There comes a time in kitchen renovation when you just can’t take it anymore. The “temp kitchen” arrangement of juggling patchwork meals made with toaster oven, microwave, and the necessary yet horrifying “slop bucket” – yes, it’s 1890 again in your 1890’s house! That’s when the Delivery Drawer comes in handy.

(Of course, when you don’t have any cabinets or drawers, it’s really more of a Stack than a Drawer, but you get the drift.)

I think everyone must have a pile of take-out/delivery menus, and not just for renovating woes. In a busy city of busy people we all need to rely on the land of delivery food once in a while. Hell, I’ve known several people for whom “once in a while” somehow became “every night,” and they don’t have my excuse! So here’s a run-down of the top favorites in my Delivery Drawer (ah, Stack. Pile. Whatever!).

1) Yum’s, 14th & Wallach. Though various Chinese menus get stuck in my door in an attempt to wean us of the old reliable, nothing beats the fast/cheap/courteous Yum’s for Sunday dinner dumplings before Deadwood.

2) Sala Thai, 14th & U. Sure, we could walk the two blocks up and eat there in person. But when you’re covered in plaster dust, that really isn’t an option. And when your nostrils are filled with said dust, you need some spicy Thai food.

3) Duccini’s Pizza, 18th & U. Ah, pizza. The perfect delivery food. There are several options in the stack – Papa John’s, Pizza Boli, Pizza Mart, etc. – but Duccini’s is the one I definitely prefer for pizza delivery stamina. Always delivered hot and fresh.

4) Uni, P & 21st. The discovery that Uni delivers to our neighborhood set us on a dangerous path. After all, delivery should be good, fast, and cheap, right? Sushi is only two out of the three. But who cares, when you’re beat up and depressed by renovation you need a little decadence.

What’s in your Delivery Drawer?