Friday's New York Times puzzle solved: January 26, 2018

Today's time: 9:24, blowing away the previous record!

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Caleb Madison made this unthemed puzzle, which has a lot of interesting and unusual fill: MAKES A U-TURN, EVER SINCE, WORD VOMIT, WIKILEAKS, RARE COINS, KARATE KID, ON A DOWNER ("how buzzkills end things"), and ABERRANCE, among others.

I just got lucky today; I was on the same wavelength as the clues somehow.  The vagueness vanished, and I saw with clarity the single meaning needed out of the possible meanings.

TORTA appeared January 7 as an Italian dessert; this time it's "Mexican sandwich."  Its typical iteration is a meat, avocado spread, and beans on a crusty roll.

The song "Don't Matter" was a #1 hit in 2007 for AKON.  I've barely heard the name, but he appears to have multiple award nominations and sales records.

Did you know the NY RANGERS were the first American team to win the Stanley Cup, in 1928?  Me neither.  And it only took ten years!

TED Mosby is the character in "How I Met Your Mother" who is telling the story of how he met the kids' mother.  Suit up!  ...I haven't watched this show.

Lake Hamana, in Japan, is a source of lots of local seafood, including bass, oysters, and eels, caught by the EELERS.

I am the single-most clueless American male about sports, an ongoing series: Joe TORRE is a giant in baseball, having been a player, manager, commentator and manager.  He has the fifth-most wins as manager, and had over 2,000 hits as a player.  He wrote a 2009 memoir called The Yankee Years.

The world's first pizzeria is widely believed to be Antica Pizzeria Port-Alba, located in NAPLES.  It was opened in 1830.

Kamehameha Day, celebrated by HAWAIIANS, of course, honors King Kamehameha the Great, who first united the Hawaiian isles.  It occurs on June 11, but celebrations are held in the days before and after.

I didn't understand why SRS had "300 and 400 classes," but it's course numbering.  Frosh get the dreaded 101 classes and so on up.

Did you know Bulgarian rulers called themselves TSARS (emperors) as well?  Yes, Simeon I and Simeon II did that.  Around 913, Simeon assumed the title of tsar and was recognized as such  by Patriarch Nicholas Mystikos, having prior to that been styled Prince (Knyaz).  Simeon II, aka Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, ruled as tsar a thousand years later.

Lots of clever clues today as well: "Building block makeup" is CINDER.  "Diner order that gets filled?" is OMELET (I thought it might pertain to coffee or tea).  "Niche form of architecture?" is APSE.  "Sharp-looking footwear?" is STILETTOS.  "Sticking points" is PRONGS.  "Act without originality" is COVER BAND.  "Sloppy planting job?" is WET KISS.  "Something that people wish you would take when you leave" is CARE.

Well, gotta SPLIT.