Jump to content

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


Recommended Posts

Johnny Monis' advice to me at 2 Amys: it's as good as ever, but you have to order it well-done. I did, and I agreed - it's as good as ever. And certainly, Scott Hager and Debbie Johnson are both as good as ever if you can grab a bar seat.

I've been doing that for years and it does produce a perfect pie.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Johnny Monis' advice to me at 2 Amys: it's as good as ever, but you have to order it well-done. I did, and I agreed - it's as good as ever. And certainly, Scott Hager and Debbie Johnson are both as good as ever if you can grab a bar seat.

Note that the last two times I have been there, Jeremiah Cohen -- a high-profile refugee from the Tabard's internecine reorganization -- has done an admirable and affable job while giving Scott Saturday nights off.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 Amy's is one of those places that doesn't get as much buzz simply because it has been around so long doing more or less the same thing.  All that time, we've had a number of new and truly excellent pizza spots come into town.  I recently went to Ghibellina for the first time, and then again, as example.  Really great addition.

One way to beat the lines at 2Amys is to plan lunches there and I have one friend who always chooses this spot to meet with no objection from me.  Of course, if you also pick a day when the "biggest snow of the year" (aka maybe 6"--what's the big deal?) just stopped falling, you can be assured of having the place nearly to yourself as we did this afternoon.

The menu rarely changes.  The pizzas are as good now as they were years ago and, for my money, still the most authentic in DC with the slightly soupy middle and smaller size (I think 10" and uncut) relative to the 12" cut versions in style at other good places like Ghibellina.   Of course, no trendiness here in terms of the venue or the location.  As great for adults as for families with kids albeit the higher noise level during busy times that TS has noted.

Two pies backed perfectly.  The arugula salad with hard-cooked egg. The eggplant parm in terracotta app.  And an interesting wine and beer list which, unlike the food menu*, does change regularly.

Very glad we have 2 Amys as such an enduring option in the city.  As appreciated as ever. Not sure about WiFi but guessing not and I don't care as much about that for restaurants as I do with coffee shops and fast casual places.  And, just like the early 90s Visa Card campaign and SF's Fog City Diner, 2 Amys doesn't take American Express.   :)

* Didja know about this? From their website.

Every Saturday after 4pm, porchetta is served! Half a pig, seasoned with garlic, rosemary, fennel pollen, hot pepper, salt and pepper. Roasted in the oven 'til crispy.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Everything you write above is spot-on, Don.  2 Amys is our neighborhood go-to, even though it's not in our neighborhood; and, especially from April through September, when the Eastern produce is available, the bar at 2 Amys is our favorite spot in town.  Debbie and Scott and crew are ideal hosts.  And the bar items are uniformly special.  Note to readers:  Notwithstanding Don's account, rest assured the dishes are not so small that you must order four/person.  Four or five of them, along with a pizza (or at most two), is plenty for four people, especially if you're making room for ice cream -- and you must.  It's the best ice cream in town.

2 Amys is one of our city's great treasures, and is arguably (not definitively, but absolutely in the conversation), arguably the greatest and most important restaurant in the history of Washington, DC. And if you don't think so, think again, keep educating yourself, and keep coming here. The stroller crowd is pacified, yes, but the toughest of culinary critics are, too. Thank God for Peter Pastan.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I visit 2 Amys more than any other restaurant and it's the one I'd miss most if I ever moved away from DC. Like Marty, it's not in my neighborhood but I consider it a perfect neighborhood restaurant. I can go every week and see several new dishes sitting on the bar that I want to try - the rate of menu turnover is astounding, yet it rarely feels like a new item is less than fully realized. Over the years they've expanded their beer lineup (with an impressive focus on the underappreciated Italian craft beer scene) and they now usually have Millstone's tart and funky Farmgate cider on tap. I'm sure I've been there well over a hundred times and I always walk out happy, to the point where rolling the dice on a hyped new restaurant opening rarely seems appealing in comparison.

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

As someone who enjoys 2 Amys but doesn't go as frequently as I'd like, a question for those of you who go more often: can you order all of the exciting "bar" menu items (the stuff that seems to be very seasonal and sits out at room temp) at a regular table, or do you have to sit at the wine bar?  I'm trying to figure out the best time to go to take advantage of summer bounty.  Also - any word on if they are still doing porchetta on saturdays?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As someone who enjoys 2 Amys but doesn't go as frequently as I'd like, a question for those of you who go more often: can you order all of the exciting "bar" menu items (the stuff that seems to be very seasonal and sits out at room temp) at a regular table, or do you have to sit at the wine bar?  I'm trying to figure out the best time to go to take advantage of summer bounty.  Also - any word on if they are still doing porchetta on saturdays?

Yes, you can order any bar item from anywhere in the restaurant (it's all on the white handout); but Don has accurately described the ideal experience, which entails engaging with Debbie, Scott, et al., and seeing the items before you choose.  And yes, the porchetta is virtually always available (and a must order) on Saturdays -- very occasionally on other days, too.  I also like the rabbit, which is often available in lieu of the porchetta.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As someone who enjoys 2 Amys but doesn't go as frequently as I'd like, a question for those of you who go more often: can you order all of the exciting "bar" menu items (the stuff that seems to be very seasonal and sits out at room temp)

Yes, but be aware that the small plates menu is quite limited at lunchtime ( at least on on weekends); to get the interesting stuff you have to go after 5:00.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 Amys is one of our city's great treasures, and is arguably (not definitively, but absolutely in the conversation), arguably the greatest and most important restaurant in the history of Washington, DC. And if you don't think so, think again, keep educating yourself, and keep coming here. The stroller crowd is pacified, yes, but the toughest of culinary critics are, too. Thank God for Peter Pastan.

Sort of wild how this was half the price of Riggsby.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Went there about a year ago and was very disappointed . Ordered a pizza with buffalo mozerella. I know that the cheese can be a bit watery. The pie came out with the cheese virtually sloshing around on top in water and turning the crust into a soggy mess. When we complained they tried to tell us that was how all those pies came out. I don't think so.. Have not been back.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Went there about a year ago and was very disappointed . Ordered a pizza with buffalo mozerella. I know that the cheese can be a bit watery. The pie came out with the cheese virtually sloshing around on top in water and turning the crust into a soggy mess. When we complained they tried to tell us that was how all those pies came out. I don't think so.. Have not been back.

As a general matter, the pizzas themselves can be amazing, but lack the consistency they had when Edan was there.  I find that if I ask for them slightly on the well-done side, they're virtually always great.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

As a general matter, the pizzas themselves can be amazing, but lack the consistency they had when Edan was there.  I find that if I ask for them slightly on the well-done side, they're virtually always great.

Yes, it's well-known "insider information" that you should *always* ask for your pizzas at 2 Amy's "Well-done." They all know what it means - just do it. That's something you won't find on any other website except perhaps Chowhound.

rorkin, I promise you that if you do that, you'll be happy with their pizzas.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We ended up with soggy pizza in desperate need of salt on Friday night. And despite my best efforts, I couldn't extract the tomato goat cheese tart Don described from my server but it sure looked like it was there when I walked by the bar at the end of the evening. The apps and cheese were lovely but it felt like an echo of the place we treasured a decade ago.

I think I'm in a dining funk.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On Saturday night our pizzas were as good as ever.  The Norcia (salami, roasted peppers), our go-to, was great.  The surprise was the Vongole (cockles, garlic, grana).....this I think was only the second time we got it.  When we poured the liquor from the clam on to the pizza, the combination with the garlic and cheese was salty, delicious magic.  The crust on both pizzas seemed especially tasty and well-charred on Saturday.  And as was talked about earlier in the thread, you must try the porchetta with white beans and chard.  Great combination but the pork is definitely the star---the garlicky flavor and that crispy skin is soooo good.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Worth reemphasizing:  The porchetta is generally available only on Saturdays (and *very* occasionally on other days).

you must try the porchetta with white beans and chard.  Great combination but the pork is definitely the star---the garlicky flavor and that crispy skin is soooo good.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just want to chime in on the ice cream, which I have always thought is probably the best in the city. Went there sunday afternoon for a post-zoo snack and had some suppli and ice cream at the bar. I dislike fruity ice cream, but their blueberry-chocolate (a flavor I was quite skeptical of) was so good I wanted another bowl. watermelon-lime sorbet was excellent too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I haven't been back to Istanbul in over a decade. Life takes it's toll and something gets in they way of something else, and before too long you feel trapped in between something and something. One of the things I feel worst about missing out on is the food culture of Istanbul. The heart of that culture is friends and families at a table together to share. They share stories, experiences, complaints, news, opinions, and most importantly they share their time over great food. I remember visiting grand restaurants with no soul, and I also remember tables with nothing more than bread, feta, and tea to be packed with life. And even though, the food at 2 Amy's is excellent, what makes them my current favorite restaurant in the city, isn't that. It's their unparalleled ability to welcome you in what it seems to be a loud mad house from the outside. They welcome you with their authenticity, ingenious menu, great wines, efficient service, and with the soul of the space which captivates you from the moment you seat down. I may not go back to Istanbul again for the next few years with how things are going with our own places, however, I am thankful to 2 Amy's for bringing the dining spirit of the Mediterranean to DC. 

  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This time of year, we find ourselves driving up to 2 Amys about once a week, sometimes more.  (For the record, it's not in the neighborhood for us.)  Last night was another excellent seasonal dinner!  Silky corn soup, well balanced with both salt and acid, was served cold and studded with four large chunks of perfectly tender lobster.  A roasted peach, drizzled with honey, paired beautifully with pistachios and ricotta and hints of rosemary (infused in the honey?).  I took a bite and then put it aside to save as a perfect summer dessert.  (My taste in desserts runs toward cheese and fruit and away from chocolate.)  I have never had a bad tart here, and the caramelized onion slice, dusted with shavings of a surprisingly bright aged goat cheese log, ably carried the trend.  (The aged goat cheese has appeared on a variety of dishes and I always love its accent.)  Marinated mussels and tiny fingerling potato were dressed in an herby spiced oil that screamed to be mopped up with bread at the end.  A few other small plates and a funky bottle of natural rose wine off the reserve list rounded out a lovely meal.  (At 2 Amys, the reserve list doesn't necessarily mean more expensive than their regular list.  We've been told it is just that they don't have as much of the often quirkier/rarer selections.)  Service, as always, was delightfully warm.  

So maybe you've noticed that we didn't order a pizza.  (We only do one every fourth or fifth visit.)  I have had a number of sad conversations recently -- both with friends and on this board -- in which the other person says that he or she isn't a particular fan of 2 Amys, usually citing a preferred pizza place around DC.  (A defensible position, I agree, as much as I do like 2 Amys' pizza.) Invariably, the non-fan has not ordered off of the wine bar menu (the long white, daily-changing menu).  And all too often, even fan friends tell me the same thing!  Which is why I am posting.  Check out the wine bar specials!  I am not sure there is another place in town that does so well with super seasonal ingredients, often with little more than high quality olive oil and a health sprinkling of finishing salt.  And they change so frequently that we could go back in a day or two and have an entirely different meal -- and probably will.  

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, jca76 said:

Check out the wine bar specials!  I am not sure there is another place in town that does so well with super seasonal ingredients, often with little more than high quality olive oil and a health sprinkling of finishing salt.  And they change so frequently that we could go back in a day or two and have an entirely different meal -- and probably will.  

Is this menu different from the small plates and pizza specials menu they circulate at the tables downstairs? If so, do you have to sit at the bar for it?

We were thinking of returning real soon to splurge on the seasonal goodness of the small plates and desserts!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, Jonathan said:

Well that is flattering;) that's my pizza. And I'm very passionate about it.

2 Amy's, dollar for dollar, though, is the best restaurant in DC.

hah! well, it's very good. 2 Amys was okay to good, but there's a baseline with Neapolitan pizza that unless something goes catastrophically wrong (rotten ingredients, drastically undercooked or overcooked, etc), it's still going to be okay. i am intrigued by the "wine bar" small plates and if i find myself up there, may return for those. however, this is just idiosyncratic to my wife and me, i like a good glass of wine and delicious small plates in a bit more of an adult atmosphere. i know we only went once, but there were SO MANY SCREAMING CHILDREN. running around, knocking into tables, sitting at tables screaming, what have you. that's my biggest reason i don't want to go back....

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, franch said:

i know we only went once, but there were SO MANY SCREAMING CHILDREN. running around, knocking into tables, sitting at tables screaming, what have you. that's my biggest reason i don't want to go back....

You're definitely right that 2 Amys is "family friendly" -- to put a nice spin on it? -- early in the evening, a fact that I've appreciated on the rare occasions that we've managed to convince child-having friends that they can come out in public for a meal.  But in general we go no earlier than 7:30 or 8:00, when the youngest/loudest kids have been taken home.  Or you could ask to be seated upstairs, which tends to be much quieter.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, jca76 said:

You're definitely right that 2 Amys is "family friendly" -- to put a nice spin on it? -- early in the evening, a fact that I've appreciated on the rare occasions that we've managed to convince child-having friends that they can come out in public for a meal.  But in general we go no earlier than 7:30 or 8:00, when the youngest/loudest kids have been taken home.  Or you could ask to be seated upstairs, which tends to be much quieter.  

this must have been near 9PM on a weeknight! i have noticed this about DC in general. it tends to be more ~family friendly~...even Zaytinya at 10:30PM was full of children. :-/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 Amys is just so freakin good - been a couple of times recently and the bar menu just blows us away - the Porchetta is to DIE for, the tomato salad with ricotta and chives melts in your mouth - the meatballs are as good as ever - feel very lucky to be a 10 min drive and glad they are still top notch 10+ years after opening

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, brr said:

2 Amys is just so freakin good - been a couple of times recently and the bar menu just blows us away - the Porchetta is to DIE for, the tomato salad with ricotta and chives melts in your mouth - the meatballs are as good as ever - feel very lucky to be a 10 min drive and glad they are still top notch 10+ years after opening

it certainly gets lost in all the hype of the new restaurants that are continuously opening. But for my money, I'd take two stools at the wine bar, my wife, a crossword puzzle book and some of the most soul satisfying, seasonal food the city has to offer. Not to mention a beautifully culled wine list and beer list. All for a fraction of what you would pay elsewhere in the city.

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 minutes ago, Jonathan said:

it certainly gets lost in all the hype of the new restaurants that are continuously opening. But for my money, I'd take two stools at the wine bar, my wife, a crossword puzzle book and some of the most soul satisfying, seasonal food the city has to offer. Not to mention a beautifully culled wine list and beer list. All for a fraction of what you would pay elsewhere in the city.

Yes, in my review of Kinship, I mentioned something about it being on track to becoming the most-important restaurant this city has even known. I was consciously (and with hesitation) thinking about Palena before I wrote that, but I *wasn't* thinking about 2 Amys, which I thought of later. 

I believe that honorific might have to go to 2 Amys. It's not "better" than Palena or Kinship, but I do think it's probably more important, and it's most likely the restaurant I've been to more than any other - it would not surprise me if I've been here a hundred times.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Simul Parikh said:

Man, I've been 3 times and I just don't get it... 

Going to try again. What 3 things should we order?

You should sidle up to the bar and ask them what they're most excited about that day.  But don't miss the ice cream.  And if you order pizza (not necessary), make sure you ask for it on the well-done side.

I concur with everything Don and Jonathan say above.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My go tos are:

- Pizza: I usually lean towards their seasonal offerings but my favorites of the mainstays are the Etna and a 2 Amy's with Sausage and an egg. 

- The aforementioned porchetta is incredible

- I love their burrata, deviled eggs and the salt cod croquettes

- Many of the antipastos (dinner only) are wonderful.  I also love the salmon and goat cheese crostini. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

24 minutes ago, Simul Parikh said:

Man, I've been 3 times and I just don't get it... 

Going to try again. What 3 things should we order?

Oh man, what a bummer.  I am not sure there is anything on their menu that I wouldn't order, unless I had a personal preference against a specific ingredient.  How TS gave Comet Ping Pong the same amount of stars as 2Amys is just way beyond me, it isn't even close.  

The only thing I didn't care for was the fork and knife aged burrata, the texture is totally different than the normal style.  I think that dish is an acquired taste that I am not ready for yet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, DaRiv18 said:

Oh man, what a bummer.  I am not sure there is anything on their menu that I wouldn't order, unless I had a personal preference against a specific ingredient.  How TS gave Comet Ping Pong the same amount of stars as 2Amys is just way beyond me, it isn't even close.  

The only thing I didn't care for was the fork and knife aged burrata, the texture is totally different than the normal style.  I think that dish is an acquired taste that I am not ready for yet.

The lardo crostino I got last night didn't work, either.  But the chicken liver . . . wow.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Simul Parikh said:

Man, I've been 3 times and I just don't get it... 

Going to try again. What 3 things should we order?

The chilled sparkling Gragnano is my go to wine. Their beers are all winners.

pizza is an afterthought but I typical get the Norcia.

all dishes that are on the white wine bar menu that come from the actual wine bar are better than the normal menu items that come from their kitchen.

roasted cauliflower is always good. Roasted peppers with olives and tonnato. Cured meats. Porchetta. Marinated beans. Pickled and cured sardines. Smoked swordfish with olives and fennel. Basically anything drenched in olive oil. Make sure to ask for lots of bread and make friends with Kiersten or Jeffrey or Oliver or anyone working the bar.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

39 minutes ago, Jonathan said:

all dishes that are on the white wine bar menu that come from the actual wine bar are better than the normal menu items that come from their kitchen.

I generally agree with Jonathan's post (although my list differs because I'm pescatarian).  Because the white menu changes daily, there's no go-to that you can be assured of ordering.  Various gazpachos (sometimes tomato, sometimes fruit) with poached seafood (lobster on a few occasions, shrimp on Monday) have always been excellent.  Get a corn, mushroom, or green bean salad if available.  The savory tarts and pies also tend to be really good.  Roasted eggplant also appears regularly and is worth trying.  If they have a smoked butter crostino, definitely order it.  

If you are ordering off of the regular menu, I second the vote for the Etna pizza.  I also like the fizzy Gragnano, although I prefer it room temp to cold (they'll ask which way you'd like it).  The C.O.S. Rami is a slightly funky favorite.  And the few cocktails they do -- only listed on a board near the bar, and oftentimes the servers won't know what they are when you ask -- are generally very good.  I'm a particular fan of the Hollinger, which has echoes of a mint julep.  

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

28 minutes ago, jca76 said:

I generally agree with Jonathan's post (although my list differs because I'm pescatarian).  Because the white menu changes daily, there's no go-to that you can be assured of ordering.  Various gazpachos (sometimes tomato, sometimes fruit) with poached seafood (lobster on a few occasions, shrimp on Monday) have always been excellent.  Get a corn, mushroom, or green bean salad if available.  The savory tarts and pies also tend to be really good.  Roasted eggplant also appears regularly and is worth trying.  

I also like the fizzy Gragnano, although I prefer it room temp to cold (they'll ask which way you'd like it). 

Agreed. The eggplant with a green type sauce and pine nuts has been delicious as is any type of bean or corn.

if you can use the word "soulful" to describe food, then 2 Amy's is it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...