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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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2 Amys has official become the goto place for my wife and I. Last night I had my kids and everyone was craving pizza. Nida and I exchanged knowing smiles as I called 2 Amys for pickup. The 2amys pizza with pepperoni is perfect for 2 young boys while the missus and I shared a Vongle with extra cockles, yum. But the star of this post were the two fried apps we got. I confess, I'm addicted to fried things. We ordered the suppli and a special of potato and ham croquettes. I, of course, could not wait till we got home so I tore into them in the car. WOW, do I love those suppli. Hot, crisp, tomatoy and cheesey...yum. :)

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But the star of this post were the two fried apps we got. I confess, I'm addicted to fried things. We ordered the suppli and a special of potato and ham croquettes. I, of course, could not wait till we got home so I tore into them in the car. WOW, do I love those suppli. Hot, crisp, tomatoy and cheesey...yum. :)

I think 2 Amys does a great job frying tasty tidbits. The favorite of my wife and I is the salt cod croquettes. Just delish.

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When we arrived at 2 Amy's today at 4:45, hoping to beat the weekend crush, the place was already a zoo, and the 20 minute wait was not mitigated by the opportunity to hang out at the front with George Stephanopolis and his two little girls.

We started with the house-cured anchovies, and the cress with lemon and ricotta. Anchovies were great, but I didn't care for the salad. The kids got a plain pizza, Scott got the vongole and I ordered a pie with the 2 Amy's sausage and rapini. Scott liked the vongole but my pizza was very disappointing - soggy, with underseasoned sausage. Actually, the whole thing needed a hit of salt, but in the crush we couldn't get the attention of our server to bring any.

We ended the meal with lukewarm coffee (it was a good follow up to the lukewarm wine with dinner), and grapefruit panna cotta and pear walnut crunch ice cream. The ice cream was sensational, but the atmosphere was so crazy that we just wanted to finish and get the hell out. If we go back we'll stick to 5pm on weekdays.

Or maybe Comet Ping-Pong might start opening at 5...

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I also made it there last night, my first visit (a friend had a rental car so we did a whirlwind tour of all things not-so-easy-to-get-to-by-metro). Got there at 7:30, put our names down and went a few doors down to Cactus Cantina to bide our time, since the bar at 2Amy's was jam-packed. A few Dos Equis and some insipid nachos later, we headed back over and were sat almost immediately (the wait had been advertised as 70-80 minutes, but it ended up only being around 45-50, which for a saturday night peak isn't all that bad). I was very happy with the beer selection...a small list, but good ones. Weihenstephan Dunkel (!) on tap for a start, and Tupper's Hop Pocket also. We started with the Suppli al Telefono, which were fantastic, if a bit weird that there were 5 of them, impossible to divvy out with anything other than 5 people (or 1, I suppose). And then, pizza...

Actually, the whole [pizza] needed a hit of salt

which was exactly the opposite of my pizza, the Calabrese. The combination of the anchovy (salty) and the olives (super-salty) was definitely over the top saltiness. Aside from that, the pizza was great, the crust in particular being everything it had been hyped up to be. Oh and the service was very good, especially considering that the place was still hopping when we left at 9:30ish.

So yea, next time I have a car at my disposal, I'll keep 2Amy's in mind, but I will probably stick to a simpler pizza next time. Oh, and go try that Weihenstephan Dunkel soon...the hostess mentioned that they only have a few 5gallon kegs of it and distributor doesn't have any more, so when it's gone, it's gone. Definitely better on tap than I remember the bottle being, which is already pretty darn good.

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it seems that people had a hard time yesterday figuring out what to do with their extra hour so they all decided to go to two amy's. everything was good, including beets with olive oil and salt and grapefruit; a scallops and lardo pizza; and concord grape sorbet that is almost like eating the grape itself without having to deal with the weird pips. the grapefruit panna cotta was singing, like you can get your aspirin at the pharmacy in berlin -- effervescent. however, my plate was out of shortbread and the thimble of grapefruit sorbet was a disappointment, though a very sweet one. there were celebrities in the crowd, but they weren't rock stars, so, while recognizing them, i couldn't tell you their names. one thespian had appeared in a john waters movie, fairly extensively. one of these days we are going to confine our meal to the little things on the back of the specials menu and panini, though it's hard to stop hugging the familiar territory. it almost made me feel like the palena menu the other night. there was such an abundant selection, even on the cafe list, i was left in despair that i couldn't eat everything. which reminds me -- usually, we do find zing in the appetizers at two amy's. but fairly recently a tomato soup was surprisingly flat, no salt, which was too bad, so i guess things can occasionally get lost in the mob.

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This is a good week to visit 2 Amy's. Appears that people have taken off for the holiday, or they're saving the appetites for turkey. We were able to get seated right away at 7 p.m. Monday nite. They had this awesome, flavorful boar capicola and marinated cheese as a small plate special I had one of my usual pizza choices, the Vongole with clams, garlic, capers and parmesan. So simple, yet works all the time. I love this place.

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We had 2 pepperonis, a pepperoni with no cheese, a white pizza with greens and a white pizza with pepperoni and no cheese. Excellent, but for the price ridiculousy small. The pizza equivalent of a $12 tapas plate.

PP never was what it used to be. And the one time I tried to bring small kids there, the host made it clear that the whole concept of children annoyed him (though the statute of limitations is up on this one, as my oldest now drives).

I find 2 Amy's crust to be so thin as to lack the necessary structural integrity to stand up to what is generally an understated -- or bland, if you wish -- sauce. In other words, the crust resolves itself into a soggy dough within seconds of its being served. Also, If I were bringing yung'uns for pizza, I would weigh strain of spending a significant chunk of a winter evening on lovely Macomb Street or smooshed into the entrance way waiting for a table versus (for the moment, anyway) immediate seating and a cool, kid-proof back room.

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I find 2 Amy's crust to be so thin as to lack the necessary structural integrity to stand up to what is generally an understated -- or bland, if you wish -- sauce. In other words, the crust resolves itself into a soggy dough within seconds of its being served.
I read this to mean that you prefer a more heavily-topped pizza. My normal order at 2 Amys is a Margarita with one extra topping, usually arugula or eggplant confit. The Margaritas do seem more sparingly topped than the regular-tomato-and-cheese offerings, whichrenders the crust mostly suitably crispy throughout.

Of course, 2 Amys also has all the excellent fringe benefits, including what may be the best small wine list in America.

And it's still easier to find parking around 2 Amys.

We usually get a low-topping pizza and it always mushes up.
By "heavily-topped" I meant "amount of each topping"--in particular the tomato. Sorry for the misunderstanding.
And I prefer a brunette crust to a blonde one, which is what we often get, even when we'eve asked for well done.
Man, I never have that problem at 2 Amys. You're just a jinx.
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I've been to this place a few times, and everything I've had has been fantastic. That being said, it always seems so expensive. We took my in-laws there for dinner and our tab was over 100...for a pizza joint. I realize the quality is great and we get apps and wine, and yet I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that it's a pizza place, and that I can't leave without spending $50 per couple.

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I read this to mean that you prefer a more heavily-topped pizza. My normal order at 2 Amys is a Margarita with one extra topping, usually arugula or eggplant confit. The Margaritas do seem more sparingly topped than the regular-tomato-and-cheese offerings, whichrenders the crust mostly suitably crispy throughout.

Of course, 2 Amys also has all the excellent fringe benefits, including what may be the best small wine list in America.

We usually get a low-topping pizza and it always mushes up. And I prefer a brunette crust to the blonde one (same as with girls) we often get, even when we've asked for well done.

Agree about fringe benefits, though, particularly the charcuterie and the wine.

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We usually get a low-topping pizza and it always mushes up. And I prefer a brunette crust to the blonde one (same as with girls) we often get, even when we've asked for well done.
We visit 2 Amys regularly--usually once per week, and I love, love the pizza here. We do occasionally get a 'clunker'--crust undercooked and not sufficiently crisp, for instance, but 90% of our visits leave us very satisified.

I agree that the crust is very thin, but I would chalk this up to their attempt to replicate the classic neapolitan style. In my visits to pizzerias in Naples, a thin crust is the hallmark, and the center of the pie was usually a bit mushy. I guess it's one of those 'love it or leave it' kind of things--and for the price, if you don't love it, it would be easy to leave it.

I've only been to Comet PingPong once, and was deeply, deeply underwhelmed by the quality of service, the size of the pies, the high prices, and the atmosphere, which (in my opinion) seemed, how shall I say, anti-customer? I was so excited about Comet opening--better pizza places can only further improve the quality of my life, as I see it--but this doesn't seem like the kind of place I'd like to visit regularly. Perhaps I need to go back and try again.

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We usually get a low-topping pizza and it always mushes up. And I prefer a brunette crust to the blonde one (same as with girls) we often get, even when we've asked for well done.

Agree about fringe benefits, though, particularly the charcuterie and the wine.

When we go, we almost always order the margharita, probably had it 5 times over the past few years and I can only remember one occasion when the middle of the pie wasn't soggy, this is most disappointing becuse the unsoggy portion of the pie is quite tasty. I like a thin crisp crust, at the very least not goopy as it almost invariably has been at Two Amys - to each his own indeed. If this is the nature of their pie than I will stick to their stellar cured meats and other delicious small dishes and save my ducats for the outrageously expensive but to my taste superior pie at Comet. Never a mushy experience there.
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The wife and I braved Friday traffic to finally try 2 Amy's and we were rewarded for our trip. We parked 3 blocks away on Macomb and only waited 15 minutes in the bar though we were told 35-40.

The wine special was a Novella that she loved so much that she typed it into her Blackberry to see if she could buy it elsewhere. We also tried the Peppers and Anchovie salad and the non-American prosciutto. The prosciutto was heavenly and seemed to get an even deeper flavor as it warmed up over time (or maybe that was the beers convincing me so).

Torn between three things for our pizza toppings, we decided to save some of the prosciutto to add to the pizza ourselves and got the margherita pizza with meatballs and the sausage, fontina, and pepper special pizza. Sausage pizza won with a knockout, though the knockout was me when I had just finished garbling a sentence about how awesome the sausage was when I bit into some heavy pepper concentration in the sausage. A hot-and-spicy-food-ninny, I tried every liquid and bread option at the table to try to extinguish my mouth until I couldn't take it anymore and ran to the bathroom to stick my tongue under the faucet for 15 seconds. My apologies to later hand washers out there. But when I returned to the table, I continued eating that sausage pizza--it was that damn good. Loved the meatballs, but they were too heavy for such a thin pizza. We took leftovers home and reheated it slowly in the toaster oven to pretty satisfactory results compared to previous posters. No need to rinse the tongue after my pizza breakfast this morning

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The wine special was a Novella that she loved so much that she typed it into her Blackberry to see if she could buy it elsewhere. We also tried the Peppers and Anchovie salad and the non-American prosciutto. The prosciutto was heavenly and seemed to get an even deeper flavor as it warmed up over time (or maybe that was the beers convincing me so).

what is "non-American" prosciutto?

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what is "non-American" prosciutto?

Before the Patriot Act is invoked and 2 Amy's meaty Freedom Fragments are called before a congressional committee, I plead for forgiveness on the basis of marinated brain cells.

There were two prosciuttos, and one was labeled on the menu as "American" prosciutto. The waiter said that he always recommends the other--forever now to be blacklisted in Cleveland Park for being "non-American."

Has this blogosphere no decency?!?!?!?

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following an eternity on the road in southern and western hinterlands (and a good lunch at the lafayette hotel in stanardsville, 20 minutes northwest of charlottesville), within an hour of our return home last night we realized that washington is more provincial than anyplace on our itinerary.

we arrived at 2 amys to find third graders reading their parents the yellow advisory on the front door and window warning diners that the establishment had lost its liquor license for two days, which wasn't enough to discourage a small mob from forming on the sidewalk waiting for a table.

without knowing exactly the reason for the punishment, i can only assume that some too-young-to-drive-anyway birthday party celebrants got out of hand after drinking too much gragnano.

$4 cauliflower sitting around in an anchovy/pepper/garlic sauce and crumbly quince cake with mascarpone ice cream were the high points of the meal and our check was unusually low.

(does anybody find it disturbing that there are dandelions coming up along the blue ridge highway this time of year?)

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Did you see the trees flowering in front of the restaurant?!

2Amys pork sausage is my new favorite food.

I've picked and eaten a berry from the tree at the corner of the parking lot. You know, the one with the threatening armed guard hectoring passersby? And call me an old-timer, but I longingly remember the halcyon days before they sealed off the pedestrian walkway to the side of the restaurant.

Sigh.

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I've picked and eaten a berry from the tree at the corner of the parking lot. You know, the one with the threatening armed guard hectoring passersby? And call me an old-timer, but I longingly remember the halcyon days before they sealed off the pedestrian walkway to the side of the restaurant.

Sigh.

There's a triple-secret shortcut through the fence that I can show you from the parking lot to the restaurant.

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There's a triple-secret shortcut through the fence that I can show you from the parking lot to the restaurant.

ah...yes, the climb the wall, manuver around the fence, try not to fall, hope no one is looking shortcut? I know it well :P I got my pant leg caught once on the fence and had a nice lil tear in then in a place that could have been verrrrry inappropriate :D needless to say I ate with my coat on

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I've picked and eaten a berry from the tree at the corner of the parking lot. You know, the one with the threatening armed guard hectoring passersby?
I know this is going to be a difficult adjustment for you, and remember, we are all here for you. Your beloved, hectoring, threatening armed gaurd is gone. He has been replaced with parking signs stating the lot is for neighborhood businesses :D
And call me an old-timer, but I longingly remember the halcyon days before they sealed off the pedestrian walkway to the side of the restaurant.

Sigh.

And the middle eastern market that faced the lot :P
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No, he hasn’t gone totally berserk, but isn’t that peter pastan standing up at the counter liberally finishing the pizza boxes by splashing them with olive oil? :lol: Maybe she is just seeing things, but there’s nothing illusory about the stellar egglplant parmesan, the cheese molten and chewy by turns in a bright tomato sauce. When it’s on the menu, it’s listed as a small plate but it’s so good you might want to place a double or triple order and make it your meal, saving room, of course for the ice cream, which doesn’t come much better than the caramel chocolate swirl; the chocolate is actually crumbled, foiling the silkiness of the cream.

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The bad: I set a new personal record for waiting. Yes, I realize that Saturday night will always be Saturday night, but we arrived at 5:45 to a 1:15 wait! I blame that Stephanopoulos guy...doesn't he ever take his family anywhere else? :lol: Also the espresso has to be the shortest shot in town...we're talking milliliters here.

The good: absolutely worth the wait. There's still Weihenstephan Dunkel Hefe-weisse available on draft. A good bottle of Montepulciano might set you back a whopping $32. The soft, fatty rillette is almost as addictive as bacon. Their homemade sausage is one hellaciously good pizza topping. The almond cake with cherry compote pushes all the right buttons for me.

...and soon, there will also be an upstairs dining room, nearly matching the size of the downstairs front room.

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The bad: I set a new personal record for waiting. Yes, I realize that Saturday night will always be Saturday night, but we arrived at 5:45 to a 1:15 wait!
I almost went tonight, but when we didn't leave the house until after 5:30 I just knew the wait would be too much for my kids. Made the right call, but really want to get back there. One of these nights when I don't have my kids.
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I almost went tonight, but when we didn't leave the house until after 5:30 I just knew the wait would be too much for my kids. Made the right call, but really want to get back there. One of these nights when I don't have my kids.

My strategy on a weekend has been to show up between lunch and dinner, say after 1:30pm but before 5pm, and I've never waited for a table.

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Ol' Ironstomach, you are braver than I. We decided to go with the 14 month old at 6:30 last night (I know, what were were thinking :lol: ) and arrived to a 60-70 minute wait. Noted George S. in the back with family.

Opted for take out instead and as always, were very happy with our pizzas. We got the suppli and my husband ordered a Two Amy's with the special topping of the night, pork sausage. He did not share, but said the sausage was great. I ordered a special pizza which had some sort of mushroom (sorry, I am blanking), cherry tomato, onion and smoked buffalo mozz. It was delicious.

Has anyone else noticed that they seem to be putting more cheese and toppings on the pizzas lately? This is a positive, in my book (and I know this is a controversial point).

But sheesh, that place was a ZOO last night! That really is excellent news about an upstairs dining room. Maybe we will no longer be relegated to takeout.

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Hi, I'm looking for some advice. I've only been to Two Amy's with relatively small groups before .. and only Friday or Saturday nights. This time I am wondering if a large group (8) might get seats for a late Sunday lunch? Is there hope? Any insight would be appreciated... thanks!

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Hi, I'm looking for some advice. I've only been to Two Amy's with relatively small groups before .. and only Friday or Saturday nights. This time I am wondering if a large group (8) might get seats for a late Sunday lunch? Is there hope? Any insight would be appreciated... thanks!

I would call. Sunday is kind of an all-day line at 2A, (thought not like Friday night lines) and the odds of two 4-tops being open simultaneously are heavily against.

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I would call. Sunday is kind of an all-day line at 2A, (thought not like Friday night lines) and the odds of two 4-tops being open simultaneously are heavily against.

We had the dumb luck of scoring a 7 top on Sunday afternoon, but that was almost immediately after they opened, not later in the day. How flexible are your plans?

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Thanks for all the replies! I actually called to see if they could give me a hint too, and they said that while there will be a wait, turn-over is pretty quick for the lunch crowd so it wouldn't be likely to be a long wait (even for 8). They also said that the place starts clearing out around 3ish, so that would be an option as well. Our plans are pretty flexible so far, but unfortunately noon (opening time) is not an option.

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had a nice lunch there on a beautifully sunny and warm Froday afternoon - my god that place is busy but we only had to wait about 20 minutes for a table for 6 at 1.15 - the place was still basically full when we left at 2.30

they have a wonderful hefe-dunkel on tap that brought back fond memories of my time living in Germany

we ordered a few different pizzas, the most notable of which was the special with sardines, fennel and capers - felt a little strange to be eating fish on pizza but on the whole I think it worked nicely

they also had a rabbit loin special, rabbit stuffed with mustard greens (I think) and some other bits and pieces

and an orange panna cotta which was just fabulous

I think they've done a great job of maintaining quality since they've opened - one thing I also noticed was that the staff (the wait staff at least) seems virtually the same as when it opened - I thought it was unusual to have so little turnover in the restaurant biz

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Adults only space at 2 Amys

This sounds like they will increase their capacity about 30%.

This is great news!!! This is the one place I Jones for. The drive from Frederick keeps me trimmer but it's worth the extra gas. I have to say, we've lucked out the two times we've gone in terms of wait (Friday night at 7:30 several months ago and 1:30 PM Saturday afternoon). Both times our wait was less than 20 minutes and this past Saturday's being only 10. As I've heard, dumb luck. I got the stuffed pizza this time and was not disappointed b/c I actually like the doughier edges, which tastes remarkably similar to their bread. My only wish was that they could cook the sausage first and then throw it inside to finish it off. We even ordered a pizza to go so that I could bring it by my unitiated in-laws. Though the arugala was quite wilted by the time we got home, my father-in-law said it was the best post-knee-operation present he had received. Somehow they get that scrumptious pie and I leave with a damn fruit basket....

Pax,

Brian

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Adults only space at 2 Amys

This sounds like they will increase their capacity about 30%.

Am I reading this correctly and that they are removing the downstairs bar?

The plan is to shift the first floor bar to the new upstairs space. The downstairs bar space will become expanded seating. Upstairs, there'll be a new bar and additional seating.

If so, terrible idea. People waiting for tables do so clustered around a bar and having one on the second floor so removed from host stand could be a real headache. Or are they saying that the main floor bar will just be scaled back? Service bar only?

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Am I reading this correctly and that they are removing the downstairs bar?

If so, terrible idea. People waiting for tables do so clustered around a bar and having one on the second floor so removed from host stand could be a real headache. Or are they saying that the main floor bar will just be scaled back? Service bar only?

I agree. Leave the bar downstairs, make the whole floor an adults-only space, and have families with kids wait outside or go upstairs into the new play pen dining area. :o [TedE: I'm sure they will figure out the logistics.]
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If they are making the upstairs space adults only, then I'll be a bit disappointed, especially if the bar downstairs will be decommissioned. I understand completely though. When it's crowded, I always feel bad for the people seated in the back by the bar with all the people waiting by the bar standing over them.

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If they expand and make the area adults only we are probably not ever going again. More $$ for the folks at Comet, I guess.

They make one part (the smaller one) adults only and you will never go again? A little harsh, isn't it?

I wonder if they could make an outdoor deck on the second floor.

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