We recently ran into a friend who had just eaten at the new Second Avenue Deli. He reported that a tongue sandwich cost him $22. Somewhat alarmed, we decided to do a little comparison shopping. Below, the pre-tax prices for tongue on rye. There's quite a range, but then again, a tongue sandwich isn't something you want to mess around with...

Artie's Delicatessen, $10.95

2290 Broadway

(212) 579-5959

Sarge's Deli, $11.95

548 Third Avenue

(212) 679-0442

Carnegie Deli, $13.95

854 Seventh Avenue

(800) 334-5606

Maybe you don't listen to NPR show while you're wandering around in your underwear drinking coffee in the late morning, but lucky for you, we do. Today, Brian Lehrer announced the results of his most recent "crowdsourcing" or "group-journalism" project, which was very much like our own occasional feature, Price-Check. We love crowdsourcing, by the way.

For Lehrer's "Are You Being Gouged?" segment, 350 listeners checked the prices for a six-pack of Bud, a head of iceberg lettuce, and a quart of milk, and he and some economist outed the price-gougers. The highest and lowest prices are on the website, but let's sum it up for you: Garden of Eden is crazy expensive, Fairway is the greatest place ever, and convenience stores are not where you get bargains. Also, poor neighborhoods don't necessarily have cheaper prices either.

Do you get certain items at certain stores? Do share.

Am I from the olden days? or did lemons used to cost a quarter? In today's edition of Price Check, we're blowing the whistle on this lemon scandal once and for all. We called 10 stores in Manhattan and came up with quite a range, starting with the most expensive—one lemon for one dollar, and making our way down to... yes—four lemons for a dollar!

Balducci's: 99¢ each

81 Eighth Avenue

at 14th street

(212) 741-3700

D'Agostino: 99¢ each

528 3rd Avenue

(212) 684-3133

Whole Foods: 79¢ each (conventional) or 98¢ each (organic)

10 Columbus Circle

(212) 823-9600

Citarella: 79¢ each

424 Sixth Avenue

(212) 874-0383

Trader Joe's: $1.99/3 (conventional) or $1.99 for bag of several smaller, organic. deal.

140 E 14th Street

(212) 529-4612

Fresh Direct: 59¢ each or 6/$3

Gracefully: 2/$1

28 Avenue A

(212) 677-8181

Best Farm Fruits & Vegetables, at Essex Street Market: 3/$1

120 Essex Street

(212) 388-0449

m 2 m: 4/$1

55 3rd Avenue

(212) 353-2698

Met Foods: 4/$1
180 3rd Avenue

(212) 253-1446

(from Cafe Grumpy, via flickr)

First, let's be clear: all lattes are not created equal. Every coffee drinker knows her own tastes and criteria, but below, we present a latte price check, ignoring all the subjective intricacies that inform a person's coffee choices.

Basically, we're just relieved to find out that the good stuff doesn't have to cost $4. (If one price is listed, it's either the only size offered or a medium.)

As usual, we'll start with the cheapest...

Fortunato Brothers: $2.25/3

289 Manhattan Ave

Williamsburg

(718) 387-2281

Red Horse Cafe: $2.25/3.25/4

Park Slope

Brooklyn, NY 11215

(718) 499-4973

Cafe Regular: $2.50/3.50

318 11th St

Park Slope

(718) 768-4170

Baked: $2.50/3.50

359 Van Brunt Street

Red Hook

(718) 222-0345

Taralluci E Vino: $2.75/3.25

163 1st Ave

(212) 388-1190

Gimme! Coffee: $3

495 Lorimer Street

Williamsburg

(718) 388-7771

Porto Rico Importing co.: $3
40 1/2 Saint Marks Place

(212) 533-1982

Cafe Grumpy: $3.25
224 West 20th Street

(212) 255-5511

Mud Spot: $3.50/3.75

307 East 9th Street

(212) 228-9074

Joe, The Art of Coffee:$3.50/4

9 East 13th Street

(212) 924-7400

Caffe Palermo: $3.50/4

148 Mulberry Street

(212) 431-4205

71 Irving :$3.70
71 Irving Place

(212) 995-5252

Via Quadronno: $4

25 E 73rd Street

(212) 650-9880

Sant Ambroeus: $4.50

1000 Madison Ave

(212) 570-2211

Sure, some Parmigiano-Reggiano comes from particularly well-bred cows, and some is aged longer than others, and so on. I believe you. But in the end, aren't most of us mostly just looking for the stamp on the rind that tells us it's the real thing? That and the assurance that the hunk we're bringing home wasn't cut weeks ago and allowed to dry out...

Ignoring the details that may make it worth it for the most discerning consumers to pay top dollar, we decided to take a look at the King of Cheese's local bottom line. We called ten stores and found a range from $7.99 to $18.49 per pound. Mama Mia.

Teitel Brothers: $7.99/pound

2372 Arthur Ave

(718) 733-9400

Sahadi's: $11.25/pound

187 Atlantic Ave

(718) 624-4550

Whole Foods: $12.99/pound (recently down from $16.99/pound)

40 E 14th Street

(212) 673-5388

Murray's Cheese: $12.99/pound

254 Bleecker Street

(212) 243-3289

Russo's Mozzarella and Pasta: $12.99/pound

344 E. 11th Street

212-254-7452

Alleva Dairy: $13/pound

188 Grand Street

(212) 226-7990

Fresh Direct: $13.99/pound or $11.99/pound if over one pound

Buon Italia: $15.35/pound

(Inside Chelsea Market)

75 9th Ave

(212) 633-9090

Zabar's: $17/pound

2245 Broadway

(212) 787-2000

Bedford Cheese Shop: $18.49/pound

229 Bedford Ave

(718) 599-7588