Week 1: Star-Crossed Pizza & Ratchet Chicken

Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016
Location: Whiskey Town (East Village)
Event: N/A
Food: Slice of pizza from Proto's Pizza

I was fully prepared to continue being a person that pays for food for one more night, but this one just fell into my lap. I always figured my star-crossed lover would be pizza and fate finally smiled on me. A friend and I came here to grab drinks after a comedy show at Eastville. It was dead for a Thursday night as people were stockpiling for impending Winter Storm Jonas. A guy from Proto's down the block brought leftover slices to the bar and I earned one with my charm and wit and by promising to leave.


Friday, Jan. 22, 2016
Location: Wyndham Garden (Chinatown)
Event: Grand opening party for Wu Room
Food: Chicken satay, cauliflower, and broccoli

This was my first pre-meditated free food mission. There was a lot of riff-raff at this thing—think people with backpacks and hungry hipsters. Given that this was a club opening for basically a Holiday Inn in Chinatown my expectations were appropriately low. The booze was sponsored by Stoli and surprisingly free-flowing, but the food was harder to come by. The passed appetizers didn't make it ten feet past the kitchen and I had to elbow some of my fellow cheapskates just for a few pieces of chicken satay and the worst parts of a vegetable platter.