A very odd couple attends the 2009 Village Voice Choice Eats

Comedian Max Silvestri and 'Real Housewife' Alex McCord fall in love over free samples. Or love free samples at least.

How does one cover an event like the 2nd Annual Village Voice Choice Eats? With over 50 restaurants, handpicked by Voice critics Robert Sietsema and Sarah DiGregorio, serving up samples to a crowd of hundreds, it's probably too cumbersome for a legitimate reporter with an actual journalism skill set to handle. Instead, Metromix went all New New Journalism by pairing me, a comedian, with "Real Housewives of New York City" star Alex McCord. A total no-brainer, it makes perfect sense. We both have flawless credentials in that the two of us eat and enjoy food nearly every day. Another thing we had in common? I had never seen her TV show, and she had no idea who I was. Try telling us apart in these pictures. Other than my beard, it's practically impossible.

Written by Max Silvestri; photos by Jori Klein Jacobs.