Haiku #384 - Mama's Backyard Cafe

Cappuccino and mini chocolate cannoli at Mama's Backyard Cafe in Queens

simple little things

life should be filled with pleasure

as much as can be

Haiku #378 - Perfect Broadway Day

church bells are chiming

"no business like show business"

at quarter to two

Every Wednesday at 1:45 pm, the church bells at St. Malachy's on 49th St. call theatrical parishioners to matinee by chiming "There's No Business Like Show Business". Today at that time, I was sitting across the street by an open window in the rehearsal studio, alternately playing dance breaks for a Book of Mormon rehearsal and reading a book about Irving Berlin, who wrote that song, as well as many others that form part of the American soundtrack. Perfect.

After rehearsal, I had sushi with a friend and colleague, saw the evening performance of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella, and had a nightcap of matzo bowl soup at a nearby diner afterwards. Perfect.

Not every day is this perfect, but there truly is no business like show business, and I wouldn't trade it for all the cute babies in day care.

Can you believe I'd NEVER tried matzo ball soup before?!

Haiku #365 - Shake Shack

the outdoor setting

and the frozen custard too

make it worth the queue 

Haiku #359 - Fresco Gelato

salted caramel and espresso gelato from Fresco Gelateria in the East Village
Note to self: next time, get flavors that aren't the same color.

we're all thinking it:

"hello spring!!! suck it, winter!"

time for gelato

Haiku #358 - Fishtag

Radium (right) and me leaving Fishtag, having been well-fed and taken care of

masterful skill turns

ev'ryday ingredients

to sublime flavors

Haiku #356 - Aroma Espresso

mid-afternoon break

recollections of iced chai

under the blue sky

Haiku #330 - Fooooooooooood!

"There is no love sincerer than the love of food." - George Bernard Shaw

bacon is awesome
french fries are pretty great, too
cookies are the best

Haiku #314 - DiFara Pizza

So, good intentions...yeah. What a boring theme! Can't wait for February. But here's a Monday pizza haiku about - wait for it - the best pizza in New York:

DiFara pizza

made the same way for decades

it is worth the wait

Daniel shows off his slices. I almost forgot to take a pic,
I was so excited to eat by the time the food came. 

A totally unassuming corner pizzeria in Midwood, Brooklyn, DiFara's pizza is not a quick slice, reheated from under a heat lamp. The owner has been making each slice/pie to order, no shortcuts, for coming up on half a century. Definitely worth the trek and worth the wait.

Haiku #310 - Crock Pot

throw in the crock pot
chicken thighs and pasta sauce
easiest dinner

I hate spending more than I can afford to. So, in the lean freelancer month of January, when my thin wallet, determination to eat better, and relatively ample free time coincide, I cook more. But I hate to cook, so "cooking" in my world usually involves a maximum of one pot/pan and 3 ingredients (5 if I'm feeling fancy). 

Haiku #302 - NY Pizza - Little Luzzo's

delicious pizza

and if you still have some room,

a Nutella treat

Little Luzzo's - E 96th between Lex & Park:
I've only eaten here a couple times, and both times been surprised at how good (and cheap) this place is - it's a non-fancy Upper East Side joint on the same block as the train. My pizza disappeared before I could get a picture (whoops), but here's a pic of the Nutella roll:

it's not much to look at, but it was yummy

They must go through a lot of Nutella; the tip jar is an enormous Nutella jar.

Haiku #298 - El Centro

with Alex, hanging before she rejoins the Book of Mormon tour next week!

nachos and girl talk

with honorary seestor

before she leaves town

Haiku #292 - Patzeria Friends & Family

Monday pizza day!
I forgot to take a pic
of my brocc'li rabe

I'll blame busy-ness and general hurricane discombobulation for my lack of a pizza haiku... I'll get back next week. But Patzeria on W 46th St I already mentioned as my favorite slice (I get the Grandma slice or the tomato-basil)...this is the sit-down Italian place on 48th and 8th that they opened about a year ago. I went in this evening between gigs and had a beer and a broccoli rabe at the bar and a friendly chat with the owner. Great place, great food, great people.

Back to normal pizza haikuing next Monday!

Haiku #285 - Cafe Ollin

cure for common cold:

Cafe Ollin's chicken soup

straight from the carton

Haiku #284 - NY Pizza - Artichoke

my margherita, Lacey's artichoke, and Rod's dainty little vodka slice

Artichoke pizza

passersby salivating

looking at my slice

Haiku #277 - NY Pizza - $1 Pizza!

see dollar pizza?

don't get scared and run away

it's really quite good!

People, Places, Things:

Dollar pizza places can be found all over NYC. The one pictured above is on 3rd Ave in Spanish Harlem. There are a lot in Hell's Kitchen. Dollar pizza slices are a little smaller then average, and have not too much cheese (so you aren't dabbing away 3 napkins' worth of grease), and, because of the high turnover, are always fresh! Conclusion: Dollar pizza sounds like a bad idea, but isn't (though I don't recommend it more than once a week or so...)

Haiku #270 - NY Pizza - La Nostra

Seriously. This is a small. 

i'm going to need
my roommate's help to devour
this "small" spinach pie

People, Places, Things:
La Nostra Pizzeria in my neighborhood - 110th and 2nd Ave. Nothing fancy, just average New York pizza - exactly what the doctor ordered for a cloudy, working-from-home, staying-in-my-PJs kind of day.

And probably three days thereafter, judging by the size of that pie. 

Note on linguistics/immigration/stratification: The menus and other material for this place say "La Nostra" (Italian)... the signage outside says "La Nuestra" (Spanish)...

 I don't think this place is very old, so I don't know what the scoop is behind that discrepancy, but it made me think of the different waves of immigrants who have come through this neighborhood.

Haiku #265 - NY Pizza - Patzeria

Grandma slice from Patzeria.
That it doesn't look so great is due entirely to my lack of photography skills.

if I had to pick

one slice for the rest of life

it would be this one

People, Places, Things:

Patzeria on 46th St between Broadway and 8th Ave -

My go-to pizza joint when I'm in the theater district. Approx the size of a postage stamp. They also have a sit-down Italian restaurant with a small bar a couple blocks away. 

Juan usually serves me my pizza.
The place is filled with show memorabilia (eg upper left corner)

Haiku #259 - Guantanamera

old friends, Latin jams

y plátanos maduros

Guantanamazing

People, Places, Things:

Guantanamera

Kurt, Alex, Perry, Christina

Haiku #258 - NY PIzza - Itza Pizza

the preferred meal of

a New Yorker on the go

is some kind of slice

People, Places, Things:

Itza Pizza

A favorite of Soviet spies???

This was a random slice day - I didn't have time to go to any of my favorite places for this week's haiku, so I had to try a new place! I had an eggplant slice at Itza Pizza on John St. near the World Trade center; it was decent, and did the job of providing a quick meal on the run. 

Haiku #246 - NY Pizza - Mariella

me w/ John & Phil (wielding pizza cutter)

pepperoni slice

from Mariella fuels a

New York afternoon

People, Places, Things:

This haiku is the first in (I hope) a weekly series haiku about my favorite pizza in New York...you know, a guide for hitchhaikuers...

Mariella is located on 8th Ave between 56th and 57th. The staff is friendly and nice, kinda old school New York, and it's classic, non-pretentious, greasy New York pizza. I usually opt for the pepperoni slice, and sometimes have a root beer to go with. Good for fueling visits to the south end of Central Park, the Time Warner Center, and/or Broadway shows a few blocks south.

Apparently there is another Mariella on E 16th & 3rd...I'm not familiar with that one!