hungry prof Posted October 13, 2009 Posted October 13, 2009 Coming in December or January next door to Good Stuff Eatery. Go at it, Spike-haters. . .
leleboo Posted October 13, 2009 Posted October 13, 2009 Coming in December or January next door to Good Stuff Eatery. Go at it, Spike-haters. . . So I have Matchbox (putatively closest), Seventh Hill (just a bit farther), and We, the Pizza (several blocks more) in my neighborhood as of this winter? Good to know that the hub can return to his bachelor ways of subsisting entirely on pies... I'm feeling a bit of pizza overkill myself, though. Who will out?
mdt Posted October 13, 2009 Posted October 13, 2009 Coming in December or January next door to Good Stuff Eatery. Go at it, Spike-haters. . . Is this the hip food that he promised to bring to DC?
hungry prof Posted October 13, 2009 Author Posted October 13, 2009 Is this the hip food that he promised to bring to DC? According to Spike, yes. From the Examiner article: "It's going to be much like the formula of Good Stuff," said Mendelsohn. "It's going to be really hip, really clean, it's going to be farm fresh." He also promises "curbside delivery." On behalf of the many DC drivers who growl every time they pass double-parked vehicles clogging up traffic at assorted valet stations and envision the same with curbside delivery, I salute you, Spike.
leleboo Posted October 13, 2009 Posted October 13, 2009 He also promises "curbside delivery." On behalf of the many DC drivers who growl every time they pass double-parked vehicles clogging up traffic at assorted valet stations and envision the same with curbside delivery, I salute you, Spike. That whole stretch of Penn is already a double-parking nightmare. Even with a single row of parked cars, it's also right after the street loses a lane (headed eastbound) that is right-turn only; people also have to jog to make a left because they don't realize there's are two left-turn lanes (one dedicated and one not). It's an accident waiting to happen. ETA: Yes, I pay a lot of attention to traffic patterns in general. I've never been to Good Stuff, and I have no particular feelings about Spike at this time.
Hannah Posted October 13, 2009 Posted October 13, 2009 Yeah, I bet the Capitol Police are just gonna love that idea.
ktmoomau Posted October 13, 2009 Posted October 13, 2009 I am getting a little tired of burgers and pizza not that I don't love burgers and pizza, but it's becoming a little overkill. It would be nice to see a more healthy casual restaurant. He seems to have a west coast vibe, why not some causal, but healthy stuff served in a low key environment? I would love to see him cook something like that and show some real creativity. And I would love a nice healthy casual breakfast joint near the Eastern Market as all the breakfast places over there are so crowded. Or a place that had as good of breakfast as places like Matt's Big Breakfast in Phoenix. You could do farm fresh breakfast and casual other meals of the day and I would be all happy, but pizza... no, I doubt I will be going there.
fuzzy510 Posted April 24, 2010 Posted April 24, 2010 Now apparently aiming for mid-May or so. I have low expectations, given my dislike for Good Stuff and the large number of good pizza options in DC as it is, but I'll reserve too much snark until the place actually opens.
fuzzy510 Posted July 9, 2010 Posted July 9, 2010 Maybe it's just me, but I'm not terribly excited after seeing some of the pictures from whatever opening party was thrown here recently. I think those are a good deal smaller than what he intends to serve, but those pizzas just don't look good at all.
leleboo Posted July 9, 2010 Posted July 9, 2010 The website's subtitle reads "GREAT PIZZA IN DC". For some reason, that's enough of a turn-off for me to walk on by. (Full disclosure: I've never watched Top Chef and have never been to Good Stuff, either. )
Tujague Posted July 9, 2010 Posted July 9, 2010 The website's subtitle reads "GREAT PIZZA IN DC". For some reason, that's enough of a turn-off for me to walk on by. (Full disclosure: I've never watched Top Chef and have never been to Good Stuff, either. ) Yeah, there's an overdose of obnoxious there, but I'll give him credit for an attractive, easy-to-navigate Web site, though, and for highlighting community outreach efforts. Good stuff isn't a total misnomer.
Sthitch Posted July 9, 2010 Posted July 9, 2010 Maybe it's just me, but I'm not terribly excited after seeing some of the pictures from whatever opening party was thrown here recently. I think those are a good deal smaller than what he intends to serve, but those pizzas just don't look good at all. It is not the size of the pizzas that would turn me off, it is that it looks painfully doughy.
fuzzy510 Posted July 9, 2010 Posted July 9, 2010 It is not the size of the pizzas that would turn me off, it is that it looks painfully doughy. That's what turns me off too; the size comment was more to say that I'm not sure how much I can read into anything I see, given that I don't think those particular pizzas would be on the menu. But yeah, those particular pizzas definitely look closer to the individual pies served in my high school cafeteria than what you'd find at some of the other pizza options on the Hill.
Anna Blume Posted July 10, 2010 Posted July 10, 2010 According to Spike, yes. From the Examiner article: "It's going to be much like the formula of Good Stuff," said Mendelsohn. "It's going to be really hip, really clean, it's going to be farm fresh." Anyone know what he means about "farm fresh" pizza? Anyone ever seen this guy at a farmers market? I haven't. You want more? Nonna can't spell "vegetarian". Modena's where you'll find terrific Romanesque sculpture, Pavarotti's relatives and expensive, syrupy vinegar, but there's no eponymous ingredient as far as I know. See Menu for more goofs that any decent copy editor would catch.
Banco Posted July 10, 2010 Posted July 10, 2010 It's all such complete bullshit. I'm sick of all this bullshit. Where's Peter Finch?
leleboo Posted July 10, 2010 Posted July 10, 2010 It's all such complete bullshit. I'm sick of all this bullshit. Where's Peter Finch? Whoa, a Network reference? Lay off those antibiotics, kid. I can't pretend that I'm not prejudging the pizza. But honestly I want someone to explain to me the pun in the "We, Izings" part of the menu (wings). "Of thee I sing" maybe? It was a crappy Gershwin musical; it's not serving him any better on his menu. (If I'm missing a better pun here, please enlighten me. I've been thinking about this all day to no avail. Wheezing? Zingers? If it's obvious, I'll take my hits for being obtuse ... because I'm really blind to it.)
Banco Posted July 10, 2010 Posted July 10, 2010 Whoa, a Network reference? Lay off those antibiotics, kid. I can't pretend that I'm not prejudging the pizza. But honestly I want someone to explain to me the pun in the "We, Izings" part of the menu (wings). "Of thee I sing" maybe? It was a crappy Gershwin musical; it's not serving him any better on his menu. (If I'm missing a better pun here, please enlighten me. I've been thinking about this all day to no avail. Wheezing? Zingers? If it's obvious, I'll take my hits for being obtuse ... because I'm really blind to it.) "Farm fresh pizza" is bullshit. It's bullshit. And I'm mad as hell and I'm not... blah blah blah.
u-bet! Posted July 10, 2010 Posted July 10, 2010 I would be willing to give the place a try. Forgive me if I presume to be the judge of whether or not the Ubet Manhattan Egg Cream is any good.
Ericandblueboy Posted July 10, 2010 Posted July 10, 2010 I would be willing to give the place a try. Why? I'm curious as to why people try his food? As for burgers and pizzas, I'm 100% sure they're not the best this city has to offer. Patronizing his restaurants is what I call feeding the troll.
fuzzy510 Posted July 10, 2010 Posted July 10, 2010 Why? I'm curious as to why people try his food? As for burgers and pizzas, I'm 100% sure they're not the best this city has to offer. Patronizing his restaurants is what I call feeding the troll. Sure, the burgers aren't, and the pizzas aren't likely to be either, but you're just going to assume it's not worth eating before it even opens? You're not only going to not give the place a fair chance, but chastise people who DO give it a fair chance? How can you offer anything resembling a worthwhile opinion if you're going to negatively assess places you won't even try once?
Pat Posted July 10, 2010 Posted July 10, 2010 Whoa, a Network reference? Lay off those antibiotics, kid. I can't pretend that I'm not prejudging the pizza. But honestly I want someone to explain to me the pun in the "We, Izings" part of the menu (wings). "Of thee I sing" maybe? It was a crappy Gershwin musical; it's not serving him any better on his menu. (If I'm missing a better pun here, please enlighten me. I've been thinking about this all day to no avail. Wheezing? Zingers? If it's obvious, I'll take my hits for being obtuse ... because I'm really blind to it.) That puzzled me too. All I could figure is that it's supposed to be a combination of the "iz" from pizza with the "ings" from wings.
tfbrennan Posted July 10, 2010 Posted July 10, 2010 Why? I'm curious as to why people try his food? That's an easy one: "'We' means togetherness, unity, peace and good will. ... 'We' is the promise of better days and brighter futures and the opportunity to finally be ourselves because together, 'we' are one. ... Smells are richer. Sights are more beautiful. Sounds are clearer and Tastes more glorious with 'we.' 'We' brings meaning to the mundane. When 'we' joins together and puts another before 'I' and 'me,' the world becomes a better place." Wee, the P add your own "sic(k)s" Don, are you writing copy for him?
DonRocks Posted July 10, 2010 Posted July 10, 2010 Don, are you writing copy for him? I'm not that bad, am I?
Banco Posted July 10, 2010 Posted July 10, 2010 "'We' means togetherness, unity, peace and good will. ... 'We' is the promise of better days and brighter futures and the opportunity to finally be ourselves because together, 'we' are one. ... Smells are richer. Sights are more beautiful. Sounds are clearer and Tastes more glorious with 'we.' 'We' brings meaning to the mundane. When 'we' joins together and puts another before 'I' and 'me,' the world becomes a better place." MAKE THE BULLSHIT STOP!!!!
Chris Cunningham Posted July 10, 2010 Posted July 10, 2010 WOW!!!!!!!!!!!! There are a lot of angry and judgemental people when it comes to "Celebrity" food and their restaurants. Lots of Haters as well...which is equally pathetic and sad Too many people , in their own minds, are the greatest armchair quarterbacks of food....... Unless you've actually eaten the food at any of Spike"s places ...you should keep your mouth shut...until you have actually tried the food. I have never been to any of his places, primarliy becuase I dont go over to Cap Hill much and I'm at my own place enough I do plan to try both places at some point and at that time only after I HAVE EATEN the food, shall I render a verdict....and either keep it to myself or share it in whatever forum. It is very sad that many people want to hate the place becuase of some perception of the guy....So unless you've actually met someone in person or tried their food, I recommend that you all keep your opinions limited..becuase I don't come to the bowling alley and tell you how to do your job Pizza and burgers are such huge staples in our society and are so ridiculously subjective, that I actually dread hearing about them all the time
monavano Posted July 10, 2010 Posted July 10, 2010 Pizza and burgers are such huge staples in our society and are so ridiculously subjective, that I actually dread hearing about them all the time Amen. Them, and cheesesteaks.
Banco Posted July 10, 2010 Posted July 10, 2010 WOW!!!!!!!!!!!! There are a lot of angry and judgemental people when it comes to "Celebrity" food and their restaurants. Lots of Haters as well...which is equally pathetic and sad Too many people , in their own minds, are the greatest armchair quarterbacks of food....... Unless you've actually eaten the food at any of Spike"s places ...you should keep your mouth shut...until you have actually tried the food. I have never been to any of his places, primarliy becuase I dont go over to Cap Hill much and I'm at my own place enough I do plan to try both places at some point and at that time only after I HAVE EATEN the food, shall I render a verdict....and either keep it to myself or share it in whatever forum. It is very sad that many people want to hate the place becuase of some perception of the guy....So unless you've actually met someone in person or tried their food, I recommend that you all keep your opinions limited..becuase I don't come to the bowling alley and tell you how to do your job Pizza and burgers are such huge staples in our society and are so ridiculously subjective, that I actually dread hearing about them all the time I actually am going to try the place, since the food sounds good. It's just the hype and bullshit advertising that's such a turn-off. Oh, and if there's anything worse than a pre-judgemental foodie, it's a self-righteous, holier-than-thou soapboxer.
u-bet! Posted July 10, 2010 Posted July 10, 2010 Why? I'm curious as to why people try his food? As for burgers and pizzas, I'm 100% sure they're not the best this city has to offer. Patronizing his restaurants is what I call feeding the troll. 1) I think the pizzas in the picture actually look good. 2) I'm interested to see how the egg cream compares to the toasted marshmallow shake at Good Stuff, which I find quite tasty. 3) I need to get out more.
LizLemon Posted July 14, 2010 Posted July 14, 2010 I don't know if I managed to miss this in the thread, but does anyone know when this place is opening its doors to mere mortals? I know there was a soft opening recently, but then I read that the real opening is July 19. Any confirmations on that? I guess everyone will crucify me for this but I enjoy Good Stuff Eatery, so I will at least give this place a fair shot. Thanks in advance for any info.
leleboo Posted July 14, 2010 Posted July 14, 2010 I don't know if I managed to miss this in the thread, but does anyone know when this place is opening its doors to mere mortals? I know there was a soft opening recently, but then I read that the real opening is July 19. Any confirmations on that? I guess everyone will crucify me for this but I enjoy Good Stuff Eatery, so I will at least give this place a fair shot. Thanks in advance for any info. Somewhere in the blogs about the soft opening there was a note that it would be one more week (so the 26th). I'll see if I can find a citation -- until then, consider it hearsay. (Amazingly, after that last sentence, I'm actually not a lawyer.) ETA: Wait, I'm wrong; the 19th *was* the pushed-back date. Haven't found any more confirmations (or denials) after that. (CapitalSpice via Young&Hungry)
LizLemon Posted July 15, 2010 Posted July 15, 2010 ETA: Wait, I'm wrong; the 19th *was* the pushed-back date. Haven't found any more confirmations (or denials) after that. (CapitalSpice via Young&Hungry) Thanks! And don't worry--some (probably many) of us are lawyers, so I won't judge your judicious use of legalese.
Pool Boy Posted July 15, 2010 Posted July 15, 2010 I don't know if I managed to miss this in the thread, but does anyone know when this place is opening its doors to mere mortals? I know there was a soft opening recently, but then I read that the real opening is July 19. Any confirmations on that? I guess everyone will crucify me for this but I enjoy Good Stuff Eatery, so I will at least give this place a fair shot. Thanks in advance for any info. I was at his current place next door to this soon to open spot, and this was almost two weeks ago. It was still nowhere near openion IMO, but someone (an older gentleman) was hustling one of the workers to round up chairs to bring them in to the pizza space. It looked like there was still some work to do inside there.
PigglyWiggly Posted July 20, 2010 Posted July 20, 2010 Well, I'm not sure of the status of this place, but my hope is to hit here before the Dave Matthews Band concert at Nationals Park on Friday. If it's closed, then Good Stuff it will be. Either way, I'll need the walk to the park after dinner.
leleboo Posted July 21, 2010 Posted July 21, 2010 Closed as of today. Oops -- yeah, the newly (as of Monday) announced opening is lunch on Friday. I thought someone had posted it here, but apparently not.
lion Posted July 23, 2010 Posted July 23, 2010 Oops -- yeah, the newly (as of Monday) announced opening is lunch on Friday. I thought someone had posted it here, but apparently not. Missed this posting. Actually called their phone number and the message conveyed that they were open. Nope. Ended up at Seventh Hill Pizza. $12 for a margarita. Ok toppings, but crust bland. They had good traffic tonight, wonder how it will be once We, the Pizza opens.
leleboo Posted July 23, 2010 Posted July 23, 2010 I swear I am not in the tank for this restaurant (despite a certain young roomer of mine having seen Spike at the grocery store downstairs yesterday) -- I just wanted to post that now word on the street is, opening Monday. So don't go for lunch today without calling first!
Pat Posted July 23, 2010 Posted July 23, 2010 According to recent reports on twitter, they've been open for a while this afternoon and will be open off and on over the weekend, but the official opening is not until Monday.
Andelman Posted July 23, 2010 Posted July 23, 2010 With the amount of hype regarding the mere opening of this joint, this pizza better be pretty f*cking good.
JPW Posted July 23, 2010 Posted July 23, 2010 With the amount of hype regarding the mere opening of this joint, this pizza better be pretty f*cking good. With the amount of hype regarding the mere opening of this joint, this pizza doesn't have to be pretty f*cking good.
DonRocks Posted July 24, 2010 Posted July 24, 2010 With the amount of hype regarding the mere opening of this joint, this pizza doesn't have to be pretty f*cking good. Correct. The power of national TV is so much stronger than the power of this website, that Spike Mendelsohn is probably looking at us as a bunch of gnats. Give him credit for taking advantage of a situation in which, untapped, he would have remained a mere pawn on the network chessboard. I mean this as a compliment - not to his restaurants, but to his business acumen and moxie. Good luck with the opening. [And as Simon Says (I think it was maybe while panning Taylor Hicks), "This is a singing competition!" If the music is good, We, The Pizza will be praised here, but if it's not, We, The Pizza will be panned here. It will be interesting to see how the other "major" restaurant websites in the city handle this. Fame doesn't mean Jack Schitt to me; only substance matters.] Cheers, Rocks
weinoo Posted July 24, 2010 Posted July 24, 2010 Correct. The power of national TV is so much stronger than the power of this website, that Spike Mendelsohn is probably looking at us as a bunch of gnats. Give him credit for taking advantage of a situation in which, untapped, he would have remained a mere pawn on the network chessboard. I mean this as a compliment - not to his restaurants, but to his business acumen and moxie. Well, while it's all well and good to give him credit for taking advantage of a situation, I'm not eating in his restaurants to see what a good businessman he is...I'm there, if at all, for the food. Look at another chef who took advantage of his situation - Mario. The food in his restaurants is good, very good and excellent. I don't eat there because he's the chef; I eat there because I like it.
Miami Danny Posted July 24, 2010 Posted July 24, 2010 Well, while it's all well and good to give him credit for taking advantage of a situation, I'm not eating in his restaurants to see what a good businessman he is...I'm there, if at all, for the food. Look at another chef who took advantage of his situation - Mario. The food in his restaurants is good, very good and excellent. I don't eat there because he's the chef; I eat there because I like it. Except with one major difference-Mario was a chef who became famous because he was a talented chef. I'm not really sure why this other guy is 'famous'. Correct. The power of national TV is so much stronger than the power of this website, that Spike Mendelsohn is probably looking at us as a bunch of gnats. Give him credit for taking advantage of a situation in which, untapped, he would have remained a mere pawn on the network chessboard. I mean this as a compliment - not to his restaurants, but to his business acumen and moxie. Good luck with the opening. [And as Simon Says (I think it was maybe while panning Taylor Hicks), "This is a singing competition!" If the music is good, We, The Pizza will be praised here, but if it's not, We, The Pizza will be panned here. It will be interesting to see how the other "major" restaurant websites in the city handle this. Fame doesn't mean Jack Schitt to me; only substance matters.] Cheers, Rocks Fame may mean nothing to you, but there are already over 40 posts here and the guy hasn't even opened. That says a lot.
weinoo Posted July 24, 2010 Posted July 24, 2010 Except with one major difference-Mario was a chef who became famous because he was a talented chef. I'm not really sure why this other guy is 'famous'. Quite true. I think Spike is famous because of his ironic hat. Fame may mean nothing to you, but there are already over 40 posts here and the guy hasn't even opened. That says a lot. Right. The food and fame obsessed. What's surprising to me is that with his hamburger and fries so shitty, how good do we think the pizza can be?
DonRocks Posted July 24, 2010 Posted July 24, 2010 [i'm locking this thread until the restaurant opens. The conversation has degraded into trivial swiping (and my post last night probably didn't help; it would be my fault as moderator if I let things continue - they were only going to get worse). Cheers, Rocks]
Flavortown Posted July 26, 2010 Posted July 26, 2010 All right, looks like I'll be the first one to offer a comment on how the pizza Spike is putting out actually tastes. Before that, a brief take on the rest of the place: Aesthetically, I actually like it a lot. While the pictures of Spike and Co. all over the walls aren't particularly attractive, overall I think it has a nice look, and their method of displaying the pizzas is smart and effective: they've got 15 or so round pedestals that each have a different pizza on them, forcing you to look them over whilst standing in line, making it considerably more difficult to decide since most all of them at least look good. I was fine with waiting the 30 minutes it took for me to order and get my pizza. First day open, technical difficulties, crazy long line, etc. . . . It wasn't too big of a deal to me, though some of the frantic fans had gone from snapping shots of Spike expediting to demanding their pizza from the defenseless staff. By the time I got to the register, I'd decided to go with a slice each of the White Pie Today's ricotta, fontina, roasted garlic, Parmesan, mozz, sea salt, olive oil, fresh Italian parsley and the Roasted Potato and Pancetta Pie Roasted local spuds, pancetta, caramelized onions, our tomato sauce, mozz, fresh rosemary. Both were $4 a pop, and I skipped the house made sodas, despite the legion of people happily sipping on them while waiting for their orders to be filled. So, after standing in a corner for about 10 or 15 minutes, drinking ice water and watching as the people working the counter tried to get a handle on calling out people's order numbers for them to pick up their food, I grabbed my slices and dug in. Without a doubt, the quality of the food and the length of the line going out the door and down the sidewalk are not at all commensurate. However, I've definitely eaten worse pizza before (i.e. Dominos, Angelico, etc.). Spike's pizza falls into the realm of what I consider NY style pizza -- floppy and heavy on the toppings, almost demanding folding if you want to eat it and not make a complete mess. Yet while the look and the feel of the pizza was accurate, eating it breaks the illusion: the crust just isn't quite there yet. It has too much chew (almost gluey) with only the slightest crispness at the end-crust, along with just decent flavor that might have developed further had the pizzas spent a little more time in the oven. The white pizza was undoubtedly cheesy, and not doused in oil as often occurs with white pies. Yet their mozzarella doesn't taste like a particularly high quality product in comparison to other area pizzerias, and I got no hint of the roasted garlic. The potato and pancetta pie struck me as a unique concept, but wasn't all that successful: the chunks of potato looked like they might be crispy, but instead were soggy; and the pancetta wasn't browned at all, bringing only oil and chew rather than crispiness to the equation. The sauce, however, was actually pretty flavorful, and the hit of rosemary was well balanced and appreciated. Still, all those components, together with the cheese, brought way too much moisture to a pie that already hadn't received enough cook (the underside was pale). Obviously, judging any place solely on its first official day of service is unfair, even if that day was a long time coming. And as one who has worked with pizza dough in a number of contexts, I know that each batch from the same recipe can somehow come out drastically different. But if the pizza I got today is what Spike was shooting for, based on how my jaw feels, I'd insist that no amount of appealing presentation and menu description can make up for an overly chewy crust. Much like Good Stuff's burgers, which have successful toppings but a terrible base (the meat), Spike's pizza reads well on the menu, looks good on display, and even has decent toppings, but misses the mark on the most foundational element. Yet while Good Stuff seems like a lost cause to me, I think We, The Pizza could possibly settle in and reach a point where $4 a slice doesn't sting too badly.
Sthitch Posted July 26, 2010 Posted July 26, 2010 ...I think We, The Pizza could possibly settle in and reach a point where $4 a slice doesn't sting too badly. Do they charge that ridiculous "environmental fee" like they do at the burger place?
weinoo Posted July 26, 2010 Posted July 26, 2010 So, GennaroE, I guess the 3-star dream isn't quite there yet? Sounds like the 'spuds' recipe was borrowed from next door. I do take slight issue with your statement that you consider NY style pizza -- floppy and heavy on the toppings. That's not how it is at all at the great NY style pizza joints.
teddyk Posted July 26, 2010 Posted July 26, 2010 Ditto to the review above. I would just add that I also had the potato pizza and, with the exception of some rosemary flavor, it was really quite bland. I also had the buffalo chicken pizza which was also lacking in flavor, heat, or much of anything. The house made soda (I got the orange something) on the other hand was really, really great. It was like a creamy tangy orange crush. Delicious. But, all in all, there was nothing really memorable about this place. By the way, as an indicator of either my lack of bias or lack of taste, I like Good Stuff and I am not a Spike hater -- maybe a fan. .
csirwillis Posted July 27, 2010 Posted July 27, 2010 Do they charge that ridiculous "environmental fee" like they do at the burger place? Pizza Mart in Adams Morgan has a slice for 5 bucks and its like 3 slices into one..and its foldable..but if he wants NY Stye pizza then he needs to get tap water from the NY city to make the dough.
lion Posted August 6, 2010 Posted August 6, 2010 Had a slice of regular cheese pizza last night. Crust and cheese were thick and had no flavor. The few pieces of basil leaves seemed to be added afterward it was warmed up. I'd say it left no impression on me other than reminding me of pizza in high school. I did enjoy the cream soda, lightly sweet and tasty. The place is pretty inside and it kind of has a retro charm to it evoking memories of black and white photographs of NY style diners and pizza places from the 1940s and 50s. However with the loud music and talking going on inside, it was hard to place an order. In the area, I would go Seventh Hill, Matchbox, and then We, the Pizza.
Ferhat Yalcin Posted August 6, 2010 Posted August 6, 2010 I wonder if Spike reads this board!! It would help him correct his many issues.
Ericandblueboy Posted August 7, 2010 Posted August 7, 2010 Sure, the burgers aren't, and the pizzas aren't likely to be either, but you're just going to assume it's not worth eating before it even opens? You're not only going to not give the place a fair chance, but chastise people who DO give it a fair chance? How can you offer anything resembling a worthwhile opinion if you're going to negatively assess places you won't even try once? Ever heard of fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me? You're suggesting that I keep throwing money at Spike in the hopes he can actually turn out something decent. Yes, I'm telling people, don't throw your money away feeding the troll.
DonRocks Posted August 7, 2010 Posted August 7, 2010 (edited) Washington City Paper Washington Post Washingtonian Anyone know how Pupatella is doing these days? I mean, I suppose I could tell you because I went today for about the fifth or sixth time, but ... nah, I'll leave it to the experts. (I haven't yet been to We, The Pizza, so unfortunately I have nothing of substance to add to this conversation.) --- ETA: My mistake. Here ya go! Edited August 7, 2010 by DonRocks
lion Posted August 7, 2010 Posted August 7, 2010 I wonder if Spike reads this board!! It would help him correct his many issues. Most likely he doesn't feel there are many issues, the place was packed. I don't think his aim is to be the best 'pizza' restaurant in a certain style, rather the plan is to fill a certain kind of image of a food and promote a life style brand as they say. For example, I feel the same way about Kushi Izakaya, though the quality there is much better. Both places are aiming towards an image of a particular kind of food and the overall experience of eating there. Frankly, so far they both are very successful in their intention. It's not my thing, but that's ok.
mdt Posted August 8, 2010 Posted August 8, 2010 Most likely he doesn't feel there are many issues, the place was packed. I don't think his aim is to be the best 'pizza' restaurant in a certain style, rather the plan is to fill a certain kind of image of a food and promote a life style brand as they say. For example, I feel the same way about Kushi Izakaya, though the quality there is much better. Both places are aiming towards an image of a particular kind of food and the overall experience of eating there. Frankly, so far they both are very successful in their intention. It's not my thing, but that's ok. Exactly. As long as he is making coin why would he change anything?
Hannah Posted September 17, 2010 Posted September 17, 2010 A month or so on from the last post, sounds like they may have addressed some of their consistency issues. The crust on both the slices I got was appropriately chewy, the white pizza had plenty of roasted garlic flavor, and the sauce/crust/cheese ratio on the roasted tomato and mozzarella pizza seemed right on. I've been to Good Stuff once and haven't bothered returning despite the fact that I work a block and a half away, but We the Pizza is worth a return trip.
fuzzy510 Posted September 17, 2010 Posted September 17, 2010 I've been to Good Stuff once and haven't bothered returning despite the fact that I work a block and a half away, but We the Pizza is worth a return trip. This basically sums up my thoughts. We, The Pizza does NY-style street pizza better than Good Stuff does burgers, and while it's not as good of a product as a place like Orso, 2Amys or even Paradiso, there are some times when I just want a simple slice of cheese NY-style pizza, and I'd be lying if I said that I didn't think We, The Pizza did a pretty good job of it. The sodas, however, haven't knocked my socks off the couple times I've been there. For my money, the best pairing of entree and non-fountain-soda beverage of Spike's two joints is almost certainly a slice from We, The Pizza and a Good Stuff milkshake.
Pat Posted October 4, 2010 Posted October 4, 2010 I'm happy to have a place nearby to get pizza by the slice. It was actually busier than I expected when I stopped in today just before 3 for a slice of mushroom and one pepperoni. The mushroom seemed a bit on the dry side. It appeared moist but tasted dry, if that makes any sense. The pepperoni was more balanced and gave off a slight amount of grease (not in a bad way). The space feels more comfortable to me than Good Stuff and I have to say I like the restaurant more. They do charge the enviro fee here too, but it bothered me less, since my eat-in order didn't come surrounded with disposable packaging. Downstairs, the music was deafeningly loud, though it was fine upstairs.
Tweaked Posted October 26, 2010 Posted October 26, 2010 A mostly successful trip to We The Pizza this past weekend. we hit it around 4:30 on a Saturday and there was no line. we ordered three slices: Artichoke - solid, but nothing wow about it Pepperoni - good slice of pepperoni White - excellent, by far the winner, good flavor, very rich when you get a bite of ricotta. The bottom crust was nicely crisp and browned on the bottom. However, we were not happy with the big round of pillowy outer edge crust, kinda boring, alot to chew on, could have used some more cooking/char. Beer: The We the Pizza beer is god awful...if they made a Bud Light Amber, it might taste like We the Pizza beer. So all in all, considering all the hype, if the lines aren't too long, and you cut off the outer crust, and you don't order their beer...it's a pretty good slice!
weinoo Posted October 29, 2010 Posted October 29, 2010 So all in all, considering all the hype, if the lines aren't too long, and you cut off the outer crust, and you don't order their beer...it's a pretty good slice! Wow, makes me want to rush right over.
wlohmann Posted November 15, 2010 Posted November 15, 2010 Got three pies from here for an office meeting - - they were ready on time and nice and hot even after being driven back to 15th and G. Got regular cheese, pepperoni and the roasted tomato and fresh mozz. As NY Style street pizza goes, this was awfully good- -sauce tasted fresh, nice balance of sauce and high quality cheese, crust a tad sweet but not too - - a little "puffier" than I typically like or see in good NY (or better yet, NJ) slice. Not perfect but the bar is not very high in DC for this kind of pizza and these pies more than cleared it. Best of this genre in DC for me, though, remains Valentino's in Alexandria. Walt
tobychun Posted November 15, 2010 Posted November 15, 2010 My latest pizza experiences are We, the Pizza and Pupatella. I prefer the quality of Pupatella's pizzas and the ability to customize your pizza (did not see this option on We, the Pizza's website, unless I was missing something). But the quality at We, the Pizza was pretty decent, and I like how you can get a bigger size pie there.
Pat Posted January 4, 2011 Posted January 4, 2011 Of the three types of slices I have tried, pepperoni has been the clear winner. I stopped in this afternoon while very hungry and saw an employee pull a pizza from the oven and put it on one of the display rounds. I looked and it was cheese pizza, which I hadn't before tried. Since it had just been baked, I figured it was the fastest piece I could get, so that's what I ordered. There were no other customers around. The vibrating pager I was given went off almost immediately, which I figured was because the pizza was already ready for me. A piece came out, which I thought was mine, until I realized it had white (goat?) cheese on it. An employee told me I'd have to wait until they could put my pizza in the oven for a few minutes before they could serve it. This made me a little nuts since I'd ordered what I did because it just came out of the oven. Anyway, a few minutes later, I had a meh slice of cheese pizza with a flabby crust. I added some Parmesan and pepper flakes from the shakers and had a meh slice of pizza with Parmesan and pepper flakes. Maybe someday I'll try getting a whole pizza, but there are other places nearby to get whole pizzas. The benefit of this place is--or should be--slices. (When I complained about the lack of these in the neighborhood, somebody told me i could get slices at Pizza Boli .) I really want to like the slices of pizza here . The pepperoni was down to only a couple of slices on display. Given that I had to wait for heating anyway, I guess I should have just gone for that.
cheezepowder Posted June 9, 2014 Posted June 9, 2014 A location opened yesterday at 2100 Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA (via Spike's tweet).
hopsing Posted November 29, 2019 Posted November 29, 2019 I walked by the new We the Pizza in Ballston. Looks like they are open now... sort of. There were lots of pizzas on display and a sign that said be gentle with the trainees. Some people were seated and eating.
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now