We are fully aware that pizza is a very contentious issue here in D.C., what with all the wood-fired homegrown options, upscale regional inspirations, and the occasional pie that’s been specially designated Napoletana. We’ve certainly had more than our share of the stuff from celebrated area ovens such as 2 Amys, Pizzeria Paradiso, and the like, but lately we’ve found ourselves craving a simple pizza-by-the-slice unencumbered by framed certificates or toppings exotica. We recently found our personal holy grail of pizza at Vace, an Italian delicatessen and pizzeria in Cleveland Park (with another branch in Bethesda).

We walked in and parked ourselves at the end of a long line of customers, picking up their weekly supply of cured meats or pre-made lasagna and fresh pasta. But what stole our attention was the display case of six different pizzas identified only by handwritten placards. Since there’s no eat-in option at Vace, and we were resigned to eating in our car, we went whole hog and ordered one slice from each of the six pies, plus a couple of San Pellegrino Limonatas to wash it all down.