(Timber Pizza) Washington's newest pizza restaurants, compared

Friday, July 15, 2016

Washington Post by Becky Krystal

For a 14th Street NW pizza date-night that's trendier than Matchbox and cheaper than Etto.

Rundown: A casual import from the Philadelphia-based Vetri Family restaurant group. The menu is mostly pizza, but is also rounded out with several salads.
Style: Neapolitan.
Crust: Thin, between crispy and chewy.
Cooking method: Wood-burning oven at 700 degrees for 3 minutes.
Signature dishes: A rotolo, a cinnamon-bun-looking creation with meat, cheese and pesto, and the Salsiccia pie, with fennel sausage, roasted fennel, tomato sauce and mozzarella.
Price range: $12 to $24.
Address: 2221 14th St. NW.

For toppings as creative as what you'll find at Pete's New Haven Style Apizza, but with a bit more of an urban hipster ambiance.

Rundown: The first bricks-and-mortar location of the mobile business that's been making the rounds at farmers markets and festivals for a few years.
Style: Hybrid.
Crust: Thin and crispy, with olive oil and high-gluten flour in the mix.
Cooking method: Wood-burning oven at 750 degrees for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes.
Signature dishes: The Green Monster pizza (as seen in 40 Eats), with pesto, mozzarella, feta, zucchini and kale, and the Munday pizza, with squash blossoms, sugar snap peas and honey ricotta.
Price range: Pizzas $12 to $17.
Address: 809 Upshur St. NW.

For a contemporary, elevated pizza parlor where the chef wants to do for pizza what he did for pasta at the Red Hen.

Rundown: Partnership between the owners of Red Hen and Boundary Stone restaurants in Bloomingdale, centered on theItalian-American fare of chef Michael Friedman's youth.
Style: Rooted in New York.
Crust: Bready with a crispy bottom, with whole-wheat flour, olive oil and malt powder in the mix.
Cooking method: Gas-powered deck oven at 650 degrees for 5 minutes.
Signature dishes: The Cossimo pizza, with roasted mushrooms, taleggio, scallions, preserved truffle sauce and Grana; "Jersey-style" eggplant parm.
Price range: Pizzas $18 to $19.
Address: 1250 Ninth St. NW.

For when a trip to Italy, or the suburbs (Pupatella, Pizza CS), isn't in the cards, and you want to be able to make a reservation.

Rundown: The third location, and first in the District, of chef Michael Schlow's Italian trattoria.
Style: Combination of New York, Rome and Naples.
Crust: Thin, crispy and crackly.
Cooking method: Gas-assisted wood oven at 615 to 625 degrees for 5 minutes.
Signature dishes: Pizza with house-made sausage and broccoli rabe; crunchy meatballs with spicy tomato basil sauce.
Price range: Pizzas $15 to $17.
Address: 465 K St. NW.

For when you want your Wiseguy pizza with a heavy side of pinball.

Rundown: A pinball arcade and pizza shop owned by MOM's Organic Market founder and CEO Scott Nash, with a menu development assist from Mark Bucher (Medium Rare, formerly BGR).
Style: New York/Philadelphia/South Jersey.
Crust: Thin but flexible. The fold is key.
Cooking method: Gas-powered deck at 425 to 475 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.
Signature dishes: Pepperoni pizza; white pizza with ricotta, olive oil and garlic.
Price range: $2 per slice; whole pizzas $12 to $14.
Address: 4924 St. Elmo Ave., Bethesda.

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