Semifinals: Flavorful Four
After the round of 16 in our Food Fight went mostly as expected, the quarterfinals are where brackets got busted. The cannoli from Madonia Brothers Bakery continued its Cinderella run, and—in a most upsetting upset for your food-tournament reporter—the Russ & Daughters bagel found itself overwhelmed by the hot dog from Coney Island favorite Nathan’s. The top two seeds—the slice from Joe’s Pizza and the pastrami from Second Avenue Deli—are the only surviving favorites in our all-handheld semifinals.
Scroll down to vote, and come back on Thursday for the championship round.
(Left) Photo: Adam Kuban • (Right) Photo: Joe Buglewicz
1. Classic New York Slice, Joe’s Pizza
12. Cannoli, Madonia Brothers Bakery
Italian-American favorites square off in the first semifinal. The odds would seem to favor pizza—perhaps the food most strongly associated with New York City—in this battle between savory and sweet, but we know better than to doubt the cannoli.
Pizza vs. Cannoli
(Left) Photo: Julienne Schaer • (Right) Photo: Julienne Schaer
2. Pastrami Sandwich, Second Avenue Deli
6. Hot Dog, Nathan’s
Fresh off a victory over its bagel nemesis, the Nathan’s hot dog meets the Second Avenue Deli pastrami in a battle of the beefs. Will it be rye bread or white bun? Towering or tubular? Mustard or…well, it’ll definitely have mustard.
That’s why they play the game.
Pastrami vs. Hot Dog
That’s it for this round. Voting ends Thursday, March 30, at 9am, and the finals (uh, Tasty Two?) matchup is scheduled to be unveiled later that day. See you then.