Pete's Apizza-- Columbia Heights

I'll start off this blog entry by saying that we know it's not really fair to review a restaurant the first week it's open. But we couldn't wait to try out Pete's Apizza, a new place serving New Haven style pizza. Gary and I have previously reviewed Comet Ping Pong, another local place that features New Haven pies... could Pete's measure up? Your bloggers were ready to find out!

We ventured out to Columbia Heights last Wednesday night. Even though it was only the third night it was open, Pete's was packed. All the tables were filled, people were standing around, and staff was running around frantically. We stood awkwardly at the door for a while until I finally asked another patron what the deal was. She said we needed to go up to the counter to order.

There's a large board with the menu above the counter, but unfortunately it was too small to read. Luckily there were takeout menus available, though. We decided that the prices for a full pie were a little steep ($20ish for an 18 inch), so we each got some cheese slices and a salad.

We got a number and found a seat, and runners came around with the pizza. The whole situation was pretty chaotic. Gary tried to get another slice at one point, but "5 minutes" for a New Haven pizza (white pizza with clams) to come out of the oven turned into 20... we finally left.

But these types of glitches are probably to be expected the first week. Unfortunately, the quality of the pizza suffered as a result. Our slices were cold and frankly, not very good at all. New Haven pizza is known for its crispy crust, but this crust was bland and undercooked. The sauce had a weird aftertaste. To me, this pizza was not at all reminiscent of New Haven pizza (and I lived there for two years, so I know what I'm talkin' 'bout!).

Hopefully Pete's can get some of its issues worked out in the coming months. Until then, Liza and Gary's rating is: Incomplete.

Comet Ping Pong, Upper NW DC

So it was a warm Tuesday evening, two days before Thanksgiving, and Liza was after me to contribute to the blog. Liza has done all of the blog entries to this point, and I felt guilty. This is Liza AND Gary's Pizza Blog, after all.

Since I live in Northwest DC, where all the cool people in DC live, Liza decided to drive up from her home on Capitol Hill to meet me for some 'za. Nearby is the one and only Comet Ping Pong, a couple doors down from Politics & Prose.

Comet Ping Pong is known for its New Haven-style pizza. Liza says this kind of pizza is oblong shaped, has a crispy crust, and is a little oily.

We arrive around 8-ish. Parking is in the back. We walked around and saw the huge "COMET" sign above the restaurant. Can't miss it. Outside, there is a ping pong table set up. Get it? Comet Ping Pong!

We walked in and were greeted by a young male host who could not have been more than 20 years old. The tone was set. This appears to be college hang-out, for young and hungry American University students. It had a very trendy feel to it, too.

We sat at a table for two. Yes, all of the tables were made to look like ping pong tables. They were green, with a white line across the middle. Very clever!

Liza ordered some wine, while I ordered an Anchor Steam. You don't see many bars or restaurants with Anchor Steam, which is a pretty good beer in my opinion, so bonus points for Comet Ping Pong. By the way, there is a bar in the back, which looked like a cozy place to hang out. No TVs, though, so we won't be coming here to watch the Lions, Eagles or Spartans anytime soon.

Liza commented that the restaurant's decor looked a little too industrial. The walls were chipped, unpainted. It had a warehouse feel to it. Near the bar, on the wall, there were black and white photos of posing celebrities. Yay celebrities!

Comet Ping Pong appears to be striving for the post-apocalyptic among us. Perhaps that's why so many angst-ridden young people are drawn to the place. Beside our small table, there was a table of 8 college students strugglng to make sense of the world. They were busy chatting and text-messaging--at the same time. Marvelous!

Finally, pizza.

My first thought: These New Haven-style pizzas are shaped like footballs.

Liza had the butternut squash pizza with onions and garic. I ordered the smoky mushroom and onion cheese pizza. They were each sliced in about 8 pieces.

First of all, the pizza was a little droopy. I am not a big fan of droopy pizza. It was oily, as promised, so touching the pizza made my fingers messy. To eat my slice and not make a mess, I had to hold up the bottom of the pizza slice with my fork. The crust was crisp enough at the edges, though.

My pizza was very smoky in flavor. One taste, and I felt like I was in a smoke-filled log cabin in the West Virginia mountains. The onions were a little overpowering, too. There was just the right amount of cheese.

Overall, it was a decent pizza, but not spectacular. The pizza tasted exactly how it was supposed to taste, I just wasn't all that enthralled with it. A little too smoky for my taste.

Liza? You're up: "I thought my pizza was good, but the butternut squash flavor did not really come out." I have to agree. It was pretty bland. Very little flavor. In fact, the differences in our pizzas were startling. Mine had an overwhelming smoky flavor, while Liza's had almost no flavor at all.

So here we go. The score for Comet Ping Pong...

Gary: 3 stars
Liza: 2.5 stars

Now you know why I don't do these blogs as often as Liza. I ramble on and on and on...