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Jason, I live one block away from you, and I have to say there are no decent bagel and pizza places in our lazy 5-minute walk range. You have to walk at least 10 minutes to find decent pizza by the slice and bagels.

David's Bagels (1st Ave between 19th & 20th) is the best bagel joint in the area.

The best and cheapest ($1) pizza slice can be found at Mamani's at Avenue A between 9th & 10th. I can only recommend the cheese slice because it's the only thing I ever get. Other pizza places in the hood, like Stromboli's, Sal's, Vinny Vincenz, have all let me down. For sit-down pizza, I love Luzzo's (1st Ave between 11th & 12th).

Growing up in Minnesota, we didn't actually have a ton of local doughnut shops at the time, so we had to get them from grocery bakeries.

My local grocery store had both long john's AND eclairs - the key difference being the filling. Long Johns had none and sometimes had sprinkles or coconut topping - where as eclairs were filled evil.

Wylie was extremely gracious, as was his staff.. that kitchen is amazing, and I think they dig food geeks checking it out.

I have found that when searching on SE for recipes or suggestions, it's better to type in your search word or phrase and then make sure to filter for recipes, otherwise you do tend to get results that might not seem so helpful

I assume that if people ask what, to me, seems a question that requires a simple response, that they come to this place because we are a community of people with experience/interest and a willingness to learn from others questions. Perhaps (and I've had this experience) they've already googled and found inconclusive or contradictory advice. I trust the advice of commenters here to be thoughtful and well-informed and so likely more trustworthy than a google search of sources I do not necessarily know.

I also don't mind when people chime in to ask questions about threads that deal with regionally specific foods or restaurants. It may be obvious to people who are from that area/familiar with that food product or whatever, but if someone asks, and is responded to, then others who might also be curious can learn without having to 'leave the cocktail party', so to speak and google.

@kathryn and @lemonfair -- agreed.

I post on numerous (often non-food related) throughout the day, and in my experience there's a huge spectrum of posters ranging from a) the lazy person who has a very obvious yes/no answer, and has clearly not taken the time to do research, and b) the person who's done research, but wants more input or just a range of opinions from experienced people. The former is merely leeching from the community, the latter is more likely to contribute and add to it.

Personally, I'm not one to tell someone to turn to Google and leave it at that, but it is endlessly frustrating to read through a forum where the same question has been asked and answered a dozen times, and the answer is in a clearly marked guide at the top of the webpage!

Agreed, and incorporated into the question I just posted. I think the commenters directing posters to the internet for answers are kings of the obvious.

I find there's a difference in questions that ask for an opinion, and those that ask for specific information, which often commenters graciously look up for the questioner without pointing out the obvious, that the Talker could have also done this.

I can't understand why so many people like Ess-A-Bagel. They're among the worst bagels I ever had -- too large and too soft

This post is awesome. You sir are a sandwich engineer!

I just got back from Corton. The website asks guests to refrain from using flash photography and cell phones. I accept that gladly. You quote Drew here as saying,

"No, we're not going to stop people from taking photos," Nieporent said. "We'd just like people to be considerate of the other people in the restaurant.""

So why, when I entered, was I told that no photography was permitted. I asked nicely and was told, "no". The host asked the chef and reiterated that it was not permissible. I explained that I would not use a flash. I explained that I would not use the photos online nor for any commercial purposes. Still, my request was refused. I feel lied to based on the website only saying that "flash photography" was not permitted and also the quote here from Drew. So Drew, why is this?

The food at Corton was good but, just like Momofuku Ko, I won't be back. I see no reason to reward restaurants who don't consider my desire for a permanent memory, valid. They can make any policies they like but I still get to chose where I dine. I also chose to deal with people who advertise honestly. Drew said that, "we're not going to stop people" but that is just what they did. That to me is deceptive.

In the interest of full disclosure, the host did comp a round of drinks for us because of this. Still, it, (please, please, pardon the pun, leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Go early in the week when Wylie is there (Monday, Tuesday) and get the tasting menu. They usually offer you a tour when you're done but if not, just ask.

When I went there for dinner I just asked if I could take a peak inside and they were totally nice about it and brought us in, explained all the stations, etc. Wylie wasn't there that night though! :( But it was cool. Awesome food!!!