Ella's Wood Fired Pizza

One of the things I miss about working near Farragut Square is the variety of options for pizza that exist. There's Fuel, there's DC Slices, Pizza Pino, Washington Deli, The Upper Crust, and that's just off the top of my head. Not all of them are equally good, but they are all pretty quick. It's not hard to get in and out in half an hour, and that's about what I get to spend on a lunch break. Here in Penn Quarter, things are different. Sure, there's Matchbox or Graffiato. But I don't trust either of those to get me in and out quickly. Pi's quick slice was pretty terrible. But thank goodness, there's Ella's.

The pizza here is Neapolitan style, which isn't my favorite type of pizza. But Ella's is cheesier than most, which from my perspective is a big improvement. Their pepperoni was just okay, but the margherita was above average. The basil was really fresh, and it had the right amount of salt. Sadly, the crust was not as caramelized as I like, or would have expected given the wood-fired stove. Not that I drink during my lunch hour, but they have a pretty good selection of craft beers. They also have $5 pizzas during happy hour, which doesn't help me for lunch, but which is probably a good time to check them out.

Ella's: 901 F St NW

Fuel

Fuel Pizza

My wife undoubtedly believes that this blog should be "Pizza and Whiskey" since, not only do they go well together, but pizza is one of my favorite foods. I'm down from my youthful heights, when I would eat pizza 3 or 4 times a week for dinner, but I still regularly have a slice of  pizza for lunch. Unfortunately, there are more bad pizza joints in DC than corrupt politicians, and the good ones aren't that good. Washington Deli is arguably the best in the neighborhood, but it's not as cheesy as I like and the sauce is overly sweet (to some that may be a feature, not a bug). Pizza Pino is good and cheesy, but the quality is really inconsistent, and the other ingredients aren't all that great. So I was excited to see Fuel open a joint just a few blocks from where I'm working. It's a chain originally from North Carolina, and the DC location will be the first outside of the Carolinas. Their grand opening is tomorrow, and they're giving out free pizza. Since I won't be able to go tomorrow, I figured I should go today so I can tell you all about it.

It was some of the best pizza by the slice I've had in DC. The sauce was nice and savory, without an excessive amount of pepper. There was a good amount of cheese on the pizza, and the parmesan cheese they have is of a decent quality. The pepperoni was good, not so spicy as to dominate the pizza, but with a little bit of a kick and good crispiness. And the crust was crisp, without being overly crispy, and fairly salty. (Actually, it was salty enough that some people might think it's too salty, but I like salt.) The service was a bit sloppy, but it was pretty obvious that they were still training the new employees, so I think a lot of the hiccups will go away in about a week. I liked the decor -- it was obviously intended to evoke a certain sort of southern restaurant, with a few fuel pumps thrown in. A nice step up from the antiseptic quality of Pizza Pino or the dinge of Washington Deli. I'll definitely be back, and I'll update you when I go.

DC Slices

I first went to DC Slices a few years ago, when they were giving out free slices in anticipation of starting out. I didn't care for them at the time. But a month or two ago, I was getting tired of Pizza Pino, and figured I should give them another shot. I'm glad I did!


They have several different options for pizza, ranging from cheese and pepperoni to buffalo chicken and sausage and onion. I usually get the pepperoni, because that's how I roll. Today I was feeling a little wild, so I got the sausage and onion. Assuming you aren't intending on kissing anyone any time soon (or have someone who is contractually obligated to -- hi honey!), it's a great option. The onion is nice and crispy, and the sausage is actual slices from actual sausages, rather than the desiccated pellets you usually get in places like this. Not only that, but you get fresh basil on your pizza! Definitely worth a look if you like pizza and this truck is in your area.