Epic Pizza Fail

Popped Edie into a sling, and took a walk into Soho to pick up a spice grinder for smoothies. Within 30 seconds of starting walking, Edles blinked out and didn't come to until I got home a few hours later. It's nice to have these pockets of calm with her, one on one. I guess I finally ate pizza with my daughter -- the next step is to have her eat some, too!

BREAKFAST: 9am, organic chex with organic dead milk, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5

AM BITE: 11:45am, moz & tomato foccacia, hunger 4/5
On me n' Edles walk, I stopped in Balthazar Bakery for a sweet. I was desiring pizza, but I was so close to this world-class patisserie, might as well have pizza later and get a tarte or pain au chocolate now. When I got to the small counter, there were three piles of focaccia: potato and rosemarie, a mixed vegetable and....a moz and tomato, which looked suspiciously like pizza!

I got excited -- the head chef I externed for got hired by the Balthazar group to help open a new pizzeria this fall. Is this the first signs of her influence? I must try some! And the moz and tomato was the logical first step. The counter person asked if I wanted it heated, I said yes, I saw them put it on a metal warming tray and into a small oven in the back. Hmmm. Warming tray. That's not going to crisp anything. I should have run out then...

For $4.75, I got a very hot, very attractive square slice of "focaccia", but I'm not sure this really was focaccia -- focaccia is supposed to be thick, at least an inch, and this was less than half an inch. On the first bite, everything that was wrong became very apparent. Under the (admittedly high quality) moz were two layers of rounds of fresh tomato, giving off a LOT of water, diluting any salt or spice that may of been added. Underneath the overcooked tomatoey mess was a flibbidy flobbidy base, pale on the bottom, dissolute on the top. One bite was just unpleasant. The second bite found me putting the rest in the trash.

OK, they weren't selling this as pizza, but if this were focaccia, it's still an unexpected epic fail.

PM SNACK: 12:30pm, crepe with lemon and sugar, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5 At Creperie on Ludlow. I got a little too much powdered sugar on Edle's head.

PM SNACK: 1pm, slice of streetza, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
Almost home, at the Rivington slice place that was surprisingly good last time I had pizza there. This time, just ok, I guess they can't be that good AND consistent.

DINNER: 7pm, large green salad, curry shrimp with string beans, chocolate chip cookies, water, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Cookin'. Boiled the beans for 2 minutes then shocked them, could of gone for another minute or two. Marinated the shrimp in a mix of safflower oil, Worcestershire, kuzu and a large dose of curry powder. After pan frying the shrimp, tossed in the beans and remaining marinade. Either the powder has expired, or I was missing something, it just tasted a bit chalky. Maybe a little sugar and salt would have made it pop.