Thursday, December 14th, 2006, 8:00 PM Ray's Pizza (Famous Original), 831 7th Ave, New York, NY (Midtown), 2 slices at $2.35 each When you've got a pizza itch, you've got to scratch it. And when it's a weekeday evening in midtown, where casual food options cater exclusively to the officeworker lunch crowd, you've got to make some hard choices. Either suck in your appetite and flee for greener pastures or make the cold, tough decision to lower your standards and dine on whatever's open. I chose the latter option. This is what brought me to Ray's. I'm not proud of it. I knew I wasn't going to like it (and my natural reflexes almost turned me away). But like I said, I had an itch. I did what I had to do and that's that.

Tuesday, December 12th, 2006, 7:00 PM George's Pizza, 726 W. 181st St, New York, NY (Washington Heights), 2 slices at $1.75 each No surprises food-wise tonight. There was a new guy taking my order. The turnover rate for assistant staff is really high here. I wonder how George finds these people. What's the interview process like? Where do they go when they leave? Does pizzamaking have a career ladder?

Sunday, December 10th, 2006, 1:50 PM Mama's Pizzeria, 941 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY (Manhattan Valley), 1 slice for $1.50 Having favorable memories of my past experiences here, I dropped in for a sample slice while I was in the neighborhood. So I was surprised and somewhat saddened to discover that today's pizza wasn't very good. It was sloppy, greasy, overly cheesy, and slightly undercooked, the kind of pizza you regret eating before you've even finished it. Could my memory have been that off? I'd like to think this was an isolated incident, but things look bleak for Mama's.

Saturday, December 2nd, 2006, 1:00 AM Joe's Pizza, 7 Carmine St, New York, NY (Greenwich Village), 2 slices for $4.50 Joe's enjoys the favorable characteristics of being a) open late, b) close to the subway, c) in the Village, and d) generally good. This makes it the perfect spot for a midnight snack after a night out on the town. Surprisingly, tonight's slices were lacking, mostly due to the undercooked and under-flavored crust. But the weather was cold, the food was warm, and I was hungry, so I have no real complaints.

Tuesday, November 28th, 2006, 8:45 PM George's Pizza, 726 W. 181st St, New York, NY (Washington Heights), 3 slices at $1.75 each George gave me a twenty five cent discount on tonight's order. Sometimes he throws in a free garlic knot. No wonder he has a loyal fan base. These little things count for more than many people know.

Saturday, November 25th, 2006, 3:00 PM Famous Ray's, 465 6th Ave, New York, NY (Greenwich Village), 2 slices at $2.25 each Although I hold disdain for Ray's pizza joints, many people swear that this one is different, that this one is a legitimate contributer to New York pizza culture. So I decided to finally drop in and see what all the fuss is about. And what did I discover? Yes, it is better than your average Ray's. But it's still not great. This is a classic case of using quantity to make up for quality. The slices are smothered in massive pools of thick, gooey, and undistinguished cheese. And while there's something fundamentally fulfilling about slurping down mountains of cheap cheese, you never harbor illusions that you're engaged in a gourmet meal. It's the pizza equivalent of rock candy. Next time I'll walk the extra 5 blocks to Joe's or Pizza Box.

Monday, November 20th, 2006, 1:00 PM Giuseppe's, 341 Lexington Ave, New York, NY (Murray Hill), 2 slices at $2.00 each Nothing much to report today from my regular midtown haunt. I asked. They provided. I paid. I ate. I left.

Saturday, November 11th, 2006, 5:30 PM L&B Spumoni Gardens, 2725 86th St, Brooklyn, NY (Bensonhurst), 2 square slices at $1.75 each As we began the long subway ride home from Totonno's, we couldn't help but pull a pit stop at L&B to wind down the night with some of their impeccably prepared square slices. After the day's gorge fest, one may wonder where we found the room for yet more food. But where there's a will, there's a way. And I've got plenty of will to enjoy L&B at the rare times when it's conveniently nearby.

Saturday, November 11th, 2006, 4:00 PM Totonno's, 1524 Neptune Ave, Brooklyn, NY (Coney Island), one large pie (size unknown) for $18.00 Thankfully, my unexceptional experience here a few weeks ago was redeemed tonight, when Eug, her friend, and I dined on an immensely satisyfing pie that masterfully illustrated Totonno's signature style. If we hadn't chowed down at Nathan's beforehand (and, in Eug's case, also afterwards), I'm sure we could have handled even more. But discipline was not the theme of the day, so our appetites were limited, and our meal was humble. Such are the dangers of Coney Island.

Saturday, November 4th, 2006, 11:00 PM George's Pizza, 726 W. 181st St, New York, NY (Washington Heights), 2 slices at $1.75 each Sadly, George's failed me today as a viable late-night emergency meal. The pizza just felt like it was sitting around too long. The reheating was clearly insufficient. I would have much preferred something fresher.

Friday, November 3rd, 2006, 7:00 PM Waldy's Wood-Fired Pizza & Penne, 800 6th Ave, New York, NY (Chelsea), one large personal (?) pie for $16.00 Waldy's is a relative newcomer to the city. They aim to offer an upscale twist to pizza (think lamb and sunny side egg toppings) while maintaining sound quality fundamentals. Since I'm a strict fundamentalist, I stuck to the basic margherita pie. It was definitely good. The sauce and cheese were clearly well-made. Their baking technique was solid. And they sprinkled fresh basil all over the pie (a superb way to win my favor). But there were flaws. The crust had a slightly unnerving cracker-like texture. And liberal doses of oil oversoaked the pie. Overall I'm glad I went. The experience was pleasant. But I'm not sure I'll come back at the current prices.

Saturday, October 28th, 2006, 2:30 PM George's Pizza, 726 W. 181st St, New York, NY (Washington Heights), 2 slices at $1.75 each The context for today's George's meal was "it took two hours to get home from New Jersey after the train broke down, I haven't eaten since last night, and it's already late afternoon". The only solution to this problem is massive amounts of greasy food in the comfort of one's own home. You can fill in the rest.