Pizza Review: 2Amys Pizzeria in Washington, DC

There’s pizza then there’s pizza. Then there’s, like, pizza. Then there’s Pizza. 2Amys is the latter, capital “P” izza. Which kind of makes sense because it resides in the capital of the United States of America. 2Amys is home to neopolitan pizza and serves a delicious D.O.C. certified pie - that means there’s a standard of quality and expertise with your pizza. There aren’t too many D.O.C. spots around, so if you can find one do yourself a favor and take a bite out of the D.O.C. certified pie. I guess what I’m saying is that D.O.C. is D.A.N. certified. 

But 2Amys! My oh my. This pizza is the kind of pizza you dream of the night before Pizza Christmas. It’s the pizza that the Pizza King and Queen eat during the Annual Pizza Ceremony of Mozzarella and Majestic-ism. As seen in the photo above, every portion of the pizza is cooked to perfection. The crust is slightly charred in some spots and fluffy in the others, sign of the unpredictable and unruly flames striking out against the rising dough. The cheese remains white and pure; untouched by the elements waiting for you to consume it. The cheese doesn’t hog the pizza, but shares it with the wonderfully simple tomato sauce. Basil is strewn about as if a gentle breeze blew them onto the pizza as it was coming out of the oven and nobody minded its appearance. 

It’s an extraordinary pizza that may  be the best I’ve ever eaten. It’s authentic and harkens back to the classic type of pizza, which happens to be my favorite. In fact, it’s so classic that you have to ask for your pizza to be cut. Otherwise you have an entire oval to deal with and chances are you’ll end up looking like a fool. A fool with a pizza. 

2Amys is more than just pizza. I was there with my pal Pat and my pizza lady, Christa, and we ate quite a variety of food. 

Despite my warning, Pat got some sort of calzone thing. He seemed to enjoy it. 

They also served doughnuts. I don’t really understand why, but 2Amys must get that question a lot because they have an entire section of their website is dedicated to this delicious treat.

But the donut wasn’t the end of the meal! What you see above is a “Foggy Senior.” I don’t even know if they’re on the menu, but Christa worked her magic and shazam - we were all enjoying a small cup of espresso with a dollop of ice cream. Just a dollop! But the combination is unreal. The espresso and ice cream complement one another perfectly, like two long lost friends who come back together and pick up like nothing ever happened. 

And that’s what everything feels like at 2Amys. It’s all so natural, authentic, and legit. Every item makes sense to be on the menu. It’s an establishment built on common sense and tradition and 2Amys does not disappoint. I give each Amy a five out of five.

Pizza, The Song

I’ve been thinking of opening up a pizza-themed nightclub called ‘Za for some time, but I wasn’t sure what kind of music I’d play. There’s stuff from the Pizza Kids, but that’ll only get you so far. Luckily, there’s a new pizza song that’s going to take my club from soft dough to a crispy hopping crust. 

As seen above, the Pizza Robot Song is simple and hypnotic. Exactly what you’d want in a club song. The lyrics are as follows:

Pizza (repeat x 1530)

Simple, right? 

Turn That Dumpy Electric Oven into a Brick Oven

Please pay no attention to that laval field in the middle of that pizza. That’s not what we’re here to discuss (I think that splotchiness is due to an excess amount of sauce, I’ll investigate more today). What is important is dat crust. Look at it! Charred yet flaky. Crunchy yet solid. It’s the outline, the pizza border signifying where this pizza’s domain begins an ends. It’s the type of barrier you see in your dreams or in a restaurant that’s home to a brick oven. But hey, I made this pizza in an electric oven thereby throwing the entire pizza-baking hierarchy out of whack. 

The pizza you see above is from Mercurio’s. I’ve included a photo of “true brick oven pizza” for crust reference. Not too far off. 

To achieve crispness, you gotta learn to embrace the broiler in your oven. Brick ovens cook pizzas between 900 and 1200 degrees Fahrenheit and most electric ovens won’t get hotter than 550 degrees. I’m sure that limit is the result of years of brick oven lobbyist in an effort to secure their domain, but those days are over. 

The broiler is the key to excess heat. Once the oven is raised to its max, you’ll need to open the door to trick the oven into thinking it is cooling off. Meanwhile, there should be a pizza stone hiding in the oven absorbing all the heat. It’ll remain piping hot while the ambient heat leaks out. Once the oven releases some heat (usually only 30 seconds) you can shut the door and turn the broiler on. I’m not sure of the science, but what you get is a pizza stone that exceeds the temperature limit.

Keeping the stone four inches from the broiler is important so that the entire production cooks in harmony. Let the pizza stone and broiler sit alone in the oven for 10 minutes, then you can put your dough/sauce/cheese/whatever in. 

It’s a novel approach to getting a different type of pizza out of your oven. You might have to mess around with the formula, but if your'e dying for that brick oven taste give this a shot. You probably won’t be disappointed. Who knows!

Enrolling in My Pizza University

I’ve been on the market for pizza literature for a long time. While I’m working on baking a delicious fiction novel about a pizza detective who needs to solve Mozzarellaburgh’s crust problem, I thought I’d whet my appetite with some non-fiction. Jim Lahey made a big splash in the bread industry with his no knead recipe. If you recall, I tried out his no knead pizza dough recipe some months back. It went okay. 

His book, My Pizza, is full of sage advice and encourages readers to think outside the marinara sauce and apply some freaky toppings to the dough. It’s the perfect book for any pizza enthusiast looking for some inspiration. I can do without the recipes (it all boils down to putting whatever you like on the dough anyways), but Lehey has figured out a way to get neopolitan style pizza using an electric oven. That’s what pulled me in, and from reading his method it doesn’t sound unbelievable.

The key to that charred (yet delicious) crust is to broil the pizza. It shouldn’t be in the oven for longer than ten minutes, but as long as the dough sites four inches from a blazing broiler you’ll be in business. I made up some dough tonight and I’m looking forward to checking it out. I’ll be sure to post some photos. 

I haven’t made it all the way through My Pizza, but it bodes well. Hopefully I’ll learn a thing or two to help me grow as a pizza journalist. I already learned that “pepperoni” in Italian is plural for pepper! Isn’t that fun. 

Pizza Delivery Guy Robbed at Gunpoint in Pittsburgh

I’ve spent my formative years delivering pizzas to all walks of life. In the suburbs I worked the night shift, delivering piping hot pies to divorced dad’s trying to perk up their kids. I’d be the life of the party when bringing five large pizzas to a bouncing house (my first party experience, really). I’d turn down drink offers and drive back to the restaurant thinking I had the coolest job.

In the city, things were a bit different. Deliveries to the heart of Highland Park and Wilkinsburg were considered dangerous by the old guard. Clientele tipped poorly and gas seemed to evaporate faster during deliveries. I felt safe on my deliveries and never declined an order because it was in a shady area.

It’s a shame when things like this happen. Most delivery drivers carry less than $100 dollars and the money that is stolen is mostly tips that goes directly to the driver. Pretty messed up.