Posted by Adam Kuban, March 25, 2008 at 2:00 PM
As an oblivious English-speaking gringo, I'd never really thought about what you'd do as a Spanish-speaking pizza fiend. Well, Domino's thought about it and is now delivering en español. By dialing 888-DOMINOS, those who hablar the language can now reach an automated voice system that's probably as annoying in Spanish as these things are in English. I wouldn't know, as my high school–level español is pretty weak. That familiar doo-da-loo-doo-da-loo-doo-da-loo-doop sound that the system makes while "thinking," however, sounds the same in either language.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, October 31, 2006 at 8:00 AM
For the pizzaiologist living in Kings County, New York, Domino's new Brooklyn Style Pizza raises questions of existence and being that would challenge even the most serious student of ontology. Aren't all Domino's pizzas made in Brooklyn by nature "Brooklyn style"? Is a Domino's Brooklyn Style Pizza imbued with an extra dose of Brooklyn-ness?
Perhaps these are instead koans to be offered as contemplation for pizza-loving Zen Buddhists. Whatever they are, these riddles are beyond our comprehension at Slice. We do feel it is within our power, however, to examine one question: Is it any good?
The answer: No. And, strangely enough, yes. Good for a Domino's pie, that is.
Instead of the gummy, doughy crust you may be used to upon taking delivery of a Domino's pizza, the Brooklyn Style pie's is surprisingly thin, somewhat crisp (thanks in large part to a liberal dusting of cornmeal on crust bottom), and much lighter and airier than the chain's "Classic Hand-Tossed" crust.
The pie's foundation is Domino's hand-tossed dough but stretched thin, making it foldable. It's cut into six slices, which is not very Brooklyn (we tend to do eight-slice pies here), and is topped with a blend of mozzarella and provolone. Extra-large pepperoni and extra-large sausage are options that I believe are available on any Domino's pie but which the chain seems to be pushing as the ideal toppings for the Brooklyn Style.
This is the best Domino's product I've had in recent months, which isn't saying much, given that the last few orders I've placed were for the Philly Cheesesteak Pizza, the Cheeseburger Pizza, and the Double Melt. Tonight's pepperoni left an acrid aftertaste, and the sauce was still too sweet, even though they seem to be going easier on it with this new product. If given the choice between this and the "Classic Hand-Tossed," "Ultimate Deep Dish," or "Crunchy Thin Crust," I'd go with the Brooklyn Style.
Of course, that brings us back to another question regarding the nature of Domino's vis-a-vis Brooklyn pizza. Why order it at all when live in New York City? To that I answer: For you, dear reader. I eat this stuff so you don't have to.
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The Brooklyn Style Pizza debuted in test markets last week and will be available nationwide starting today. You can order one online at dominos.com (online ordering may not be available in all areas).
Posted by Adam Kuban, August 1, 2006 at 4:26 PM
pizza delivery, blogged to Slice from the Flickr photostream of Incandenza
It's a scorcher out there across most of the U.S., but it only really hit home today here at Slice HQ in New York City.
Let the visual cooling trend continue. Today's PotD is from this past February's blizzard here in the Big Apple.
I wonder which version of crap weather the pizza deliveryman in this photo would prefer.
Posted by Adam Kuban, July 31, 2006 at 7:41 PM
Tech gossip blog Valleywag reports on a publicity stunt by software incubator Cambrian House. Their ploy? According to Valleywag, to "thank Google for changing the dot-com industry." There's video of the company dropping in on the Google campus unannounced to deliver 1,000 pies. The still image above shows the pile of pizza. Click the YouTube vid below to watch.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, June 16, 2006 at 1:16 PM
From the New York Daily News guide to tipping:
Pizza or other restaurant delivery: 10% - or 20% if you live on a high floor of a walk-up, said Joe Pasquale, the owner of Joe's Pizza in Greenwich Village.
Tipping tips from experts [New York Daily News]
Posted by Adam Kuban, November 5, 2003 at 4:59 PM
This, from CNN.com:
Tim Petrovic was another stroke behind after a 66, and he was on another kind of bubble. The former pizza deliveryman is 41st on the money list, and appears to be a shoo-in to wind up in the top 40 and qualify for the Masters.
I don't really follow golf, so Petrovic's former career as pizza driver is news to me.
Posted by Adam Kuban, November 1, 2003 at 4:50 PM
Matt Kennedy Gould, the unwitting dupe of Spike TV's fake reality show Joe Schmo, isn't upset after learning the program tricked him into believing he was starring in a real reality show. Heck, the law school dropout and former pizza deliveryman won $100,000, a trip to Tahiti, and a flat-screen plasma TV. One wonders how many tips it would take to make that kinda scratch schlepping pies.
Posted by Adam Kuban, October 13, 2003 at 3:20 PM
Pizza delievery in Tehran: I would have thought it unlikely. Heck, I didn't even know Iran had pizza. A trip to the movie Crimson Gold might do me some good then. A.O. Scott writes in the New York Times:
Mr. Kiarostami, the lion of contemporary Iranian art cinema, and Mr. Panahi, who has established himself with "The White Balloon" and "The Circle" as one of Iran's leading urban filmmakers, set out to explain what drove the robber, a pizza deliveryman and a veteran of the Iran-Iraq war, to his desperate, self-destructive act of violence. The answer is not altogether surprising, and at times "Crimson Gold" exhibits a finger-pointing didacticism as it exposes the cruelties and inequities of a society sharply polarized by class and corrupted by selfishness, snobbery and cynicism. But the occasional obviousness of the film's themes is more than balanced by the subtlety of its methods, and by the stolid, irreducible individuality of its protagonist, Hussein.
Posted by Adam Kuban, October 13, 2003 at 2:26 PM
Next time the delivery driver's on your doorstep with your pizza, you'll be face to face with somone who holds one of the most dangerous jobs in America, according to CNN/Money. The site used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to complie this dubious top-ten list.
One top-10 surprise was the fifth place finisher -- driver-sales workers, which, according to a BLS spokesperson, includes pizza delivers, vending machine fillers, and the like. Again, these workers are often self employed. Traffic accidents contributed heavily to their high fatality rate of 38 per 100,000, but they also suffered from crime; nearly a quarter of their deaths came from robberies and assaults.
So have a heart, and don't forget to tip the pizza guy (or gal).
