east village idiot

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If Money is No Object, Eat at Kool Bloo

A new branch of the takeout joint Kool Bloo opened in the East Village a few weeks ago at the corner of 12th and Avenue A. Thanks to Kool Bloo, I nearly lost my fingers. They gave our building some obnoxious menus hanging on a piece of bent wire on the front doorknob, keeping the door from completely closing, and forcing me to shove the menus back out the door behind me each time I came in.

This, however, did not weigh on my decision to never order from Kool Bloo. Their prices did. Unless the food they serve comes with a side of pure gold, I cannot fathom how they charge so much and stay in business. Here is a sampling of their menu and comparable items at other East Village eateries:

Regular Philly Cheese Steak at Kool Bloo: $9.95
Regular Philly Cheese Steak at 99 Miles to Philly (12th & 3rd): $6.95

Five Mozzarella Sticks at Kool Bloo: $7.95
Eight Mozzarella Sticks at Bite Me Best (9th & C): $6.95

Chicken Burrito with sour cream and cheese at Kool Bloo: $11.95
Chicken Burrito with sour cream and cheese at Chipotle (St. Marks & 3rd): $7.15

Gyro Platter with Salad and Rice at Kool Bloo: $14.95
Gyro Platter with Salad and Rice from Street Cart at 11th & 1st: $6.00

Chicken Parm Platter at Kool Bloo: $16.95
Chicken Parm Platter at Due Amici (12th & 3rd): $8.99

Portobello Burger and Curly Fries at Kool Bloo: $15.90
Portobello Burger and Curly Fries at Curly’s Vegetarian Lunch (14th & 1st): $8.95

Grilled Cheese with Tomato at Kool Bloo: $7.95
Grilled Cheese with Tomato at Odessa (7th & A): $3.75

Cheeseburger, fries, and a soda at Kool Bloo: $15.90
Cheeseburger, fries, and a soda at Blue 9 Burger (12th & 3rd): $7.25

16 oz. bottle of Snapple at Kool Bloo: $2.50
16 oz. bottle of Snapple at my corner bodega: $1.25

Look, I’m just sayin’… what kind of profit margin is this place operating on? And who is enough of a sucker to give this place business?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 27th, 2009 at 8:49 am and is filed under Food and Booze. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

12 Responses to “If Money is No Object, Eat at Kool Bloo”

  1. January 27th, 2009 at 10:43 am

    lozo says:

    You can’t beat their prices on shakes and smoothies.

    http://tinyurl.com/dxjndk

  2. January 27th, 2009 at 11:23 am

    Chris says:

    lozo: It’s free, but the straw is an extra $5.95.

  3. January 27th, 2009 at 12:18 pm

    Kyle says:

    Haha.

    But the question is….is the food exceptionally good? That could justify a meal there like twice a decade.

  4. January 27th, 2009 at 3:35 pm

    Your Girlfriend is Ugly says:

    Whoah. You have some serious time in your hands.

  5. January 27th, 2009 at 5:04 pm

    Chris says:

    Your Girlfriend is Ugly: This menu sat on my kitchen counter for a week. I kept picking it up, only to get more pissed off at how much they gouge customers.

  6. January 29th, 2009 at 1:19 pm

    Manhattan snob says:

    I think they’re underpriced.

  7. January 31st, 2009 at 9:44 am

    Tom says:

    I like their name; sorta clever.

  8. February 1st, 2009 at 11:15 pm

    Pouty says:

    $15 for a burger? They’ll be out of business soon.

  9. February 2nd, 2009 at 5:31 am

    JAMES says:

    Well, you pay thousands of dollars rent per month in the east village while houses across the USA costs as low as 5 K .if koolbloo is too expensive for you move somewhere else.

  10. February 2nd, 2009 at 4:39 pm

    Chris says:

    JAMES: Much like the fact that cheaper burgers and entrees exist elsewhere in the East Village, there is, in fact, housing that doesn’t cost “thousands of dollars rent per month.”

    Kool Bloo is firmly planted among the most sucker-friendly eateries - for the suckers that also pay outrageous rents.

  11. February 4th, 2009 at 8:29 pm

    Jill says:

    And (at least for now), the restaurant isn’t even opened, you have to eat it on the sidewalk (they put up metal tables on the side of the building), or get it delivered.

  12. April 29th, 2009 at 1:15 pm

    Randy says:

    I’m looking at their menu, and their 11.95 burrito comes with guacamole too, which whould bump up the price a couple of dollars at chipotle. I don’t consider myself a sucker and I actually really like this place. Their food is always fresh(which is defintely not a given in the East Village), they have fast delivery, and they’re open 24 hours. I’m definitely going to continue eating there

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