Calling all Home Pizza Chefs!

Do you like to cook pizza at home?  Here's great contest for home pizza chefs, sponsored by Cavit Wines.  Check it out! 

6th Annual Gourmet Pizza Classic-- Enter to win a trip for two to Italy!

PIZZA RECIPE CONTEST: Home pizza chefs, enter your best original gourmet pizza recipe with your favorite Cavit Collection wine pairing to win. Finalists will be selected and flown with a guest to New York City to compete for the Grand Prize, a trip for two to Italy and the title of “America’s Best Gourmet Pizza Chef.”

Click here to enter your recipe.

Readers, what are your favorite pizza recipes?

Delia's Mediterranean Grill and Brick Oven Pizza-- Alexandria

When we started this blog over 3 years ago, life was a lot different. We were newly engaged, Gary was living in northwest DC near the Cathedral, and I was in a basement studio in Capitol Hill. Life was carefree and we had lots of time for things like, well, blogging about pizza.

Now we're married, living in a house that actually has several floors (this is a big deal for former apartment dwellers!), and have an almost 11-month-old little girl. We couldn't have imagined how much she would change our lives-- and we certainly wouldn't have known how often we have to trek out to Babies R Us. Seriously. One would think there would be a good baby gear store closer to us, but alas. Many a Saturday afternoon is spent making the drive out to Bailey's Crossroads.

On one such occasion, after buying some stuff for Molly (including a $3 Sponge Bob plastic ball that has turned out to be her favorite toy ever), we decided to go to a restaurant we've wanted to try for a while-- Delia's in Alexandria. We thought this would be a quick trip from where we were, and it probably would be if we knew where we were going. Unfortunately our GPS took us on a rather, ahem, "ciruitous" route, but eventually we made it there.

Delia's is a family-friendly place-- we were definitely not the only people there with kids. It's also quite affordable, especially in comparison to other DC pizza places-- point in Delia's favor!

They have an extensive menu with plenty of pizzas, pastas, and other Mediterranean fare. They also have a really interesting list of appetizers-- goat cheese and potato poppers? Sounds tasty-- and we settled on an eggplant dip. It was SO good! After the dip and a yummy Casear salad, we were looking forward to our pizza.

Molly just ate her pureed pears and then hung out with us. Luckily Molly is pretty good in restaurants, so we gave her a couple of toys to play with and she went to town amusing herself and charming the wait staff with her cheesy (no pun intended) grins.

Readers of this blog will know that margherita pizza is my favorite, so Gary and I split one for our entree. The pizza was of generous size, and a small was perfect for two.

The sauce had a kick to it-- it reminded me almost of Matchbox. Spicy, in a good way. The cheese and basil was fresh and flavorful. The only part of the pizza I didn't care much for was the crust. It was a bit more done that I usually like it-- rather dry, actually.

We definitely will be back to Delia's for the good food and affordability. It seems to be a neighborhood favorite, and for good reason.

Liza and Gary's rating: 2.5 stars

Tagolio Pizzeria and Enoteca-- Crystal City

Wow, it's been a long time! Sorry we have been neglecting the blog, pizza lovers. We've had a busy fall at the Pizza Blogger house. We've still been eating lots of pizza, of course-- just not blogging about it! So we're going to try to rectify that by writing about a few places that we've tried in the last couple months.

First up-- Tagolio Pizzeria and Enoteca.

I learned about this place last summer and right away I knew I wanted to give it a try. There's already excellent pizza in Crystal City at Cafe Pizzaiolo, but you can really never have too many good pizza joints, right? The unique thing about Tagolio is that they have authentic coal fired pizza. Now, we'd not had great luck at our last coal fired pizza experience, but I was willing to give this kind of pizza another try. Actually, due to city regulations, there are no coal fired ovens in DC, so you will need to venture to Virginia or Maryland to get authentic coal fired pizza.

But, isn't burning coal kind of... dirty? From Tagolio's web site:

The Anthracite coal used in Tagolio’s oven comes from existing abandoned mines; not from newly environmentally damaging, excavated coal mines. Anthracite coal emits no pollution while burning, no smoke during combustion, and no smell — resulting in minimal environmental impact. Contrary to the image of some coal types, anthracite is one of the cleanest and most environmentally friendly fossil fuels in the world — cleaner than wood fires or your backyard gas grill.

As we all strive to reduce our negative environmental footprint and reduce emissions impacts on the environment, Tagolio delivers a great pizza through an eco-friendly and efficient cooking process.

So there you go-- pizza you can feel good about eating!

When we arrived at Tagolio, Gary and I decided to sample the "enoteca" (wine bar) portion of the restaurant, and we each got a glass of pinot noir. We split a delicious panzanella salad, and my favorite pizza-- a margherita DOC. (Here's a good blog post that explains what DOC pizza is, in case you're wondering.)

I should also mention that we had great service-- attentive and friendly. It was one of the nicest restaurant experiences we've had in a while. A point in Tagolio's favor!

For us, the standout on this pizza was the sauce. It had a bright, fresh flavor. The cheese was also really tasty and fresh. The only thing that I didn't care for much on this pizza was the crust. Tagolio describes their crust as having a "lightly crunchy, yet sumptuously airy dough with a nutty taste". I'd say that's accurate, but it's just not my favorite. I tend to prefer wood fired crusts moreso than coal fired.

However, I'd still say to give Tagolio a try and see for yourself. It's definitely worth a stop.

Liza and Gary's rating: 3.0 stars

Pizzeria Orso-- Falls Church

It takes a good pizza to get us out to the 'burbs. Not that there's anything wrong with the 'burbs, to paraphrase Seinfeld, but sometimes it's hard to break out of our homebody ways to drive out too far for dinner. We'd heard a lot of great things about Pizzeria Orso, though, so we decided a mini-road trip was in order.

Gary, Molly and I headed out early to beat the weekend dinner crowds. When we arrived around 5 PM, there were plenty of tables available and we were seated right away. The menu has a great selection of appetizers, so we split a mixed green salad and took some time to peruse the pizza options.

In addtion to their traditional Neopolitan pizzas, Pizzeria Orso makes several specialty pizzas. One that intrigued me was the "mezzaluna" (which means "half moon" in Italian). Half the pizza is stuffed and folded, meaning the ends of the crust are pinched together and stuffed with ricotta cheese, and the other half is a traditional margherita pizza. I ordered the mezzaluna, and Gary got a pizza that was on special that had grilled zucchini and heirloom tomatoes. Molly took a nap.

While we waited for our pizzas, Gary and I began to wonder. Why the name "Pizzeria Orso"? The word orso means "bear" in Italian, and their logo is a giant bear chowing down on a pizza pie. But why? Do bears like to eat pizza? I am confused.

Anyway, back to the food. Our pizzas came quickly, hot out of the oven. The crust was soft but not too droopy, and had a nice char that typifies pizza from a wood burning stove. The ingredients were fresh and the cheese melted in your mouth. Gary really enjoyed the smoky flavor of the zucchini on his pizza. I'd never had a stuffed pizza before, and I did like it although I probably would have enjoyed a plain old margherita (my fave) better. The ricotta in the stuffed portion of my pizza had a really nice flavor-- I love fresh ricotta, it's so much better than the kind you get in the grocery store!-- but I think it would have been a bit better with some sauce or something else in it. The margherita portion was delicious.

We finished off the meal with some yummy cannoli-- a great end to the weekend.

Suburbanites, you've got yourselves a nice little pizza joint. But can someone explain the bear to me?

Liza and Gary's rating: 3.5 stars

Washington Deli-- Downtown

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

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!

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