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Photo of ‘Grilled Pizza’ by PoPville flickr user caroline.angelo

Dear PoP,

This building at the intersection of New Jersey Ave and Florida Ave NW, quietly went from looking like the other houses on this block to having a glass front window and over the weekend an awning proclaiming Pizarro. Sure looks like a restaurant inside, fingers crossed! Any ideas on the who/what/when/where of this spot?

I actually stopped by Sat. afternoon before the awning went up at 467 Florida Ave, NW:

It’s funny – I received a tip that this space was going to become a cafe over a year ago. I kept my eye on it and just thought it was mistaken info. Then, like you said, all of a sudden massive progress was made. (Thanks to others who sent emails as well that something was going on.) I spoke with one of the residents of the building who said that the landlord told them a cafe with pizza could be coming. At first I thought it was going to more of a coffee cafe but with the name Pizzarro, clearly, there will be a bigger pizza angle. Stay tuned for more info when it becomes available.

Back in mid-Dec. we noted the progress of Fuel Pizza coming to 1606 K St, NW in the former Burger King space. Well they are opening Wed. and apparently are giving away “free food for a year*” for the first 50 customers. I’m guessing the asterisk is to avoid a situation like this:

The sign says they open tomorrow at noon – so when do you think the line will start?

Pizza and Craft Beer is coming to Brookland. Menomale is coming soon to 2711 12th St, NE:

View Larger Map

Their Facebook page says:

“We are Americans inspired by our Italian and Irish roots to bring authentic beer and real pizza to the Brookland area of Washington D.C.”

It sounds like the pizza is gonna be the real deal:

Our oven was custom built and imported by us from Naples, Italy. Weighing in at 5,500 lbs, it’s made of a particular salt based stone only found in Positano, Italy. American manufacturers of this oven use a sand based stone, though it retains heat, the salt adds a unique texture and flavor to the crust. Typically US pizza ovens are most often gas fired, 550 degrees, and cook a pizza in about 8-10 minutes. Menomale’s centerpiece is wood-fired, 900 degrees, and will cook a pizza in about 90 seconds.

I emailed the owner who is hesitant to announce an exact opening date but believes they should be open by mid-Feb. They have already received their liquor license so beer will be pouring at that time as well. I’ll update with an exact opening date when it is finalized.

Last week a reader wrote in asking for an update on “Local 14″ which had planned on coming to 1832 14th Street, NW. At that time a commenter wrote:

“i actually live behind this building. They have been doing a lot of work recently. I ran into Aman ( owner of this and local 16). he told me the carpet store from across the street is taking the first floor and a pizza concept restaurant will be on the top floors. this was about three weeks ago.”

Please note that according to this neighbor the rug store will take the first floor and the restaurant will go upstairs.

Yesterday Don Rockwell (thanks to all who sent links and thanks to DR for referencing PoP’s coverage) shared the scoop:

This will be a casual, dive kind of place with a wood-fired oven. The bottom floor will have a carpet store; the top two will have a dining room, possibly a balcony over 14th, and an open kitchen, bar, and small rooftop on the third floor.

Food wise, the menu is forming as 4-5 pizze, and a small menu of constantly changing items. They are hoping to have the oven built on site (3rd floor) by Napolitan builders, and are also discussing the possibility of a wood grill. There will be no gas appliances or lines running into the building. In Edan’s own words, “All fire, baby!”

A PoPville twitter follower notes – is this gonna be the start of a pizza war with Matchbox moving in across the street?

Mellow Mushroom is one of the most eagerly anticipated new restaurants I’ve ever posted about. So now that they’ve been open a couple of months – what do you think of the pizza? For those who’ve been to other locations – how does this one compare? For folks that have never been before did it meet your expectations?

Read Queenedix’s previous food truck reviews here.

Pizza is, most often, a food produced for mass consumption and not maximum enjoyment. Great local options aside, most people think Papa John’s when imagining pizza, not Paradiso. Within the last week, somewhere in America, a group of college students celebrated the end of their term by purchasing several 18-packs of reduced-calorie pale lager, ignoring the concept of moderation, blasting top-40 hits on Spotify, and, inevitably, ordering some quantity of low-quality pizza from a national chain pizza restaurant. Because it lacks flavor anyway, it will be dunked in “garlic sauce” and ranch dressing, serving mostly as an alcohol absorbent and not an enjoyable meal. Pizza is a food that can become sublime, even gourmet (Graffiato’s Countryman pizza springs to mind), and yet most pizzas are made as cheaply and quickly as possible—a reality that made me extremely skeptical of DC Slices, one of the oldest food trucks in the city. Perhaps I should blame months of hearing about Herman Cain and Godfather’s Pizza for subliminally instigating my pizza cravings, but I finally ignored my fear of disappointment and dove into the DC Slices menu.

DC Slices

Pizza: 3 Seconds

Tater Tots: 4.5 Seconds

There are a few things you might hear at a food truck that immediately reassure you of your lunchtime decision. “Would you like fresh basil on your pizza?” and “Your food might take a few minutes, we cook to order,” are two such comments. DC Slices is a solid, reliable, affordable lunch option that might not compete with the specialty restaurants around town, but firmly rests many levels above your average chain or lunch-takeout pizza joint. At $4 a slice, or $5 combined with a soda, it is the best lunch deal I’ve found so far. Their tomato sauce is homemade and well-seasoned, the dough is soft enough to fold your slice but still has a good chewiness, and your pizza is served melty-hot out of the oven. The cheese and pepperoni options were solid; their version of my personal favorite combo, sausage and onion, was tasty but not terribly exciting—the flavors of sausage and onion didn’t stand out on their own from the sauce either time I sampled it.

Continues after the jump.

The best slice, in my opinion, is the veggie slice. There are no small, wilted, flavorless veggies here. This slice is loaded with big pieces of mushroom, red and green peppers, onion, and basil, the flavors of which all stand out. There’s something very satisfying (and, when it comes to pizza, surprising) about tasting individual vegetables in each bite. The buffalo chicken pizza, however, just wasn’t as good as I had hoped for. As a buffalo wing fanatic, I can appreciate some Texas Pete sprinkled on almost anything. However, this slice was topped with tomato sauce, cheese, roasted chicken, and jalapenos, and then absolutely doused in hot sauce—to the point that I couldn’t taste anything else. The chicken pieces I pulled off and sampled were great—juicy and flavorful and not at all dried out from cooking, but I think they need a lighter hand when adding the buffalo sauce. Even the added dressing (I chose ranch, but blue cheese is an option) was completely lost, overwhelmed by spicy/hot/tangy.

Now, ignore everything I’ve written up until this point and listen closely: Go to DC Slices as soon as possible. Order the tater tots. The soggy lunch food we used to revile in middle school has reappeared in recent years at bars and restaurants all over town as a trendy side or bar snack, and DC Slices’ versions are exactly what tater tots should be. Cooked to order and served hot, incredibly crispy, and soft in the middle, a $3 order brightens a gloomy afternoon (and also comes with Cajun or Old Bay seasoning). But why play it safe when living dangerously is so much better? Load up the tots with pizza sauce and cheese, bacon and shredded cheddar, or chili and cheddar. I promise you will not regret this decision. Their mozzarella and tomato sauce loaded on tots is delicious—the sauce is savory, cheese salty, and tots hot and crispy. Bacon and cheddar is also great, reminiscent of bite-sized potato skins. The chili they serve is meaty and rich, with good spiced flavor and pieces of green pepper and onion adding some light crunch. My only tot-related criticism: the black beans in the chili. Anyone from Texas, or who watches Top Chef, knows beans have no place in real chili, and they are not only unnecessary here, but are extremely likely to fall off your tot and into your lap. DC Slices may not compete with upscale chains, but they make a solid pie, have great service, and understand how to treat a tater tot. Don’t be afraid to check them out for lunch sometime soon—you might even feel like you’re in college again.

Back in Sept. ’11 I noticed some coming soon signs at Fuel’s Chinatown location at 6th and F St, NW. Looks like there is even more progress at their other location in the former Burger King at 1606 K St, NW. They’ve also applied for a liquor license at that location:

“A fast casual restaurant serving pizza, wings, salads and similar fare with a seating capacity for 130 people and total occupancy of 180.”

You can see their menu here. And now we have an idea of the decorating style…

District of Pi is located at 910 F St, NW (not to be mistaken with Pi Pizzeria in Adams Morgan.) You can see District of Pi’s menu here. Any fans?

Back in Oct. ’11 Z Pizza opened in the old Blimpie’s space at at 8th and H St, NW in Penn Quarter. You can see their menu here. Their Web site also says:

“We combine select ingredients using award-winning skim mozzarella from Wisconsin, certified organic tomato sauce, MSG-free pepperoni, additive-free sausage, and fresh produce. Our gourmet salads and sandwiches are just as delicious.”

Any fans?