Duccini's Pizza - U Street Corridor

Duccini's, sitting at the intersection on 18th and U St., NW, is perfectly situated for the waves of late night drunks filtering out of Adams Morgan and the U Street bars on weekends. But, it also happens to be my local neighborhood pizza place, and all things considered, it does a decent job.

Unfortunately, they only sell jumbo-slices (this is still DC), but the crust is neither too doughy or too crunchy, and retains a decent bite. The sauce doesn't taste too tinny and the cheese, while pre-shredded and processed, is eminently serviceable. While jumbo-sliced, I never got a soggy pizza, which is the main issue I have with the other establishments located further up 18th.

I would (and do) come to this place sober, which, for a DC pizza restaurant, is just about the highest compliment I can bestow.

Alberto's Pizza - Dupont Circle

Having just gotten off the Circulator starving, I went down into this basement level restaurant to get a slice. Of course, this being DC, it was "jumbo-sliced" (essentially serving a portion the size of 2 normal slices and charging you $5 for it). I vaguely remember enjoying the pizza before, even though the only other times I have been here have been past 2:00am on a weekend night with my taste buds blurred by PBR and bottom shelf rail drinks. But, what the hell, how bad could it be?

Of course, whenever someone ends a paragraph with a rhetorical question like that, you know it has got to be pretty friggin' bad. I basically spent a good 10 minutes trying to choke down a sheaf of dry, tasteless crust slightly reminiscent of pre-vamped Domino's (which is to say, corrugated cardboard). The sauce imparted texture, but no flavor, and the cheese was heartily preprocessed. Basically, I managed to salvage the meal by pouring on powdered "parmesan" cheese and red pepper flakes that helped cover up the taste.

But, I wouldn't necessarily mind returning, just so long as it is past 2:00am and my liver is on the brink of needing a transplant because of alcohol poisoning.

Piola - Rosslyn 5/26/2011

Piola is an Italian pizzeria chain, which is to say that it is a pizza chain based in Italy, though most of its branches are located in South America. Initially, I was a little leery about going here, but in the end, I have to say I was won over. I ate outside on the patio, which was lovely, but managed to get a peek inside: high ceilings, self-consciously trendy decor, and a weird red toned color palette. But, I've seen worse.

The pizza itself was actually pretty good. The thin crust had a nice bite...not too chewy, but not too soft. Moreover, unlike many other pizzerias, they held back on the cheese and sauce. The Piola pies had just enough of the creamy mozzarella and the tomato sauce to prevent the crust from being too dry, yet also avoided being too gummy with excess cheese or being soupy with excess sauce. Unfortunately, I ordered a pie that came with smoked salmon and ricotta on top of the mozzarella and tomato sauce, and while the salmon was actually good, the ricotta was piled on too thick. I had to scrape the excess off. But, having tasted the underlying pie, I would imagine that ordering a more traditional pie from Piola would provide a rather satisfying gustatory experience, especially for a restaurant located in Rosslyn.

Pete's Apizza - Columbia Heights

I usually try to stop by here whenever I'm shopping at either the Best Buy and the Target across the street. It is one of the few places that serves individual slices of pizza without feeling the need to jumbo-size them, which I certainly appreciate. The crust is crispy, but also has an interesting, chewy texture once you bite through it. I do find the tomato sauce a bit problematic: it can taste a little tinny and bright for my taste. But, then again, I usually order the white clam pizza anyway, which is delicious. While Pete's claims that it slings New Haven pies, it doesn't. And you know what? That's a good thing. They are quite content to be themselves without trying to blindly copy Sally's or Frank Pepe's. Sure, they put some clams on their pie, but they don't obsess about all of the details and they just focus on producing as good of a pie as they know how. It's quite refreshing to see that. And if they are going to aspire to serve a New whatever product, I'm glad they chose New Haven rather than New York. (Seriously, serving Boars Head turkey on a kaiser roll does not make you a New York deli and anything Jumbo Sized automatically disqualifies you as a New York pizza.)

Unfortunately, I have not tried the pastas, sandwiches, or salads, though I hear they are well made. I do like that their fountain dispenses Boylan Soda, rather than the de rigueur choice of either Coca Cola or Pepsi products, just another little detail to distinguish themselves from the crowd.

Red Rocks Pizzeria - Columbia Heights 2/20/2011

Red Rocks Pizzeria is a local pizzeria chain that sells pizzas cooked in a wood fired oven. The Columbia Heights location was the first, housed in a renovated townhouse that is tight, but comfortable. Waits can be long, and uncomfortable since the front of the house is cramped and the bar is usually packed.

When we got seated, I ordered the margherita (buffalo mozzarella, basil, tomato sauce) while my friend ordered the Sunrise pizza (fried egg, breakfast potatoes, and a dusting of parmesan). The crusts were correct: they had some chew with just enough char to lend some pleasing bitterness to the pizza without being ashy. The toppings were also solid...the sauce tasted fresh and wasn't tinny, which is a problem I run across quite frequently in DC. But...for whatever reason, it just really didn't come together for me. Everything was correct, but kind of uninteresting. For example, a pizza from New York, New Haven, or even Chicago or California (bastardized forms as the latter two may be) are distinctive and instantly recognizable. Red Rocks, on the other hand, just seemed to be imitating what they thought a Neopolitan pizza should be without attempting to leave their own particular stamp on their interpretation. It was like there was no "there" there. Maybe I should give them another try, but this place definitely did not inspire me to go out of my way to dine here again in the future. But, if I'm in the neighborhood, I wouldn't object to eating here again.

Faccio Luna - Clarendon 3/4/2011

Faccio Luna is a pizza parlor which self-proclaims that it serves the best pizza in Virginia. While I wouldn't go that far, it isn't bad. If it weren't for the inexplicably long waits, it would be a nice place to pop into if I was in the neighborhood to grab a cheap meal with friends.

As noted, the place primarily serves pizza, but I also shared a salad that was pretty flavorful and some meatballs, which were a lot more forgettable. The pie we ordered had sausage and pepperoni, and the toppings and sauce were generally enjoyable. However, texturally, the pizza wasn't interesting and it lacked the hint of bitterness a nice, charred crust imparts on a pie. Indeed, the dense crust somehow managed to pull off the hat trick of being simultaneously bready, friable, and dry. While this may sound unappetizing, I actually enjoyed it...it reminded me of the pizzeria in Connecticut that my family used to get take out from. Ah...family memories, though whether being comparable to a suburban pizzeria is a compliment, I leave that up to you to judge.

In sum, Faccio Luna is a nice neighborhood spot that serves an eminently serviceable pizza (and if you think that is damning with faint praise, well, you might be right).