mmhmmm, Juan Valdez

where: Juan Valdez, Times Square - 7th Avenue between 41st and 42nd

Over the weekend, me and AG were at the Times Square area when she got a coffee craving. Looking quickly around the area we were in, the mid-40s and Broadway, there didn't seem to be any decent coffee places around. I swear I think I saw a light bulb switch on just above AG's head when she said we should go to Juan Valdez.

And we did. And it was worth it. It was worth wading through the maddening, slow-moving crowd of tourists that populate Times Square. It was worth swimming through the tourist herds while carrying two pies in a plastic bag. Through Times Square. We had to walk through Times Square. I put the pies through unnecessary risk. A tourist actually hit the pies (she was enjoying the 'scenery'- not looking where she was going).

But the coffee was good. Very Good. Actually, it wasn't really coffee. AG ordered the Oreo Nevado, which was more smoothie shake than frap. It actually didn't even look like coffee. As soon as I tasted it, I commented that it's all Oreo with a hint of coffee. It was. That's also how the barista described it to AG. I didn't hear the barista as AG was ordering, I was resting on a chair. We had just walked through Times Square.

The Oreo Nevado was more like a caffeinated cookies and cream shake. Nice.

5 Cereal boxes. AG asked for no whipped cream but still got it.

World's largest slice

For dinner yesterday, we wanted pizza. Filippo's On First was closed, so we decided that we would finally try Benny Tudino's on Washington avenue in Hoboken. Benny Tudino's is known for their huge slices of pizza and has been around since 1969, they even have their name imbedded on the sidewalk in front of their store.
Walking into the place, I immediately looked over the counter where the pizzas were because I wanted to see how big their slices were and they are gigantic! Probably double the size of any pizza I have tried. He ordered 2 plain cheese slices from 1 of the 3 guys behind the counter. Looking around the place was pretty busy, they had all their seats in the elevated back seating area full, so we sat in one of the booths by the counter.
The guy gave us our slices and I was ready to dig in. I like my pizzas with oregano and crushed red peppers, but wanted to try their pizza without it first. After a few bites, I added the oregano and the red peppers, tried it again and I was disappointed. It reminded me of pizzas I have had along the Jersey shore.. not that they were all bad but most were. The cheese was hard, the sauce was tasteless, and the crust was just bad. The top layer started separating from the crust as the pizza got cold, it took a while for me to eat mine and I didn't finish the slice. On the wall where our booth was, there were several years of Zagat's best awards (I think one of them was '1 of the 5 best pizzerias'), from what I saw they ran from 2001 till 2005. I couldn't believe one of the awards actually mentioned 'soft, chewy'. Being born in NYC and raised in the lower east side with pizzerias on every corner and living right next to little Italy, hanging out in Brooklyn since I was 14, I know pizzas shouldn't be soft or chewy, unless you're having a L&B square, which is soft but definitely not chewy. This is why we came up with this idea of blogging our food experiences. Maybe what we tried was a bad batch, but it was just not my type of slice and it’ll be a while before I give them a second try. It’s definitely a good place to go if you’re strapped for cash and hungry, they really have huge slices and SK paid about 5 bucks for 2 slices.

My score for Benny's is 2 cereal boxes.

Enjoy! AG

1st Post and Hoboken's Benny Tudino's

We finally decided to wander from downtown Hoboken and venture to midtown Hoboken's Benny Tudino's. Benny Tudino's is "home of the world's largest slice" and is highly rated by Zagat. As a matter of fact, there were several Zagat plaques, as well as magazine reviews, on the wall near the entrance. Seeing those and the amazingly large pizzas over the counter really whetted my appetite.

The place was decorated ok. Actually, it looked almost like a truck-stop compared to all the other restaurants along Hoboken's busy Washington Avenue. Walking through the doors, one is transported from Hobokenite-dom to a place akin to a Jersey shore local pizzeria, which actually may or may not be a good thing. I guess it's natural for the place to look aged, it has been around for close to 40 years now. There's a lot of red paint all around, framed patches of pebble-wash on the walls, plastic lawn furniture outside, and a full kitchen situated near the window offering a full-view for passersby. The kitchen was fully staffed by 4 or 5 hairy-looking Italians and the floor had about 2 waitresses. The staff behind the counter seemed very hurried when they took our order and rather surprised when we didn't want anything to drink.

One of the magazine postings on the wall said that you should go to Benny Tudino's for pizza that is "soft, chewy." We only realized what that meant after a few bites from our plain pizza slices. The slices were no joke, they were huge! They were served on two paper plates and still had parts hanging off! I've no doubt that they are indeed the world's largest slices, and if not they are certainly one of the top contenders for the title. But just like the well-known saying goes, size isn't everything. In my book, portion size counts for a lot, but it had better be backed up something more. The pizza was quite unimpressive. The crust, though still on the thin side, was kinda thick, soggy, and bland. The layer of cheese and sauce on top kept separating from the crust. The whole thing was, as the magazine described, soft and chewy. I understand that food is truly a very subjective thing to write about but please, it felt like i was chewing on soft rubber or bubble gum long after the taste had disappeared...

I wish we had gone someplace else instead. Actually, we both did.

My rating for this joint, out of 6 cereal boxes: 2 Cereal boxes.
If you're really hungry, an extra large slice will fill you up.

It was really surprising given that they were Zagat's best pizza for a number of years. Food truly is subjective. While other reviews may be beneficial in terms of rating service, cleanliness and the like, things such as taste and value for money truly are subjective and will differ from person to person. This is why me and AG decided to start this blog. We not only need a record of our dining experiences, we also need a way to express our voices and opinions about the places we eat in and the food we try.

Eat well, SK.