An unofficial guide to our favorite DC pizza

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Score a great slice at these places according to the EdibleDC team

Saturday, February 9, is National Pizza Day. We’re a little pizza obsessed at EdibleDC, and now seemed like the perfect time to share our favorite places to grab some pizza around the District.

Timber Pizza Co. (Order via Caviar)
809 Upshur St NW, Washington, DC 20011

Timber Pizza Co (Photo by AJ Dronkers)

Timber Pizza Co (Photo by AJ Dronkers)

Launced by Andrew Dana and Chef Daniella Moreira this neighborhood pizza place in Petworth has a cozy atmosphere, unique combinations of pizza and an open wood fire oven. They’ve been written up in Bon Apetite and even our local Michelin Guide, so it can be hard to get in. A little hack we like to do is call ahead for pick up and or use the Caviar delivery app. Favorites include The Bentley and the Green Monster. You can read our first story on Timber Pizza Co. when they grew from their pizza truck to brick and mortar here.

All Purpose Pizzeria (Order via Caviar)
1250 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001 or
79 Potomac Ave SE, Washington, DC 20003

All Purpose Pizzeria (Photo by Joe Goodman)

All Purpose Pizzeria (Photo by Joe Goodman)

The little sister to super star Red Hen, now boasts two locations in Shaw and the Capitol Riverfront. Some of the pizzas are change seasonally, but our guilty pleasure is the Meadowlands which includes mozzarella, parmesan fonduta, roasted chicken, buffalo sauce, pickles and gorgonzola ranch. We recommend a reservation here or going for lunch when it’s less crowded or ordering via Caviar. For National Pizza Day this Saturday, $1 of each pizza will go to No Kid Hungry and the St. Baldrick’s Foundation and will feature special pizzas from guest Chefs Kyle Bailey and Victor Albisu.

Ghibellina
1610 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20009

Located along the 14th Street corridor in Logan Circle, Ghibellina, is nestled between some of our favorite DC restaurants. Ghibellina is the perfect place to go if you need wider menu options for your family or group. Their $10 pizza happy hour is hard to beat Monday - Thursday 4 - 6:30 pm and Friday - Sunday 3 - 6:30 pm. Oh and our favorite part, cutting up your pizza with your very own pizza shears.

Matchbox (Order via Caviar)
Multiple locations Chinatown, 14th Street, Capitol Hill, Rockville, and Pentagon City with Silver Spring and Bethesda coming soon

Matchbox Banana Peppers & Pepperoni Pizza (Photo by Deb Lindsey)

Matchbox Banana Peppers & Pepperoni Pizza (Photo by Deb Lindsey)

We’ve been frequenting this popular local chain since 2008. Their steady growth across the region is a testament to a great product and consistent service. Pro tip: This is a great for place families and large groups plus we really enjoy the ability to customize your pizza with half one flavor and half another. Favorites here include the Prosciutto & Fig as well as the Fire & Smoke. Matchbox is also available via Caviar.

Pizzeria Paradiso (Order via Caviar)
Multiple locations including Dupont Circle, Georgetown, Spring Valley and Hyattsville, MD

Pizzeria Paradiso oven (Photo by Juliana Molina)

Pizzeria Paradiso oven (Photo by Juliana Molina)

We love Pizzeria Paradiso so much we wrote a story about founder Ruth Gresser. The team there is always doing something interesting, including a spent grains pizza that uses the waste of a local brewery to make pizza with proceeds going to local charity. This month they launch the “United States of Pizza: Women’s Slice of the Pie” a new weekly, rotating menu of state-themed pizzas which honor and highlight bipartisan female elected officials. Women make up 50.8% of the U.S. population and 25% of our nation's leadership, a recent surge thanks to the 2018 elections which saw a record number of women running for and elected to office. As a woman-owned business, Pizzeria Paradiso wants to highlight these women and their states with pizzas themed after popular food traditions from their respective home state. Delivery available via Caviar.

Wiseguy Pizza
Multiple locations Chinatown, Foggy Bottom, Navy Yard, and Rosslyn, VA

Our favorite question to ask Chefs is where they like to eat when they aren’t working. More often then not Wiseguy Pizza came up as the late night hot spot for DC chefs when they got off work. It probably doesn’t hurt their closing time ranges from 2 AM - 5 AM and in a city like DC that is known for being the “city that sleeps,” that’s pretty unusual!

Comet Ping Pong (Order via Caviar)
5037 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008

#facts #pizza #piechart Image via https://www.letterfolk.com/

87 Likes, 4 Comments - Comet Ping Pong (@cometpingpong) on Instagram: "#facts #pizza #piechart Image via https://www.letterfolk.com/"

Comet Ping Pong is a staple for residents living in Forest Hills, Wakefield, Chevy Chase border of DC. We love to stop at this little strip mall for Politics & Prose bookstore, coffee at the Little Red Fox and of course pizza at Comet Ping Pong.

Angelico’s
Multiple locations Mt. Pleasant, Tenleytown, Georgia Ave., Glover Park, Arlington, VA, Odenton, MD, and Fairfax, VA

We like to support local as much as possible and became addicted to this delivery/take-out pizza place in Mt. Pleasant. Highly recommend Angelico’s Special with tomato sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, Italian sausage, ham, caramelized onions and roasted red peppers.

&pizza (Order via Caviar)

Photo courtesy & pizza.

Photo courtesy & pizza.

Hometown fast-casual that now boasts locations from Miami, Boston, New York and beyond is perfect for quick grab and go, build your own or late night hunger. We especially love their recent collaboration with Broccoli City in Shaw where they have a full service bar and proceeds benefit Broccoli City.

2 Amys
3715 Macomb Street NW

No list of pizza in DC would be complete without mentioning 2Amys. Chef Peter Pastan has been making Neapolitan inspired pizzas in near the Washington National Cathedral for almost two decades. It’s a go-to for any DC pizza loving fan, and the rest of the menu there is exceptional. Grab a seat in the bar if there are no tables. We wrote an in-depth story about a wheat farm Peter helped opened in California spurred by his passion for bread and wine.


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@aj_dc

AJ Dronkers is the Associate Publisher and Digital Editor of EdibleDC. You can find him eating and drinking his way through the District, and at SoulCycle burning away the calories later.







A James Beard House Dinner Comes to Alexandria

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A gathering of french chefs from dc and baltimore and their assistants, in front of the james beard house in greenwich village.

A gathering of french chefs from dc and baltimore and their assistants, in front of the james beard house in greenwich village.

A sold out NYC dinner with DC’s top French chefs will be recreated in Alexandria on Feb. 11

By Susan Able

It was Chef Paul Bocuse who leaned over my shoulder, (well in my mind’s eye), as I hosted my first adult dinner parties in a group house on Capitol Hill. Julia Child had ignited my interest in French cuisine, but it was Bocuse’s book, Paul Bocuse in Your Kitchen, that I leaned into for the classics. Bocuse taught me that pulling together a great dinner was as simple as stewing a chicken and vegetables, au gratin potatoes (so easy!) and finishing with a really great cherry clafoutis.

So, I was thrilled to attend “Merci, Chef: A Tribute to Chef Paul Bocuse,” a dinner event on January 22 at the James Beard House in NYC, featuring five of DC’s top French chefs:  Sebastien Rondier, Brabo Brasserie; Fabrice Bendano, Le Diplomate; Mark Courseille, Le Café Descartes, Embassy of France; Cedric Maupillier, Convivial Restaurant and Steve Monnier, from Baltimore’s Chez Hugo.

The James Beard House is a townhome in Greenwich Village that currently houses the James Beard Foundation offices and the event space. The house was actually Mr. Beard’s home during his life. As the event unfolded, it was easy to be enthralled not only by the food, but by the lore about Mr. Beard’s life and to dine in what was once his own living room. For chefs who are invited to cook there, they know that the kitchen is a home size kitchen and notoriously small for a group of professional chefs who are attempting to prepare multiple courses for 80 people, but they always make it happen. (I should also mention, that to reach the atrium where the reception is held, you have to go through this kitchen.)

Bocuse, who died one year ago, was considered the father of French nouvelle cuisine. The dinner that evening featured dishes that highlighted Monsieur Bocuse’s signature technique and dishes, most with a Lyonnaise flair, as that was Bocuse’s home.

Chef Sebastien Rondier of Brabo stands in front of a portrait of James Beard at the James Beard House in NYC.

Chef Sebastien Rondier of Brabo stands in front of a portrait of James Beard at the James Beard House in NYC.

 “Monsieur Bocuse was 20th century’s maestro of French cuisine,” said Chef Sebastien Rondier, a native of Southwest France and the executive chef of Brabo Brasserie in Alexandria, Virginia. “He pushed the boundaries of French cuisine, and foraged a spirit of exploration and greatly impacted my career as a professional chef. I wanted to honor him and gathered four chefs who are my friends. I’m very proud of what we came up with for this evening’s tribute.”

Lucky for you, this entire evening in New York City will be recreated at Brasserie Brabo in Alexandria on February 11. The “Merci, Chef: A Tribute to Chef Paul Bocuse” event will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a cocktail reception to be followed by a six course dinner. Tickets are $150, inclusive of gratuity and wine pairings. Tickets are available online at https://mercibocuse.eventbrite.com. The menu is below, and I can tell you it is spectacular.

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 And here is the menu for the the reception.

RECEPTION

Cocktails

Buttered Rum et Truffe

Smith and Cross Rum, White Truffles, Fresh Butter Covered with Puff Pastry

L’Espirit de L’Orange

Duck-Fat-Washed Grand Marnier, Old Forester 1870, Byrrh Quina Quina, Noilly Pratt Dry

Cuisine 

Charbon Châtaigne-Truffes

“charcoal” of truffles and chestnuts

Pomme Soufflée Farcie a La Crème De Comte, Reglisse

puffed potato, comte cheese, liquorice powder

Saucisson Brioché

lyonnaise sausage, brioche, reduction of morgon wine

Vichyssoise et Caviar d’Aquitaine

potato vichyssoise, aquitaine caviar  

Still dreaming of this tarte tatin by Fabrice Bendano from Le Diplomate.

Still dreaming of this tarte tatin by Fabrice Bendano from Le Diplomate.

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@susieqable

As publisher and editor at EdibleDC, Ms. Able manages the magazine, but also gets to explore and write about what makes the food scene in the DMV. #perfectjob

 

 

 

 

 

Where to Eat for the Chinese New Year in DC Based on Your Chinese Zodiac Sign

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DC restaurants are making The Year of the Pig a great time to pig out!

By AJ Dronkers, Edible DC

The Chinese New Year celebrates the beginning of the Chinese calendar year on Tuesday, February 5th. It is a very popular day to dine out for Chinese natives and fans. So how to possibly narrow down where to go? We asked area chefs, bartenders and owners what their Chinese zodiac sign was so you can find your perfect match. So first double check what your Chinese Zodiac is with this nifty search tool.

Next find your match below!

🐶Year of the DOG🐶 with Chef Russell Smith @ The Source by Wolfgang Puck USE CODE “EDIBLEDC” for $10 off the ticket price for DC’s most epic celebration! (Tuesday 2/9/19)

The upstairs dining room will feature live chef action stations with different presentations of duck, and a whole pig roast from Sloppy Mama’s BBQ pit master and owner, Joe Neuman. Downstairs, guests will enjoy Japanese whisky, an ice luge and stations featuring a variety of dumplings. Executive chef Russell Smith has tapped leading chefs from around the city, including Himitsu’s Chef Kevin Tien who will open the forthcoming Emilie’s, Poca Madre’s Chef Faiz Ally, Doi Moi’s Chef Johanna Hellrigl, Momofuku’s Chef Tae Strain, Chef Rob Rubba is opening the soon-to-come Oyster Oyster, Chef Michael Rafidi, Sweet Home Café’s Chef Jerome Grant and Dirty Habit’s Chef Kyoo Eom. These chefs will provide their own creative interpretations of Chinese-inspired dishes. Tickets, which include all food and drink, are available here for $85.

Join the party! Celebrate our 10-year anniversary at our "Day in Japan" event. Eat your way through a variety of dumplings, ramen and sushi stations, and plenty of desserts. Get your tickets with link in bio 🇯🇵🎉🥂

106 Likes, 6 Comments - The Source by Wolfgang Puck (@thesourcebywolfgangpuck) on Instagram: "Join the party! Celebrate our 10-year anniversary at our "Day in Japan" event. Eat your way through..."

🐷Year of the PIG🐷 with Chef Matthew Crowley @ Spoken English (Saturday 2/9/19)

Photo by Vina Sananikone

Photo by Vina Sananikone

Spoken English will be celebrating the Chinese New Year throughout the week, and dragon blessings will abound next Saturday night in the lobby of the LINE DC. The Year of the Pig is looking very fortuitous indeed: grab a cocktail, snag a front row seat on one of the couches, and help ring it in. This is happening in the 7 o’clock hour – calendar info here.





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🐰Year of the RABBIT🐰 with Chef Nate Beauchamp @ Tiger Fork (Thursday 2/7/19 and Saturday 2/9/19)

Tiger Fork’s Night Market has returned, this time to celebrate Chinese New Year! On Thursday, February 7th, from 8pm – midnight, Tiger Fork will team up with guest chefs Leopold Liao of Reren and Shanghai Lounge’s Chef Mao to showcase special dishes like Chengdu Spicy Wontons, Grandma Pancakes and Salt & Pepper Fish. Tiger Fork’s own Chef de Cuisine, Jong Son, will offer selections from the restaurant’s late night menu at his food stand. DC Brau will also be on hand pouring a selection of their beers. Tiger Fork’s beverage director, Ian Fletcher, will feature his Traditional Chinese Medicinal cocktails, like the 8’oclock Light Show cocktail, mixed with rum, mandarin, yuzu, cacao, ginseng and additional Chinese herbs. Traditional Chinese market items will be sold, like specialty candies, fruits, trinkets, jewelry, herbs and gifts and a DJ will curate a fun playlist throughout the night. No ticket or reservation for the event is required, as all offerings will be first-come, first-served. 

Can’t make it to the night market? Tiger Fork will celebrate the Year of the Pig on Saturday, February 9th from 2pm - 7pm, with special performances featuring Chinese lion and dragon dancers as well as Kung Fu demos from martial arts professionals and complimentary hot tea. The chefs will also feature a limited-time Chinese New Year menu from February 4th – 17th featuring specialty dishes like Lotus Root Salad, Milk Tea Custard and Pork Dumplings. The special menu can be viewed here.

🐓 Year of the ROOSTER 🐍 SNAKE 🐰 RABBIT 🐀 RAT at The Royal with Chef Cable, Mixologist Jake, Chef Tim Ma, Chef Kevin Tien, and Mixologist Ian Fletcher at The Royal (Monday 2/4/19)

The Royal in LeDroit Park is ringing in the Chinese New Year with a festive “Royal Knights” cocktail pop-up, featuring the culinary talents of three of DC’s hottest guest bartenders and chefs, innovative $8 cocktails, Baijiu boilermakers, creative Chinese snacks and more. On Monday, February 4 from 8:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., special guest bartender Ian Fletcher of Tiger Fork will take over the bar, joining serving creative cocktails incorporating medicinal Chinese herbs and traditional flavors such as Szechuan pepper, sesame and 5-spice; while guest chefs Kevin Tien of Himitsu and Tim Ma of American Son at the Eaton will join Royal chef Cable Smith in the kitchen for the evening, serving a special one-night-only menu of Chinese-inspired snacks such as sweet ‘n sour pork belly steamed buns and crispy beef chow mein.

🐰 Year of the RABBIT 🐰 with Chef Peter Chang @ Q (Sunday 2/17/19)

Photo by Rey Lopez.

Photo by Rey Lopez.

On Sunday, February 17th, from 11:00AM to 2:00PM, Q by Peter Chang has announced that they will be celebrating the arrival of the Chinese New Year – the Year of the Pig - with a colorful and interactive ‘Temple Fair’ experience of which will be open to the public. Fun for all ages and priced at $20 per child (12 and under), and $50 per adult, ‘Temple Fair’ festivities will be taking place in Q by Peter Chang’s main dining room featuring holiday-inspired décor including dozens of red paper lanterns, a giant 40+ foot custom made dragon inspired with a Beijing opera face hovering above the dining room, and over a dozen stations showcasing a variety of signature food and beverages, and activities. Stations are set to include: a Peking Duck station, Chinese Calligraphy Table, a Piggy Bao station, a Paper Cutting station, a Dumpling station with live demos and tastings, a Sugar Painting station, a Candied Fruit station, and a Wok station, amongst others. This event will be all-inclusive, plenty of food options will be available for vegetarians, vegans, and carnivores, and live music featuring classic Chinese instruments will also be enjoyed by attendees throughout the celebration.

🐑Year of the LAMB🐏RAM🐐GOAT with Ice Cream Jubilee Proprietor Victoria (Saturday 2/2/19 and Sunday 2/3/19)

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 Ice Cream Jubilee is celebrating Lunar New Year with new flavors and Asian-flavor inspired ice cream tasting flights. Tasting flight tickets ($16) include on serving of 6 limited edition flavors and an ice cream pint to take home. The tastings will occur at all Ice Cream Jubilee stores (Yards Park, 14th & T Street, Tysons Galleria) in the two weekends prior to the Lunar New Year (February 5), plus tastings on Chinese New Year and Chinese New Year Eve. Reserve seats here.







Foodhini Partners with Whole Foods to Showcase the Cooking of Immigrant Chefs

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Food delivery start-up continues to expand it’s mission of using food to create sustainable jobs

Words and photos by Jessica Wolfrom, Edible DC contributor

Noobtsaa Philip Vang prepares take out lunches at Foodhini’s new dedicated takeout counter at Whole Foods Foggy Bottom.

Noobtsaa Philip Vang prepares take out lunches at Foodhini’s new dedicated takeout counter at Whole Foods Foggy Bottom.

You can’t hate someone who feeds you.

That’s the mindset of Noobtsaa Philip Vang, founder and CEO of Foodhini, a food start-up that’s been delivering delicious meals made by immigrant chefs to the District.

Now Foodhini is reaching beyond delivery service with the debut of its first food stall this week in partnership with Whole Foods Market’s Foggy Bottom location.

Syrian Chef Majed Abdulraheem will be in charge of the Foodhini operations at Foggy Bottom.

Syrian Chef Majed Abdulraheem will be in charge of the Foodhini operations at Foggy Bottom.

Helming the grill for the kick-off is Majed Abdulraheem, a trained chef who fled Syria with his wife and two daughters in 2016. Abdulraheem will be serving up Syrian dishes like chicken shwarma wraps, hummus and jarjeer (arugula) salad, Monday through Fridays from 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM.

But if chicken isn’t your thing, don’t despair. Foodhini’s chefs will work on three-month rotations at Whole Foods, highlighting chefs from a vast array of food cultures.

“Because of the diversity of our chefs,” Vang said, “we are able to have a diversity of menu. We have a great vegan menu, we have a great vegetarian menu. We even have gluten-free options.” Foodhini’s team consists of chefs from all over the world, including the Philippines, Syria, Tibet, Iran, Isreal, Eritrea, and Laos.

Syrian Chicken Shwarma wraps created by Chef Majed.

Syrian Chicken Shwarma wraps created by Chef Majed.

Syrian-style hummus and handmade pita, one of the comfort foods Foodhini prepares.

Syrian-style hummus and handmade pita, one of the comfort foods Foodhini prepares.

It was Laotian food that gave the jumpstart to Foodhini. Although Vang grew up in Minnesota, his parents immigrated to the United States from northern Laos. Vang grew up eating Hmong food, but when he moved to D.C. to pursue an MBA at Georgetown, he found himself craving his mother’s cooking. “You can always find great food in your mom’s kitchen,” he said.

This is very much Vang’s attitude toward the menus he and his chef’s put forth at Foodhini. Vang isn’t interested in dining that’s been dressed up. Instead, Vang asks his team, “What do you cook for your family? What do you make for parties? What do you serve to the people at home?” Home cooking is what he’s after.

“One of the things that you hold onto through all the traveling and the journey here,” Vang said of immigrant communities, “is the food. And that travels pretty well.”

Now, Washingtonians don’t have to travel far to find comfort foods from all over the world.

To Vang, the District was the perfect place to jump-start his business and help his team of chefs lay down some roots. “At the end of the day, D.C. is a melting pot. It’s a great mixture of people and cultures,” he said. “People here are adventurous. They are open-minded, and they want to try different stuff.”

The Foodhini team itself is an unlikely mishmash of people. It is a community that does not share a common language or religion, but have found common ground in the diversity and universality of food.

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@jessicawolfrom

Jessica is a freelance writer covering food, wine, farming and the environment in and around Washington D.C. She's also a graduate student at Georgetown University, getting her masters in journalism. When she's not in school, you can likely find her sipping on something sparkling somewhere in the District.


Federal Employees Receive $25 at Local Farm Markets!

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World Central Kitchen who has been providing thousands of free meals to furloughed federal employees is now partnering with FreshFarm Markets to provide $25 in market credit to federal employees. All federal employees need to do is visit FreshFarm Silver Spring market this Saturday 2/2 or the iconic FreshFarm Dupont Circle market this Sunday 2/3 to receive credit for use at the market.

As the #ChefsForFeds program ends this Friday this creative partnership with FreshFarm extends the impact of providing access to fresh and nutritious food to federal families in our region.

Learn more about World Central Kitchen.

Learn more about FreshFarm.

*$25 certificates are only available for federal workers, with a federal employee ID, and may only be spent at FRESHFARM farmers markets the weekend of Feb. 2nd and 3rd. While supplies last.

Weekend ready

204 Likes, 6 Comments - FRESHFARM (@freshfarmdc) on Instagram: "Weekend ready"

MLK Brunch and Lunch Specials

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Edible DC’s roundup of where to dine

Pancakes at brookland’s finest. photo by Scott Suchman.

Pancakes at brookland’s finest. photo by Scott Suchman.

Brookland’s Finest will be serving brunch on Monday featuring new items by co-owner and chef Shannan Troncoso. Think Blueberry & Ricotta Waffles with bourbon maple syrup, lemon zest and fresh fruit, Fried Green Tomato Benedict with Pecorino Romano cheese, hollandaise sauce, English muffin, poached eggs and mixed green salad. 3126 12th St NE.

Buena Vida
Craving Mexican? Why not try new Buena Vida’s “Bottomless Latin Brunch,” which features unlimited small plates and drinks in an airy, colorful space? Think margaritas, sangria and mimosas and Mexican specialties made with white corn tortillas and chips that are hand made daily in house from organic masa and ingredients that are sourced locally when possible from partner farms that include Cheshire, Langenfeller and Roseda farms. $35 per person, hours are from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 8407 Ramsey Avenue, Silver Spring Maryland.

Farmer’s Fishers Bakers on the Georgetown waterfront will be featuring their Farmers Market Buffet Brunch on Monday, January 21st featuring a spread that has it all: carved meat stations, tacos, fried chicken, a veggie and salad station and of course, a dessert table. 3000 K Street NW.

Fiola Mare will be hosting their new Champagne Brunch which features three-courses, a warm bread basket and bottomless mimosas for $65. Brunch starts at 11:30 a.m. Fiola Mare brunch service starts at 11:30 a.m., reservations through their website or on OpenTable. 3050 K St NW.

Shaw’s Tavern will host the Tavern Drag Brunch with Queen Kristina Kelly. With two seatings at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., diners can make reservations can be made by emailing dragbrunchshawstavern@gmail.com. Order off the the a la carte Southern-inspired brunch menu. 520 Florida Ave NW.

Scotts DC, DC’s new British import will be serving lunch starting at noon. Chef Will Artley has perfected the art of the Scotch egg, which involves an egg, rolled in sausage, then deep fried. It is golden brown and crispy on the outside with a deliciously runny yolk on the inside, and absolutely delicious. Pick a plush corner seat at the bar and a dram of single-cask spirits from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society and have a lovely, Londonesque way to spend a Monday. 927 F Street NW.

Khachapuri. Photo by Jennifer chase.

Khachapuri. Photo by Jennifer chase.

Georgian restaurant Supra will be offering their Restaurant Week Brunch menu on Monday, January 21 (MLK Day) from 11:30am-3pm, and also offering their Restaurant Week menu for lunch the rest of next week. Think Georgian appetizers, kebab sandwiches and of course, Georgian signature dish, khachapuri. 1205 11th St NW.