Daily dispatches on the Washington, DC area's food, restaurant and dining scene.
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First Look: Pizzaiolo Café & Bar
The pies have it.
By
Cynthia Hacinli
,
Todd Kliman
,
Ann Limpert
,
Kate Nerenberg
,
Rina Rapuano
Pizzaiolo Café & Bar excels with pizza and red-sauce Italian cooking. Photographs by Stacy Zarin-Goldberg
Larry Ponzi’s Café Pizzaiolo opened in 2007, and it’s been an antidote to the Crystal City mall across the street. The cafe’s bustle, chalkboards, and children’s games give it the feel of a neighborhood coffeehouse—there’s free wi-fi—crossed with a family room and a no-frills Italian restaurant. The pizzas, like the casual vibe, are easy to like: Crafted with the care devoted to boutique pies, these have approachable toppings, a generous swipe of sweet sauce, and crisp crusts.
A thin, olive-oil-infused crust defines this Neapolitan-style pepperoni pizza.
In November, Ponzi brought his pizzas and the rest of the menu—a roster of Italian favorites such as chicken Parmesan and spaghetti with meatballs—to Alexandria’s Del Ray neighborhood. He named this place Pizzaiolo Café & Bar and dressed it up with black velvet curtains and abstract art. With half the space devoted to a 35-seat bar and the other half to a 65-seat dining room, it’s more than twice the size of the original. Its atmosphere suffers some from the strip-mall locale—the rough charm of its elder sibling isn’t quite there. But the food has the same DNA: The pizzas are excellent. The Neapolitan pie, its crust infused with olive oil, is wonderfully thin, while the New York–style has a heftier crust with a hint of sourdough. Both those crusts survive best with few toppings; they start to wilt under a crowded array of, say, feta, chicken, olives, spinach, and red onion—the trimmings of the Mediterranean pizza. Starters, which can be ordered on the cafe’s bar side, include such nods to the wine-bar blueprint as a plate of charcuterie, cheese, and olives and little squares of fried mozzarella. Of the nonpizza entrées, a bowl of ricotta cavatelli with Italian sausage was overcooked and the sauce underwhelming. But Alexandria residents finally have a good neighborhood pizza joint—even if it is dressed in fancier clothes. Pizzaiolo Café & Bar, 3112 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria; 703-837-0666. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Starters $2.95 to $9.50, entrées, subs, and pizzas $7.95 to $19.95. This appeared in the April, 2009 issue of the Washingtonian. Related:
Pizza Wars
Rating Specialty Pizzas
More First Looks at Restaurants
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Comments
I grew up in New York City and on its pizza. Then (in the 60’s and before) its pizza was usually a thicker crust (though not at the level of Armand’s). When we came to Maryland, we gradually found thinner crust, but NYC was known for its crust, tasty ingredients, and olive oil. Even now, those coming from NY use that as a standard with other pizzas.
Posted by: Milton R. Goldsamt, Apr 15, 2009 11:04:13 AM
As a Crystal City resident, I really want to love Pizzaiolo’s for the reasons you named--"neighborhood cafe" type feel, great pies (killer meatball sub!), etc. However, this "homey" feel also causes a slight problem: the tight quarters are often filled with smoke from the pizza ovens, and more than a few parties of diners make it extraordinarily loud. Hopefully the new, larger digs will be able to avoid these downfalls, because the people and food are really great!
Posted by: Hilary, Apr 15, 2009 09:16:13 AM
"The Neapolitan pie, its crust infused with olive oil, is wonderfully thin, while the New York–style has a heftier crust with a hint of sourdough"...isn’t that the opposite of what should be? Neapolitan pies are supposed to be thick crust, and New York style generally implies a thin crust pizza.
Posted by: Arlington, Apr 15, 2009 08:56:45 AM
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