one, thought that was adorable. It's not that the guys didn't care, they just don't use words like "adorable".

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 9: October 9th
LOCATION: Stromboli Pizza (83 St. Marks Pl at 1st Ave, NYC)
GUEST(S): Michelle Dobrawsky, Melissa Travis
ORDER: 1 slice of Chicken and Tomatoes, 1 slice of Cheese

PIZZA REPORT: Quintessential New York pizza. I almost used the word "typical" but I realize that the word has a negative connotation when refering to food critiquing. For this reason, the quintessential NY pizza slice is anything but "typical". These slices were reheated in a conventional oven when we ordered them. They were flexible enough to be folded (without cracking), greasy enough to force you consider the health risks, and tasty enough to permit you to disregard them. The cheese slice is the way to go, in my opinion. I mean if you are thinking about getting a slice with chicken and tomatoes, you probably want a chicken sandwich. Go get a chicken sandwich and when you decide you want a good slice of pizza, then head on over to Stromboli.
MISC.:

• Melissa Travis is visiting for the weekend and decided to take time out of her New York vacation to grab a slice of pizza with me and Michelle. Melissa knows a lot about gender and populations of metropolitan areas.
• It was a hot one, but Michelle Dobrawsky wes ready. She bought me an extra soda when I was totally parched.
• I was just checking my spelling of "parched" in the previous Misc. item by looking it up in the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary and I discovered that the word has multiple meanings. One of them is to "shrivel with heat" and the other is to "shrivel with cold". Who knew? I didn't - but now I do. Oh yeah, I meant "parched" as in shrivel with heat in the previous Misc. item.
• The guy that took the photo of us was someone that Michelle recognized off the side of the street. He was wearing a running outfit and had head phones but wasn't going anywhere. Turns out he was waiting for the cops to arrive because he had just been hit by a taxi. I feel bad we made him take our photo now and hope he's ok.

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 10: October 10th
LOCATION:A & A Pizza Restaurant (6701 Bay Parkway, BROOKLYN)
GUEST(S): Kristina Sepulveda, Tony Carnevale
ORDER: 1 Grandma slice, 1 slice of cheese

PIZZA REPORT: The power of cheese... Cheese can make or break a slice of pizza. I had two slices at A & A's Pizza and added support to the theory just mentioned. The cheese on the Grandma slice was fresh mozzarella and just a bit of it, whereas the cheese on the plain slice was regular imitation mozzarella and too much of it. I usually like imitation mozzarella cheese, however, the cheese on the plain slice had a sharpness that I found overpowering. The Grandma slice, on the other hand, was perfect. A & A Pizza knows how to make a Sicilian pie. Since a grandma slice, by definition, is primarily sauce, the slight touch of fresh mozzarella enhanced (rather than detracted from) the rich tomato flavor.
MISC.:

• Bay Parkway, Brooklyn is a long way from my apartment. In order to get there, I took the train from one side of the N train to the other. Normally, this would not have been a problem but I kept falling asleep and waking up during the 1.5 hour ride. When I finally emerged from the subway station, I was rather tired, my neck hurt, and I thought I had entered the twilight zone. Not that Bay Parkway reminds me of the twilight zone, It's just unfamiliar territory and I like the Twilight Zone.
• Kristina Sepulveda used to live in Sarasota, Florida and knows the details behind the story of Pee Wee Herman's arrest. Apparently everyone else in the theatre (including the staff and other patrons) KNEW the cops were going to bust him.
• Tony Carnevale and I both like Barq's root beer with pizza.
• Today the NY Post ran the follow-up article to my date (see day 5 above). Here is a snapshot from the post* date article (* pun intended)
  
  
  (click here for NY Post article)

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 11: October 11th
LOCATION: Mozzarelli's (38 East 23rd St bet Madison and Park Ave South, NYC)
GUEST(S): Mia Stendahl
ORDER: 1 slice of fresh mozzarella

PIZZA REPORT: Thin - microscopically thin. So thin, I had to support it with two hands. Since it was triangular, it sort of reminded me of the pennants you see flying around at baseball stadiums. This slice didn't have the name of a baseball team though, instead it had delicious sauce and fresh mozzarella cheese. Too bad it was so thin though. I like thin crust on pizza but this was thin in a different way. It reminded me of my days at pizza hut when someone needed a large but gave me the dough for a medium. With a little bit more stretching, it was possible, but the structural integrity of the pizza was compromised. All in all, it was a pretty good tasting slice of pizza.
MISC.:

• We had this awesome idea of going to a pizza place called La Mia Pizza since it has "Mia" contained within the name, but that place turned out not to exist.
• Mia Stendahl, who does exist, is learning Swedish and has a friend named Piper.

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 12: October 12th
LOCATION: Maffei's Restaurant (688 6th ave at 22nd St, NYC)
GUEST(S): Dave McKeel, Dave Lombard, Andrew Butterworth, Kevin Hines
ORDER: 1 slice of cheese

PIZZA REPORT: "Best Pizza in Town" is what the sign in the window said. I admit it was pretty good, but it's tough to deliver on claims that bold. Afterall, I am assuming they mean the "town" of New York City. Considering the expectations I had, this pizza ranked up there pretty well. The pizza is conventional oven Neopolitan style with seemingly fresh ingredients and tasty tomato sauce, but the ambience left a lot to be desired. In the pizza report I like to separate the location from the actual pizza discussion but it was difficult to isolate the pizza consumption from the strong stench of chlorine gas in the air. I guess halfway through my slice, someone spilled something or just decided to check the levels on the industrial strength cleaning agents in the store's inventory. The guy behind the counter seemed nice enough so it's unlikely the chlorine was mixed into the pizza in the cooking process.
MISC.:

• Dave McKeel and I work in the same building and he recommended I tell my boss "who's boss" which I think would lead to an interesting discussion.
• Dave Lombard doesn't mind taking a long nap in the middle of the day. Sure, he has to go through the waking up process twice but he looks at it as an easy way to "make 2 days out of one".
• Andy and Kevin are preparing for game one of the Red Sox-Yankees Championship series. We're all going to watch the game together at my apartment. Andy and Kevin can't wait to see the rivals battle. I can't wait to make my midgame root beer float.

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 13: October 13th
LOCATION: Risa's kitchen (Risa's apt, NYC)
GUEST(S): Risa Sang-urai
ORDER: 3 slices of a 12" Pepperoni Pizza (half)

PIZZA REPORT: Risa makes good pizza. Although she claims to have never cooked a pizza before today, Risa proved that sometimes the first time's a charm by creating an outstanding prototype for future pizza models. With good ingredients, attention to detail, and a watchful eye, Risa was able to avoid the common problems with homemade pizza. Some of these common problems, of course, are substituting (using non-mozzarella cheese or pasta sauce), overloading (too much cheese/sauce/topping), and overcooking (losing track of time). Risa's ingredient selection (pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, pizza sauce), topping placement (quantity and distribution), and cook time were all spot on. The pizza tasted great and was the perfect size and consistency. If Risa's cooking, I'm eating!
MISC.:

• Pizza Month first: Someone had me come over to her apartment and eat a pizza she made. How cool is that?
• When Risa Sang-urai was younger, she looked at a list of all the Olympic events and decided that her best chance to represent the United States would be in either ping pong or badminton.

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 14: October 14th
LOCATION: Gyro Uno (28-01 Steinway St, QUEENS)
GUEST(S): Erik Tanouye, Kevin Hines
ORDER: 1 slice of cheese

PIZZA REPORT: HCG! (as in Hot, crispy, good - not the hormone indicating pregnancy) These guys know how to reheat an already cooked slice of pizza. I am not sure whether it's the temperature of the oven, the cook time, or just luck but when my slice emerged from the oven, it looked and tasted 100x better than when it went in. The tomato sauce and cheese were well distributed and the crust was firm yet flexible (perfect for folding). And, of course, the sum of these delicious parts was a whole lot of goodness.
MISC.:

• Gyro Uno was the very first place I ate after officially moving to New York City on December 1st, 1999.
• Erik Tanouye wore a sweatshirt with the word "Haafu" on it. He wears it proudly to represent his half-Japanese heritage. From my research on the internet, I haven't been able to figure out if "Haafu" is a derogatory term or not.
• Erik also arrived with a gift; a gummi pizza.
  
  ORDER: 4 slices of gummi pizza
  PIZZA REPORT: Sweet! All four slices tasted similar but that similar was good. Even though one slice what looked to be a green pepper and another slice had what sort of resembled an onion, I was pleased that neither the green pepper nor the onion overpowered the sugary taste of the rest of the slice. The crust was rather rubbery but it fit well with the taste. Thanks, Erik!
• Kevin Hines likes to cast his friends in comic books. He cast me as a robot that makes jokes that no one understands.

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 15: October 15th
LOCATION: Grimaldi's (133 Clinton St., NEW JERSEY)
GUEST(S): Mark Lee, Kitzi Taylor, Tony Carnevale
ORDER: 3 slices of pepperoni, 1 slice of sausage

PIZZA REPORT: So perfect. Grimaldi's Pizzeria is a pizza lover's paradise. I have four supporting arguments for that thesis and they are 3 slices of pepperoni and 1 slice of sausage. Each slice is topped with fresh mozzarella cheese, imported Italian tomato sauce, and expertly cooked toppings. All of this atop a coal fired brick oven crust sculpted by a masterful chef and cooked to a perfect golden brown. The slices are foldable but also good to eat with a fork and knife. This truly was everything I like in a pizza.
MISC.:

• This was Mark Lee's idea to go out Hoboken, New Jersey to go to "the other Grimaldi's". So, we met outside the UCB theatre after the second to last performance of NeoTokyo Girl Crush 2040. Although the show has been running for 4 months, this was the first time my mom (Kitzi Taylor) was going to be in the audience. I was already pretty nervous and excited and then guess who else turned out to be in attendance? Mike Myers! Just to dispel the rumor before it begins, no, he and my mom were not at the show 'together'. Afterwards, we hopped on the PATH train and made our way to Hoboken, NJ to end the evening with perfect pizza. Here's Tony Carnevale at the PATH station in Hoboken.
  
• Hoboken is a great area. It's pretty close to Manhattan and according to Mark Lee has one of the highest number of bars per area in the country. Also, Frank Sinatra is from Hoboken. There were no less than 7 photographs of Sinatra hung up within Grimaldi's. Oh and the wait staff was extremely nice. Odeta, our waitress, even posed for a photo. Here she is with Tony and Mark.
  
• Tony Carnevale dubbed the trip the most photographed pizza day event of the year. Here is the oven at Grimaldi's:
  

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 16: October 16th
LOCATION: La Pizza Fresca (31 East 20th Street, NYC)
GUEST(S): Terry Jinn, Maddy Mako, Jen MacNeil, Tiffany Morningstar,
Louie Pearlman, Matt Pack, Millie Cho, Kitzi Taylor, Tony Carnevale
ORDER: Half of an individual Salemi Piccante, half of an individual "La Pizza Fresca"

PIZZA REPORT: Pizza with style...and moisture. Both of my pizzas were delicious and both of my pizzas were wet. "Wet" is not a typical adjective used to describe things I like but my limited vocabulary has made it necessary. I am not sure this is due to wet ingredients, condensation, or someone spilling water on the pizzas but I am confident it was not grease. This much grease would not have been good. This pizza was awesome! The moisture made the crust more flexible and kept the toppings "fresca" (Italian for "fresh"). I also really enjoyed the spicy meat toppings on the Salemi Piccante pizza. It went really well with the cheese and the wood charred oven crust.
MISC.:

• This was the second anniversary of the crossover of two online journals: the original 31 days of pizza journal and Terry Jinn's Beverage of the Day journal. It was a total success as pizza was eaten and beverages were drunk. Here Terry is with his beverage of the day, a Cherry Coke.
  
• My mom, Kitzi Taylor, is a big Maddy Mako fan...and she didn't even sit by her during dinner. I'll bet Maddy reminds my mom of herself when she was younger.
• Jen MacNeil had to leave early but not before she got literally picked up by Matt Pack. I snapped a photo of this event.
  
• Tiffany Morningstar had to leave early to get to a show and may have left her umbrella at La Pizza Fresca. It was hanging on her chair when I got up to leave so now I will use it indefinitely. It’s a good umbrella but doesn’t deal with wind well.
• I wore my Mets shirt that says "Let's Go Mets" in Hebrew. In a table of 10 people, two knew enough Hebrew to translate the shirt. According to Louie Pearlman and Millie Cho, the shirt actually reads "Letsum Gho Metsum!"
• Tony Carnevale bought new headphones and really likes them.

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 17: October 17th
LOCATION: Lil' Frankies (19 1st Ave, NYC)
GUEST(S): Nate Shelkey, Eliza Skinner, Kitzi Taylor
ORDER: 5 slices of an individual Salemi Piccante pizza (out of 6)

PIZZA REPORT: Important Import. The fresh mozzarella buffalo cheese (Mozzarella Di Buffala) is imported from Italy everyday at Lil' Frankies. Mozzarella Di Buffala truly makes this pizza. I noticed that the Margharita pizza my mom ordered did not appear to have the same cheese as my Salemi Piccante. Too bad for her, too good for me. The cheese is so 'import'ant to the pizza that I recommend asking if the pizza you want to order contains the Mozzarella Di Buffala. You won't be sorry. The combination of the spicy meat, imported cheese, and Italian tomato sauce on the thin wood-burning oven crust was superb. It was like a delicious festival (Festivale Di Delicious?) for my mouth.
MISC.:

• A woman with a dog offered to take our photo. When I handed her the camera, she handed me the leash to her dog. Before the photo was taken, someone walking by asked me "How old is [the dog]?" New Yorkers rarely open up and speak to me and yet this person did in a matter of seconds! Dogs equal instant talking topics. The woman with the camera chimed in with the answer but I forgot what she said. Judging by the photo, I'd say the dog is around 11 months old.
• Nate Shelkey and Eliza Skinner went to college together. Well, they went to the same school but Nate was older.
• Eliza Skinner's sister's wedding announcement to Mr. Weiner was featured on the 'Headlines' segment of THE TONIGHT SHOW. I don't know if was Weiner-Skinner or Skinner-Weiner but either way, it's pretty funny.
• My mom, Kitzi Taylor, visits me about once a year in New York City. This visit marks the 3rd year in a row her visit has coincided Pizza Month. She's a good sport about always having to eat pizza and hang out with my friends. It was inevitable she would mention something about my past to my friends. This year it wasn't so bad though. My mom told my friends about when one of the neighborhood kids bagged/pants me when I was 5 years old. Apparently, I told on him by running home and saying "Mom...Tim showed my bum".

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 18: October 18th
LOCATION: Famous Original Ray's Pizza (26th st and Lexington, NYC)
GUEST(S): Matt Pack
ORDER: 1 slice of cheese

PIZZA REPORT: Famous Original Ray's Pizza was created in 1964. The slice of pizza I ate may also have been from 1964. It was old and cold before it went back in the oven. The oven was able to bring out the orange color, a bunch of grease, and some crust brittleness. The tomato sauce was this slice's only redeeming quality and, perhaps, the single factor that enabled me to finish the entire slice. I have decided that if you work late and arrive right before closing, the chances of getting slice from a new pizza are very slim.
MISC.:

• How close to closing did we arrive? Well, right after I grabbed a slice Matt and I took a no-look photo of us outside of Ray's. I noticed that I cut off like half of my head so I went to take another one and that's when the lights went out.
• Matt Pack and I were tentatively going to meet around 8pm. He said "Just call me when you finish work. I'll be studying until then." Thanks to my boss, Matt Pack studied for an additional 3+ hours.

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 19: October 19th
LOCATION: Cavaleri Pizza Market (41-27 162nd St., QUEENS)
GUEST(S): Erik Marcisak
ORDER: half of a 12" buffalo chicken pizza

PIZZA REPORT: 2 worlds merge when pizza and spicy chicken unite. This pizza was made with mozzarella, spicy tomato sauce, chunks of marinated chicken breast, and blue cheese. The thick crust provided the perfect foundation for such a creation. I have had chicken on a pizza before but in my experience, the oven tends to cook the taste out of it. Not so for Cavaleri Pizza Market. Here the spicy sauce and the marinade were expertly cut by the addition of blue cheese to bring out the taste of the chicken without overpowering the pizza taste. A good marriage of two of my favorite foods.
MISC.:

• Erik Marcisak drove me out to distant Queens (Flushing) to take me to this place where his highschool friend works. Turns out his friends name is Cavaleri - and it's not a coincidence. He's a part owner.
• Erik had a sugar cane soda with his pizza. He did not do it for the caffeine though - he just likes to try sodas he has never had before.