When you walk into Merle’s Hot Dog Emporium the first thing you notice, is everything covered in Cardinals red. From pennants to bobbleheads, this is the unofficial lunch home for St. Louis/Springfield Cardinals fans – at least the SGF players. If you ever want to rub elbows with a future big leaguer, Merle’s for lunch is your best bet. One of the first things SGF Cards players receive when they get to town is a laminate to eat for free at Merle’s, and they do. A lot. When they move on, they still check back in and leave memorabilia from their new spot – most of which you can find behind the counter.

But even if you don’t have your own walk-up music at Hammons Field, you can eat for extra cheap. Merle’s, downtown on Walnut – in the front half of what was once Harpo’s – was built for the $5 Lunch. There’s nothing on the menu that costs that much. The menu centers around a delicious and creative list of styles of hot dogs, but ventures into burgers, wraps and sandwiches. Delicious homemade sides, headlined by potato selections (fries, homemade chips and tots), won’t push the cost past the $5 barrier either. The freshly baked desserts and pies line the counter top, eyeballing you as take down the city’s best Memphis Dog.

The dogs are split on a fresh bun and covered in toppings. The list is various so you can go several different directions (Chicago, Downtown, the Bull Dog, Memphis, Southern Sam, Chili Dog, and more). Those varieties cost per size (small – $1.99, Medium – $2.99, Big – $4.99) and trust me you don’t need bigger than medium. If none of them suit your fancy, you can always build your own.

My wife and I both went for the Chicago Dog (pickle, tomato, onion, relish, mustard and celery salt). Simple, yet incredibly satisfying. She had the small, and I had the medium, and we got an order of the fries of cheese. It was the perfect amount for both of us and our total was a little more than $7 (time to start a $3.50 lunch series?). Merle’s is the game-changer of $5 Lunches, and immediately etched its way into my family’s weekly lunch schedule.

Daily Specials

Monday: Philly Cheesesteak – $2.99
Tuesday: Fish Sandwich and Fries – $3.99
Wednesday: Frito Chili Pie – $2.75
Thursday: Bratwurst – $2.49, Double Cheeseburger – $3.99
Friday: Pork Tenderloin – $3.99

[View with PicLens]

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Lets just get to the point. The new Price Cutter Bistro Market in downtown Springfield, MO is possibly one of the best things to happen to downtown Springfield in a long…long long time. That being said, here are our thoughts after spending some time there on opening night last night.

This place is simply awesome. From the minute you walk in, you feel like you went through a Star Trek transporter and landed in a big city market. Stuff like this simply hasn’t existed in Springfield until now. There are 3 entrances. One off the south end of the building through their parking lot and two off of South Avenue. If you walk in the north South Ave. entrance, you re between the bar and seating area to your right and the massive hot food buffet, breakfast buffet and prepared food cooler to your left. Even further to your left, a Starbucks and a gelato bar.

The Market/Grocery Area

We first walked beyond that to explore the rest of the market. They have an expansive alcohol, beer and wine selection with competitive prices. The layout is a little tight, but that is to be expected with anything downtown (if you’ve ever lived in a loft, you know what we’re talking about). The layout is extremely well planned. If you’re looking at wines, the fine cheese selection is right there. If you’re looking at eggs, bacon is right there. Its the type of thing you’d like to see more of in other stores. I imagine I could complete my grocery run in about 5 mins here.

As far as what types of things they have in stock, pretty much everything a normal Price Cutter does, but less quantity and more selection. They have almost anything you could want or need, but in smaller quantities. I’m a foodie and make a wide variety of dishes at home. I’m constantly unhappy with food selection in Southwest Missouri. This may change that. From a meat counter that includes Kobe beef to one of the best seafood selections in town, along with a touch screen recipe station in front of the meat counter that will help you quickly get a recipe and shopping list that will make quick meal planning and execution easy.

Notable features of market:

• Smart layout
• Wide selection
• Amazing produce selection (photo #11) (its hard to find kale for Portuguese soup in the Ozarks)
• Incredible produce selection (photo #8) with self service olive bar (photo #10)
• Good meat counter with knowledgeable staff
• HUGE wall of bulk-style feeders for flour, rices, nuts, snacks, etc (photo #9)
• Make your own butter station (photo #7)
• Great beer, wine and liquor selection

The Bistro Area

Let me ask this, where else can you grocery shop while drinking a beer, cocktail, or bottle of wine? NOWHERE! We’re in Springfield, MO. This didn’t exists until yesterday! This place is incredible. Also, if you buy a bottle of wine, for a small $5 cork fee, you can drink it while shopping (you can also have them re-cork the bottle so you can enjoy the rest of the bottle at home). There is a gigantic hot bar that serves things like roasted chicken, fried catfish with hush puppies, chicken wings, lasagna and much much much much more with revolving options. The price seemed a little steep at $8.49 for the hot bar (until we realized in included the salad bar too – BOTH are all you can eat). You can also get a fresh made sandwich made exactly how you want it. They also have a full kitchen with a very large staff of cooks to make you anything from their menu of burgers, hot dogs, breakfast, salads, sides and more…all for fairly reasonable prices. They also have an equally large salad bar. This is the best salad bar in town. Not the cheapest, but the best. You can chose from every fruit, nut, cheese and topping that you could want and it goes forever. Some of the salads these people were making looked like Donald Trump funded them. I barely even got to see the gelato bar or the Starbucks because they were absolutely packed. On the South Avenue wall, they have an open cooler with a selection of fresh, but pre-made, packaged and ready to-go sandwiches, sushi, pizza, dinners, sides and more. Everything here is very attractively priced with very large sandwiches going for $3-6 (images #13-14). The food selection is huge. The food is good. Most of it is affordable and priced right with a few choices on the made-to-order menu being a tad bit over priced by a dollar or two. They have a breakfast bar that plans to be open until 2 am. They also have a station where you can get your own crepe or Belgian waffles made fresh.

After walking around the place for 20 minutes, my girlfriend and I started to get pretty hungry and decided to try to find a quick $5 lunch option on the menu. Luckily we found the All American burger for only $2.99. A good old fashioned cheeseburger with lettuce, onions, pickle and tomato. On the menu board it is listed as $2.99 but on the printed menus they were $3.99. The staff was very nice and gave it to us for the $2.99 listed on the menu board. We chose fresh made-to-order chips for only $.99 and were surprised that there was a selection of sweet potato or russet. We chose a mixture of both. We could have walked away there with a $4 lunch and been happy, but we were parched because it was a madhouse in there with so many people checking it out. We added a tea for around a dollar more. The burger was made fresh and was great. Nothing amazing, but very good, fresh, tasty and a good portion. (see images #15-16)

*UPDATE*
We were downtown again for a show at The Outland and needed to grab a quick bite. Our favorite place we planned on hitting was closed so we figured we’d give the buffet a shot. Um, WOW. The ability to quickly grab a hot meal a block away from the center of downtown that fed the tastes of two people in completely different moods was great. My girlfriend shamelessly ate both her gigantic salad and her overstuffed dinner plates nearly clean. The food was good, tasty, and wholesome. No instant mashed potatoes here. The fried chicken was hot and wasn’t dry at all. Same goes for the catfish. The hush puppies were Madeline’s favorite thing. The staff was fast and very helpful. When we were walking away with a tray of two overloaded plates, they said to just come back if we wanted anything else. Oh, those lovely LOVELY words. All in all, it was way more food than we should have eaten (but hey, we had to thoroughly test it out, right? We take our job seriously!)

I just can’t find anything wrong with this picture. Oh well, I see one possible thing. The window on Walnut (the North side of the building) that houses a gigantic wooden rack of alcohol. How long will this window survive before someone busts through to the glorious haven of alcohol on the other side (see image #21)?

Notable features of bistro:

• IT HAS A BAR with draft and bottle beer (domestic and import), cocktails and sodas
• Seating in bar area…also outdoor seating on Southeast corner sidewalk on South Ave.
• Fast. Very easy to be in and out. Staff was helpful in this as well.
• Wide selection for tastes and budgets and schedules
• Plenty of staff…helpful staff
• You have hot food, cold food, salad bar, fried chicken, a bar bar, a Starbucks, a gelato bar and magazine rack all within a few feet.
• The freshly made food is really good (I can vouch for the burger and chips)
• The hot bar food was also better than expected (We heard a number of people commenting on how good the fried chicken, catfish and various items were. To paraphrase a few; “It wasn’t like food from a grocery store, but like food from an actual restaurant.”)

*UPDATE*
Note: They have WiFi!

Price Cutter seems to have really done things right with the new downtown location. My girlfriend and I kept saying how we wish there was something like that when we lived downtown, maybe we wouldn’t have left the downtown area. This may be the big boost downtown has been waiting for to become less of a nightlife destination and more of a neighborhood. I don’t see it hurting other downtown restaurants much. Although they do offer similar things like sandwiches and burgers, they don’t directly compete with anyone. Its one thing when you have two burger joints going head to head, but another when you have a burger joint and a smorgasbord. My only concern is the gelato. There has been an sudden emergence of gelato and dessert places opening this month and hopefully Price Cutter doesn’t hurt their business. In fact I see it possibly going the other way and that people might prefer the boutique dessert shops. If one or the other had to happen, the latter would be ideal because Price Cutter could easily adapt. What are your thoughts?

Hopefully others follow in Price Cutter’s lead and see the potential and help revitalize the downtown area.

Questions or Comments?

So what are your thoughts? We at TAGsgf are very curious to see what you think about the new market and how you think it may affect downtown Springfield.

Here are a few photos I nabbed with my phone. Sorry some are blurry, it was a madhouse in there.

[View with PicLens]

12►

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Show me a better slider. And if you say White Castle, you're getting slapped.

Whisler’s is SGF’s retort to the years of cries for White Castle. Their sliders crush the mainstream counterpart, while even offering bags of burgers to serve those who crave a Crave Case. The best part is you can grub these delicious handfuls of heaven for less than that $5-bill in your pocket.

The downtown burger joint (next to Hearts of Fire at 208 W McDaniel) is the first franchised location of the restaurant which opened in Carthage in 1953. Whisler’s offers a large variety of burgers, including the Sow and Cow (bacon and hamburger), Pig and Bull (ham and hamburger), and the Farm Burger (bacon, ham and hamburger). They even offer a veggie burger.

Sliders cooked fresh on a flat top in front of your eyes.

The Pig and Bull is the (biased opinion blast) marquee slider on the menu. After a couple days of poor diet, I decided to go on a limb with the veggie burger and was not disappointed. A little less grease, but honestly you don’t go to a famed slider spot for vitamins. Next time it’s Pig and Bull all the way.

There is limited seating with room for four to sit inside and a couple patio tables on the sidewalk, so grab your burgers and take them on the run or kick it fountainside.

You can go with the lunch specials or create your own burger combos and still keep under five bucks.

The Specials

2 Cheeseburgers, chips and drink – $4.60
2 Hamburgers, chips and drink – $4.35

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I finally had the opportunity to visit the little Sub Shop on Seminole.  I’ve been driving past this place for years and don’t know why I’ve never stopped in to try it.  I was with my brother and his two boys so we had a chance to try a variety of subs.

I had the Fighter Pilot on white with salami, pepperoni, cheese, lettuce, mild peppers and sub sauce.  Others had ham and cheese and turkey and cheese.  We all ordered the large ($5 for any large sandwich) which seemed like a better deal than the $4 small.  The large sandwich was about 10 inches long.  My Fighter Pilot had 3 slices each of the salami, pepperoni and cheese.  The sub sauce is a kind of Italian dressing and the amount on the sandwich was just right.  I really hate places that pour on the sauce such that is drips out of the sandwich.

The bread is what everybody really talked about.  The sign in the shop said it is baked fresh daily.  The bread was soft but chewy and held together really well while biting into it.  It had a great fresh taste and was probably the best thing about the sandwich.  This sandwich is a big step up from the Subways of the world.

These are simple sandwiches.  You can choose white or wheat bread.  Provolone seems to be the only cheese offered (but the one I prefer).  There aren’t 50 toppings to choose from, but you can ask to have the sandwich made just how you like it from what options there are (e.g. no mayo, light sauce).

Bob’s Whine and Dine

We all agreed that for $5 we got a really good sandwich.  I wonder now if they had an option for extra meat and cheese on the Fighter Pilot as I think that would have made the sandwich even better.

They also had a special going that this day was a ham sandwich, drink and chips for $5 – which is even a better bargain.

One thing that I found not pleasing (to me at least) were the drink prices.  $1.75 for a 20oz drink that was mostly ice.  I didn’t ask but figured there were no refills.

There are two locations – the Seminole one where we ate and one on west McDaniel.  The Seminole location is really tiny with just enough room inside for about 5 people to line up to order at the counter – more than that and the line stretches outside.  We ate at one of the two small picnic tables outside but we noticed that most people either ate in their cars or just took their food to go.

The two people working when we visited were really nice and didn’t mind helping us newbies navigate the process of ordering.  Our sandwiches came out just as we ordered them.

We arrived at the Sub Shop right about noon and there was a steady stream of people the whole time we were there.  There were obviously some regulars as the lady behind us walked up to the counter and didn’t even have to order – the guy behind the counter said hi and just rattled off her ‘usual’.

Sub Shop is open only for lunch (11 to 2pm I think).  It is also a CASH ONLY place – but the sales tax is included in the prices so if you only had a $5 bill in your pocket you could walk out with any large sandwich.

I’ll be back – but will probably skip getting the drink and stick to the yummy sandwiches.

1721 E Seminole St – (417) 887-3804

456 W McDaniel St – (417) 831-8077

The Shop Shop made TAGsgf.com’s Top Five Sandwich Shops

Link to Health Inspections

Bob’s Whine and Dine

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Cheese on the bottom? Revolutionary.

After hearing the tales of mind-blowing cheesesteak from fellow TAGsgf.com staffers Scott and Chris, my wife and I made the venture to Chicago Cheesesteak Company on Walnut. I was fully intent on trying either the Chicago or Philly but the “Specials” board greeting us on the sidewalk was too distracting. So, instead of the planned Foodie Review you get a $5 Lunch, because the lunch special was ridiculous. A single-patty cheeseburger and side of fries for $2.75? Yes, please. With tax our meal came to $5.90.

The burger was delicious, a classic thick cut patty, with a single slice of cheese (nearest the bottom bun – great location opposite the veggies) and fresh, crisp lettuce, tomatoes and onions. The french fries are house cut, lightly salted and there’s enough crunchy potato pieces at the bottom of the fry sack to make my wife’s day.

I still look forward to trying the namesake from the downtown home of cheesesteaks.

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The small, converted house on Cherry and Pickwick provides a perfect $5 lunch.

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The Springfield Original since 1951, Mexican Villa, has been a mainstay in all corners of SGF and the bellies of its residents. When looking for that quick, inexpensive lunch, look no further than your nearest Villa. I didn’t realize the selection of options for well less than $5, mostly because in recent years I’ve ordered full portions (which is absolutely unnecessary). With tax, half portions of most dinner entrees are available for less than five dollars.

The Sancho Enchilada Style is the direction I went on this trip (the Burrito is also especially delicious – it’s all in the beef seasoning I believe). You won’t be blown away by the taste, but it’s unique (and simply good) enough to keep the city full, even if just for tradition. My soon-to-be bride joined the lunch and even with a couple of Dr. Peppers, we each left stuffed for a total of $8.31. She had the tostada and was very pleased. At one point she was not sold on Mexican Villa, but I think she’s convinced now.

You are greeted with homemade chips immediately, but need to request the sauce, unless you like the hot salsa on the table. I am a big fan, even though it doesn’t taste like much. I’m a sucker for anything with a little kick of heat. The sweet sauce is a crowd pleaser (mix the two for heavenly bliss). Sides of cheese dip and guacamole are tasty but quite pricey for the portion. A cheese dip appetizer barely keeps below the five-dollar marker on its own, so we stuck to the main dishes.

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The Biscuits and Gravy run less than $5, the Eggs Benedict is delicious and less than $7.

Whether you’re a rise-and-shiner or just want breakfast for lunch, Gailey’s Breakfast Cafe has your most-important-meal-of-the-day covered. In the little diner under the lights of the pharmacy in downtown SGF (220 E Walnut) packs a prescription for your Bs&Gs hunger – for less than a five-spot. The menu leans in the direction of sauce and gravy-based breakfast classics along with the usual suspects of pancakes, waffles and omelets.

There’s a retro vibe at the breakfast diner with quick, friendly service and a full order of biscuits and gravy costs just $4.50 with four plateaus of fluffy biscuit halves hosting homemade sausage and bacon gravy, which rides a nice train of consistency. The eggs benedict ($6.50) is my favorite dish at Gailey’s – mostly because Hollandaise sauce might be the best sauce on the planet and their recipe is mighty fine. Sweet potato hash browns are a delicious twist on the side.

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The Casperito. Note the fork is stuck in the side of the food... and it's not falling down. This stuff is thick.

The sign behind the register at Casper’s Chili (601 W. Walnut St.), just over the cashier’s left shoulder, reads: “Maximum capacity for ‘fine dining’ hut: 29.” They’re kidding, right? To refer to anything served inside a vintage quanset hut  as “fine dining” seems like a reach, much less referring to chili that way. If you need a paper towel within arm’s reach to eat it, can it be fine dining?

Here’s the thing: The sign is tongue-in-cheek, but the chili at Casper’s really is incredible, and in the 100 years the shop has been in existence, the staff has learned to put the chili on numerous things. Besides the bowls of chow you would expect to see, you can also chili Frito pies, chili mac, on top of a burrito to make The Casperito and more. Scott partook in an open-faced cheeseburger slathered in the brown messy, while I went for the monstrous Casperito ($4.95), which tied with the chili Frito pie for the most expensive item available. No single-serving meal on the menu costs more than $5, which keeps the bang-for-the-buck needle pegged while keeping one’s belly plenty full. The Casperito is phenomenal, literally a burrito with all the fixings (sour cream, salsa, etc.) with the famous chili poured on top. It makes for one seriously dense, filling plate of food; when it was served at the counter the fork stuck in it wouldn’t even fall down. This meal will stick with you so long it will follow you home, watch re-runs and kiss your wife hello at the end of the night. Hunger has a hard time working back into the equation, even at dinner time. I hesitated at first to add the available squeeze-bottle hot sauce on the Casper’s counter, but it’s a rewarding move if done judiciously. The cheeseburger costs $1.75 more when served open-faced (both buns on the plate, patty up), but with more surface area to cover in trademark, luscious, mildly spiced chili, it’s an option more than worth considering.

The open-faced cheeseburger.

Be aware when you arrive for lunch that those 29 seats we talked about earlier will be full, but your wait for an open spot should be pretty brief. Service is incredibly fast and customers tend to understand the seating shortage and move in and out quickly when not eating. The “fine dining hut” keeps it moving, and a moment’s patience is rewarded well. To our knowledge, there is no more diverse and consistently satisfying range of options, all under $5. Simply incredible.

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The Baby Burrito is not a baby at all. It will load you up and only run a five spot.

I feel sorry for SGFers who think their burrito options start and end with those pricey national chains. Big Fat Burritos has designed its menu with a built-in, on the penny, five-dollar lunch. The choices are simple: beef, pork or veggie. Order the “baby” (which in no way resembles its name) and you pay exactly a five spot. The burrito is made to order, crammed with rice, beans and your topping before receiving a fresh salsa bath and getting dressed in greens and tomatoes. Every ingredient is made fresh daily, a difference you can taste at a price your budget will notice. They have a variety of salsas and hot sauces for the drenching.

If burritos aren’t your thing, you can get a massive salad at the same $5 tilt. Chris did and was not disappointed. “This is the only salad I’ve ever seen that is a complete meal for five dollars,” he said. I saw it, too, and I believed him. Fresh guacamole is 75 cents more, but worth it if you’re not trying to keep under the $5 barrier. I had the Chipotle Pork with guacamole and it’s a craving that just can’t be kicked. Lose the guilt of eating those gross preservative-filled chain burritos for damn-near 10-bucks. You won’t be sorry. Neither will you wallet.

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For years, the in-flux population of Pasta Express locations have offered the same sauces, noodles, rolls and house salads at a fervent pace. Today there are just a couple locations left – though Pasta Pronto boasts an identical menu, style and cost. We went to the restaurant on East Battlefield, which is in new hands – B.J. Lowrance finalized his purchase last week – but it was no surprise to find everything the same as before. It’s nestled into the strip mall surrounded by an assortment of nail salons, cell phone shops and a grocer. When you walk in, you see straight into the kitchen. There’s a row of booths to the left and a large dining room to the right. The service is quick and the food is shuttled to your table even quicker.

The baked pepperoni (left) is closely related to the baked mostaccioli. Good, not great.

One comforting thing about Pasta Express is you always know what you’ll be getting. If you’ve just got a 5-dollar bill you can get a plate of spaghetti or mostaccioli for $4.09. Otherwise the daily lunch specials start at $6.99 – that’s right, start at $6.99. I went for the baked pepperoni (baked mostaccioli with pepperoni instead of beef). It was the day’s featured item and with a salad cost $7.49. It wasn’t bad by any means, but it left me wishing I had ordered a $4 plate of spaghetti, which would have happened if I could have seen the food getting prepared.

There are positives and negatives to being able to see the kitchen while you order – such as a cook pulling noodles out of the pot of spaghetti biting into them and returning the uneaten halves … into the pot. I’m sure the water was warm enough to end any sort of germ action, but it wasn’t on a burner, and I just recently recovered from a vicious bout with the flu. It’s probably not a big deal, but I will never eat spaghetti at Pasta Express again.

The restaurant offers free wireless Internet which is an added 21st Century bonus. From what I could tell, the mostaccioli noodles were bite free and cost less than a five spot – if they aren’t baked or covered in pepperoni.

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Chinese Chef offers lunch for less than a 5 spot

(Let’s face it: There are times when you’re starving and you’re just not rolling with much cash. Pop out the plastic? Well, no; got a bill to pay on that. What can you do with the one bill sitting in your wallet–say, a five-spot? Glad you asked. We’re on a mission to find the places in the SGF that will feed you a decent meal for five dollars or less, with tax.)

Chinese Chef has two locations for access to a quick lunch on a five-spot – one at Battlefield and Campbell, the other near Sunshine on Enterprise. It’s not necessarily a special, as it’s the everyday price, but the ‘Chef’ offers single, but sizable, servings of Cashew Chicken with a side of rice for $3.89. The mounds of gravied chicken and rice are pretty much even in stature and should be enough to keep your motor running through the afternoon. Cashew Chicken connoisseur and long-time SGFer Matt McClelland once reviewed the dietary staple for S.A.U.C.E.

The portions of Cashew Chicken are perfect for the price.

“The breading on the chicken (all white meat) was nice and light, while the chicken remained tender – normally hard to find in fried white meat. The sauce, or gravy depending on your generation, was not too thick, thin or coagulated. As far as flavor is concerned, this sauce was very well balanced.”- McClelland

The total: $4.15 for Cashew Chicken and Rice (with tax)

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(Let’s face it: There are times when you’re starving and you’re just not rolling with much cash. Pop out the plastic? Well, no; got a bill to pay on that. What can you do with the one bill sitting in your wallet–say, a five-spot? Glad you asked. We’re on a mission to find the places in the SGF that will feed you a decent meal for five dollars or less, with tax.)

We’ll begin with a little-known south-side pizza shop with an incredible deal.

The chicken alfredo pizza, the slice of the day on our visit.

Rosati’s Pizza (3049 S. Fremont Ave., 417-877-2008) specializes in Chicago-style pizzas and, thanks to its prime location just a stone’s throw away from Battlefield Mall and several shopping centers, caters heavily to the quick-lunch business crowd at midday. No wonder: You can get a slice of pizza and a drink for less than $5. The usual price is $3.50, but I opted for the special of the day ($3.75), which was an outstanding chicken alfredo pizza.

Before you think something along the lines of “how the heck is a slice of pizza going to satisfy my all-consuming food craving,” understand that if you put all the slices of this pizza back together it could double as a nightstand. This is no small pie, and the slices it makes are enormous. Each one comes individually boxed in a perfectly sized, slice-shaped box and, while they’re made in advance, they taste relatively fresh. With the steady stream of traffic moving through the small restaurant to pick up a get-it-and-go meal, these slices don’t sit around long enough to age.

The total: $4.96 for pizza, drink and tax.

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