Archives for the 'pizza' tag
DC Council’s Jim Graham Wants No One to Have a Piece of the Pie
DC councilman Jim Graham is one of the DC area’s most horrific left-wing moralists. Since it would be difficult to hide my contempt for him, I won’t.
I detest Jim Graham. He is a restaurant hater. He was instrumental in passing DC’s smoking ban, and since then has opposed such evils as the sale of single beers. Yet voters in his ward continue to elect Graham.
I have a feeling that might now change. Graham’s latest anti-restaurant play is so outrageous and so out of touch with reality that Graham’s supporters will have to see the light. Right?
Why is Graham’s latest ban attempt so unconscionable? I’ll tell you why. Jim Graham wants to ban the sale of pizza slices. Says their sale spurs violence.
This could mean the end of the jumbo slice–which along with the half smoke is one of DC’s few culinary contributions to the world. But this is just the continuation of a pattern the council–especially Graham–has been evincing for several years. As former DCist editor Ryan Avent wrote of Graham and the council in 2007:
In the past year as well, Council members, and particularly Ward 1 representative Jim Graham, have acted swiftly to close down District businesses connected with crimes, even when it appears that there was little the business could have done to stop the criminal act. Increasingly, it seems that the Council’s first inclination when faced with a problem is to restrict choice.
DCist has more on the proposed pizza slice ban here, and Graham’s anti-business grandstanding here.
Tell Graham how you feel about his proposal either by email (jim@grahamwone.com) or phone (202.724.8181). Tell him Crispy sent you.
Kucinich Inaugural Party?
On my walk to work today I happened upon this curbside scene, a fitting end to the presidential aspirations of Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio):
Check out the empty beer bottles in the upper left corner, and the bottle of (diet!) tonic water in the lower right. And of course, the Whole Foods bags are appropriate for the last stand of our first vegan presidential candidate.
(NOTE: While I doubt this was actually the wreckage of a Kucinich family inauguration party, you never know—he and his very lovely wife have been known to gallivant in the Dupont Circle area.)
The Wonders of “Take and Bake” Pizza
This weekend, Washington, D.C. is packed with enthusiastic Obama supporters, hopeful to catch a glimpse of our nation’s newly-elected president on Tuesday, the day of his inauguration. On the one hand, it is exciting and heartwarming to see the masses of people who have traveled hundreds or thousands of miles to witness this historic moment. On the other hand, every street is filled with cars and tour buses driven by drivers who can’t figure out the one-way streets, who don’t realize that 25 mph really means 35 mph, and who “block the box.” Even worse, though, it seems that every restaurant is booked solid. I live in the Dupont area, and I walked into at least six restaurants yesterday – even the hole in the walls – and they were all filled, with thirty to forty to fifty minute waits. In this frigid thirteen degree weather, all I wanted was something warm and delicious to eat – and I wanted to eat in the comfort of my own home, away from the tourists and visitors. Not much of a cook, actually making my dinner was out of the question. So, I went home and, sadly, ate Ramen noodles.
Today, I refused to make the same mistake. I was at school (AU Law), which is located in Spring Valley, a quiet, wealthy (yet not pretentious) neighborhood in Northwest, D.C. As I was contemplating my options for dinner – taking into account that I did not want to be around people, deal with a wait, or take out (because the food sometimes just doesn’t taste the same after a 10-minute walk or drive) – I remembered a new little gem just down the street from school: Homemade Pizza Co. This was truly the perfect solution to my laziness, my hunger, my impatience, and my anti-social tendencies.
Take and bake pizza: It is an odd concept, I admit. You buy a pizza – fresh (not frozen) dough and a variety of fresh ingredients – but the pizza is uncooked. The place has no oven, so you take the pizza home and bake it yourself. So, you have restaurant-style pizza – not comparable to Two Amys, but I would say on par with Pizzeria Paradiso (although there are less ingredients available at HPC), and definitely healthier – but you can enjoy it at home! The idea is perfect for people with busy schedules – you want to enjoy a delicious dinner, but do not have the time to cook a full meal, do not feel like waiting for delivery, and are kind of over Chinese or Thai takeout. And, honestly, I feel a sense of accomplishment after placing the pizza in the oven and baking it for fifteen minutes. It is as if I cooked dinner, but without the mess. I mean, I chose all the ingredients, right? Also, for kids, there is a “cutie pie kit”, which includes chef hats, pepperonis, and cheese, so that the entire family can have fun at dinnertime!
I recommend the Spinach pie – spinach, feta, kalamata olives, pine nuts, and sun-dried tomatoes. While you’re at it, you can get dessert too (which you also have to bake) – the oatmeal raisin cookies are AMAZING, and you can pair it with the pints of ice-cream that are sold in their freezer (I say, go for the strawberry). Also, I give the place an A+ for the staff, who is friendly, helpful, and patient. The downsides? I am not crazy about the salads – the pizza is really the specialty and the focus, hence the name. And, for a poor student like myself, I can’t say I can go too often because it is a little on the pricey side. But, it fits perfectly into the neighborhood. For more locations, click here. Next time you’re jonesin’ for a delicious, fresh restaurant-style pizza, try Homemade Pizza Co. It won’t disappoint.
Pizza Via TiVo
I squealed with joy when I read this (I really did. Ask the guys at reason’s DC HQ if you don’t believe me): You can now order pizza from your TiVo.
From the press release:
TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO), the creator of and a leader in television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), and Domino’s Pizza, Inc. (NYSE: DPZ), the recognized world leader in pizza delivery, have teamed up to give broadband connected TiVo subscribers the ability to order pizza for delivery or pick-up, and track delivery timing, right from their TV sets using the TiVo® service.
Tell me that this quote from Rob Weisberg, vice president of precision and print marketing at Domino’s Pizza, Inc., doesn’t make your heart overflow with joy at the wonders of the modern world:
“This is the first time in history that the ‘on-demand’ generation will be able to fully experience couch commerce by ordering pizza directly through their television set. You’ll see a television ad for Domino’s and you’ll click ‘I want it’ through your remote. In about 30 minutes, your pizza will show up at your door.”
Just in case you missed it, you can track your pizza from your couch.
Via Lifehacker
Smoke Alarm
The town of Milford, Connecticut, is having difficulty outlawing certain kinds of outdoor cooking:
An attempt to ban backyard fireplaces and outdoor ovens here is going up in smoke.
Although a proposed ordinance on open burning is being revised, the final version will not cover the popular “chimeneas” or even backyard pizza ovens, officials said Thursday.
“State law specifically allows cooking in the yard, and we would need the help of our legislators to change that,” Mayor James L. Richetelli Jr. said.
Curse those explicitly enumerated rights. Because if it’s one principle this country was founded on, it’s that everything is illegal unless the law books say otherwise.
Several residents complained to the Board of Aldermen earlier this week that the smoky fires are aggravating asthma and other breathing problems and that the odor is keeping neighbors indoors.
A brick, wood-fired pizza oven with a 6-foot-tall stack in a Hawley Avenue backyard is a nuisance for residents of a four-unit apartment house next door. “He has to burn wood in it for three hours just to get it hot enough,” one of the residents said. “The smell when he’s making pizza is great, but not all of the smoke and the burning wood that goes with it.”
Damn this anonymous chef who was not interviewed for the story! Damn him and his individualistic ways, what with his pizza making and his laws of physics.
Robert Gavlik, of Andrus Drive, said that even the clay or metal chimeneas emit a lot of annoying smoke and odor. “We have to close our windows to keep the smell out of the house,” he said. “We’ve gone to great lengths to curtail cigarette smoking, but smoke coming into your house is more offensive.”
But fear not. This Heat Miser sees a potential strategy around state law and its contemptible concern for liberty:
Aldermanic Chairman Ben Blake, D-5, said the city’s ability to help may be limited. “I haven’t taken the temperature of the board on this, but some will warm to the idea of controlling them for public safety reasons.
Citizen! The Government commands you to stay indoors and eat your gruel. Emit no odors!
Papa John’s Cavalier Attitude to Cost Pizza Giant Tons of Dough
Papa John’s, the giant national pizza chain, celebrated Cinco de Mayo by allowing customers to “[s]pell out Mexico with your choice of Papa John’s superior-quality toppings: Mushrooms, EXtra cheese, spicy Italian sausage, grilled Chicken and Onion.” I wonder how that went.
Unfortunately for them, Papa John’s also celebrated the day with a mea culpa in which company will virtually give away pizzas to an entire city.
Papa John’s Pizza issued an apology to Cleveland and the Cavaliers for making T-shirts with LeBron James’ number and the word “crybaby” under it.
To apologize, Papa John’s will sell Cleveland residents a large, one-topping pizza for 23 cents on Thursday. The 23 is an homage to James’ jersey number. The company also will donate $10,000 to the Cavaliers Youth Fund.
The pizza chain’s T-shirts were featured during the Cavs’ games against the Wizards on Friday in Washington. Wizards fans taunted the Cavs, who won the playoff series that night in Game 6.
The shirts started after James complained about hard fouls, and Wizards center Brendan Haywood called him a crybaby.
More on the story from Jon Eick (of the great food-humor blog So Good), who broke it, here. Cleveland’s anger prior to the free-pizza deal here.
Update: In case you want to see what a 2-hour wait outside a Papa John’s looks like.
Crispy Podcast Episode 1
In the inaugural episode of our weekly podcast, we discuss Paul Prudhome dodging bullets, the Amy Winehouse saga, the merits of lettuce and mayonaise on pizzza, the Nats going BYOF, food safety regs, and the week in bacon. We also recommend Ciao Bella gelato, which is insanely great.
Please take a listen and post a comment letting us know what you think. We apologize in advance for the audio quality, which is a little chintzy, but hey, it’s our first time and it will get better. If you like what you hear, please subscribe to the show for free. You can grab the RSS feed or click here to subscribe in iTunes. That way you’ll get it every week.
