Clockwise from top left: Comet Ping Pong, Red Rocks, 2 Amys, Bebo

There are many factors that affect a pizza. The type of flour used for the dough. The temperature of the oven. The quality of the toppings. The skill and hands of the maker of the dough. The vigilance of the pizzaiolo (the person manning the oven). D.C. may not be known as much of a pizza town, but a few of the city’s brightest chefs have ventured to increase the quality of the brick oven (forno) pizza. With the advent of 2 Amys, Bebo Trattoria, Red Rocks and Comet Ping Pong, the discussion has been raging over the best brick-oven pizza in town.

My friend and popular food board moderator, Don Rockwell, suggested that we visit these four spots in one evening to get a snapshot view of the pizzas, and try to bring some clarity to the debate. To level the playing field we ordered plain cheese and tomato pizzas at each, eating immediately so each had its opportunity to shine. We took into consideration the quality and flavor of the crust, the tomato sauce, and the cheese.

2 Amys
Our evening started off at 2 Amys. Earlier in the week Tim Carman had written an article about Red Rocks’ Edan MacQuaid’s tenure at 2 Amys. There were arguments about the temperature of the pizza ovens, and that 2 Amys’ was not hot enough to meet Denominazione di Origine Controllata (D.O.C.) rules. Based on our visit that night, I found this to be the case. The pizza ($9) was doughy and undercooked on the edges, despite the nice char on the bottom. It is possible, however, to ask for a well done crust with better results, but should not be necessary. The soft blotches of mozzarella did a lot to save the pizza, imparting a buttery flavor to the crust, while the tomato sauce was light and cheery. Being the first pizza of the evening we did manage to finish the entire thing.

Bebo Trattoria
Next up was Bebo Trattoria. It took Roberto Donna nearly nine months to get the pizza oven at Bebo up to Arlington County code. Was all the work worth it? Walking in, we observed that Roberto Donna was not there to man the pizza oven. As the server put down our pizza ($13), we both knew immediately that we were in for disappointment. There was only one word to describe the pizza at Bebo: flat. Not only did the pizza crust look and taste as if an elephant had stepped on the dough before it was baked, but the cheese and the tomato sauce were bland. The entire thing was forgettable. At $13, it was the most expensive of the pizzas and our least favorite. We ended up taking home more than half of the pizza.