Sunday Eating

Was invited by Brooklyn’s premier board game party host to play Ticket to Ride EUROPE. The game was glorious and it prompted me to re-learn one of life’s most important lessons – Reading Is Fundamental. Like, when you get a card that says Amsterdam to Pamplona, don’t build a train from Amsterdam to Palermo. While it is a much more complicated route (which, by the way, I successfully built), you will not be rewarded for it in the end as it is WRONG. If only I would have actually READ my card instead of simply SKIMMING it. Regardless, the blow of my complete ineptness was somewhat cushioned by the delicious pre-game pizza I consumed.

We ordered two pizzas (one pepperoni, one sausage) from Graziella’s on Vanderbilt between DeKalb and Willoughby. To be honest, I don’t really eat pizza that often. I like it well enough when I eat it, but I never go out of my way to eat it. I have a similar relationship with bagels (though the latter DO actually induce headaches – maybe too many chewing repetitions?). I’ll eat pizza at Grimaldi’s, but that’s pretty much it. Graziella’s, like Grimaldi’s, is tasty thin-crust brick oven pizza. I find this variety preferable because I also don’t like bread or crust. I’ve had Graziella’s twice now and have to say, I love it. Each slice goes down so smoothly that it makes me wonder why I don’t eat pizza all the time. My fellow board gamers and I each scarfed down three slices, easy peasey, with the exception of my favorite cracker – the original Jimmy John Hong. It was his lucky day and he got to eat FOUR amazing slices. I think what makes this pizza so delicious is the perfect sauce to crust ratio. It must be even MORE perfect tasting in the actual restaurant.

Afterward, I went to my friend Zach’s house to watch the Pats/Colts game. I was very pleased to discover upon my arrival that ex-Commissioner Phil, who lives in Greenpoint, brought some wonderful kielbasa from his nabe. Zach cooked it up perfectly and we enjoyed it with some rye bread (which I did not really eat b/c I don’t like bread), sauerkraut (which we almost couldn’t open because the lid was, I think, GLUED instead of screwed onto the jar) and spicy hot mustard (also oddly difficult to open) – all from Greenpoint. Additionally, I was psyched that the Colts won because I’m totally done with the Patriots. I especially hate them because my former company built their stupid stadium, so as a rule, I always root against them.