Recent Comments

From Drinks

Is Public Drinking Good For the Neighborhood?

I generally agree with Wozniak et al. I think open container laws are pretty silly, and the behavior that's actually being targeted can probably be better addressed through other types of laws (e.g., disturbing the peace), but since it is on the books it has to be enforced equally. My softball team got a citation a couple years ago for drinking beer on the mall in DC, and after we argued for a few minutes, the cop made the exact same point about the fact that he couldn't let us off but ticket someone drinking a 40 in a poorer neighborhood. I realized immediately that he was absolutely right.

If you think the law stinks, lobby the mayor and city council to change it. Fighting your ticket over the definition of "public space" doesn't seem right to me (and IMO a stoop jutting out into the sidewalk is almost certainly a public space within the definition of the statute).

From Talk

Last meal of 2011?

I made a salad with beets, walnuts, haricot vert, and greens, steaks with a green peppercorn pan sauce, creamed spinach, fries, and chocolate pot au creme.

From Slice

Lenexa, Kansas: Stonewall Inn Pizza

I kind of understood rps's "gourmet" to mean the WFO/Neapolitan places, which I think to non-pizza-obsessive folks do look like "gourmet" pizza -- if you understand "gourmet" to mean "fancy" or "upscale" or "atypical ingredients" (like soppressata, fresh mozzarella*, fresh basil, etc.)

Exactly. I was just using it as a lazy shorthand for the WFO pizza that has proliferated over the last 10 years. For the most part, the people running those places take their pizza seriously and try to put out high quality, serious pizzas. (And, as you noted, using high quality ingredients and traditional techniques is hardly "gourmet," but that's often how it's viewed.) I applaud those folks and love the fact that so much great pizza is now available. DC in particular has seen a sea change in the quality of the pizza available over the last 10-15 years.

But I would love to see more family style joints.

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Recent Posts

From Talk

Which pizza recipes have you tried?

From Talk

Eats doesn't get much more serious than this

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rps answered "Sour Patch Kids" to What's Your Favorite Gummy Candy?

From Serious Eats: New York

rps answered "Alton Brown" to Which Celebrity Chef Would You Most Like To Meet?

From Slice

rps answered "Fresh" to Do you prefer canned or fresh mushrooms on your pizza?

From A Hamburger Today

rps answered "No" to Patty Melt: Is it a Burger?

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rps got 66% correct on Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Apples?

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rps got 37% correct on Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Soda?

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rps got 22% correct on How Much Do You Know About Peanut Butter?

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rps got 90% correct on How Much Do You Know About Barbecue?

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Recent Comments

From Drinks

Is Public Drinking Good For the Neighborhood?

I generally agree with Wozniak et al. I think open container laws are pretty silly, and the behavior that's actually being targeted can probably be better addressed through other types of laws (e.g., disturbing the peace), but since it is on the books it has to be enforced equally. My softball team got a citation a couple years ago for drinking beer on the mall in DC, and after we argued for a few minutes, the cop made the exact same point about the fact that he couldn't let us off but ticket someone drinking a 40 in a poorer neighborhood. I realized immediately that he was absolutely right.

If you think the law stinks, lobby the mayor and city council to change it. Fighting your ticket over the definition of "public space" doesn't seem right to me (and IMO a stoop jutting out into the sidewalk is almost certainly a public space within the definition of the statute).

From Talk

Last meal of 2011?

I made a salad with beets, walnuts, haricot vert, and greens, steaks with a green peppercorn pan sauce, creamed spinach, fries, and chocolate pot au creme.

From Slice

Lenexa, Kansas: Stonewall Inn Pizza

I kind of understood rps's "gourmet" to mean the WFO/Neapolitan places, which I think to non-pizza-obsessive folks do look like "gourmet" pizza -- if you understand "gourmet" to mean "fancy" or "upscale" or "atypical ingredients" (like soppressata, fresh mozzarella*, fresh basil, etc.)

Exactly. I was just using it as a lazy shorthand for the WFO pizza that has proliferated over the last 10 years. For the most part, the people running those places take their pizza seriously and try to put out high quality, serious pizzas. (And, as you noted, using high quality ingredients and traditional techniques is hardly "gourmet," but that's often how it's viewed.) I applaud those folks and love the fact that so much great pizza is now available. DC in particular has seen a sea change in the quality of the pizza available over the last 10-15 years.

But I would love to see more family style joints.

From Slice

Lenexa, Kansas: Stonewall Inn Pizza

This review brings up an issue that I've been thinking about recently. Over the last 10 years a huge number of high quality neapolitan and neapolitan-style pizza places have opened around the country, and that's a great thing. But sometimes it seems like the pizza world has been divided into two camps: "gourmet" (usually made in wood burning ovens, small, made with high quality toppings) and cheapo delivery. In my area at least (DC), there aren't many family pizza restaurants, where you can sit down and order a large pizza or two for a group of people to share. There were a lot more places like that around when I was a kid in the 70s and early 80s (although it's possible that my memory is off). I'd love to see more sit down restaurants serving really, really good "bad" pizza. An 18" pie made in a deck oven and with basic mozz and tomato sauce, but made with fresh mushroom, good sausage, etc.

From Slice

Lenexa, Kansas: Stonewall Inn Pizza

What I was thinking of was that the whole "hand-tossed" thing had lost any meaning, thanks to places like Domino's that claim something as "hand-tossed," when, yeah, it's just stretching some dough with your knuckles. I think what they mean to convey is "made by hand" as opposed to a dough sheeter — or just showing up in the pizzeria location as a frozen disk or whatever.

This relates back to the earlier post about good bad pizza vs. bad good pizza. I happen to really like cracker style pizza that's been put through a dough sheeter (in fact, I'd love to see a Pizza lab on this subject), so I agree that the fact that a pizza has been hand stretched isn't necessarily a sign of quality IMO. There's plenty of bad hand made pizza out there, and some (although not enough) great sheeted pizza.

From Serious Eats

SE Staff Picks: Least Favorite Halloween Candy

Great list overall, but you forgot the worst of all: SNO-CAPS! Ugh.

Mary Janes are good in theory, but the reality is always disappointing.

From Slice

A Pizza Snob's Approach To Toppings

I agree that taste is personal and that there's no right or wrong in food, but I thought the point of the article was for KLA to explain what his personal preferences and rules are. I don't think he's advocating that his preferences become federal law.

From Slice

The Pioneer Woman's Fig-Prosciutto Pizza with Arugula

Good lord...stop whining. If you don't want to read this post, ignore it.

And I think some people are taking the "serious" in "Serious Eats" a little too literally (or seriously).

From Slice

Would You Hire This Man?

@gaffer @richg35

These are post hoc rationalizations. You have the benefit of seeing that he went on to create a very successful pizza place. The hiring manager didn't have that info. and had very little reason to consider him for the general manager position. Again, he should have had him come in to interview for an entry level or intern position, but I don't see how you can fault the hiring manager for not considering the application seriously. (and I agree with the above comment that it was a pretty nice rejection letter.)

From Slice

Would You Hire This Man?

My guess is Pauli got the same treatment (age discrimination) on other applications

Age discrimination? But he was applying for a general manager position and had absolutely no experience in the industry. You might have an argument if he'd applied for an entry level job.

Would Paulie hire Paulie v.2.0 to be the general manager at his restaurant if he received the same application today?

From Slice

Would You Hire This Man?

Would You Hire This Man?

For a general manager position? Absolutely not. But I would have asked him to come in to interview for an entry level position. If he wanted to learn about the industry by working at another restaurant, he should have started at the bottom.

From A Hamburger Today

San Francisco: The Voters Don't Quite Get it Right at Greenburger's

Sweet potato fries are great in theory, but the reality is often disappointing. If their sweet potato fries are consistently good I tip my cap.

From Slice

Meriden, Connecticut: Little Rendezvous Pizza

We also know that real film has far less lattitude and range than the electronics,

I thought film generally had more range than digital sensors.

From Slice

True Neapolitan in Bethesda, Maryland: Pizzeria da Marco

I went the other day and thought it was excellent. Definitely a nice addition to Bethesda.

This may seem like a strange comment, but my one piece of advice is that they should make the pizzas a little smaller. My wife and I were fine with one pizza and a couple salads, so the meal was pretty inexpensive. Great for us, but I wonder if they can really make money that way.

From Slice

Top This: Vignarola Pizza (à la Campo de' Fiori)

Oh My God, please shoot me now and put me out of my misery!

Don't tempt us.

From Slice

True Neapolitan in Bethesda, Maryland: Pizzeria da Marco

@chanterelle -- I know, it's weird. I live in Bethesda, and I've found the food scene a little frustrating. I'm not complaining exactly -- there are a million restaurants, and a bunch of very good ones -- but given the level of income and location you'd think there's be a bunch of really interesting restaurants, high or low end. But instead it's just a lot of good but not exciting places.

Mia's is very good. Cava is good. Grapeseed is very good. There are a few others. I haven't been to Pizzeria da Marco, but it looks like an exception to the rule.

From Slice

True Neapolitan in Bethesda, Maryland: Pizzeria da Marco

Bethesda, MD boasts an impressive array of upscale bars and restaurants, but has always lacked a true Neapolitan pizzeria.

A nitpick -- Mia's might not be true Neapolitan, but it's pretty close (and very good).

From Serious Eats

Goodbye, Dumpling

That's awful. I'm really sorry. I have a 12 year old boston terrier, and was really sick a couple months ago with an infection. Luckily, she pulled through, but I'm going to be devasted when she's gone.

From Serious Eats

Would You Eat Lab Engineered Meat?

I don't see the downside if this type of meat is replacing a significant amount of factory farmed meat. The potential advantages for the environment and the animals of course are enormous. Plus, the use of this type of meat could greatly benefit small family farms focused on heritage breeds and sustainable farming if they're some of the only sources of traditional cuts.

From A Hamburger Today

In-N-Out vs. Five Guys vs. Shake Shack: The First Bi-Coastal Side-By-Side Taste Test

Cool concept, but it's hard to see how reheating the burgers makes for a valid comparison.

Also, could you have chosen a worse photo of the 5 Guys burger? It doesn't even look like a regular, two pattie burger.

I'm always surprised to hear the comments about the 5 Guys in NY. I live in DC and have never had a bad experience at a 5 Guys.

From Serious Eats

A Sandwich a Day: Chicken Cutlet Hoagie from Taylor Gourmet in Washington, D.C.

I like Taylor's, but I don't love it. I agree with Joe C that the bread is too hard.

See more comments by rps »

Recent Posts

From Talk

Which pizza recipes have you tried?

From Talk

Eats doesn't get much more serious than this

See more posts by rps »

Recent Favorites

rps hasn't favorited a post yet.

Polls

From Sweets

rps answered "Sour Patch Kids" to What's Your Favorite Gummy Candy?

From Serious Eats: New York

rps answered "Alton Brown" to Which Celebrity Chef Would You Most Like To Meet?

From Slice

rps answered "Fresh" to Do you prefer canned or fresh mushrooms on your pizza?

From A Hamburger Today

rps answered "No" to Patty Melt: Is it a Burger?

From Serious Eats

rps answered "Nope" to Would You Eat the KFC Double Down Sandwich?

From Serious Eats

rps answered "Tampopo" to What's Your Favorite Food Movie?

From Serious Eats

rps answered "Wegmans" to What's Your Favorite Grocery Chain?

From Slice

rps answered "Neapolitan" to What's Your Favorite Style of Pizza

From Serious Eats

rps answered "Foodie" to Which Food Term Bugs You the Most?

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Quizzes

From Serious Eats

rps got 66% correct on Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Apples?

From Serious Eats

rps got 37% correct on Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Soda?

From Serious Eats

rps got 22% correct on How Much Do You Know About Peanut Butter?

From Serious Eats

rps got 90% correct on How Much Do You Know About Barbecue?

From Serious Eats

rps got 90% correct on Meat Quiz

From Serious Eats

rps got 60% correct on Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Bagels?

From Serious Eats

rps got 80% correct on Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Sushi?

From Serious Eats

rps got 40% correct on Quiz: How Much Do You Know About French Fries?

From Serious Eats

rps got 70% correct on Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Ramen?

From Serious Eats

rps got 87% correct on How Much Do You Know About Beer?

From Serious Eats

rps got 80% correct on How Much Do You Know About Hot Dogs?

From Serious Eats

rps got 60% correct on How Much Do You Know About Food TV and Its Personalities?

From Sweets

rps got 50% correct on What's Your Ice Cream IQ?

From Serious Eats

rps got 80% correct on How Much Do You Know About Spring Vegetables?

From Serious Eats

rps got 62% correct on How Much Do You Know About Breakfast Foods?

From Serious Eats

rps got 87% correct on How Much Do You Know About Cheese?

From Serious Eats

rps got 75% correct on How Much Do You Know About Food Preservation?

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