Category Archives: VA

Pizza Paradiso Alexandria, VA

In late 1991 my brick oven pizza obsession truly began.  Growing up in a household that ordered crappy “Pizza Movers” deliveries at least 3 nights a week I didn’t yet know what GOOD pizza was.  In December of 1991, I tried a new brick oven pizzeria in Dupont Circle called Pizza Paradiso and that all changed!   This magical pizza had a crust unlike any I’d seen before.  Even when the school cafeteria lunch ladies burned our little square pizzas the char was nothing like this heavenly flavor.  It was that moment that I set out on a quest to find out what truly great pizza was.

Flash forward 20 years and Pizza Paradiso’s has moved to a much larger Dupont Circle space while 2 new locations have opened up in Georgetown and Old Town, Alexandria.  I’m proud to report that the crusts are still amazing in their trendy new 140 seat Georgetown pizzeria.  Their wood burning dome still kicks out one of the top 5 pies in DC on a daily basis.

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Pupatella Neopolitan Pizzeria and Friggitoria

On the recommendations of a friend and a few best pizza lists, My wife and  I checked out Pupatella in Arlington, VA.  Just outside DC, this authentic VPN (Verace Pizza Napoleta) and DOC certified casual restaurant has been said to pop out some of the best pies in town!  With humble beginnings as a pizza cart at a nearby metro station, Pupatella had made a lot of fans before its doors even opened in mid 2010.  

Going in I wasn’t sure what a Friggitoria was, but I now assume it’s because this food is “friggin” amazing.  This oak wood fired pizzeria has an oven made from the ashes of Mt Vesuvius.  At 1000 degrees, five pies at a time are cooked for one minute each until they reach a perfect char on each pliable delicious crust.  Ingredients are first rate with their heirloom San Marzano tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella imported from Naples.  I must admit that I almost didn’t even have enough space to order some pies after filling my stomach with their amazing Arancini from their Friggitoria menu.   These fried risotto balls are stuffed with sausage or eggplant and absolutely blew away the “supply y telephono” risotto balls I’ve had at other great restaurants in the area.  Nonetheless, I had to try the pies and ordered a red and a white.

These 12 inch pizzas had the best crusts I’ve found in DC.  They were perfectly charred yet bendable without spilling.   The DOC and VPN certified Margherita pizza had delicious tomatoes and cheese and was topped with basil.  Unlike other top area pizzerias, the basil seemed to be cooked onto the pie rather than added after it came out of the oven which took a tiny bit of kick from it.  This is the only thing that keeps me from putting this in the same class with the areas 4 best Neopolitan pie sauces,  Seventh Hill, 2 Amys, Pizza CS, and Mia’s.  It was darned close though!  The incredible crust, however, was better than any of these places.  The white Spinach pizza was covered in an Italian cream, pine nuts, feta, and red pepper.  It was fresh and tasty but not quite as good as the tomato sauce based pie in my opinion. 

Pupatella is a casual dining experience.  Each diner grabs their own utensils, picks their own table, orders at a counter, drinks from a bottled soda, beer, or wine, and clears their own table.    No reservations are accepted so expect a wait if you come during peak hours.  Believe me though, it’s worth the wait!

RedRocks Pizza, Old Town Alexandria, VA

If you’re looking for a 93.3% chance of getting one of the best pizzas in the DC area without waiting in that long line at 2 Amys, then RedRocks is the perfect place to go!  Rumor has it that a few days a month their regular chefs actually take time off to be with their families (The nerve of them!) and leave mere mortals in charge of making their delicious pizzas.   Luckily, during my 2 visits to their location in Old Town Alexandria, I was blown away by the quality of their pies.

You can usually spot a great pizza place by taking a peak in their windows.  If the place is full and they don’t automatically provide cheese, oregano, or hot peppers on the tables, they are probably confident that their pizza flavoring is good enough to stand on its own.  This method of spotting authentic Italian food is much better than my second method of counting the # of vowels in the name of the restaurant.  RedRocks is one of these great Naples inspired restaurants despite only having 2 vowels. 

With wood floors, marble tops, and high ceilings, RedRocks is trendy with a phenomenal pizza aroma floating through its high backed booths.  The list of pizzas available range from traditional margheritas to fancy sounding daily pies made with their homemade sausage, meats cured in house, and locally grown produce.  There is a decent sounding list of appetizers and salads but the personal sized pizzas (no slices) are why you come to RedRocks.  On my two visits, the crusts were picture perfect with delicately placed basil, buffalo mozzarella, and toppings complimenting their delicious tomato sauce.  Pictured is a daily special Mushroom pie that had a slight barbeque flavor but I enjoyed the traditional Margherita pies more.  Friends have told me that a few days a month the crust can be soggy, but on my two visits, it was top notch with great service and no wait. 

 I give RedRocks 7 of 8 slices.

Isabella’s Pizza Lynchburg, VA

On a recent trip home to visit my parents, I had the pleasure of eating at an upscale, modern Italian restarant, Isabella’s in Lynchburg, Virginia (If you’re a minority, don’t be put off by the name of the city. It’s named after a person, not a verb.).
Before I even got to the wine list, I looked down and realized that one of the nightly specials was an small pizza served as an appetizer.
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