NYC Edition Tale of the Pie: Rubirosa

Window on left is where the nibble left his saucy mark.

So my parents generously invited Saucy, the nibble and me to accompany them on a trip to NYC last weekend. We of course jumped at the chance, as we love New York and hadn't been there since before the nibble was born. The two days were filled with plenty of eating and a bit of boozing, so we'll be sharing more in future posts.
We arrived Saturday right before lunchtime, and after leaving our luggage at our hotel (Hotel Mulberry, a great little spot in the heart of Chinatown), we scurried around the corner for a quick nosh on dumplings at a place that shall remain nameless (only because I have no idea what the name of the place is). You certainly can't beat 5 for $1, especially as you watch the owner rolling them herself. Delish!

The Freezer Case: Open Nature Uncured Pepperoni Pizza

Wednesdays are a rough day for me. I go to work, put in a hard day's labor, and, when I return to the homefront, I am handed a kid and Spicy sets off to gallivanting about town (actually, it's just a pilates class). Since I am inept in the culinary department, this means that I do not get to eat until at least 8 p.m. Factor in the time for a Saucy Jr. bath if the need happens to fall on one of these days, and by the time I am set to dine on Hump Day, I can eat just about anything.

However, if given the option, I would prefer that I not be asked to eat an "Open Nature" frozen pizza.

Tale of the Pie: Tacconelli's Pizzeria

It's pretty ballsy for a pizza shop to require customers to make a reservation for their crust. For some, that may add to the mystique that has surrounded Tacconelli's for as long as I can remember. For others, that prerequisite (and the statement on their website that "well-behaved children are welcome") can leave a bad taste in their mouths before they even have a bite.

However, that taste will quickly be replaced by one of a delectable pie.

Since my mom is really awesome and super supportive of our blogging endeavour, she decided we should celebrate her birthday at the infamous Tacconelli's so we can add another review to the site. A party of eight adults and one nibble, we arrived at the modest, yet surprisingly spacious, shop with beer and wine in hand ready to put those pies to the test. We ordered one regular, one pepperoni, one margherita and one white specialty.

Tale of the Pie: Pepperoncini Restaurant & Bar

The hubby and I celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary yesterday. To mark the occasion, we went out to dinner on Friday (anticipating that Saturday would not offer the ideal conditions for a night out) to Pepperoncini Restaurant & Bar in Conshohocken. Why did we choose Pepperoncini? For one, I had received a $25 coupon courtesy of BirthdayPak (any ladies who are not registered for this free offer should definitely check it out at http://www.getmybirthdaypak.com/). And secondly, we found some pretty positive reviews for their thin crust pizzas online.

The Freezer Case: Newman's Own

The Pizza Project is mostly devoted to deciphering the best pizza shops in the Norristown (and surrounding) area, but we will not ignore the frozen genre. This special section, The Freezer Case, will seek to identify the best pizzas that you can buy at your local supermarket.

Toward the end of his career, the legendary actor and philanthropist Paul Newman made a film by the name of Road to Perdition. The film starred not only Newman, but two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks and several-time Oscar nominee Jude Law. It was directed by Oscar winner (for American Beauty) Sam Mendes. The shooting was done by another great of the cinema, Conrad Hall, who won Oscars not only for Perdition, but for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and American Beauty as well. In other words, there was a lot of talent involved in the film. However, when I watched the film, I admired it for the craftsmen involved, but, in the end, it didn't really satisfy. The whole did not equal the sum of its parts.