Thought for Food IV

While searching for restaurants that deliver in my part of Brooklyn this afternoon, I came across Zipmenu. Serving Brooklyn and Staten Island, the service allows you to find delivery menus based on a ZIP code search -- and then either order online or by phone.

Searching for my part of Greenpoint, I come across almost 40 restaurants. They're organized by whether you can order online -- only a total of three this afternoon -- by phone... or not at all. I assume the "Sleeping" category means that I can't order from them right now -- but that they get back into the mix depending on their hours of operation.

I placed an online order with East 88 on Bedford Avenue: Scallion Pancake, House Salad & Ginger Dressing, and Ma-Po Tofu With Pork. Within minutes, the restaurant had called to confirm my address -- and when the food arrived, the delivery man was very nice. While it's disappointing that so few restaurants let you order online -- I really appreciated the easy online ordering and tip calculation, and the system keeps track of your order history and favorites so you can place repeat orders.

Regardless, the service is valuable even for those restaurants you need to call. Rather than keep a bulging menu folder at home, I now know where I can go online to see what restaurants like Anytime, Bean, Erb, and Union have for delivery -- even if I might be more apt to order online.