Sunday, August 16, 2009

Pizzeria Paradiso

Well I just returned to the Big Apple after taking a road trip down south. Was there pizza involved? You betchya. The first stop was Washington, D.C.

After a brief internet search, I decided on Pizzeria Paradiso, just west of Dupont Circle. The Washingtonian is quoted as saying "The pizza at Pizzeria Paradiso is world class... better than any in Naples."


It takes brass cojones to make a statement like that, so I HAD to pay PP a visit, if only to put their money where their (or at least The Washingtonian's) mouth is. And to put the pizza where my mouth is.


The place has a radical wood-burning brick oven, so I ordered a Margherita with buffalo mozz.


I was surprised that there was no sauce, only diced (Roma?) tomatoes. At the same time, the buffalo mozzarella covered the whole pie; it was like an inverted Neapolitan Margherita. I couldn't taste the basil, the tomatoes were forgettable, but the crust was pretty stellar.


Not quite as airy/fluffy as most of it's NY counterparts, but still plenty chewy. It probably could have standed to gain from another minute in the oven, but I'm just being picky.

Meanwhile, while I was eating my pie, Mom had a pizza catastrophe that marred by opinion of PP: somewhere between lifting up her slice and chomptown city, the toppings fell clean off.


What a mess. What a disgrace. Serious points taken off for this. Shame on you Pizzeria Paradiso!

Overall the pie was tasty but ultimately forgettable. For garnering D.C.'s 'best pizza in the city' reputation, I was sure hoping the South had something better to offer..

D.C.'s redemption: The Brickskeller


Just around the corner from PP, The Brickskeller has the Guinness Book record for "bar with the largest selection of commercially available beers," coming in at just over 1,000 selections.


For beer geeks like me (my other high-caloric vice), it's worth the trip to the nation's capital alone!

1 comment:

  1. Should have eaten at 2Amy's instead! Pizzeria Paradiso is a joke, especially considering their reputation. 2Amy's is much less pretentious and makes a superior pizza in all regards. And they actually use sauce!

    Washingtonian is barely read by anybody who actually lives in DC proper, and their recommendations are based more on popularity and hype than quality. That fits PP perfectly.

    Red Rocks also makes a decent Neapolitan style, worlds better than PP, but not quite as good as 2Amy's.

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