The Perfect Bite, January 27th

Few pleasures in life compare to an exquisite bite of food—good composition and the perfect balance of sweet, heat, salt, acid, texture and taste. Growing up my friends and I frequented New City Pizza in town for lunch on school days. (Yes, seniors were allowed off campus for lunch. Weren’t they?) Every day I looked forward to that triangular sensation of hot pizza right out of the oven. The daily dilemma was whether to eat the crust first and save the ideal point for last, or to indulge immediately, putting off the decision of whether or not to even eat the crust for later.

I remember the outstanding slice at the long defunct The Famous Ray’s Pizza on 6^th Avenue at the corner of 11^th Street in NYC. Their “regular” slice was so cheesy it took two hands just to carry the flimsy paper plate to the occasionally clean countertop near the window. My strategy at Ray’s was to rip off sections of the crust and pair them with gobs of the extra cheese I’d pull off in greasy hunks to better distribute the toppings across the entire carby bottom. Many napkins were used to achieve pizza nirvana.

Ordering a piece of pizza
in NYC is simple.
“Slice of regular!” you shout over the counter.

Now I find profound happiness in a perfect bite of sushi, a rich fudgy brownie square (my secret is to add applesauce to the mix!) or the notable crunch of a homemade grilled cheese as your shiny fingertips glow from a brush with the buttery outsides of the bread. Yes, carefully building a forktower of a filet mignon slice placed solidly below a swirl of garlic mashed potatoes has its appeal, especially if said bite can be dipped into a rich pool of marinade before consumption.

No matter your foodie preference for scoring the perfect bite—the sensation of deliciousness has the power to transport you out of your pajamas and away from your dining room to a glittery grand feast where food royalty is served. Personally I much prefer to stay in my pj’s, but I’m all for the tiara at the table.