Friday, December 21st, 2007, 10:00 PM George's Pizza, 726 W. 181st St, New York, NY (Washington Heights), 2 slices at $1.75 each I hadn't seen George in so long, but he was slinging and saucing in full form tonight with that friendly demeanor that's so special to him. I broke out the old "how about that weather" line, got my order, and had a pleasantly pizzaful night.

Friday, December 21st, 2007, 1:00 PM Pizza Box, 176 Bleecker St, New York, NY (Greenwich Village), 2 slices at $2.25 each Pre-Christmas Pizza Box was buzzing as usual, proving definitively that at least some businesses get things done during the holiday lull.

Wednesday, December 19th, 2007, 8:30 PM Koronet Pizza, 2848 Broadway, New York, NY (Morningside Heights), 1 (huge) slice for $2.75 Koronet, my old Columbia mainstay, often delivers a surprisingly tasty slice given that their value proposition is size and not quality. And so it was today, when I was fortunate to enjoy both. I've had a decent lucky streak with them recently that I hope I can maintain.

Friday, December 14th, 2007, 12:30 PM Pizza Box, 176 Bleecker St, New York, NY (Greenwich Village), 2 slices at $2.25 each All was normal in the land of Pizza Box today.

Thursday, December 13th, 2007, 12:00 PM Jerusalem II Pizza, 1375 Broadway, New York, NY (Midtown), 2 slices at $2.50 each Don't trust any pizza place that also serves falafel and sushi (or anything else completely unrelated to pizza in any way). My friend Mike had been strongly advocating this place, so when I finally happened to be near I met him here for an early lunch. What a mistake on my part. The pizza was greasy, small, scary, and pricey. I really have nothing positive to say about my experience and while, yes, maybe I just caught them on an off-day, I feel no urge to give them a second chance.

Tuesday, December 11th, 2007, 9:15 PM Koronet Pizza, 2848 Broadway, New York, NY (Morningside Heights), 1 (huge) slice for $2.75 Another day, another slice...

Wednesday, November 28th, 2007, 10:00 PM Pizza Box, 176 Bleecker St, New York, NY (Greenwich Village), 2 slices at $2.25 each It's always a bit scary frequenting a pizza place near closing time, when facilities are shutting down, proprietors are thinking about home, and the product is of questionable age. Such was in my thoughts tonight as I embarked upon a fairly mediocre Pizza Box experience: second-tier reheated slices, off-balance ingredients, etc. But that's all part of the game and that's okay.

Saturday, November 3rd, 2007, 2:30 PM Fornino, 187 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY, 3 marghertia, 2 mushroom, one mixed pie (approx $15 per pie) My second foray to Fornino has pretty well convinced me that they know how to execute a great pie. When the margheritas got placed onto our table, they looked like fine art, they were so beautiful. The mushroom pies were equally eye-pleasing. Something seems a bit off with the crust to me, in that it's charred but it still comes off more dense and cracker-like than is ideal. But that won't stop me from respecting this place and keeping it in my list of viable options for great pizza destinations (it's also a great spot for social outings, with its convenience to Manhattan, relaxed atmosphere, and presence in a lively, active neighborhood).

Saturday, November 3rd, 2007, 1:30 AM Ray's Pizza (Houston St. branch), 195 E. Houston St, New York, NY, 2 slices (from two pies) Ray's is not the Prada of pizza. You don't eat at Ray's to have an enlightening experience. You don't eat at Ray's for any legitimate reason, really. It just kind of happens sometimes. You stumble into the "Ray's experience", go through the five stages of grief, and move on. The great take-home memory from this experience is that, in the midst of excess pizza overstock (we didn't *really* need 2 pies for 5 not-so-hungry people), my friend Aiyla decided to wrap one slice up in Saran wrap, stick it into her handbag, and go about her night probably forgetting what she had done until who knows what kind of haunting smells and sounds would later remind her. Classic.

Friday, November 2rd, 2007, 1:00 PM Pizza Box, 176 Bleecker St, New York, NY (Greenwich Village), 4 slices at $2.25 each Another Friday, another Pizza Box (visit). We snagged some fresh slices right of the oven, which, as is well-established, always enhances the pizza-consumption experience in a most satisfying way.

Sunday, October 21st, 2007, 1:30 AM Anna Maria Pizza, 179 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY, 2 slices at $1.75 each After a long night of Williamsburg scenesting, one of the few rational final acts you can make is to stop at Anna Maria on Bedford for some late-night departing slices. Under the circumstances, I couldn't possibly recall the subtle qualities of what I devoured. But it certainly scratched that late-night itch that only a sloppy pizza or falafel can do.

Saturday, October 20th, 2007, 7:30 PM Fornino, 187 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY, 3 marghertia, 2 mushroom, one mixed pie (approx $15 per pie) Fornino has been near the top on my todo pizza list for quite some time, as it holds a solid reputation within New York's pizza intellectual circles. I couldn't let this one slide; it was imperative upon me as an alleged pizza expert to plug this blatant gap in my knowledge. So after many aborted attempts, I finally convinced a friend to venture out to Williamsburg and see what Fornino is all about. Unfortunately, I was rather distracted this night and don't remember the experience with sufficient detail to do a proper review. But I do remember liking the pizza, yet not sensing any killer feature or synergistic combination that really put it over the top. I'll have to revisit for a followup analysis. Until then, the jury's out on this one.