New York Food, Big Deal

We've been in the New York area for the last five days now. There was a few things that I wanted to try while I'm here. Pizza, Corned Beef and "New York" Chinese.

I've said all along that you just can't get good pizza west of Chicago. New York has the thin crust and Chicago has the thick. In Cleveland, where I arguably "grew up", which is approximately half-way between these two standards of pizza, the crust is not so thin. And not so thick. I tried a slice, or two, near Times Square a few years ago. It was, in a word, pizza. Not manna, but not bad either. I tried another pie again last night, same same. What the hell is going on here? Do I have to go to Cleveland just to reset my pizza benchmark? That's an awfully big price to pay for pizza enlightenment. The so called "New York" Chinese that we had the night before was, how should I say? Chinese. Not much different than what you'd get in Long Beach or even, God forbid, Cleveland.

We were given a jar of Sabrett's Red Onion sauce a while back.

To a native New Yorker, this stuff brings back sweet memories of the hot dogs off of the Sabrett push carts back in Brooklyn.

Ya know what? Maybe this is what drove the Dodgers clear across the country until they ran to the end of the road and settled in LA. La La Land. The red onion sauce isn't what you'd think it was. It doesn't contain red onions at all. What it really is, is basically onions dredged in catchup. Thanks, but I'll pass. Gimme some good mustard, on a good dog like a Nathan's. And maybe a dab of relish. That's it. Don't get your fingers in the way because I'm grinding it up.

We did have a Nathan's hot dog at the Newark airport coming in. Just to get in the New York state of mind. They are pretty good. But not world class. Forget the "combo meal" with the fries. The fries are terrible. Gag me with that little plastic spoon over there.

I've also heard all of the hype about the NY water. Now water and my mouth are close-to-perfect strainers. But what the hell. When in Rome--- Maybe in the morning I'll venture up to the tap and sample a glass of the stuff. I've been laughing for years at people who pay over a buck for a bottle of water. Water? You twist a knob and get a virtually unlimited supply practically for free and you willing to pay a buck to get 12 ounces in a creepy plastic bottle leaching PCBs and maybe toenail clippings of snakes for over a buck? I have to admit that back in Signal Hill the water there is so bad that when I brewed beer there, I did pay a buck for five gallons in my trusty reusable Arrowhead bottle at the water store. By the way, the Gourmet Water Store in Orange CA has gone out of business. I guess the demand for "gourmet water" didn't live up to expectations.

OK New York, you've been warned. I'm going to get a corned beef sandwich to take on the plane tomorrow and the honor of the whole region is going to be riding on this one sandwich.

You better not fail me, or I'm going to tell rat you out!