I had heard lots of good things about Radius-- mostly because there was a rumor a while back that it was opening a second restaurant in my neighborhood up on H Street (although that rumor seems to be false). Anyway, I have been wanting to try it for a while, but sometimes it's hard to convince Gary to venture up to Northwest for a pizza adventure, especially on the night of the Amazing Race finale. But, being Mother's Day, I was fully prepared to use the "it's my first Mother's Day as a mom" card, and use it I did. So last Sunday, Gary, Molly, and I got in the car and headed out to Mount Pleasant for a bite.
The evening started off well when we were able to find street parking right in front of the restaurant. Score! It's always good when the parking gods are on your side.
The restaurant itself is rather small, but there weren't a lot of people there this evening (perhaps they were all at home watching the Amazing Race with their moms), so we were seated right away. I ordered a pinot noir, while Gary, being the responsible dad he is, stuck to water.
We started off with the panzanella salad. For those who haven't ever tried this tasty treat, a panzanella salad is an Italian dish made with day-old bread, tomatoes, cheese, and any other salad fixings you like. The bread in Radius's salad was grilled and had a nice, smoky flavor. The vinegrette was perfect. In other words, the best salad I've had in a long time.
On to the important part-- the pie. Since it was "my day", we ordered my favorite-- a margherita pizza. The crust passed Gary's test-- crispy with no droop. It had just enough olive oil to give it flavor, but was not too greasy. The cheese and sauce were fresh and flavorful.
You can see where we're going with this, right? This place is a gem.
Liza and Gary's rating: 4 stars
