defend the indefensible: SBARRO

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ditto strng

― Roxymuzak, Mrs. Carbohydrate (roxymuzak), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 16:12 (twenty years ago)

i remember the WTC sbarro -- i was also "tricked" into eating there a few times.

tricked by terrorists?!

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 16:23 (twenty years ago)

their spaghetti and steamed vegetables - no sauce - are closer to real food than most of what you'll find in an I-95 rest stop. but it's doused in msg, I think.

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 16:36 (twenty years ago)

I ate at that WTC Sbarro's a few times too, usually on my way to the PATH. I wouldn't say I was tricked though.

One thing about Sbarro's pizza is that it seems like their crust is usually a bit too oily. It's really a shame to be reduced to eating at Sbarro's in NYC, when there are often much better pizza options available.

― o. nate (onate), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 16:44 (twenty years ago)

Is the actual original Ray's in NYC actually BAD as I am told?

― Paranoid Spice (ex machina), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 16:46 (twenty years ago)

I was reduced to Sbarro's in NYC once. I spent a week basically living on slices from neighborhood joints (inc. many Ray's, original Ray's, and real original Ray's), but one day I had to hang out with my aunt in Manhattan and do touristy stuff. I hadn't eaten all day was as hungry as I'd ever been, and of course the only thing in sight was a Sbarro's. After I said goodbye to her I RAN in there, and say what you want about it but it got the job done.

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 16:52 (twenty years ago)

Is the actual original Ray's in NYC actually BAD as I am told?

I don't know which Ray's is the original - as I think several of them make that claim. Most of the ones I've been to are nothing special. There's one on 6th Ave, around like 10th St or so, that puts an enormous amount of cheese on their pizzas - so I guess that's good if you like lots of cheese.

― o. nate (onate), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 16:54 (twenty years ago)

Daniel_Rf, you're lucky that the only consequence of choosing a slice of seafood pizza (why!?) from a vendor in a trainstation food stand was that it didn't taste much like pizza. you're just lucky you didn't end up like astor riviera up there.

i wouldn't necessarily praise sbarro. but there were much worse options in the metrocenter mall food court. i liked the spinach calzones for a time, i remember.

― andrew m. (andrewmorgan), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 16:56 (twenty years ago)

Food-court fast food, etc.

― donut hallivallerieburtonelli omg lol (donut), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 17:01 (twenty years ago)

Sbarro's food almost always looks better than it tastes. And, yeah, as someone upthread noted, they do/did like to locate near Orange Julius.

I associate both franchises with the 1980s for some reason, btw.

― M. V. (M.V.), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 17:02 (twenty years ago)

ray's pizza isn't so great, either. but i'd take it over sbarro (at least for pizza), if for no other reason than it's a bit less homogenous a chain (fancy way of saying that SOME of the ray's have good pizza).

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 17:09 (twenty years ago)

I associate both franchises with the 1980s for some reason, btw.

Huh, so do I.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 17:11 (twenty years ago)

SBARRO IS GOOD. EAT AT SBARRO. SBARRO. EAT THERE. HAVED SOME FOOD. SPADGETTY. BIG BOWLS. SBARRO. FORK. KNIFE. MILKSHAKE DRINK. TASTES GOOD. NABKIN DISPENDER. HOT AIR BLOWER. COST MORE MDONILLDS. BETTER THEN MDONILLDS. COST MORE BURGER KING. BETTER THEN BURGER KING. SBARRO COST MORE DOLLARS AND BETTER THEN THOSED ONES. HAVED SPADGETTY. SBARRO. BIG BOWLS. SIT AT BOOTHS. WAIT FOR SPADGETTY. FORK AND KNIFE. HOT AIR BLOWER. THEY COST MORE. THEY ACT NICE. SBARRO PAY THEM. YOU PAY THEM. JUST USE MONEY. DISPENDER. HOT AIR BLOWER. GARLICK BRED. FORK AND KNIFE. BIG BOWL OF SPADGETTYS. TO GIVED THEM MONEY. EATING BOOTH. JUST PAY WITH MONEY. THEY DO THE REST. PARMAZING CHEEZE DISPENDER. TASTES GOOD. BETTER THAN MDONILIDS. HOT AIR BLOWER. GARLIC BRED ROLL. TASTES GOOD. WAIT FOR SPADGETTY. CHAIR FOR BABIES. USE DISPENDER. USE FORK. USE KNIFE. USE BOOTH. USE SBARRO. THEY DO THE REST.

― [email protected], Wednesday, 19 October 2005 17:16 (twenty years ago)

ts: orange julius vs. nedick's

― astor riviera (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 17:19 (twenty years ago)

SPADGETTY OR NOT. SBARRO.

― [email protected], Wednesday, 19 October 2005 17:19 (twenty years ago)

I've had some pretty bad street corner pizza, even in new york. At least Sbarro's is a known quantity.

― :[ (Adrian Langston), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 17:20 (twenty years ago)

There are definitely worse pizza places than Sbarro, even in NYC. But there are also many better (and cheaper), once you find where they are. However, a Sbarro with high turn-over could still be better than a neighborhood favorite with low turn-over, if you're going to end up with the one particular slice with your favorite toppings that's been sitting under the hot lights since breakfast.

― o. nate (onate), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 17:30 (twenty years ago)

I dislike most food - the seafood pizza was the only thing available which didn't feature some foodstuff that I couldn't stand for. I am aware of these tales about bad seafood being a most risky venture, but attribute them mostly to supersitition and followers of the mad Arab Abdul Alhazred's "Necronomicon".

And how *did* Astor end up? Posting links to sbarro sites? That really doesn't sound all too frightening.

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 18:00 (twenty years ago)

I dislike most food

wtf

― _, Wednesday, 19 October 2005 18:03 (twenty years ago)

otm

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 18:07 (twenty years ago)

lol

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 18:09 (twenty years ago)

omg

― Paranoid Spice (ex machina), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 18:16 (twenty years ago)

atm machine

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 18:19 (twenty years ago)

otm mark.

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 18:22 (twenty years ago)

lemme tell you something. as a kid growing up in the midwest, sbarro was the Led Zeppelin of fast-food/cheap pizza chains. better than domino's, little caesar's, and pizza hut. but not as good as virtually every other pizza joint in northern IL. So i only went there a few times, primarily to the one at Spring Hill Mall in Dundee. i think this is nostalgia and nothing more speaking; if i had it today i'd probably vomit.

― gear (gear), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 18:30 (twenty years ago)

Did they have Rocky Rococo's up by you, Gear? We had those until sometime in the early 90s when they all mysteriously converted to Pizza Huts.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 18:32 (twenty years ago)

Oh, Rocky's. When I was a kid, I LOVED that place, and then they mysteriously disappeared in SE Wisconsin. Now there appears to be a Rocky Rococo's renaissance, but after having one down the hall from my office for six months I can't ever eat it again.

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 18:34 (twenty years ago)

There was some inscrutable family joke about drinking your soda to the bottom of Rocky's head (i.e., the image on the cup), but fuck if I can remember it now.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 18:38 (twenty years ago)

I dislike most food
wtf

Almost no veggies, very few kinds of fruit, fish is a seldom occasion. I mostly subsist on meat and candy. Not proud of it or anything!

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 18:38 (twenty years ago)

i don't think there was a Rocky Rococo's....the places I would usually go to were Nick's in Crystal Lake, Bill's in Mundelein, the Foxhole in McHenry (cheap pub pizza, but good), Barnaby's (scattered throughout the suburbs), and of course Giordano's.

― gear (gear), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 18:42 (twenty years ago)

Is Rocky Rococo the place with Leon Redbone?

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 18:51 (twenty years ago)

Yes.

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 18:53 (twenty years ago)

Woman: Does this bus go to the Garden?
Bus driver: No, the M10 or 20 goes to Madison Square Garden.
Woman: Not that Garden: Olive Garden!

from Overheardinnewyork.com

― Paul Eater (eater), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 18:54 (twenty years ago)

I kind of like Olive Garden.

― n/a (Nick A.), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 18:55 (twenty years ago)

They used to have a pretty decent fettucini with green beans in white wine sauce, but then they stopped making it.

― n/a (Nick A.), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 18:56 (twenty years ago)

It's the Italian Denny's.

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 18:57 (twenty years ago)

It was the romantic hot-spot of Williamsburg, VA.

― n/a (Nick A.), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 18:58 (twenty years ago)

daniel, i don't understand why you would choose seafood pizza over a plain slice. seems risky.

― carly (carly), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 19:01 (twenty years ago)

There wuz no plain slice, only ones with icky greens that I didn't want to peel off. Hunger - and hunger for stuff I'd like - was very much overtaking security concerns. That seafood just looked yummy (and it was, in fact, the "best" part of the meal.) Also I hadn't had much sleep

It's great that ILX takes such an interest in my dietary habits tho! :)

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 19:10 (twenty years ago)

I think I've only been to Olive Garden once.

Barnaby's? Doesn't sound familiar. The northern and southern suburbs of Chicago are like DIFFERENT WORLDS.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 19:16 (twenty years ago)

http://www.posneradv.com/img/ec/sbarro-prn01big.jpg

UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 22:16 (twenty years ago)

Eisbär otm

― Paranoid Spice (ex machina), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 22:26 (twenty years ago)

Is Famiglia any good?

― Super Cub (Debito), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 23:10 (twenty years ago)

Ummm, full disclosure? I have a soft spot for the Olive Garden, or at least for the seafood alfredo. I just don't mistake it for actual Italian food. There was a funny article online...ah, here it is -- in USA Today -- in which Marcella Hazan and her husband go to OG and report on what they find:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/mds048.htm

― Laurel, Wednesday, 19 October 2005 23:19 (twenty years ago)

It's not inedible, like Ray's (the original what?). But I don't know if I'd call it good. (xpost)

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 23:19 (twenty years ago)

it's edible, usually.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Thursday, 20 October 2005 00:08 (twenty years ago)

one year passes...

TIME FOR SPADGETTY AT SBARRO. EAT THE GOOD SBARRO SPADGETTY. NAPKIN DISPENDER.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Friday, 20 October 2006 02:15 (nineteen years ago)

excellent timing on the thread revival.

i love this thread.

― sometimes my entire life be like DAMNNN! (tehresa), Friday, 20 October 2006 02:30 (nineteen years ago)

i love the thread, too! wish i could say the same about sbarro's food, though :-(

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Friday, 20 October 2006 02:34 (nineteen years ago)

As for D-ing the I, it was the source of a good joke in the US version of The Office. Michael goes to a conferance in NY and says to the camera "one great thing about being in New York is the pizza" or words to that affect, then we see him bee-lining to a Sbarro's.

I'm not sure if I've ever eaten there, there was one in our local mall for a while, but it looked like a last resort type of option for eating. But as someone implied upthread, there's almost no such thing as *bad* pizza, just various levels of goodness. I've eaten Little Caesar's, Papa John's, Pizza Hut, Round Table (my fave of the big chains), Mama's and Papa's (free pizza on your birthday = once a year I get one to go) and enjoyed it all, though I would never pick them as exemplary of quality dining.

― nickn (nickn), Friday, 20 October 2006 03:49 (nineteen years ago)

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