Molly and I happened to be downtown during lunchtime last week, so I decided to seek out a place I've been meaning to try for a while-- Washington Deli. I've heard they have good pizza, but since I'm not downtown too often, I haven't made it over there yet. This was my chance!
Washington Deli is located at 1990 K Street NW, but it can be a bit difficult to find if you don't know where to look. The entrance is located on 20th Street. They have many different pizzas on display. Choose your slice, they rewarm it for you, and you're good to go with a quick weekday lunch. I got two slices and a medium soda for $7. Pretty good deal!
The slices are generous-sized, New York style pizza. They also have a square Sicilian-style pizza. Now, in the Detroit, where I'm from, square pizza is pretty typical. I've never heard it called "Sicilian" (it's more commonly referred to as "party style" in the Midwest), but any square pizza is good pizza in my book. So, I chose a cheese Sicilian slice, and a New York style slice of white pizza.
Molly and I were in a bit of a hurry since I was illegally parked. Side rant-- what's up with the parking downtown? The meters, if a) you can find one, b) it's not a handicapped spot, c) some clown hasn't taken up two spots with one car and d) the meter is actually working, are a quarter for 7 and a half minutes. I mean really. Who carries that much change around these days? Anyway, I was parked in this space that was sort of half a space and half not, and the meter that was probably associated with it wasn't working. A true test of parking fate, that was. So we get back to the car and, as luck would have it, no ticket! Of course, this leaves me to either wait till I get home to dig into the pizza, or eat and drive. Now, pizza is not the most driving-friendly food out there, but I was able to sneak in enough bites during red lights to make a proper taste determination.
First, the Sicilian. It had a nice crispy crust, sweet sauce, and a decent amount of cheese. Good 'za. It didn't knock my socks off or anything, but I liked it.
Next, the white pizza. I am a fan of white pizza, although I don't tend to order it too often. Washington Deli will have to make me rethink that position. This white pizza was SO good. Crispy crust, a nice blend of cheese, great spices (including some fresh rosemary), with a bit of olive oil to top it off. Delicious! If I wasn't in my car driving away I would have gone back for another slice.
Sadly, I don't work downtown so it might be a while before I can visit Washington Deli again at lunchtime. But for those of you who find yourself on K Street, stop in for a slice-- you won't be disappointed.
Liza's rating: 3.0 stars
Monday, August 16, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
We, The Pizza-- Capitol Hill
I have anxiously been awaiting the opening of Spike Mendelsohn's (he of Top Chef fame) new pizza place, We, The Pizza. I haven't really frequented his other venture, Good Stuff Eatery, because I'm a veg-head (as Gary calls me) and thus, do not spend a lot of time in burger joints. But pizza? That's something I can get behind.
The restaurant finally opened up a few weeks ago. Since Gary has been quite busy at work, I decided to go on a weekday with Steph (who I dine with frequently and who has made several appearances on this blog) and baby Molly.
Well, holy hell. There were quite a few people in line when we arrived at 11:30 AM. And by "quite a few" I mean pretty much every person within a 2 mile radius (rough estimate) had decided to grab a slice. The line snaked through the restaurant about 32 times (again, rough estimate) and was out the door. So, just a word to the wise, do not try to navigate this ridiculous line with a stroller. I'm just saying.
But, really, it wasn't that bad because the line moved along pretty quickly. And, I have a very cute baby, so people were forgiving when I rolled over their toes.
When I heard about this restaurant, I was expecting a sit-down place with table service. Instead, you order your slice and they give you one of those buzzer thingies that go off when your food's ready, and they you can go find a seat in the dining room or outside. Makes total sense, really-- with the large lunchtime crowd in the Capitol Hill area, most people don't have time to hang out and have a sit-down meal.
The pizza is New York style, with a thick crust that's much more bready than the neopolitan style you tend to see at DC pizzerias. There's plenty of inventive pies on the menu, as well as your usual basic cheese and pepperoni. They also have this really cool soda fountain, where you order a soda with some whackadoodle name (like "I've gotta orange crush on you") and they crush up the fruit and pour soda water over it right there.
I got a simple cheese slice-- my fave-- and Steph got potato with pancetta. We split a spinach and artichoke slice. We also each got a whackadoodle soda. Molly just hung out in her stroller, oblivious to the broken toes she was leaving in her wake.
Steph and I found a seat outside and waited for the buzzer thingies to buzz. Wasn't too long before our pizza was ready, and then it was game on. I had to somehow navigate through the 32 lines of people, get our pizza and sodas, and navigate out without knocking anyone over, or worse, dropping our food. Remember that old commercial with OJ Simpson running through the airport? It kind of felt like that. Except without the creepy implications that commercial has in retrospect.
The pizza itself was good; little droop, good ingredients. The crust was a bit to bready for my taste, but that's just a preference. Our complaint was that it was rather cold. The pizzas are all set out by the register so you can see them before you choose, which is nice, but they would do well to heat the slices up a bit before serving. Perhaps this is just an issue when they are really busy, I don't know. I absolutely loved the sodas. They were delicious! In fact, I wanted to go back for another one but I didn't feel like standing in line again.
So last night, we went to a party for some friends of ours at Top of the Hill, right down the street from We, The Pizza. As Gary and I walked by, we thought... oh my goodness, I could use some pizza right now. But since we were a bit late, we decided to grab a slice on our way home.
As we were saying our goodbyes, one story turned into another story, turning into "remember that time in Vegas when you were carrying the case of Bud Lime down the street when..." into "remember that time you we saw that tightrope walking guy in Stanton Park and then..." into we didn't end up leaving the party until close to 11:30 PM. Bad news, pizza lovers-- We, the Pizza closes at 11 PM. We found this out because as Gary and I walked up to the restaurant, the man himself, Chef Spike, was turning hungry revelers away at the door. What's up Spike? It's the weekend! Give us a couple more hours of pizza love!
Therefore, I will have to wait to give my rating until Gary can have a slice with me. Stay tuned pizza fans!
The restaurant finally opened up a few weeks ago. Since Gary has been quite busy at work, I decided to go on a weekday with Steph (who I dine with frequently and who has made several appearances on this blog) and baby Molly.
Well, holy hell. There were quite a few people in line when we arrived at 11:30 AM. And by "quite a few" I mean pretty much every person within a 2 mile radius (rough estimate) had decided to grab a slice. The line snaked through the restaurant about 32 times (again, rough estimate) and was out the door. So, just a word to the wise, do not try to navigate this ridiculous line with a stroller. I'm just saying.
But, really, it wasn't that bad because the line moved along pretty quickly. And, I have a very cute baby, so people were forgiving when I rolled over their toes.
When I heard about this restaurant, I was expecting a sit-down place with table service. Instead, you order your slice and they give you one of those buzzer thingies that go off when your food's ready, and they you can go find a seat in the dining room or outside. Makes total sense, really-- with the large lunchtime crowd in the Capitol Hill area, most people don't have time to hang out and have a sit-down meal.
The pizza is New York style, with a thick crust that's much more bready than the neopolitan style you tend to see at DC pizzerias. There's plenty of inventive pies on the menu, as well as your usual basic cheese and pepperoni. They also have this really cool soda fountain, where you order a soda with some whackadoodle name (like "I've gotta orange crush on you") and they crush up the fruit and pour soda water over it right there.
I got a simple cheese slice-- my fave-- and Steph got potato with pancetta. We split a spinach and artichoke slice. We also each got a whackadoodle soda. Molly just hung out in her stroller, oblivious to the broken toes she was leaving in her wake.
Steph and I found a seat outside and waited for the buzzer thingies to buzz. Wasn't too long before our pizza was ready, and then it was game on. I had to somehow navigate through the 32 lines of people, get our pizza and sodas, and navigate out without knocking anyone over, or worse, dropping our food. Remember that old commercial with OJ Simpson running through the airport? It kind of felt like that. Except without the creepy implications that commercial has in retrospect.
The pizza itself was good; little droop, good ingredients. The crust was a bit to bready for my taste, but that's just a preference. Our complaint was that it was rather cold. The pizzas are all set out by the register so you can see them before you choose, which is nice, but they would do well to heat the slices up a bit before serving. Perhaps this is just an issue when they are really busy, I don't know. I absolutely loved the sodas. They were delicious! In fact, I wanted to go back for another one but I didn't feel like standing in line again.
So last night, we went to a party for some friends of ours at Top of the Hill, right down the street from We, The Pizza. As Gary and I walked by, we thought... oh my goodness, I could use some pizza right now. But since we were a bit late, we decided to grab a slice on our way home.
As we were saying our goodbyes, one story turned into another story, turning into "remember that time in Vegas when you were carrying the case of Bud Lime down the street when..." into "remember that time you we saw that tightrope walking guy in Stanton Park and then..." into we didn't end up leaving the party until close to 11:30 PM. Bad news, pizza lovers-- We, the Pizza closes at 11 PM. We found this out because as Gary and I walked up to the restaurant, the man himself, Chef Spike, was turning hungry revelers away at the door. What's up Spike? It's the weekend! Give us a couple more hours of pizza love!
Therefore, I will have to wait to give my rating until Gary can have a slice with me. Stay tuned pizza fans!
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Harris Teeter-- Capitol Hill
Harris Teeter has a special on Mondays where their pizzas are on sale. They make their pizzas fresh in-house. I know, I know, grocery store pizza can't be that great. But last Monday Gary and I were staring at an empty fridge at 8 PM, and so I decided to pop over to Harris Teeter, do a little grocery shopping, and pick up a pizza for dinner.
I'm retyping this because Molly somehow deleted my first draft, so I'm going to cut to the chase here. When I brought my cooked pizza up to the register to pay for it, the cashier took my pizza box and TURNED IT ON ITS SIDE so that she could scan the bar code. Really?!? Really, cashier lady? I came home with a big, squished, droopy mess of a pizza. And it was undercooked, to boot.
It's almost a week later and I'm still irrationally irritated by this.
Liza's rating: 1.0 star
Gary's rating: 1.5 stars
I'm retyping this because Molly somehow deleted my first draft, so I'm going to cut to the chase here. When I brought my cooked pizza up to the register to pay for it, the cashier took my pizza box and TURNED IT ON ITS SIDE so that she could scan the bar code. Really?!? Really, cashier lady? I came home with a big, squished, droopy mess of a pizza. And it was undercooked, to boot.
It's almost a week later and I'm still irrationally irritated by this.
Liza's rating: 1.0 star
Gary's rating: 1.5 stars
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Follow us on Twitter!
Your DC pizza blog is now on Twitter. Follow us @DCPizzaBlog!
Happy 4th of July everyone-- raise a slice to the U.S. of A!
Happy 4th of July everyone-- raise a slice to the U.S. of A!
Friday, July 2, 2010
Pupatella-- Arlington, Va.
Liza here...There seems to be a pizza trend hitting the DC area these days-- Neopolitan pizza. 2 Amys set the standard, but recently a whole slew of new Neopolitan pizzerias have popped up. One of these started as a humble pizza cart and is now a full-fledged restaurant in Arlington, Virginia -- Pupatella Neopolitan Pizzeria and Friggitoria.
Now, your first question probably is, "What the frig is a friggitoria?" From Pupatella's website:
Your next question might be, "What makes a pizza a Neopolitan pizza?"
According to the good folks in Naples, Italy, a Neopolitan pizza has very specific ingredients. The dough is made from flour, water, yeast, and salt. The sauce is made from San Marzano tomatoes, and the cheese is buffalo mozzerella. Bake in a brick oven at high heat, add some basil and a little olive oil, and you have yourself a Neopolitan margherita pizza.
So, on the weekend of our two-year wedding anniversary, Gary, Molly and I ventured out to try out this newest incarnation of Neopolitan pizza. To Arlington we go...
Tag! Gary takes over the review from here...
Pupatella's is situated at the end of a strip mall on busy George Mason Drive in Arlington. We walked in and grabbed a table near the back so that lil' Molly would have plenty of room to soak in her surroundings and fuss if necesary. There were other families with babies, so kudos to Pupatella's for being baby friendly.
Looks like Pupatella's would be a good place for takeout, but on this day they did a good restaurant business as well. The place filled up right as the dinner hour arrived.
Liza wanted a margherita pizza. Again. This is all she ever wants to order. Sigh...
Gary dutifully walked up to the counter and put the order in. The hostess was friendly enough and she was cute wearing a blue fedora hat. We decided on a 12-inch margherita, but the hostess suggested that a 12-incher would not be enough for two people. Suspecting an upsell, I stood my ground.
After about 15 minutes, I picked up our pizza, fresh out of the oven, at the counter and brought it to the table. Molly was falling asleep--she's cute!
The pie proved plenty for two people to share, although it was cut into just four slices. Faithful readers of the blog know that this is another of my pet peeves. No pie should be cut into four slices--six minimum!
The pie was sprinkled with a good amount of sauce and mozzarella cheese, but just two small basil leaves. Liza was nonplussed. Why so skimpy with the basil? Is there a worldwide basil shortage? Hey Liza, better get your vegetable and spice garden growing in the back yard again! (Side note: what's going on with that garden anyway? It's over-run with weeds! We better get to work.)
The pizza sauce had a good tomato flavor and the crust was well-cooked and tasty. There was a little droop, but it wasn't an annoyance.
Overall, there was no wow factor with Pupatella's pizza. It was good, but it was also a bit ordinary. And the skimpiness of the basil suggested not much heart went into making it, either.
Best part of the dinner was the ice cream! Pupatella's has a nice selection of gelato, and Liza and I ordered coconut. (Yes, I wanted mint chocolate chip, but I didn't say anything.) On a hot summer evening, this ice cream hit the spot.
Pupatella's seems like it would be a nice neighborhood pizza joint, and perhaps we would go there more often if we lived closer. Unfortunately we were a little disappointed with their effort on our visit.
Gary's Rating: 2.5 stars
Liza's Rating 2.5 stars
Now, your first question probably is, "What the frig is a friggitoria?" From Pupatella's website:
Friggitoria translates as “Fry Shop”. In Naples, it is a restaurant that specializes in stuffed fried pizzas (calzone or ripieno), stuffed risotto balls, zeppole (mini-doughnuts), panzarotti (stuffed potato croquettes).Sounds delicious, but we are a pizza blog, so we will stick to the pies and pass on the fried stuff for this review.
Your next question might be, "What makes a pizza a Neopolitan pizza?"
According to the good folks in Naples, Italy, a Neopolitan pizza has very specific ingredients. The dough is made from flour, water, yeast, and salt. The sauce is made from San Marzano tomatoes, and the cheese is buffalo mozzerella. Bake in a brick oven at high heat, add some basil and a little olive oil, and you have yourself a Neopolitan margherita pizza.
So, on the weekend of our two-year wedding anniversary, Gary, Molly and I ventured out to try out this newest incarnation of Neopolitan pizza. To Arlington we go...
Tag! Gary takes over the review from here...
Pupatella's is situated at the end of a strip mall on busy George Mason Drive in Arlington. We walked in and grabbed a table near the back so that lil' Molly would have plenty of room to soak in her surroundings and fuss if necesary. There were other families with babies, so kudos to Pupatella's for being baby friendly.
Looks like Pupatella's would be a good place for takeout, but on this day they did a good restaurant business as well. The place filled up right as the dinner hour arrived.
Liza wanted a margherita pizza. Again. This is all she ever wants to order. Sigh...
Gary dutifully walked up to the counter and put the order in. The hostess was friendly enough and she was cute wearing a blue fedora hat. We decided on a 12-inch margherita, but the hostess suggested that a 12-incher would not be enough for two people. Suspecting an upsell, I stood my ground.
After about 15 minutes, I picked up our pizza, fresh out of the oven, at the counter and brought it to the table. Molly was falling asleep--she's cute!
The pie proved plenty for two people to share, although it was cut into just four slices. Faithful readers of the blog know that this is another of my pet peeves. No pie should be cut into four slices--six minimum!
The pie was sprinkled with a good amount of sauce and mozzarella cheese, but just two small basil leaves. Liza was nonplussed. Why so skimpy with the basil? Is there a worldwide basil shortage? Hey Liza, better get your vegetable and spice garden growing in the back yard again! (Side note: what's going on with that garden anyway? It's over-run with weeds! We better get to work.)
The pizza sauce had a good tomato flavor and the crust was well-cooked and tasty. There was a little droop, but it wasn't an annoyance.
Overall, there was no wow factor with Pupatella's pizza. It was good, but it was also a bit ordinary. And the skimpiness of the basil suggested not much heart went into making it, either.
Best part of the dinner was the ice cream! Pupatella's has a nice selection of gelato, and Liza and I ordered coconut. (Yes, I wanted mint chocolate chip, but I didn't say anything.) On a hot summer evening, this ice cream hit the spot.
Pupatella's seems like it would be a nice neighborhood pizza joint, and perhaps we would go there more often if we lived closer. Unfortunately we were a little disappointed with their effort on our visit.
Gary's Rating: 2.5 stars
Liza's Rating 2.5 stars
Friday, June 25, 2010
D.C. Gets Serious About The Slice-- on NPR
Great segment on WAMU 88.5 FM, the local NPR station, today about all the new pizza places opening in the DC area. Check it out here:
D.C. Gets Serious About The Slice
D.C. Gets Serious About The Slice
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
DC Slices-- Food Truck-- All Over DC
Sometimes, summer in DC can be truly awful.
Hundred-degree heat. Sweltering humidity. Irritable lobbyists sweating in suits pushing past you on the sidewalk. Crime. Grumpiness. People biding time until they can get the heck out of here and go to the beach. Summer in the city can be no fun at all, sometimes.
But then...
Sometimes summer in the city can be truly glorious.
Maybe it's only 85 degrees, with just a whisper of dampness in the air. Maybe the sun is shining and moods are bright. Maybe the K Street suits have shed their blazers and are pouring out of their office buildings to spend their lunch hour in the park. Maybe Strasburg is pitching at home that night, and the buzz is already in the air.
Last Friday was a day like that.
Molly and I were downtown for a baby class-- I was learning about how and when to introduce solid foods. Molly was quite excited about this, because she thought that maybe she would be getting some pizza soon-- alas, little girl, you'll still have to wait a while. But on that beautiful summer day, after the class I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather, put Molly in the baby sling, and take a walk down to Farragut Square. Why, you ask? Well, it was "Farragut Friday" for the DC Slices pizza truck.
Food trucks are a phenomenon, folks, so it was only a matter of time until someone decided to add a pizza truck to the mix. As your resident DC pizza blogger, of course I had to try it out. I'm still on maternity leave, so I was able to head out on a weekday to find the truck. Unfortunately, Gary's still a working stiff, so he wasn't able to make it out for this one.
The pizza truck was parked near 17th and K Street NW, right on Farragut Square. We got there around 2 PM, so there was no line to speak of. For $5.00 you can get a generous-sized slice and a can of soda. Not bad.
Molly and I opted for a cheese slice (ask for fresh basil on top!) and a grape soda. As our friendly pizza man noted, "It's just like being a kid again." Indeed.
Also-- kudos to DC Slices for providing a recycle bin for your cans when you're done.
We found a shady spot under a tree to enjoy our slice and pop. The best part about the slice was the sauce-- a hint of sweetness, but still kept its tangy tomato flavor. Gary would have liked the "droopless" crust. The crust was good, but could have used a bit more done-ness. It wasn't quite as crispy as I like, but of course, when you're cooking in the back of a truck that might be too much to ask.
So for all you lucky folks who have food trucks swarm outside your workplaces on a wonderful summer day-- go look for DC Slices. It doesn't disappoint.
Liza's rating: 3.0 stars
Molly's rating: My mom doesn't let me eat pizza, but the pizza guy said I was adorable so I give him 4 stars.
Hundred-degree heat. Sweltering humidity. Irritable lobbyists sweating in suits pushing past you on the sidewalk. Crime. Grumpiness. People biding time until they can get the heck out of here and go to the beach. Summer in the city can be no fun at all, sometimes.
But then...
Sometimes summer in the city can be truly glorious.
Maybe it's only 85 degrees, with just a whisper of dampness in the air. Maybe the sun is shining and moods are bright. Maybe the K Street suits have shed their blazers and are pouring out of their office buildings to spend their lunch hour in the park. Maybe Strasburg is pitching at home that night, and the buzz is already in the air.
Last Friday was a day like that.
Molly and I were downtown for a baby class-- I was learning about how and when to introduce solid foods. Molly was quite excited about this, because she thought that maybe she would be getting some pizza soon-- alas, little girl, you'll still have to wait a while. But on that beautiful summer day, after the class I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather, put Molly in the baby sling, and take a walk down to Farragut Square. Why, you ask? Well, it was "Farragut Friday" for the DC Slices pizza truck.
Food trucks are a phenomenon, folks, so it was only a matter of time until someone decided to add a pizza truck to the mix. As your resident DC pizza blogger, of course I had to try it out. I'm still on maternity leave, so I was able to head out on a weekday to find the truck. Unfortunately, Gary's still a working stiff, so he wasn't able to make it out for this one.
The pizza truck was parked near 17th and K Street NW, right on Farragut Square. We got there around 2 PM, so there was no line to speak of. For $5.00 you can get a generous-sized slice and a can of soda. Not bad.
Molly and I opted for a cheese slice (ask for fresh basil on top!) and a grape soda. As our friendly pizza man noted, "It's just like being a kid again." Indeed.
Also-- kudos to DC Slices for providing a recycle bin for your cans when you're done.
We found a shady spot under a tree to enjoy our slice and pop. The best part about the slice was the sauce-- a hint of sweetness, but still kept its tangy tomato flavor. Gary would have liked the "droopless" crust. The crust was good, but could have used a bit more done-ness. It wasn't quite as crispy as I like, but of course, when you're cooking in the back of a truck that might be too much to ask.
So for all you lucky folks who have food trucks swarm outside your workplaces on a wonderful summer day-- go look for DC Slices. It doesn't disappoint.
Liza's rating: 3.0 stars
Molly's rating: My mom doesn't let me eat pizza, but the pizza guy said I was adorable so I give him 4 stars.
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