March 30, 2006
A.V. Ristorante Italiano: Best Pizza in Town?
Vace, 2Amys, Italian Store, Pizzeria Paradiso, Matchbox, and Radius. Finally, Washingtonians have a choice as to where to go for good pizza. Some old-school residents haven’t needed a new place though, 
since their pizza craving has been satiated for the past 50 years by A.V. Ristorante Italiano. Rarely, however, is it nominated as the city’s best pizza, nor is it mentioned as the place to go for authentic red sauce Italian fare.
Except, of course, when you ask Supreme Court Justice and foodie Antonin Scalia. “I realize it’s not the best restaurant in town, but I’ve been going there for nearly 50 years, so I have a special connection to the place,” he said, when asked about A.V. on January 9th at a private reception. “And it has the best pizza in town.” He should know. Having grown up in New Jersey and Queens, he honed his taste for the perfect slice in a region with more pizza joints than anywhere in the United States.
Rumor has it that its days are numbered. According to a September article in the Washington Business Journal, A.V. owner August Vasiao was “given an offer that we would be absolutely nuts to refuse.” In its place, real estate developer Trammell Crow would build a 14-story condo building with ground-floor retail. Vasiao also notes that this had been the fourth offer on his property and that, “the three other offers had died.” After a half century of work, he’s clearly ready to unburden himself of the landmark and take some well-earned time off.
How many days do we have to savor “the best pizza in town?” When we called the restaurant on Thursday morning, a manager replied, “no comment” to our question as to whether the Trammell Crow deal went through, though he said they’ll be open for “a year, or slightly more at this point.” Haven’t sampled a pie from A.V.? You have some time to find out. Make the pilgrimage before it turns into more of the same.
Know anything more on the sale of A.V.? Do you agree with Scalia on its rank as the best pizza in town? Let us know in the comments.
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Can we include the metro area? If so, then I pick Bugsy's Restaurant in Old Town, VA. Best pizza in the area.
Unless Scalia has some strict literal interpretation of "good pizza" that I don't know about., I can safely say their pizza is among the worst in town. Seriously. Some of their other stuff is ok, but their pizza is total ass. Even Pizza Mart is better (disclosure: I like Pizza Mart). I've been dragged to AV since I was a little kid, I should know.:(
If you're willing to drive try Buon Appetito in Chantilly or Pomodoro in Fairfax or Herndon.
Alberto's!
This is by far the best pizza in DC. They serve old school New York style pizza. It's a third generation restaurant and is one of the few remnants of the old Italian neighborhood in that area. My favorite pizzas are the white with fontina and pepperoni with olives, which are super salty and taste just terrific.
The other remaining clues to the Italians who once lived in the area include Holy Rosary Catholic Church (595 Third Street, NW), Litteri's deli (517-519 Morse Street, NE), and Catania Bakery (1404 N Capitol St NW).
AV is the closest I've ever come to pizza that actually tastes like pizza in Italy. It is wonderful and, prehaps more importantly, dirt cheap. If it ain't the best pizza in town, it's damn near.
If the restaurant should be shut down in favor of condos, my heart would break irreparably.
i loves me the AV's, but i wouldnt call it old school new york pizza or authentic italy style pizza.
i grew up outside new york, so know that style up and down. i've been around italy, so know the pizza there too.
AV's, its pretty much a dc variety style ala VACE, which i also love.
what is the bestest thing they have going is their black kalamata olives. and their white pizza. well, and the pesto.
and you cant beat that fireplace. damn.
av's will be sadly missed by my friends and i.
now you wanna talk good new york style pizza?
mamma lucias in rockville.
Fio's had great pizza. And isn't Fio A.V.'s brother? Anyone know where Fio is now?
What about Manny and Olga's? Rumor has it they deliver very late.
Ella's on 9th downtown is the best!
Radius.
Though Sound presents a compelling argument.
This may be the only time I'll EVER agree with Justice Scalia, but A.V.'s is a special place. The pizza is good, the pastas are great, and the attitude, fireplace, homespun $3.50 wine, and congenial staff make it incredibly worth your while. I'll make sure to stop there before their unfortunate closing. Good luck to the Vasiao family - thanks.
I know this isn't really what this thread is about, but I'm sorry, Vace has to be THE worst pizza I have ever had in my entire life...I've been mystified by its popularity for years now...
i second alberto's!
when it comes to delivery, i vote for Duccini's. it's great.
When you admit that you like Pizza Mart not only am I embarrassed for you, I also can't take your culinary opinion seriously.
MMMMmm...Alberto's.
No way, Jose.
2 Amy's has the best pizza in town, and has for years. Hooray for 2 Amy's!
Give me a deep dish pie from Armand's, with garlic, sausage, and extra sauce. Mmmmmmmmmmm.
"When you admit that you like Pizza Mart not only am I embarrassed for you, I also can't take your culinary opinion seriously."
It's not my opinion, it's the booze's. And about 6 months back I got a pie as takeout from A.V.- burnt crust and the pizza itself was a sloppy mess. Maybe I've only been there on off days or maybe I peed in the fountain there as a kid and they have long memories, but it seriously was terrible to the point of inedible.
I know a guy who works graveyard in the kitchen at Pizza Mart, and his anecdotes are, well, somethin'...every fucked up tale you've ever heard about pizza that you've written off as urban legend, well, guess what? They're all true, and they're happening all the time at Pizza Mart. I'd sooner eat at Yum's.
As for good pizza, it might be a little froufrou, but Paradiso on P Street has always been good to me.
there are so many viewpoints on this question. I think clearly it shows how varied people's tastes can be for a particular type of food, and I just wish the same could be said for other types of food establishments in the area.
I disagree with "best" anything. there's always a different "best" way to agree with any restaurant, and we do so much of it in this area, instead of highlighting ALL the INCREDIBLE options for dining out. it's too bad that's too idealistic.
i like it best when my girlfriend makes me pizza.
Don't know about the pizza there, but the memories of the great taste of the veal parmagiana are seared in my brain from the many times my parents took me there when I was a young child in the early 50's. Nothing but pleasant memories about that place for me.
2 Amy's is so overrated. It's biggest fans seem to be the sorts that live in Cleveland Park and blog about their social lives. Lame.
baci on 18th street is the best.
for late nights though, skip jumbo slice and order manny and olga's. they deliver really late and have locations in dc and md.
Vace: really, really good. My favorite in DC-- it has the body of a thicker pizza but eats like a much lighter one. Having to go pick it up IS a pain but I will go out of my way on the commute home to get a slice.
2 Amys: really, really good, SEEMS authentic, but my knowledge of Italian cooking only comes from Molto Mario.
Paradiso: very similar to 2 Amys but somehow intangibly inferior, also haven't been in awhile.
Radius: horribly overrated, downright shitty pizza. They're a block away from my house and I gave them three chances over three months and got three overpriced disappointments.
Hey meh - I live in Cleveland Park and think 2 Amys is a sorry excuse for Pizza. I do not want my pizza fancy and froo froo. Keep your generalizations to yourself.
ClevelandParker, do you blog about your social life too? Probably not and thus the generalization doesn't apply to you then.
I was being facetious, to a point. You're right though. It's too froo froo and really not even that good a froo froo pizza anyway.
i agree with ryan, vace is definitely my favorite pizza from dc, if not favorite pizza overall. that being said vace pizza seems to be very polarizing; alot of my friends either love it or hate it. not really any middle ground
The only time I had AV pizza it was watery on top, know what I mean?
Cleveland Park Grill's brick oven pizza is hit or miss because of variations in cooking time, oven heat, or something else I don't know much about. But when it's on, it's dope.
It was a staple when I lived around the block - for carryout, anyway. As far as going to the restaurant, well, you were going for the ambience more than the food.
Alberto's is pretty good, though the claims they're "Chicago style" are dubious at best. For the other expats, closer to Edwardo's than Lou Malnati's or Giordano's.
When it comes to chains with liberal delivery policies, Manny and Olga's is unparalleled. I've been ordering from them pretty regularly and last week was the first time I'd had a bad experience - and that was just the fact that I thought the cheese wasn't cooked to my liking.
Pizza Mart? Jeez.
I second the vote for Ella's in downtown. I love their "verdura" pizza! And free pizza during happy hour is a nice touch.
AV's is also my favorite restaurant of all time. The restaurant looms large in the lore of my family. One example: my parents went there fro dinner the night before I was born. When my mother was "late" delivering my brother, they again went there in hopes of lightning striking twice - and my brother was born the next day leading to the family addage that the marinara sauce at AV's is spicy enough to induce labor!
I will admit that AV's is not what it once was. One some recent visits it has been great, at others, not so good. The pizza CAN be excellent, but is not consistent.
By the way, August is long gone, the next generation runs the place now. I believe that Frank has also passed on.
UH 2 Amys is authentic Neapolitan style pizza, very close to what you'd get in Italy, not exactly 'froo froo' unless your standard is Pizza Mart.
Washington Deli- 20th and K. Closest to New York Style in DC (or Pumpernickel's their sister restaurant in upper NW). I had pizza from Vace once, and thought it was just pretty good. I'd take Washington Deli over it.
Washington Deli- 20th and K. Closest to New York Style in DC (or Pumpernickel's their sister restaurant in upper NW). I had pizza from Vace once, and thought it was just pretty good. I'd take Washington Deli over it.
I've only been to the bar at A.V.'s, but I did notice they keep the lighting pretty much non existent in the dining room. I wouldn't think I'm very particular, but I do like see what I'm eating.
Isn't A.V. right next to DC Eagle, the area's gay leather bar? I find some humor in Scalia frequenting a restaurant right next to a leather bar. As for pizza, I had damn good pizza growing up in pittsburgh, as of yet unmatched in the 6 years I've been here. Alas.
Really, as a few posts have said, there's nothing quite better than Alberto's.
Ick, AV. Their secret recipe for those interested: "combine wonder bread, tomato sauce, and pre-shredded cheese; microwave for 5 minutes. Done!" Seriously, ick.
It's probably a sign of a poor learning curve, but I am always disappointed that it falls to me to point out that, when it comes to pizza, "New York-style" is a synonym for "third-rate knockoff."
There is no good pizza east of north-central Indiana. And that's really pushing it; you ideally want to get to Chicago's North Side to be safe.
"Washington Deli- 20th and K."
Are you joking, sunshine? Generic Safeway pizza has them beat - at least it's hot and fully cooked when you take it out of the oven.
cminus,
We're getting dangerously close to the Apple vs. PC debate. Suffice to say, most folks in Naples Italy think New York AND Chicago pizza blow rubber donkey lungs.
And mojotron's obviously never been to Lombardis or any of the other thin crust meccas, because parts of the crust are SUPPOSED to be burnt. 900+degree ovens tend to do that.
I just saw Scallion giving me da "Sicilian finga" outside AV's !!!
What a neocon ass.
It's "frou-frou," you fuckin idiots.
It's fairly authentic as basic pizza goes, it's not intended to be 'haughty', that was never Augusto's intent! As for the final date? July 28th 2007. Get it while yuh can folks!
The secret of A.V.'s white pizza is fontina cheese. About as Italian as Margaret Cho, but if it works, fuggit.
The last days of A.V. have been a goddamned nightmare. All the senile batfarts crawling out of the suburban woodwork to wax nostalgic. The family needs to take that $20 mil they're making and open another smaller restaurant with cheap food. DC needs it more than it needs a vote on the floor of the Senate.
Who gives a cazzo about mold-school Italian/US fusion AV's demise when the vero Italiano deal- Paradiso - is in danger of closing on P Street?