Pizzeria Da Marco, Neapolitan in Downtown Bethesda and Germantown next to Wegman's

[porcupine]

I ate at da Marco last Saturday afternoon. Though I didn't pay close attention to the food (was having a serious conversation with a relative in need), I don't recall anything objectionable about the pizzas we had. Not top-tier, but if I was stuck in Bethesda and wanting a pie, I'd go back. The suppli were actually quite good.

[Pool Boy]

Well, FWIW, I like Mia's quite a lot, so having this place slip is not the end of the world. Haven, down the way, is clearly differnet stylistically, but I enjoy Mia's better. Haven is nowhere close to really good New Haven style pizza IMO (nothing like Modern Apizza, for example). Still, sad to see them slip.

[ol_ironstomach]

Does Da Marco really deserve to remain italicized? I'm not convinced (whereas I suspect Newton's Table might be worthy of a bump up). The pizza still has the right AVPN flavor, but the cornicione didn't really spring, and the bake was just good...didn't seem hot enough to achieve great spotting. I'd rank them Pacci's, Da Marco, CS, in ascending order, and in any case Edan is slinging the county's best right now at Range. I tried the olive ripiene last week and they were good looking, but a bit bland and not piping hot in the center.

Still, the happy hour deal (4-7) is a steal at $6 for a basic margherita classica, albeit with cow mozzarella and not bufala.

[DonRocks]

Does Da Marco really deserve to remain italicized? I'm not convinced (whereas I suspect Newton's Table might be worthy of a bump up). The pizza still has the right AVPN flavor, but the cornicione didn't really spring, and the bake was just good...didn't seem hot enough to achieve great spotting. I'd rank them Pacci's, Da Marco, CS, in ascending order, and in any case Edan is slinging the county's best right now at Range. I tried the olive ripiene last week and they were good looking, but a bit bland and not piping hot in the center.

Still, the happy hour deal (4-7) is a steal at $6 for a basic margherita classica, albeit with cow mozzarella and not bufala.

I was there about three months ago, and downgraded it, but thought the remnants of quality still existed - and I liked the beer selection a lot. Unless you're a regular at a restaurant, it's difficult to discuss trends (unless you delude yourself, as some food writers do), but it would not surprise me at all if Da Marco is on a long-term downward slide, as the ghost of Dino Santonicola becomes more and more faint. Pizza CS is clearly a superior pizza right now.

Pizzeria Da Marco is a poster child for why restaurant reviews must now be subject to constant revision. The power of the internet is accompanied by the burden of eternal vigilance.

(Range is in DC, btw.)

[ol_ironstomach]

Yeah, you're right. My brain fade had it on the wrong side of Western Ave today, for some reason.

[hm212]

After having been to all three Moco sites recently (CS, DaMarco and Mia) - Da Marco is at the bottom of this list and Mia's is at the top.

[mnnchas]

Anyone been to PDM in the last 2-3 months? I ask because coworkers say it is very good, but I tend to be more critical of good versus average vs bad than they are. Wondering if it is worth the experiment to try again.

 

We just went a few nights ago.  My wife and her friends raved about the meatballs (Marco's Balls) and their pies (Spinaci and a special with anchovies).

I may have ordered wrong with a Margherita Classica, which was a perfectly serviceable pie, but I just find their crust to be lacking that flavorful, chewy, char-ry quality that I have come to expect in this type of pizza. [note: In fairness, I had just been to Pizza CS, so my expectations were pretty high]

[DonRocks]

After having been to all three Moco sites recently (CS, DaMarco and Mia) - Da Marco is at the bottom of this list and Mia's is at the top.

Pizzeria da Marco has been on a downward slide for quite awhile.

Now, even the picture on the website doesn't look very good.

I've lowered this in the Dining Guide before, and now I'm lowering it some more and taking it out of Italics.

(They have a good beer selection, however.)

Looks like another pizza place coming to the area.

http://www.pizzablog...aches-maryland/

And now you know why I quote from Wikipedia whenever possible - it will be here as long as we are.

[darkstar965]

"Pizzeria da Marco has been on a downward slide for quite awhile."

Understatement. It was in italics?!?!

[DonRocks]

"Pizzeria da Marco has been on a downward slide for quite awhile."

Understatement. It was in italics?!?!

Yeah, I hadn't been in several years, and the last time I was there, it was clear that things had slipped (the second pizzaiolo had recently left), but the ingredients still seemed reputable, and the beer selection was excellent (that said, please correct me if you notice anything obvious that's wrong in the Dining Guides).

What I like about this situation is that I feel that we're at least partially responsible for ending the damaging byproduct of The Old School known as "Review Season" - a term that we coined on Jul 10, 2007. Restaurant criticism has become a 24/7/365 job, and I'd like to think we're leading the charge in the ongoing destruction of Review Season - now, if we can only get the public and the restaurateurs to listen - they're clinging on to the old school (which is dead-set against us, make no mistake) because they resist change and it requires less thought and education (everyone wants there to be a ubiquitous God to whom they can turn to get answers to all their questions), but the dining public will come to their senses in due time. There are still plenty of damaging byproducts (bribery not being the least of them (trust me on this one)), but we'll put an end to that, too - one battle at a time.

As to whether or not I'm worried that we'll be ignored for being rebels ... we can't possibly be ignored any more than we have been, so there's nothing to lose. Old-school (and even new-school) restaurant publications have ignored us and hoped we'd go away for many years, but we're not going to, so they're in for one hell of a fight going forward, and the winners will be the dining public. There will never be any James Beard Awards for donrockwell.com, but we'll win it posthumously (I know we will, so don't ever feel badly if something happens to me), and Matt will be around to accept the award, so I don't care; on the contrary, I take joy in knowing that he'll be proud of his dad at that moment.

PS - I'm finished submitting donrockwell.com for the fraudulent Beard Awards, but you can't win if you don't enter. If someone wants to pool a collection to pay the entry fee, this is the type of movement that will take a sustained, ongoing effort - first, to be recognized, second, to be nominated, and finally to win the award. It could take many years, but once we grab hold of the microphone, and stand on the podium, the consumers' interests will be represented as never before.

The most logical category to be nominated for is "Group Food Blog." Last year's nominees were The Braiser, Eater National (please note this), and First We Feast. Call if what you want - disgraceful, fraudulent, or just plain dumb, but please call it *something*, and more importantly, please act on it - I've tried, and have been stymied at every turn. All my nominations have been ignored, and I'm going to need the public's help to have any chance at future recognition. I would love to be alive to see it happen, but it's not going to happen, as it's a long-term project. Still, there's Matt.

[Pool Boy]

I love this site. It is my most heavily used food related site anywhere.

[darkstar965]

I love this site. It is my most heavily used food related site anywhere.

Disagree but in a way I'm guessing you may like.

I too love this site.  But, part of its challenge is that it's not close to being the "most heavily used" by the public writ large. Then again, you did say "my" so we don't actually disagree at all ( ).

This site is all about content quality. And, its struggles mirror those of restaurants in my humblest of opinions.  Most covers are rung up at restaurants of middling (or worse) quality, whatever the price range.  And, most clicks and posts are on like websites and blogs.

Want a truly great baguette?  Go to BreadFurst.

A fantastic, value-priced omikase?  Sushi Capitol or Izakaya Seki if you want the broader, but still outstanding, Japanese dinner.

An unusually fab burger?  Ray's.

Really honest, expertly prepared and reasonably-priced fish?  FishNet.

Great coffee done with real care?  Qualia, Wydown, The Coffee Bar and a few others.

None of those places is gushing cash like the chains and others with, ah-hem, better locations.

Exceptional content, well-supported opinonions? Donrockwell.com

And there you have it.  

[DonRocks]

I love this site. It is my most heavily used food related site anywhere.

Exceptional content, well-supported opinonions? Donrockwell.com

Checks are going out tomorrow. (Seriously, thank you.)

[darkstar965]

Checks are going out tomorrow. (Seriously, thank you.)

As someone allegedly ( ) "desperate for feedback" here's a bit:

Thank YOU, sir. That's kind of the point I believe Pool Boy and I were both making.  Like all of us, you're not without flaws but you do heroic work here for diners, food enthusiasts and the many different flavors of hard-working and lesser-sung professionals; even when it doesn't always feel that way.

[pras]

Opening a second location in Germantown next to Wegmas per Washington Business Journal.  Taking over the space where the Polish Italian place used to be.

[Simul Parikh]

To piggyback, and continue jacking the thread, this has become my main go-to site when I dine here and elsewhere in the country or the world. For example, I can't thank kt about her (sort of minor) PM to me about leaving enough room to take home as much Croatian wine and olive oil that I could. Best advice to give anyone going to Croatia. Eater wouldn't have got me that. 

Anyway, the major problem with this forum/website and the other adjunct part of it (DCDining) that I run into when I recommend (constantly, Don, I constantly tell people to go to this website- friends, co workers, staff, random people I meet on boats) is that it's pretty darn ugly and formidable for most users. I don't care what you think, or I think, or what users on this forum think. It's not easy to use, it's not easy to search, you can't even go on to it if you aren't a member. Your barrier to entry and the currency it takes to exchange on this board is far too high, and although I don't agree, I completely understand why you don't get the recognition you deserve. Visuals, aesthetics, ease of use - these all matter. You're going to get the die hards, but you're missing out on the middle 60%. If that's okay with you, it's okay with me. But, trust me, any day of the week I will take Eater's presentation. I love their Eater 38 and their Heat Map. And what I do with that information is cross check it with what DR users say (for DC and beyond). That isn't how it is supposed to be. People like us value content over aesthetics. But, that's not how the modern world works.

Anyway, I adore you and this website, but it's impossible to sell it to most people, especially millennials. It will never get  there in the current design, no matter how much we hoot and holler. I know a lot of <30 year old people that love food and food culture and would be valued members of this site, but it's too daunting when you compare it to the other options out there. I.e. - your jab about how to make this an app - "set it up as a bookmark". Ugh. Yelp's app is so useful for logistics, contacting places, finding it on a map. Even thought their generated content is feces, I use it often. 

I don't think it's fair to complain about your lack of recognition when one of your badges of pride is to make it as inaccessible to an average person as possible. 

Sorry for tough words. I love this site. 

[DonRocks]

2 hours ago, Simul Parikh said:

To piggyback, and continue jacking the thread, this has become my main go-to site when I dine here and elsewhere in the country or the world. For example, I can't thank kt about her (sort of minor) PM to me about leaving enough room to take home as much Croatian wine and olive oil that I could. Best advice to give anyone going to Croatia. Eater wouldn't have got me that. 

Anyway, the major problem with this forum/website and the other adjunct part of it (DCDining) that I run into when I recommend (constantly, Don, I constantly tell people to go to this website- friends, co workers, staff, random people I meet on boats) is that it's pretty darn ugly and formidable for most users. I don't care what you think, or I think, or what users on this forum think. It's not easy to use, it's not easy to search, you can't even go on to it if you aren't a member. Your barrier to entry and the currency it takes to exchange on this board is far too high, and although I don't agree, I completely understand why you don't get the recognition you deserve. Visuals, aesthetics, ease of use - these all matter. You're going to get the die hards, but you're missing out on the middle 60%. If that's okay with you, it's okay with me. But, trust me, any day of the week I will take Eater's presentation. I love their Eater 38 and their Heat Map. And what I do with that information is cross check it with what DR users say (for DC and beyond). That isn't how it is supposed to be. People like us value content over aesthetics. But, that's not how the modern world works.

Anyway, I adore you and this website, but it's impossible to sell it to most people, especially millennials. It will never get  there in the current design, no matter how much we hoot and holler. I know a lot of <30 year old people that love food and food culture and would be valued members of this site, but it's too daunting when you compare it to the other options out there. I.e. - your jab about how to make this an app - "set it up as a bookmark". Ugh. Yelp's app is so useful for logistics, contacting places, finding it on a map. Even thought their generated content is feces, I use it often. 

I don't think it's fair to complain about your lack of recognition when one of your badges of pride is to make it as inaccessible to an average person as possible. 

Sorry for tough words. I love this site. 

It may surprise you that I agree with everything you say.

I view it as my job to produce the most substantive, content-driven, restaurant website in the world; I can do no more than this, as my resources - especially given my injury - are completely allocated, and I'm not going to divert what I focus on in order to dumb things down and become popular among the masses. However, all it will take is *one* investor to stumble onto this website, see the potential in it, essentially become my employer, and let me do the day-to-day operations while (s)he or they essentially "put a coat of paint on things" and publicize what we have. Aesthetics and marketing are the easy part - 5% of the total work which countless numbers of people are qualified to do - and that's exactly why I'm not worried or threatened by any other website - there's no "there" there - anywhere; but web design and public relations are two common skill sets I do not possess. Someday, our white knight will come riding into town, and I will be the most enthusiastic team player there ever was; until then, I'm perfectly content to bide my time, and to keep building content, content, content, and not just about restaurants, but about every human endeavor. If it's 10, 20 years from now when things change... so be it - I have everything I need right now (if more people in this world were content with their current situations, and didn't go around endlessly chasing money, there would be a lot more happy people). That said, come October, you'll start to see more of me - I'll become more pro-active in making things happen, and will most likely open things back up to the public (no promises, but that's the current plan - I'm also going to begin reviewing restaurants again, exactly the way we did it before, with at least two reviews per week - my review of Kinship will come out sometime between now and then).

One thing people don't seem to get is that we have more posts on this one, password-protected, single-city forum, than in all of Eater's forums combined, world-wide - look for yourself if you don't believe me. Remember "Sietsema's Table?" Neither does anyone else, and it was wisely eradicated from existence. The failure of those two forums has convinced me that the barriers to entry are thicker than the walls at Fort Knox - it's also very much of a reality check when it comes to our own expansion (I'm an optimist, but I'm not delusional). Failures are nothing to be ashamed of - I have plenty of my own, and there will be plenty more in the future.

The latest "get-rich-quick" scheme is "Instagram Influencers" - this, too, shall pass, because there *are no shortcuts* - nobody can simply open up shop and expect the world to flood their gates, and even if they could, they'd soon have so much competition that it would all be for naught. People do not realize how grueling this is - it is *hard work* coupled with *endless hours*, and takes absolute devotion to the point of insanity. Money cannot be the sole motivator, and those who think otherwise will be proven wrong - either that, or they'll come up with a novel variation, and sell before people realize that it's a losing venture.

[pras]

12 hours ago, Simul Parikh said:

To piggyback, and continue jacking the thread, this has become my main go-to site when I dine here and elsewhere in the country or the world. For example, I can't thank kt about her (sort of minor) PM to me about leaving enough room to take home as much Croatian wine and olive oil that I could. Best advice to give anyone going to Croatia. Eater wouldn't have got me that. 

Anyway, the major problem with this forum/website and the other adjunct part of it (DCDining) that I run into when I recommend (constantly, Don, I constantly tell people to go to this website- friends, co workers, staff, random people I meet on boats) is that it's pretty darn ugly and formidable for most users. I don't care what you think, or I think, or what users on this forum think. It's not easy to use, it's not easy to search, you can't even go on to it if you aren't a member. Your barrier to entry and the currency it takes to exchange on this board is far too high, and although I don't agree, I completely understand why you don't get the recognition you deserve. Visuals, aesthetics, ease of use - these all matter. You're going to get the die hards, but you're missing out on the middle 60%. If that's okay with you, it's okay with me. But, trust me, any day of the week I will take Eater's presentation. I love their Eater 38 and their Heat Map. And what I do with that information is cross check it with what DR users say (for DC and beyond). That isn't how it is supposed to be. People like us value content over aesthetics. But, that's not how the modern world works.

Anyway, I adore you and this website, but it's impossible to sell it to most people, especially millennials. It will never get  there in the current design, no matter how much we hoot and holler. I know a lot of <30 year old people that love food and food culture and would be valued members of this site, but it's too daunting when you compare it to the other options out there. I.e. - your jab about how to make this an app - "set it up as a bookmark". Ugh. Yelp's app is so useful for logistics, contacting places, finding it on a map. Even thought their generated content is feces, I use it often. 

I don't think it's fair to complain about your lack of recognition when one of your badges of pride is to make it as inaccessible to an average person as possible. 

Sorry for tough words. I love this site. 

Out of curiosity, why did you decide to post this in this thread at this time?

[Simul Parikh]

Well, someone necromanced the thread (I.e. You - as there had been no posts since early 2015). I read the 5-10 posts before yours, and it seemed quite relevant. The posts were talking about this forum, it's underappreciation, and its relevance.  

Maybe we should question everybody's posts, when they posted it, and why they did. Maybe that would make the forum more fun. Or maybe it would just continue to show how impenetrable and annoying this forum must be to outsiders.

[DonRocks]

[No worries, gang; my fault for not moving the posts into another topic (which I was going to do in a couple of days). Now, you two shake hands and be friends!]

[Simul Parikh]

Sorry for being a jerk. My fault. Easy to be a dick on the Internet. Harder when you realize you were one.

[DonRocks]

51 minutes ago, Simul Parikh said:

Sorry for being a jerk. My fault. Easy to be a dick on the Internet. Harder when you realize you were one.

You weren't. No worries man. If everyone cared about this community as much as you do, it would be a much better place.

[mdjordy]

Took a bit of searching this thread for details on the Pizzeria, lots of food fighting going on above.  But went last night and was totally surprised- in a great way.

Friday night at 7:15 place was 110% full, lots of energy.  Was seated right away, either mgr or owner was super nice explaining how business has been trending up and he was so happy and appreciative.  Guy loves his job!

Took a little bit of a wait to place our order- we could see the servers attending to other tables, but once she came- she was very helpful in describing and recommending dishes.  Drinks came quickly, 4 choices of red including a very pleasant Barbera- Bricco Dei Tati – Piemonte 2014. 

Eggplant parm appetizer was a couple of slices not breaded, clearly sautéed in olive oil- not deep fried.  Great garlicky marinara sauce, sliced basil, and mozzarella- classic and done well.  Wish there was bread to soak up the sauce. Tomato and fresh mozz salad was the only let down- bland crappy tomatoes.

Pizzas-  always get a classic margarita and server suggested the brussel sprout pizza.  The crusts were perfect- slight char, pillowy edges- great flavor.  Next time I'll ask to be cooked a bit longer for structure, but we really loved it.  The Brussel sprout pizza was a white pizza-mozz and provolone, small amount of sprouts and crumbled sausage.  Server suggested a side of sauce which was great- same sauce as eggplant, now had some bread (crust) to soak it up.  No leftovers to take home.  

Server suggested their Nutella pizza- came quickly- same crust...sliced into 8 smaller pieces that were separated on the plate.  Lots of gooey nutella and sprinkled with powder sugar.  Worth every calorie!

Pizzeria Da Marco- great option in Bethesda!

[smithhemb]

We really like their Salame pizza (which has goat cheese and onion as well) and a kale and white bean soup that is often on the specials menu. At this point, DaMarco is probably my default I-don’t-feel-like-cooking-tonight restaurant, especially in cold weather.  Oddly, it’s not our default pizza place (toss-up between Frankly and 2Amys).

[Kibbee Nayee]

On 11/23/2019 at 8:20 AM, mdjordy said:

Friday night at 7:15 place was 110% full, lots of energy.

If "energy" equates to noise, as it frequently does, then it lands squarely on my "avoid" list. If, on the other hand, it means joyful bustling, but allows realistic conversation below the shouting level, please clarify.

[mdjordy]

2 hours ago, Kibbee Nayee said:

If "energy" equates to noise, as it frequently does, then it lands squarely on my "avoid" list. If, on the other hand, it means joyful bustling, but allows realistic conversation below the shouting level, please clarify.

Joyful bustling- lots families with kids.  Happy energy- not noise 

[JonS]

21 hours ago, mdjordy said:

Joyful bustling- lots families with kids.  Happy energy- not noise 

Totally agree.  There are places in Bethesda that I associate with being loud (Gringos and Mariachis, I love you, but I'm looking at you).  This is not one of them.  Not our go-to for pizza, but it's certainly on the list and reliably good.

[mtureck]

On 11/25/2019 at 1:18 PM, JonS said:

Totally agree.  There are places in Bethesda that I associate with being loud (Gringos and Mariachis, I love you, but I'm looking at you).  This is not one of them.  Not our go-to for pizza, but it's certainly on the list and reliably good.

What is your go-to?