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2 Amys, Wisconsin Ave. and Macomb Street - Great Wine, Small Plates, Pizza, and Desserts - No Longer DOCG Pizza, but Who Cares?


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13 minutes ago, Tweaked said:

And all this tasty goodness is the wine bar menu?  Is the wine bar upstairs? 

The physical bar is in the back of the first floor, but the wine bar menu is given to all the tables, so you don't have to sit at the actual bar to partake.    

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4 hours ago, jca76 said:

The physical bar is in the back of the first floor, but the wine bar menu is given to all the tables, so you don't have to sit at the actual bar to partake.    

But I find the atmosphere of the actual wine bar to be far superior to sitting in the restaurant (and in Siberia upstairs). 

You get to see the food sitting at the wine bar. And the bartenders/Jeffrey/Oliver are great.

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I've been thinking about this over the past 24 hours - I wonder if some people here simply don't know about 2 Amys because I've never ranked it in bold before (although I think it *was*, for a brief while when Edan MacQuaid was there, about 8-9 years ago). The reason is simple: 2 Amys will never be in Bold because it isn't trying to be - it's simple food, made with love and care, and has a great little wine list. In fact, I had ranked the wine list as being among the Best in the Washington, DC Area in this Washingtonian article (which is the most thorough article I ever wrote there). 

But just because it's not ranked in Bold means almost nothing - the food here isn't perfect, and it's not even consistent (the same dish can be slightly different between visits - sometimes being more oily than others, for example - the bartenders sometimes are a bit cavalier when it comes to adding finishing oil) - it's those variations that help to make the restaurant so great, because even though the dishes may not always be the same, or may not even always be "great," the restaurant as a whole *never* fails to be absolutely delightful.

2 Amys has always been rated in Italic, and barring any dramatic changes, always will be, and it has always been rated #1 in Glover Park, even when Heritage India was at its absolute peak about 10-11 years ago. It is at or near the top of the list when people from out-of-town come to DC and ask me for somewhere memorable.

Also, I think that if you request the pizza well-done (which is a "must"), the pizzas have always been in the Top 5 in the city. Even though Peter Pastan scoffs at the pepperoni (and I once read an article where he did), I happen to think their pepperoni is some of the best I've ever had. And I do love the Norcia, having ordered it probably more than any other pizza here - if you're with a group of 3-4 people, you should always get an order of pizza (or, if you insist on not getting pizza, at least make sure you order something that comes with their fantastic bread - and if not, then get an order of bread).

This is the type of restaurant that you might not go to for your 20th anniversary or 50th birthday, but it's one that you go to day-in and day-out, year after year.

I guess I should add that the bar isn't very comfortable, and that it gets full unless you go early, but I agree, it's the best place to be because you can just point at whatever looks good.

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I ate here again tonight for about the 50th time maybe.  In my opinion, 2 Amys is the perfect restaurant if your one and only goal is: excellent Italian-ish ingredients, very well prepared in relatively simple fashion, lots of olive oil.  And by that, I do not mean to mock.  But they manage to serve you that, at reasonable prices, by not including any of the other creature comforts that many people find enjoyable about dining.  And sometimes it's really lovely, when the toddler at the next table is adorable and when you don't mind leaving full of olive oil after a rushed dinner sitting in an uncomfortable chair.  (And when you don't mind olives with pits.)  Other times, it is not.  I have never experienced it by arriving at 830 pm and sitting at the bar - maybe that is a very different and comforting and warm and vibrant experience.  And yes, I am a bourgeois SOB who enjoys a pretty environment and enjoys being asked if I would like another drink, and sometimes even enjoys olives without pits in a cooked dish.  And yes, my friend Marty L may never speak to me again ...

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59 minutes ago, sheldman said:

I ate here again tonight for about the 50th time maybe.  In my opinion, 2 Amys is the perfect restaurant if your one and only goal is: excellent Italian-ish ingredients, very well prepared in relatively simple fashion, lots of olive oil.  And by that, I do not mean to mock.  But they manage to serve you that, at reasonable prices, by not including any of the other creature comforts that many people find enjoyable about dining.  And sometimes it's really lovely, when the toddler at the next table is adorable and when you don't mind leaving full of olive oil after a rushed dinner sitting in an uncomfortable chair.  (And when you don't mind olives with pits.)  Other times, it is not.  I have never experienced it by arriving at 830 pm and sitting at the bar - maybe that is a very different and comforting and warm and vibrant experience.  And yes, I am a bourgeois SOB who enjoys a pretty environment and enjoys being asked if I would like another drink, and sometimes even enjoys olives without pits in a cooked dish.  And yes, my friend Marty L may never speak to me again ...

In my opinion, 2 Amys is the perfect restaurant if it entices bourgeois SOBs who enjoy a pretty environment and enjoy being asked if they would like another drink, and sometimes even enjoy olives without pits in a cooked dish  . . .  to return 50 or so times!  ;-)   Fear not, Sam, I'll speak to you again soon -- let's make a date for the bar at 2 Amys!

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15 hours ago, sheldman said:

I ate here again tonight for about the 50th time maybe.

you had me wondering how often i've eaten at 2 amys, so i searched my calendar (where i track pretty much all my restaurant meals).  it turns out we've dined in or done take-out/delivery from 2 amys thirty-three times in 2016.  the bf and i may have an addiction simply, well prepared ingredients with a lot of olive oil. :)

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My friend and I made a return trip to 2 Amy's last night.  Another great meal sitting in the back bar area.  Everything we ordered was good to great, with no misses.

Eggplant Caponata & Smoked Ricotta Crostino x2

Smoked Mackerel Rillette Crostino x2

Sicilian Anchovies with Bread and Butter

Fennel Braised with Saffron and Orange with Tarragon Aioli and Breadcrumbs (this dish was beautiful, with a golden piece of fennel and the green aioli)

New Zealand Bluenose Bass en Saor (this could have used a touch more acid as it leaned sweet, but still a very good dish)

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Prosciutto, Vincotto and Sheep Ricotta (perhaps the one dish that was merely ok)

Porchetta with Braised Carrots and Mustardy Salad (just fabulous, served with a nice fat piece of cracklin)

We also had 4 1/4 liter pours of wine and a round of post-dinner grappa, and still snuck in under $80.00/ person with tax and tip.

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2 hours ago, Tweaked said:

My friend and I made a return trip to 2 Amy's last night.  Another great meal sitting in the back bar area.  Everything we ordered was good to great, with no misses.

Just keep doing it over the years - you'll get the occasional miss, but it misses for the right reasons, and everything is always "good to great."

Given the previous track record of Obelisk, Peter Pastan should have won a Beard Award the first year that 2 Amys opened.

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Eggplant Caponata and anchovy crostino ($3); Smoky arctic char rillette crostino ($3); grilled octopus salad crostino ($4)...all awesome.

Baby fava beans with sheep's milk ricotta ($9) was merely ok, not a lot of flavor going on.

Breakfast radishes with ramp butter ($8) was tasty but a bit awkward.  The radishes were tiny, making it hard to really coat with butter.

The porchetta ($14) was its normal thing of beauty.  We ordered one plate and then decided to order a second.  

And a big slice of ricotta cake with chocolate and orange ($6.45) wrapped up the meal nicely.  

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This place used to be packed all the time and on our way to the Cactus Cantina two weeks ago it was literally a ghost town at 5:30 PM on a Monday evening.  Ok, so Monday nite is a tough nite, but CC was ramping up and pretty busy when we left.  2 Amys still had many tables available.  Not sure if something has changed recently or just the time we were there.  We have enjoyed 2A many times in the past, but it always required a lot of planning or waiting in line to get a table.  Food has always been great.

 

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On 4/27/2017 at 7:03 PM, Ferris Bueller said:

This place used to be packed all the time and on our way to the Cactus Cantina two weeks ago it was literally a ghost town at 5:30 PM on a Monday evening.  Ok, so Monday nite is a tough nite, but CC was ramping up and pretty busy when we left.  2 Amys still had many tables available.  Not sure if something has changed recently or just the time we were there.  We have enjoyed 2A many times in the past, but it always required a lot of planning or waiting in line to get a table.  Food has always been great.

2 Amys has been crowded for nearly twenty-five years. Let the new kids have their day - although I haven't been to 2 Amys in perhaps six months, as far as I know, nothing has changed at this legendary restaurant, which deserves a James Beard Award for Peter Pastan. Obelisk was, along with Makoto, the most interesting restaurant in DC in the 1980s, but at some point, 2 Amys surpassed it, and has been a temple of great eating (not dining; eating) since the 1990s.

It is criminal that Pastan doesn't have a Beard Award of some sort.

And, I scroll up and see that I wrote essentially the same thing just a few months ago. :mellow:

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2 hours ago, Ferris Bueller said:

This place used to be packed all the time and on our way to the Cactus Cantina two weeks ago it was literally a ghost town at 5:30 PM on a Monday evening.  Ok, so Monday nite is a tough nite, but CC was ramping up and pretty busy when we left.  2 Amys still had many tables available.  Not sure if something has changed recently or just the time we were there.  We have enjoyed 2A many times in the past, but it always required a lot of planning or waiting in line to get a table.  Food has always been great.

On Sunday they were packed solid from noon onward until at least 8:00.  Many items 86'd very early on.  Go figure.

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We generally go on a Wednesday night, around 7 pm and its usually 3/4 full in the main dining room.  The back wine bar area is usually full or one or two little tables are free.  We have only once had to wait for a two top to open up.  The two people working the bar area are always hustling and last night four items were 86ed while we were there.

The patio at Cactus was also hopping, but it was a lovely night out so that was expected. 

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the fava bean crostini are back! 

the suppli we had yesterday were better than they've been in a while--really flavorful and well seasoned. 

My margharita was great as always, and husband really liked the special sausage and artichoke pie they had. 

And the ice cream yesterday was awesome--delicious orange campari sorbet, and a chocolate hazelnut ice cream which was lighter on the hazelnut flavor than i would have liked (as i find many chocolate hazelnut things are, maybe it's a hard flavor to infuse?) but had an amazing texture and the chocolate went nicely with the orange sorbet. 

 

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1 hour ago, sandynva said:

the fava bean crostini are back! 

I love those crostini.  The bf accidentally ordered two orders when we did Postmates delivery a few weeks ago, not realizing that unlike most of their crostini, these come two pieces to an order -- best ordering mistake ever.  They've had a number of delightfully springy dishes recently: a pizza with ramps and an egg; roasted eggplant with ramps and ricotta; grilled scallions with romesco; shaved artichoke salad with cheese, olive oil, and lemon; minted favas and radishes as a meat accompaniment; a dessert of ice cream, wonderfully sweet strawberries, and gragnano poured over top.  (Now I'm making myself hungry.  We've averaged going there twice a week over the last month, and I would happily go back tonight!)  

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I haven't been in a few months, but I live close by and have gone about 1-2 times every month or 2 for the past decade - it is still the same deliciousness. And I too am a big fan of the crostini - especially the eggplant caponata/anchovie one. Reminds me to it is soon time for a return visit.  Only change in these times is the added upstairs space and new waiter uniforms.

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Just ate at 2Amys for the first time ever (it's never been remotely close to where I've lived, and I've never owned a car).  It's loud (children like to scream!), but pretty awesome.  The wine list is super-interesting, and the marinara pizza was excellent.  It doesn't supplant Etto or Ghibellina (yes, I know the provenance) for my favorite marinara in the city, but it's excellent nonetheless.  I love love love the crust.

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On 5/12/2017 at 3:25 PM, Gadarene said:

 I love love love the crust.

We ate there last night too (must have been several hours after you) - still lots of screaming children there at 8pm, in part to our own family's contribution.  But, I recall thinking the pizza crust was especially good yesterday, very pillowy and bubbly.  Of course we ordered it well-done, too.

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On 5/12/2017 at 3:25 PM, Gadarene said:

I love love love the crust.

Hey, I was there Friday night too!

I had one of the pizzas on their specials list-- sausage, fava bean puree, and... and... dammit, I can't remember. Anyway, it was excellent as usual.

It's amazing how quickly that joint fills up. We were one of perhaps 10 tables when we arrived. An hour later it was jammed.

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Back for our monthly bacchanal at 2 Amy's.  Highlights included a fairly small but lovely and plump soft shell crab, the eggplant caponata crostino (always great), big fat salt cod fritters, and of course the porchetta served with braised baby carrots and lentils.  Wrapped things up with a good strawberry shortcake.  And too much wine, per usual.     

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About 2 weeks ago, went to 2 Amys for lunch. Very nice Calabrese pizza, and Margherita was good as always and finally got the kids to enjoy a cheese pizza there (they are bigger fans of NY style by way of Vace). Always good suppli and salt cod croquettes. They really have a way with their fryer there.

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If they are serving porchetta as a main, then it is probably on Saturday and maybe on Wednesday.  This past Saturday, our family ended up all ordering personal pizzas all around, since we didn't feel that cobbling together the smaller plates that intrigued us would be enough.  We did get the local cranberry beans topped with sliced porchetta, and that was worth it.  But it wasn't the same.  It's great to have their pizza as a fallback option, and it's great to have their pizza period.  

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5 hours ago, zgast said:

Went Saturday night, but decided not to stay - it was blazing hot inside.  Is it always like that?

We ate out on the outdoor patio, but as we walked thru, it didn't seem really that different than other times -- I didn't think it was super hot.  The upstairs usually is very cold, if that makes a difference, to the point I have heard diners complain about it on different visits.  I would suggest you go back.  I also think you picked a good night to skip, not only no porchetta, but their fryer was down, too, so a significant portion of their appetizers were unavailable.  Which meant other appetizers were sold out by 7:00pm (such as the herbed arborio rice stuffed squash blossoms that I wanted to order).

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Finally made it back, with my ski buddy from Chile trip who works in DC but lives in Park City (I cannot think of a better life situation) and my .. fiancee... I don't like that. Let's go with .. lifelong slam piece. That works much better!

The side dishes are really good. The suppli were divine. Burrata was on point and not ludicrously priced. Cantabrian anchovies were very tasty. Should have had more than 3 small slices of bread for the burratta and fishies. The dehydrated bread thing with heirloom tomatoes didn't work. The juice from the tomato is supposed to rehydrate the bread, but it doesn't and ends up being amazing heirloom tomatoes on a cracker. 

This pizza is not for me. I don't get it. The toppings are too inconsistent and patchy. You can see a lot of bread in between. It really annoys me when you try to separate/slice pizza, and at the point of cut-through, the cheese slides to either one slice completely or the other. The crust is pretty good, and they have a hot ass oven, because that blistering/char is pretty sweet. One of my pieces had a straight up tumor bubble, like a neglected head and neck caner (in a good way). I did like that. We got a Margharita Extra and Puttanesca. The Margharita was the one that really shit the proverbial bed with the cheese. It just came apart too easy. Also, I didn't order that one, but the only reason it's "extra" is the cherry tomatoes. That's not an extra I need, but maybe it's the one I deserve. The puttanesca ... this one straight up angered me ... This is my favorite type of pasta sauce. Mine is probably the best you'll ever taste and I'm merely being objective, but I'm always willing to try other's (in pasta form, pizza form, whatever - olives, capers, anchovies, red pepper, and tomatoes together are a heavenly construct). It came with broccoli rabe on top. I swore it was the wrong pizza, flagged the waiter down, and was like - "We ordered the puttanesca". He said, yah, that's the one. "Yeah, but what's this green stuff?" He said, the menu says broccoli rabe. I couldn't fathom this to be true. I got a menu back, and bam, rapini listed as one of the toppings. Bob's your uncle! It tasted like broccoli pizza. That should tell you how I felt about it.

I could spend another paragraph about what puttanesca is to me, what it should contain, how it should taste, the origins (was it really the hookers tempting clients with their "tasty sauce"?). Not the point. They can't call that pizza puttanesca. They cannot. It's a crime against humanity. If not humanity, then at least me.

Yet, after all that. I loved the place. It is just so darn cute. I'm going to go back soon, and not get pizza. Or maybe just one. But not that one.

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32 minutes ago, Simul Parikh said:

They can't call that pizza puttanesca. They cannot. It's a crime against humanity. If not humanity, then at least me.

This was my gateway pizza here - and its one of my favorites so I'm always happy to debate it ;).  Its been said up thread and I would recommend it based on how much you seemed to enjoy the more blistered parts of the crust - order the pizza extra crispy.  I'd also potentially suggest you try the Etna.  Its my other favorite.

But agree - the strongest points are the sides / antipasti.  Also on the bread front - I normally ask for an extra side of it when I order Burrata and other delicious treats and they're always happy to oblige.

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I was there last night....super busy.  Waitress thought it was a big post-Rosh Hashanah service crowd.  And Simul, I've never once had the pizza at 2 Amy's.

Winners last night: 

Round one:  Sicilian anchovies with bread and butter (such a good and simple combo), Salt cod croquettes, braised fennel, baby octopus salad (could have used a little acid)...all with extra green sauce.  Round two:  Goat cheese tart with beets and salad greens and creamy mustard dressing, and of course the porchetta, served with cranberry beans and grilled radicchio.

The mackerel crudo was merely ok, not as good as last month when the mackerel had been smoked, which really played well with the richness of the fish. 

Food porn: 

Top:  Crudo, goat cheese tart, porchetta.  Bottom: porchetta close up - crackling, fat, pork.

salad trio.jpg

Porchetta close up.jpg

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10 minutes ago, Tweaked said:

I was there last night....super busy.  Waitress thought it was a big post-Rosh Hashanah service crowd.  And Simul, I've never once had the pizza at 2 Amy's.

Winners last night: 

Round one:  Sicilian anchovies with bread and butter (such a good and simple combo), Salt cod croquettes, braised fennel, baby octopus salad (could have used a little acid)...all with extra green sauce.  Round two:  Goat cheese tart with beets and salad greens and creamy mustard dressing, and of course the porchetta, served with cranberry beans and grilled radicchio.

The mackerel crudo was merely ok, not as good as last month when the mackerel had been smoked, which really played well with the richness of the fish. 

Food porn: 

Top:  Crudo, goat cheese tart, porchetta.  Bottom: porchetta close up - crackling, fat, pork.

The goat cheese tart looked good, I just completely forgot to order it. And that porchetta also looks good. Okay. Going back and not getting any pizza. 

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42 minutes ago, Keithstg said:

I have to say, this thread is remarkable. Usually out-of town chefs get skewered, no matter the pedigree (see Lee, Sursur and especially Ripert, Eric). Yet ice cream from an absentee chef is nearly universally praised. Wow. Guess these other chefs should get busy making ice cream in the flyovers.

I've had the ice cream in Columbus and thought it was very good, and The Whole Ox in Marshall carries it. That said, its no 2 Amy's, or Moo-Thru. Or maybe it is, with better marketing

For whatever it's worth, DIShGo and I had 2 Amys ice cream two nights ago - vanilla with local-wildflower honey - and we both agreed it was a step up even from Jeni's (which we just had two nights before). This really doesn't have anything to do with an "out of town chef" - it's ice cream, not an asparagus soufflé. I'm also not convinced it's made in each store; it makes more sense to have it shipped in from a central location for consistency. Assuming that's true, it's the individual stores' primary responsibility to serve it at the correct freshness and temperature, and of course with friendly service.

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1 hour ago, DonRocks said:

For whatever it's worth, DIShGo and I had 2 Amys ice cream two nights ago - vanilla with local-wildflower honey - and we both agreed it was a step up even from Jeni's (which we just had two nights before). This really doesn't have anything to do with an "out of town chef" - it's ice cream, not an asparagus soufflé. I'm also not convinced it's made in each store; it makes more sense to have it shipped in from a central location for consistency. Assuming that's true, it's the individual stores' primary responsibility to serve it at the correct freshness and temperature, and of course with friendly service.

The roasted pineapple ice cream at 2 Amy's is the single best ice cream I've had in my life.  I've only had it once, but I greedily look every single time I'm there to see if it has returned.

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I have always said that the pizza is good at 2 Amys but I usually find the appetizers/small plates to be outstanding. I used to love their crostini but they seemed to have moved away from offering them. Lately, I've been enjoying their various fish offerings - the anchovies and peppers on the regular menu are always nice and on Monday I had great pickled sardines with olive tapenade off the special menu. On two recent occassions, I had the same eggplant with smoky/spiced tomato sauce with the lightest, freshest sheep's milk ricotta.  The suppli telefono and my perennial fave the salt cod croquettes were very good on Monday. The kitchen has a great way with the fryer.  One new twist after years of being the same, now the salt cod croquettes come with a bit of lemon aioli and the usual lemon wedge. I think I'm still partial to the lemon wedge but options are nice. Lastly, the roasted olives are great to share as a app. 

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2 hours ago, KeithA said:

I have always said that the pizza is good at 2 Amys but I usually find the appetizers/small plates to be outstanding. I used to love their crostini but they seemed to have moved away from offering them. Lately, I've been enjoying their various fish offerings - the anchovies and peppers on the regular menu are always nice and on Monday I had great pickled sardines with olive tapenade off the special menu. On two recent occassions, I had the same eggplant with smoky/spiced tomato sauce with the lightest, freshest sheep's milk ricotta.  The suppli telefono and my perennial fave the salt cod croquettes were very good on Monday. The kitchen has a great way with the fryer.  One new twist after years of being the same, now the salt cod croquettes come with a bit of lemon aioli and the usual lemon wedge. I think I'm still partial to the lemon wedge but options are nice. Lastly, the roasted olives are great to share as a app. 

I agree with you. On a recent visit to 2 Amys we enjoyed some very good pizza that we took home for lunch the next day, but the small plates and the desserts stole the show. My favorites were the matsutake mushroom and pecorino salad and the vitello tonnato. Both dishes were outstanding. We also enjoyed sicilan anchovies on their delicious bread with butter, and curried chickpeas and baby carrots with mint and sheep's milk ricotta. The latter was delicious, but for me, the North African flavors didn't meld as well with the rest of the dishes. The dessert was one of the best I have ever enjoyed--yogurt and wild honey ice cream.  The addition of the yogurt gave it a wonderful texture, and the wild honey taste lingered on my palate long after each bite. 

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44 minutes ago, horacebailey14 said:

We've tried Jubilee but think Jeni's is a step above. I admit we haven't tried 2Amy's (didn't know people thought so highly of the ice cream until recently), but at the moment Jeni's is definitely at the top of our DC list. 

We hit up 2 Amys again this past Sunday, and finished our (amazing) meal with three scoops of Vanilla and Straciatella Ice Cream, along with Mint Sorbet, knowing in advance that they might not go together - we just *had* to get one of each. Both of us preferred the flavors we had on our previous visit, but the quality was right there as always. 

It isn't that 2 Amys is so much "better" than Jeni's; it's just that when you make things in small batches, you can control things such as freshness and temperature so much more easily than when you have a regional or national chain - if 2 Amys went this route, it would undoubtedly suffer (at least in relative terms).

MartyL, do you agree with the previous paragraph?

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1 hour ago, DonRocks said:

We hit up 2 Amys again this past Sunday, and finished our (amazing) meal with three scoops of Vanilla and Straciatella Ice Cream, along with Mint Sorbet, knowing in advance that they might not go together - we just *had* to get one of each. Both of us preferred the flavors we had on our previous visit, but the quality was right there as always. 

It isn't that 2 Amys is so much "better" than Jeni's; it's just that when you make things in small batches, you can control things such as freshness and temperature so much more easily than when you have a regional or national chain - if 2 Amys went this route, it would undoubtedly suffer (at least in relative terms).

MartyL, do you agree with the previous paragraph?

Way outside my area of expertise, but it sure sounds right!  What I do know for certain is that I've never had ice cream in D.C. better than at 2 Amys, and it's always great there.

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i have absolutely no technical expertise in this area, so it's just my opinion, but i wonder 1) does it matter why 2 amys is better than jenis, or if 2 amys would be worse if it went national? isn't what matters to us the ultimate experience we are presented with here, in this city, where we have the chain jeni's and smaller 2 amys? 2) i don't know that it's just a matter of size. i was pretty underwhelmed by jeni's. it was definitely good, but in general i thought the flavors under-performed, that they read better than they actually tasted. i thought the goat cheese and cherries would be fantastic, but the cheese flavor was muted. similarly the roasted strawberry tasted somewhat different than typical strawberry, but not as much as i'd expected. in contrast, for me 2 amys flavors consistently overperform--i've never gotten x flavor and said " i wish this tasted more of x" and even flavors that sound sort of boring (straciatella) end up being more special than expected. 

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10 minutes ago, sandynva said:

i have absolutely no technical expertise in this area, so it's just my opinion, but i wonder 1) does it matter why 2 amys is better than jenis, or if 2 amys would be worse if it went national? isn't what matters to us the ultimate experience we are presented with here, in this city, where we have the chain jeni's and smaller 2 amys? 2) i don't know that it's just a matter of size. i was pretty underwhelmed by jeni's. it was definitely good, but in general i thought the flavors under-performed, that they read better than they actually tasted. i thought the goat cheese and cherries would be fantastic, but the cheese flavor was muted. similarly the roasted strawberry tasted somewhat different than typical strawberry, but not as much as i'd expected. in contrast, for me 2 amys flavors consistently overperform--i've never gotten x flavor and said " i wish this tasted more of x" and even flavors that sound sort of boring (straciatella) end up being more special than expected. 

You answered your own question! It matters "why" because in your examples, temperature had a lot to do with the equation - this is probably the coldest cheese product you've ever eaten (unless you go around licking cheese popsicles), and frozen temperatures are known to mute flavors. Similarly, 2 Amys' ice creams seem to be served a couple degrees warmer than Jeni's, and that makes for a more penetrating flavor - the ambient temperature inside 2 Amys, and the side-by-side plating (as opposed to vertical stacking) also contribute to them coming up towards room temperature fairly quickly.

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 i had my jeni's on a flat dish-thing, at home and waited until they were pretty melty (which is how i generally eat ice cream, i think it tastes better) which is pretty much the same way i  often eat 2 amys. So i don't think the muted flavor was a function of temperature. 

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2Amy's was quite epic last night.  A parade of amazing dishes.

Our opening salvo included the wonderful Sicilian anchovies with bread and butter; smoked salmon and goat cheese crostino, little piggy croquettes with green sauce; and eggplant caponata with toasted bread and anchovy.  The piggy croquettes were really good, think large tatter tots but with shredded pork rather than potato.  The eggplant caponata was a masterpiece: a Twinkie sized log of eggplant cooked until almost falling apart and smothered in caponata sauce topped with an anchovy filet and which we smeared on bread. 

Next up was the steamed cockles with fresh ginger broth and crostino, the cockles were immaculate, the broth could have been punchier and need a dash of salt. Honey roasted carrots with marcona almonds, mint, and sheep's milk ricotta was another blockbuster dish.  The sweetness of the carrots, creaminess of the ricotta, crunch of the almonds.  It was only bettered by the smoked lamb neck with creamy mustard dressing and frisee.  The lamb neck was shaved carpaccio style and drizzled with the dressing and frisee sprinkled on top.  I would be hard pressed to think that a better dish was served in DC last night.

We finished up with our now standard double porchetta order, served with fat plump cranberry beans and charred cauliflower (although I substituted in another helping of the carrots, since I hate cauliflower).

Hell, we were too stuffed to even get to the Maine lobster and mozzarella salad nor the pork belly, cherry and pistachio terrine.  And we forgot to order the salt cod croquettes.    

Lamb Neck and a spread of food (Cockles, Lamb neck, roasted carrots)

lambneck.jpg

2AmysJan.jpg

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2 Amy’s may have the best steak (36 oz dry aged Tuscan steak, served with a big bowl of beans and a big bowl of steamed baby spinach, $55) in DC north of Dupont Circle, it is a push with Buck’s 18oz prime steak served with fries ($39). Both are wood fired, both are delicious.

Tuscan Steak Night seems to be settling on Saturdays, although it has appeared all over the place. 

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41 minutes ago, DaRiv18 said:

2 Amy’s may have the best steak (36 oz dry aged Tuscan steak, served with a big bowl of beans and a big bowl of steamed baby spinach, $55) in DC north of Dupont Circle, it is a push with Buck’s 18oz prime steak served with fries ($39). Both are wood fired, both are delicious.

Tuscan Steak Night seems to be settling on Saturdays, although it has appeared all over the place. 

If anyone from 2 Amys sees this post, could you figure out a way to let us know when Tuscan Steak Nights will be?

Thank you, DaRiv18, for writing this.

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