By GENNARO ESPOSITO
Eagle Contributing Writer
We take pizza for granted. Try to describe that iconic food, and inevitably the same general components come to mind: crust, sauce and cheese. But if you’re aiming for specifics, things get dicey. Sure, everybody has favorite toppings, but there is more to the intricacies of pizza than that: upwards of five unique styles of pizza are available within delivery range of AU alone.
There’s the generic delivery pizza, produced en masse across the country at national chains like Pizza Hut and locally, with varying levels of success by pizzerias like Angelico and Café Romeo’s. These aren’t marked by any real defining characteristics other than a frequently stiff, cardboard-like crust.
Then there are regional favorites, like Neapolitan pizza, a product of Southern Italy known for having a thin, traditionally wood-fired crust that carries a light load of toppings; this style is well represented in D.C. by 2 Amy’s on Macomb Street.
Pete’s Apizza in Columbia Heights deals in New Haven style pizza, a variation on the Neapolitan tradition that retains the emphasis on thin crust but redefines topping options.
There’s also the late night favorite, Domino’s. With its doughy crust and thick layer of low-grade cheese that only barely melts, coming together around a thin smear of overly-sweet sauce to form a sort of cross between the aforementioned generic pies and an altogether different beast: Chicago style, or deep-dish pizza.
This latter school of pizza making is represented nationally by Uno and locally by Armand’s, both producing those thick, dense products that are as close to pot pies as they are to pizza pies. These are the options at students’ disposal each time that familiar yearning for pizza strikes — at least until the revelation of Radius Pizza in Columbia Heights.
Radius vindicates New York style pizza, a product of the tri-state area that has been hard to find done so well. New York pizza is marked by a thin crust that makes no attempt at stiffness; it flops readily under generous (but not overwhelming) layers of toppings, often inspiring the folding technique. And when done right, it offers a sort of richness and comfort that can’t be matched by the sparse, focused flavors of a usual favorite, the Neapolitan pizza.
Todd Wiss, Radius’ head chef and owner, achieves this and so much more. His pizzas have the perfect balance between crust and toppings, the flavor combinations of his specialty and seasonal pies work beautifully, and he offers his product at reasonable prices: small pies range from $11 to $13, while larges, each comprised of eight hefty slices, are between $14 and $17.
A recent sampling of the Radius menu was full of winners and without a single disappointment. The Fall Pizza, a seasonal offering that replaces red sauce with pumpkin puree and includes mozzarella, feta, caramelized mushrooms and red onions was simply extraordinary, taking the flavor of pumpkin (too often relegated to the realm of desserts), making it savory. It is then paired with the saltiness of the feta cheese and the simultaneous earthiness and sweetness of the mushrooms and onions.
More traditional standbys (like the “Ducati,” with house-ground Italian sausage, roasted red peppers, onions, mozzarella and red sauce), while less innovative, are equally successful thanks to their balances of fresh, high-quality ingredients.
And there’s more to Radius than pizza: Chef Wiss makes his pasta fresh in house, exemplified by addicting Heirloom Pumpkin Ravioli ($7 half/$13 whole) that puts another spin on pumpkin by harnessing its sweeter side and then elevating it with a nutty brown butter sauce, sage and walnuts. A range of worthwhile appetizers is also offered, from salads to calamari to an incredible dish of mussel ($7 half/$13 whole) in an almost cloyingly sweet sauce of parsley and Jersey tomatoes, reigned in perfectly by the accompanying smoky, red pepper aioli.
Located at 3155 Mount Pleasant St. N.W. — just steps from the Columbia Heights Metro station and easily accessible by bus — Radius deserves the AU student body’s attention. Offering cheaper — and far better — food than traditional AU haunts, as well as special deals for AU students, who receive 25 percent off with a valid student ID. The restaurant also offers specials such as buy two large pies on Monday and get another free, both dine-in and delivery, there’s no reason not to give it a try. Run, don’t walk, to Radius the next time a pizza craving sets in (or just pick up a phone instead and dial 202-234-0808). You won’t miss those fast food restaurant pizzas for a second.
You can reach this writer at thescene@theeagleonline.com.
