Part two of two.

While conducting research for his book Pizza -- A Slice of Heaven: The Ultimate Pizza Guide and Companion, Ed Levine tried 1,000 slices of pizza in 20 cities. Some would love to follow in Levine's footsteps, travelling in search of excellent slices, but our day jobs confine us to the Washington metro area for our pizza-sampling expeditions.

Though not traditionally a mecca for pizza connoisseurs, D.C. boasts some serious pie-makers. DCist writers and readers swear by Vace, Radius, Pizzeria Paradiso and 2 Amys. Even though it doesn't typically appear on the list of nominees for D.C.'s best pizza, U Street’s Coppi’s Organic is one spot we happen to like as well.

We know. With all the new restaurants on the U Street corridor -- Tabaq, Crème Café, Al Crostino, and Busboys and Poets, to name but a few -- why go to Coppi's, an old standby? Because many of the new spots on U Street are just getting their legs, service and food quality can vary wildly from one visit to the next. And as any pizza fiend would quickly point out, none of the new restaurants serves pizza -- let alone gourmet, organic pizza from a wood-burning oven.

In short, we enjoy Coppi's because it satisfies more than our mere burning pizza lust. For starters, we like the space. With walls that showcase the owners' passion for cycling and the Italian Riviera, Coppi's is more personal than some of the sleeker restaurants that have opened in the neighborhood. We also like the playlists -- often a pleasing mix of old Ray Charles, Etta James and Arcade Fire. We can't remember the last time we went to a restaurant (as opposed to a bar) and wanted to confirm that we were, in fact, listening to Sonny Rollins' A Night at the Village Vanguard or something else that we love or took a liking to.

With the cold weather upon us, we like to sit barside at Coppi's to enjoy the oven's glow and to check out the action in the kitchen. We also like talking shop with the bartenders, who have given us unsolicited but welcome assessments of the wine they're pouring. Coppi's always serves prosecco -- a bright, sparkling Italian wine that hails from Venice. We love prosecco. We also enjoy the certified organic, full-bodied and golden vernaccia, a Barbi Estates sangiovese, and Menabrea's award-winning Italian beer, er, birra.

As for the food, it's only fair to note that Coppi's offers a wide menu that includes pasta, fish and lamb; the pasta, in particular, is made fresh each day with organic, artisan flour. But we skip all of that. That is, we go directly for the pizza. When its crust is thin enough, when its edges are nearly burnt, when its ingredients are balanced and don't overwhelm one another, Coppi's pizza is sublime. When it's not, it's still good enough to meet our pizza needs. We appreciate the blistered, thin-crust pizza topped with mozzarella, pancetta, red onion and rosemary. We also like the soppresata, parsley, mint, salami, ricotta, crimini mushroom and red onion pie. Coppi's salads and antipasti -- which might include seared green chard with hot pepper, garlic, ricotta and moscato raisins, or oven-seared apples in house butter with baby romaine, pine nuts and gorgonzola -- are none too shabby either.

As much as we like Coppi's pizza, we go for the package, not just the pie. For a neighborhood post-Results or pre-Black Cat or Studio Theatre stop with friends, this place hits the spot. As Ed Levine asked of eating good pizza, “Doesn't this make you happy?” At Coppi's, it certainly does.

Coppi's Organic Restaurant
1414 U St. NW
202-319-7773
Metro: Green Line - U Street/African-American Civil War Memorial/Cardozo