Pizza
Free Uppercrust Pizza + Stalk My Appetite
I’m always excited about free food events, especially when it’s something as delectable as thin-crust pizza from Upper Crust. Their barbecue chicken version is particularly sinfully tasty.
I was really impressed by the slice size – basically a quarter of a pie per person, despite the fact that all I paid for it was printing out the forwarded email. I got their special, a tasty but mild mixture of eggplant, ricotta cheese, and caramelized onions. My gay best friend decided to dump a can of chili flakes on his slice. “I’m going to get an ulcer,” he declared proudly.
I’ve decided I’m a fan. The crust does a great job of displaying their creative toppings, plus comes with a perfectly burnt crunch. Marco and I ate our slices outside to enjoy the lovely spring weather we’ve been blessed with recently.
—————————————————– STALK MY APPETITE:
Dinner at Hungry Mother tomorrow/today (Wednesday!) with my aforementioned gay BFF, plus dinner on Saturday at swanky Mistral with super cool Mike. Feel free to shoot me recommendations for what I should order!
Also, entries on a lovely Chinese feast at Mulan in Cambridge soon (totally overdue)… I may go out for dim sum this weekend, probably at Hei La Moon or Gitlo’s, per Lena‘s advice. Her boyfriend makes a mean coffee, by the way.
I recently had some more dim sum at Winsor Dim Sum Cafe on Tyler St in Chinatown. Had a tasty morsel of beef stomach with scallion and ginger plus some less impressive fried turnip cake. (Initially delicious, but the middles proved tasteless, mushy, and cold. Plus, not enough hoisin sauce.) Beef stomach is really all about the chewy texture. I’d go back and try their spicy Szechuan version sometime.
Also hoping to make it out to Porter Square Exchange Mall. I have been dying for good takoyaki.
My yummy $1 oysters at Rialto are now up on 3 Buck Bites, check it out!
Finally, exciting news from KO Prime, where I had my delectable calves brains, detailed in video. My awesome server sent me an update email on my request for bull testicles to be added to the menu. The email was charmingly entitled “BALLS,” and informed me they’ve got the balls, now they’re working on recipes. I’ll update you all on this important ongoing story.
Even more finally, I will be Shanghai this summer beginning early June. If you have any must tries, let me know!
Oggi’s Special of the Day Slice
Ham, Spinach, Red Onion, healthy dose of basil and chili flakes
Lunch, after finishing 1/3 of my paper. When you have a food blog, eating food seems strangely pointless if you don’t take a photo of it.
Delightful, delicious Veggie Planet Pizza
Vegan Peanut Curry - with butternut squash instead of broccoli
Veggie Planet has made me sing songs of joy ever since I first visited a few months into freshman year and tasted the sweet revelation that is Lunch for Henry. Whenever people ask me my favorite restaurant in Harvard Square, the answer is invariably Veggie Planet… I prefer the cramped climes and uneven, sometimes crappy service to slick bars and charming beverage directors. It is the most dollar per happiness that you can find in Harvard Square, and being a poor student, that kind of economic calculation is irresistable. Veggie Planet is the kind of secret that I constantly push new people to discover – it’s the place I drag new and old friends to, and yes, I do judge people based on what they think of the food here. Which I don’t do so much. Or try not to, at least.
A few of my favorites:
- Portabello Redhead: mushrooms, red romesco sauce, feta cheese, caramelized onions
- Lunch/Dinner for Henry: butternut squash, goat cheese, caramelized onions
- Caesar on a Big Cheesy Crouton: Caesar salad with chopped kalamata olive and fried tofu croutons a cheesy flatbread crust
- Vegan Peanut Curry: a spicy curry on coconut rice with a smattering of peanuts, broccoli and fried tofu croutons
Roasted vegetables with brown rice - I killed this baby with a heaping of Sriracha hot sauce, and immediately regretted it... my taste buds are out of practice.
I tried this dish for the first time… was not too enthused about it. I also overloaded on the hot sauce, which was completely my fault. Too much hubris after writing this column for the Crimson.
Tiny tables, small stools, music fliers everywhere... Veggie Planet makes me extra happy and Asian.
The Best Pizza in New York?
So this slice here from Bleecker Street Pizza is supposed to be the best pizza in New York, as declared by the Food Network, New York Post, and a whole bunch of other places. I didn’t go here on purpose. I was just wandering around the downtown area and passed by the sign, so I knew I had try it out. (Despite not being hungry at all.)
The pros: the employees were incredibly sweet. I’m not sure if this had to do with me being a girl, but hey, I often get shitty service too. But the pizza definitely had that reheated texture, where the crust has gotten a bit gummy and the cheese just lacks that magical just-melted quality. Still a tasty slice, but wish I could have had it fresh out of the oven.
I really liked this place called California Pizza (not sure why its named that) which is in downtown NYC, around Union Square. I see that Yelp doesn’t agree with me though. :(
