New York Pizza

Addendum (November 20, 2009): Those of you that are big NYP fans are probably aware that the classic restaurant has changed locations and taken on a more formal air. My wife and I are still fans, but it is just not the same. We loved being able to sit basically in the kitchen, have a beer, get our daughter a slice and take home a great pizza. Unfortunately, in the new building, that is just not an option. They also changed their sauce, adding green peppers, I think., which is fine, but I liked it the way it was. We still enjoy the food and the people that work there, but it is not the same. The original New York Pizza is still my favorite pie, but the sequel is just a little disappointing.

Get to know the proprietors of New York Pizza and Carlos will treat you like his best friend. This small restaurant on Magazine Street is our favorite place to order pizza in town. The establishment is primarily a take out/delivery place, but there are a few tables at which to enjoy a quick bite. The building is small and very casual, with a large screen TV which is usually set to a sporting event of some type. The menu is typical of a New York style pizzeria. Salads and cheese bread are among the appetizers, as well as their own 'Snooie Bread', which is a favorite of ours. Muffaletta style bread topped with mozzarella cheese, fresh herbs and tomatoes, the Snooie bread is a great way to start your dinner. Entrees include pizzas, calzones, and a few sandwiches. The pizza is served on a crispy, thin crust in true New York style and piled high with a multitude of toppings of your choice. As we are meat lovers, our favorite choice is the Bronx. Another thing to note is their great beer selection for a restaurant of their size. Beers are sold in bottles, as well as a large non-alcoholic drink selection. The staff is friendly and courteous. Wait times can be a bit long, but in our opinion the pizza is worth it. This restaurant is mostly kid friendly; we always bring our daughter with us while we wait for our pizza and enjoy a beer. The only set back is that they do not have any high chairs. New York Pizza is certainly not fine dining but if you are looking for good thin crust pizza in a super relaxed atmosphere, then this is your place. We give New York Pizza 3 stars.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)

If there is one robot movie out there that everyone should see, or one Arnold Schwarzenegger movie out there that everyone should see, this would be it. In Terminator 2: Judgement Day, the cyborg that was once sent from the future to kill Sarah Connor, John Connor's mom, must now protect John from a more advanced robot from the Earth's future. If you were alive when this movie came out, you will remember that at the time, it was a phenomenon; Terminator 2 was the first blockbuster that I can remember. The cast of T2 is actually kind of crappy. Edward Furlong is pretty mediocre as the snotty, disbelieving John Connor. Linda Hamilton does some of the most excessive overacting as Sarah Connor that I can recall. Schwarzenegger, though, is awesome. Maybe it has to do with the fact that playing an emotionless robot falls right into his wheel house; maybe it is because he was reprising a role in which he had previously been moderately successful; maybe its because the only qualification for this role was being jacked and foreign. For whatever reason, the Governor does a terrific job as the Terminator. The plot of this film is classic science fiction, robots versus humans. It does involve an excessive amount of time travel, which always turns out to be paradoxical and unrealistic, but if you are willing to overlook that, this movie is a great experience. Terminator 2 explores the different aspects of humanity as John bonds with the Terminator, and it excellently captures a fear that any good sci-fi fan has of robots becoming self aware and destroying us. It is also interesting to note how much better T2 is than the original. The Terminator was made as more of a horror film than a science fiction flick, which is really interesting when you consider the sequel has become one of the most classic films of the genre of all time. I do not think my wife would really enjoy this movie, but she has seen T3 and seemed to enjoy that. I watch this film at least a few times a year, and every time I see it, I enjoy it. I give Terminator 2: Judgement Day 4 stars.

Cafe Atchafalaya

This restaurant is one of the hidden gems of New Orleans that should be one of the city's favorites, but is only really well known to the Uptown faithful. Cafe Atchafalaya is an out of the way, down home restaurant in the heart of a classic New Orleans neighborhood. It offers higher end food for moderate prices, in a way reminiscent of Jacques-Imo's. One of the best things about Cafe Atchafalaya is its accessibility. My wife and I's first visit came as a result of missing our reservations downtown on Valentine's Day. The only restaurant that we could find that could seat us in a reasonable manner was Cafe Atchafalaya, at which there was no wait. This does not make the restaurant sound all that great, but our experience was terrific. The food is not quite as top drawer as a place like Jacques-Imo's, but it is as good a meal as you are likely to find in most cities. I have had the Lightly Battered Fried Catfish and the 10 oz. New York Strip Steak; both were excellent. Our second trip to Cafe Atchafalaya was with my wife's family and daughter's godparents, and everyone in our party really enjoyed their meal. The atmosphere is modest New Orleans, in a classic house designed for a pretty romantic meal. The staff is really friendly and extremely attentive, and for a higher end restaurant, it is really family appropriate. The best part about Caf Chaf is the price. Nothing is over $28, and most of the items are in the teens. My wife and I both really enjoy this restaurant, and I look forward to going back soon. I would recommend the Cafe to anyone looking to enjoy a quiet, delicious and affordable meal. I give Cafe Atchafalaya 3 and a half stars.

Cafe Atchafalaya Homepage

The 13th Warrior (1999)

Of all the Michael Crichton books that have been turned into movies, I would say that this one is second best, only to Jurassic Park. The 13th Warrior is the story of an Arab who gets caught up with a group of Norse men who travel to a distant land to fight a menace known as the 'Eaters of the Dead' (name of the book). This is a really exciting film with a lot of cool action. It stars Antonio Banderas in his prime, and he is terrific in this picture. He translates really well into action roles, and is very believable as an out of place warrior trying to figure out what the hell is going on. The rest of the cast is a lot of large Scandinavian dudes who all due a great job wearing fur and looking broad. The 13th Warrior is very gripping, with a plot line that does a great job of portraying fantastic situations in a realistic way. The scenery in the film is amazing. There are countless beautiful rolling hills and wooded forests that help the audience get a real sense of what the warriors are going through. I have not actually read 'Eaters of the Dead', but I imagine that I would enjoy it. Compared to most of the crappy movies that are made from crappy Michael Crichton, John Grisham and Stephen King books, The 13th Warrior is really good. I do not believe that my wife has ever seen this film; I doubt that she would like it. That said, every guy that I know that has seen the movie seems to really enjoy it, and I know that at some point, I will watch it again. I give The 13th Warrior 3 stars.

Mulate's

This was one of the first restaurants that my wife and I ate at in New Orleans while we were actually residents of Baton Rouge. At the time, we both really appreciated the food; however, as our palates mature and we experience more of what this city has to offer, I fear that my opinion has been somewhat altered. Mulate's, keeping in mind the E at the end is silent, is a homey restaurant in the warehouse district across the street from the convention center, which is a really nice spot if you are shopping on the River Walk. My problems with the restaurant do not stem directly from the food, it is actually not bad. I have tried the shrimp, catfish and fried alligator po-boys, and they are all pretty good, but nothing special. My biggest problem with them is that the sandwiches are so overloaded that they are impossible to eat with your hands. It is nice to get a lot of food, but it is also nice, when I order a sandwich, to get one just that, rather than a seafood platter stuffed into two slices of bread. The atmosphere is a definite plus, very New Orleans and very family friendly. The staff is alright, depending on who you get. We've had servers that were extremely polite and attentive, but we've also had a few that seem to be rather preoccupied. I suppose it depends on what day you go and where you get seated. My main problem with Mulate's is the price; for what it is, it is pretty expensive. The po-boys are $15, dinner entrees are closer to 20. If I am going to pay that much for a sandwich, it better be one of the best in town, and unfortunately for Mulate's, and my wallet, it is not. We have been to this restaurant a few times, and my wife likes it, but has the same basic opinion that I do. We could foreseeably go back sometime in the future, but I doubt it is a restaurant that we will ever plan ahead on visiting again. I give Mulate's 2 and a half stars.

Mulate's Homepage

Schindler's List (1993)

This is one intense movie that is really not exactly what I expected it to be. Schindler's List is the story of Oskar Schindler's life throughout the rise and fall of Nazi Germany. Schindler begins using Jews from concentration camps in his factories and ends up saving hundreds of lives in the process. It is hard to know where to start with an epic of this proportion. The acting in the film is as good as it gets. Liam Neeson is amazing as the German playboy who unintentionally finds himself becoming the savior of a whole camp of Jews. Ben Kingsley is as convincing as an actor can be portraying the defacto leader of the Jews who is simply doing his best to survive. Ralph Fiennes is perfect as the young, ruthless, influence-able leader of a brutal concentration camp who treats his prisoners no differently than he would stray dogs. It would have been hard for the casting director to do a better job. The direction of this movie is amazing, it is a classic Spielberg masterpiece. The entire film is shot in black and white, which adds an amazingly emotional aspect to every scene in Schindler's List. It is all but impossible to become emotionally invested in this classic. I always thought this movie was about a magnanimous German who was just doing his best to help those who were suffering. As it turns out, Schindler was basically a patriotic German who cared more about making money than he did about anyone's religion. He realized that his business would be more profitable if he used free Jewish labor, and if that happened to help them out, all the better. We do see that by the end of the film, Schindler has developed a real compassion for his workers, and does whatever he can to help them, but that was not always the case. It is interesting to note that after the war concluded, Schindler had to go on the run from the Allies, as he was considered a Nazi sympathizer, and abandoned the life he had created. It is sad that one of the great German heroes of the Nazi era died without ever receiving the recognition he deserved. My wife has never seen Schindler's List; I think she would like it, but it is a lot of movie to sit through. This is a great film that I am thrilled to have finally seen; I would recommend it as a movie that everyone should watch. I give Schindler's List 4 and a half stars.

Waiting (2005)

Addendum (October 19, 2009): I have since seen this movie twice, and probably now four times overall. I do not think my original review was fair enough, and that my rating was far too low. Waiting is absolutely frickin' hysterical. This is one of the few movies that I will watch on Comedy Central over and over again; I hope to own it one day. In retrospect, I give Waiting 3 and a half stars.

This movie walks that fine line that a lot of slap stick comedies traverse, wobbling back and forth between being a really funny or being retarded. In Waiting, the employees of Shenaniganz restaurant stave off boredom with their ridiculous and stupid antics. If I had to pick between the two, I would say that this movie is actually pretty funny, rather than being mentally challenged, but it does have its moments. The cast is impressive. Justin Long admirably portrays the stand out waiter with the once bright future who struggles to determine what course his life is going to take. Ryan Reynolds is excellent as the cool guy-asshole. His sense of timing is perfect, and his delivery of a few classic one-liners really helps to save this film. A few other notable names, such as Anna Faris and Luis Guzman round out what was actually a really well-cast movie. The plot of this film is not exactly bad, it is just kind of pointless. Justin Long's struggle to decide whether or not to accept a promotion simply provides a framework within which the rest of the restaurant staff can screw around with each other, and their customers. The director, to his credit, does not try to do more with the film than what he was given, and in doing so, does not ruin it with a lot of forced, unnecessary plot lines. A lot of the humor in this movie is either stupid or pointless, but there are a few creative moments that are really enjoyable. In particular, the male staffers in Waiting play a penis game in which they try to get each other to look at the others balls; it sounds stupid, but it is actually really funny. My wife saw Waiting with me in the theatre, and she liked it, but she fell asleep the second time we watched it on Comedy Central. If you do catch this film, I suggest trying to watch it unedited; some of the funniest moments were lost in order to make it acceptable for a cable viewing audience. This movie is funny enough that if it is on TV again, I will watch it. I give Waiting 2 and a half stars.

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

If you have a kid that is thinking about joining the Army and becoming a GI, I suggest that you show him the first 30 minutes of this film to find out whether or not he is serious. In Saving Private Ryan, a group of American soldiers goes deep into Nazi held France in an attempt to bring home a GI who has already lost three brothers in the war. This is a really good movie, with one of the most intense opening sequences that I have ever seen. When I first saw the film, I thought I wanted to enlist...now I review movies. The cast of Saving Private Ryan is unreal. Tom Hanks is amazing as the seasoned leader of the band, but he is just the tip of the iceberg. This incredible ensemble includes actors ranging from young and relevant starts such as Giovanni Ribisi, Barry Pepper and Vin Diesel to classic faces from the big screen like Edward Burns, Paul Giamatti and Ted Danson. For me, the best performance in the film comes from Matt Damon, who plays Ryan. The range of emotions he goes through in learning of his brothers' deaths, understanding what those who came to rescue him sacrificed, and his decision to stay with his unit are all very tangible. As always, Damon is amazing. This film is really well directed (Spielberg), and does an excellent job of relating World War II in what seems to be a very realistic manner. Unlike most war films, Saving Private Ryan has very human heroes that travel the extremes of the emotional spectrum, from paralyzing fear to the unbridled joy of simply being alive. My wife did not watch the movie with me; I do not think she would have liked it all that much, simply based on the very realistic violence. Hearing dying American boys crying out for their mothers is difficult for anyone to watch. Nonetheless, I would absolutely recommend this film to anyone interested in WWII; in terms of recent war movies, it is one of the best. I give Saving Private Ryan 4 stars.

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

I liked this movie a lot; given all the hype, it was not quite as mindblowing as I had expected, but it was really good. Slumdog Millionaire tells the story of an Indian boy growing up in poverty, who ends up on the show 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire' in hopes that the love of his life will find him. There is a lot of good stuff in this film. The cast does a terrific job. While none of their names are anything that we would recognize in America, all of the actors in Slumdog are really convincing, especially our hero's detestable brother. While the acting is impressive, what made Slumdog great was the direction of Danny Boyle. We meet the protagonist, Jamal, in a police station as he recounts to the officers the stories of his life that led him to knowing the answers to wanna-be Regis' questions. This method of relating the history of one's life on film is awesome; it worked in Forrest Gump, it works in Slumdog. This movie is disgusting, enraging and touching all at the same time. It evokes a wide range of emotions that really attach the viewer to the love story between the two leads. My wife was not the biggest fan of this film. There is a moment towards the beginning of Slumdog where a young Jamal becomes 100% immersed in feces; I think at that specific point, my wife checked out. In terms of being the Best Picture winner, I have no real complaints. There are a lot of former Oscar winners, and losers, that I would rank above this film, but in this years competition, Slumdog was definitely one of the best. All that said, I really enjoyed this movie and would happily watch it again. I give Slumdog Millionaire 4 stars.

Reginelli's Pizzeria

My wife and I have probably eaten at Reginelli's 20 or 30 times since moving to New Orleans, and while I always enjoy my meal, it is a restaurant at which I will never suggest that we eat. Reginelli's Pizzeria offers a specific array of Italian delicacies, but specializes in pizza. In terms of their pizza, the best I can say is that it's not bad. Every time I have it, I enjoy it; I even find it difficult to remember why I did not want to come there. That said, as soon as I leave, I cannot remember why I thought it was so good. For me though, the pizza is not the problem, it is the rest of the menu that I take issue with. To begin with, there is no appetizer that is really stands out. The Focaccia Bread Stix are ok, but the marinara sauce they come with is less than mediocre; the Roasted Garlic Spread is not bad, but it is so garlic-heavy that it is hard to eat more than one or two. For me, this is indicative for Reginelli's entire menu. There are only a few pastas and a few sandwiches, and while some of them are decent, not a single one is great. We primarily eat at the branch Uptown, located at the corner of Magazine and State, and I will say, the atmosphere is pretty decent and very appropriate for children. The staff is very friendly, and on nice days, there is plenty of comfortable outdoor seating. For what it is, I find Reginelli's to be a little overpriced, but it is not so different from other pizza establishments in the area. On Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the restaurant offers pretty decent drink specials, so at least that's something. I should point out that most people I know, including my wife, like Reginelli's more than I do, I am just not a big fan. As I mentioned previously, I have never had a bad meal there, I have simply never had anything that makes me want to go back. I give Reginelli's Pizzeria 2 and a half stars.