Comet Ping-Pong - GM James Alfantis' Pizza and Ping-Pong on Connecticut Avenue in Upper NW

[smokey]

If that was the point that Pat was making, I'd suggest it was indeed, worth the bandwidth.

I'm not sure how much praise (or derision) Pat was giving this movement, but I agree, I think you got the right point of her post. And, regardless of whether I like all of those restaurants or not, I agree with her description.

[mdt]

I'm not sure what you mean by "calling out," but my comments weren't intended to be negative. It actually seems to me to be a deliberate move on the part of restauranteurs to be reclaiming something. I don't think that's a negative point.

I can't call the service at Comet good or bad since I haven't been there. I'm sure it's frustrating to people who have been there and have thought they've gotten bad service or an experience not worth what they've paid, but people tend to have different expectations for neighborhood places vs. destination restaurants. That's part of what I was getting at in what I wrote.

OK, I initially read it as negative. Maybe it was in light of the previous posts (not yours) on Comet. After re-reading the few posts that followed, not to mention a couple of PMs, I see what you were trying to say. While they may be neighborhood places that have a limited menu and may run out of certain entrees the ones you listed are worth the trip across town as they have something special to offer in their own ( and in my opinion good) way.

[Pat]

Waitman has it, more or less . I suppose I'm attuned to looking for patterns, and I started to see a pattern. I'm not sure if I should expound further on my thoughts at the risk of putting my foot in my mouth. (mdt, it's no problem. I assumed I hadn't been clear enough in what I wrote.)

I guess I'm saying that, at some point, idiosyncrasy becomes something different, when enough people are doing something similar. I don't like the word "trend" because I don't think the people involved are trying to be trendy, but I don't know what the correct word is for what I'm trying to describe. I'll leave that to someone else

[MC Horoscope]

How is the parking in that neighborhood? I am coming from Silver Spring and from MapQuest I reckon it's down Connecticut near that first circle as you enter DC, no?

[Waitman]

How is the parking in that neighborhood? I am coming from Silver Spring and from MapQuest I reckon it's down Connecticut near that first circle as you enter DC, no?

It's a bit of a ways from that first Circle, maybe 10-12 blocks. Do you know Politics and Prose or the Marvellous Market? Same strip.

It's decent for city parking. There's a lot behind the strip, which is often full, and Connecticut can be tough, but there's usually something close by on the cross streets.

[legant]

Street parking shouldn't be too bad, especially after 6:30. (There is a lot behind Comet; you can enter it from Nebraska avenue. Don't know if the lot is for Comet customers.) If you can't find street parking directly in front of Comet at most you'd have a 1 blk walk. Comet is ~ .5 miles from Chevy Chase Circle. Chevy Chase is the 5600 blk; Comet is the 5000 blk. of Connecticut Ave.

How is the parking in that neighborhood? I am coming from Silver Spring and from MapQuest I reckon it's down Connecticut near that first circle as you enter DC, no?

[hillvalley]

Parking on Connecticut Ave. becomes available at 6:30pm. If you time it right you'll be able to get parking right in front just as the oven hits prime baking temp.

[Roger Troutman]

I'm not excusing bad service because I don't think it is bad service. Casual, informal, relaxed, post-modern, even mediocre -- whatever you want to call it. I've had significantly worse service at significantly "better" restaurants and am quite a bitch about service issues. Maybe it's Chevy Chase's answer to Bistro du Coin .

I've not tried this joint yet, bu it couldn't possibly be as shitty as Bistro du Coin

[MC Horoscope]

That back room reminded me of the "kooky little space" that had live music at the defunct Half Moon Barbecue in Silver Spring! They ought to consider live music there now and then.

Really enjoyed the pizza! Nice, salty crust. Is it whole wheat? My wife thought it might be whole wheat.

Service was friendly and efficient for us at 6:30 on Friday.

Thanks for the directions. We had no problem getting there or parking in the lot behind the building off Nebraska.

[JLK]

The photo montage on the wall across from the bar is of local farmers. For those of you who frequent the markets, take a moment and look at the photos, you'll find some familiar faces.

Not all of them. A friend is up there and he ain't no farmer!

[Chris Cunningham]

On a date and in the mood for pizza last night, I decided to go to Comet. Walked in and was greeted by James and took a tour of the spot. Sat down and got the 411 from our server on what is arguably one of the most simple menu's around. Your choices are pizza( red or White) and salad. I ordered both salads and a white pizza with peperoni and a red pie with smoked mozzarella and merguez sausage. I had a Victory draft and my date had a glass of Chianti. Only other red choice was a primitivo. I love simplicity at times and I think for what it is, it works for this restaurant. However, I would like to have some other choices for apps beyond a salad. I can respect their decision to limit the menu, and if that is the way they want to do it, then I will abide by their rules. The pizzas came out hot and crispy. I thought that they were quite good and did not run into any soggy or topping deficient areas. Yes the pies are individual in size, but they are quite good and filling. Service was great and would definately return.

[brr]

Finally got around to trying Comet last night - I think its pretty good. I had a red pizza w/ melted onions and smoked mushrooms. One thing that stuck me was that the tomato sauce had a nice little bit of heat to it, as if there is some kind of pepper in it. Thin crust, nicely charred....my one quibble would be that for an extra $1 per topping I would have expected more than 6 slices of smoked mushrooms on my pie, exactly 1 slice for each of the six pieces.

Washed it all down with a pint of Allagash White.

[brr]

Went back again last night. They have menus now with 4 or 5 pizzas with specific toppings (e.g., smoked mushroom, smoked mozz and smoked bacon - YUMMY!!) and also offer beer by the pitcher (not sure if this is new or not.

Prices all very specific and laiid out on the menu.

We had a lot of fun - the pizzas were excellent, the service was good, the kids were able to roam around after eating their pizza

[MeMc]

I thought Anne's article in the City Paper this week was great. They're small, they're expensive, but they're good. . .

Speaking of pizzas, I know I have a pizza problem when I've watched this link half a dozen times that someone posted on my blog.

[JeffC]

They're small, they're expensive, but they're good. . .

True, true, and true. But I haven't been back in weeks, as I can't justify spending so much for so little, no matter how good they are. My wife thinks Comet has the best pizza in town, but those prices are excessive. If the prices were more reasonable, there would be lines out the door every night, IMO. If only they had adoped a little of the spirit of Pepe's--"it's good food, and it's cheap".

[brettashley01]

Currently - as in right now- James and his pizza are being featured on NBC4 Wednesday's Child feature. Seems like a nice guy!

[Roger Troutman]

I hear that Yenching Palace in Cleveland Park will soon be making way for a new Walgreen's. Perhaps Ms. Greenwood will buy the old neon sign and open up Yenching Palace Checkers & Cheesesteaks somewhere on upper Connecticut Avenue.

[Al Dente]

I hear that Yenching Palace in Cleveland Park will soon be making way for a new Walgreen's. Perhaps Ms. Greenwood will buy the old neon sign and open up Yenching Palace Checkers & Cheesesteaks somewhere on upper Connecticut Avenue.

Good idea! I was the top rated checkers player in the country back in college. Almost made it to the Olympics, but our team was disqualified for steroids.

I went to Comet last week and tried 3 of the pies. I was pleasantly surprised how good they were. They did seem a tad pricey though.

[Antonio Burrell]

It's not often that I wax poetic about something but I feel inspired to share something with all of you. I have firmly been in the camp of people who prefer the other pizza place on Wisconsin to Comet Pizza on Conneticut. I like the other places atmosphere, range of items, prices....but last night there was a 40 min wait for a table of four at 6pm. With two hungry kids impatiently sliding about and generally fidgeting and being kids, I called Comet to find out how long the wait would be if we came over now. I was suprised to find the place more than half empty when we arrived and were seated immediately. While I wish there was more of a selection, we decieded on a cesar salad and minestrone soup. Both decent but not mind blowing. I did like the flavor of the soup that came from the wine, it was very rich. I ordered the #4 special pizza, spicy merguez, smoked mushrooms, garlic, tomato sauce and mozz. I had wanted to add riccota cheese but was told that "We don't allow modifications to the special pizzas"....alright, that's cool, no problem. When I got the pizza, I was slightly concerned that it seemed charred around the edges. But I shouldn't have been, that char was a marvelous flavor that intermingled with everything else. For $13 dollars, I very much believe that this was the best pizza I have ever eaten, period. I was crispy, chewy, perfect sauce, just enough cheese, great merguez with a slight kick, chunks of soft garlic....OMG it was incredible. I loved everything about it.

My only gripe is that there isn't enough selection and for 4 people, four pizzas, two apps, two cakes and 4 sodas we dropped $98 dollars with tip (20%, good service)....but even that wasn't enough to deter from the perfect pizza I got.

[Waitman]

We partied down with Jamie and crew Friday night and I think the pizza at Comet continues to improve. At any rate, it seems to be getting a little bigger, so the price per inch is improving, and, after neglecting the place for a couple of weeks, biting into it was kind of like the kisses you get when you come back from a long trip alone. Loved the Minestrone, too.

I had to go to New Haven today (to see about the honorary degree from Yale, natch) and rigged it so that I could stop by Frank Pepe's, on Wooster Street, for a second lunch. Grabbed a pepperoni and a clams 'n' red sauce and let me say this: even though they seemed a little defensive about the New Haven connection last Friday (shouted down by purists, no doubt) there's a definite family resemblance between Pepe's and Comet -- not brother and sister but kind of a hip nephew to the original. I hereby grant Comet the right to invoke New Haven at will, though Pepe's is probably the better pie. In fact (as I eat the re-heats of the clam pizza while typing) Pepe's may be the best ever. Though, within a two-hour drive of my house, it remains Comet hands down. And FP's has had 80 years of practice. We'll give Comet another six months.

My boss, who dropped me off today, tells a story, that may or may not be about Frank Pepe's (there are a couple of venerable pizza shops in that particular 'hood, including the legendary Sally's): He's at Yale, in a bad mood, and he decides to go out for pizza and a few beers. Somewhat consoled, he walks out of the pizzeria only to find that his car has been stolen. Pissed off once again, he walks back into the restaurant, explains what's happened and asks to use the phone. They tell him that they'll take care if it, buy him a beer and 20 minutes later his car is out front of the restaurant. No questions are asked.

The cabbie who took me from Frank Pepe's to the train station claims he has to call Friday's at six to have a pizza ready by seven , when his shift ends, and that if he doesn't call by seven, he won't get a pizza that night due to the mobs.

On noticing my carryout box, the lady at the Amtrak window told me (in an accent that said "I've lived in New Haven all my life," with a smile half-way between confessing and bragging) "I've lived in New Haven all my life, and I think Modern is the best."

They take pizza very seriously in that town, more seriously pound-for-pound than New York, it seems; I am eager to go back. Even if I don't get the damn degree.

[sunshine]

We are pizza fans and regularly eat at 2 Amy's. Went to Comet and concluded that though the pizza's good, it won't be our go-to place when we're hankering. Ambience is ok --dim lighting, benches and ping-pong tables with an open kitchen by the bar and a rec room of ping pong tables in the far back of the restaurant. Walls and rafters deliberately kept naked, in a shabby chic kind of way. The menu's small - about 5 specialty pizzas ranging in price from $12-18, or build your own. 3 kinds of salads, 1 dessert. Several good beer choices, root beer, soda, apple cider. We ordered the green salad, the caesar salad, the spicy sausage with mushrooms and caramelized onions and the greens pizza with sauteed greens, black olives and ricotta cheese. The green salad was good, nothing special, although I did like the vinaigrette alot, and they included sliced carrots that tasted slightly pickled. The caesar salad was really good - could taste the anchovies and garlic - a real Caesar. As others have already mentioned, the oblong-shaped pizza is a bit small for the price. The sauce and toppings are delicious. The crust is good, but by the end of the meal, my fingers were super-greasy from handling it. More of the crust was burnt than I would have liked. The service was slow and pacing was off (one pizza arrived way before the other). All in all, it was alright.

[giant shrimp]

Has comet failed to find its groove? Two pizzas – tiny clams swept with stewed onion and a potato and squash combo – were as good on a recent weekday night as anything we tried in the early days, retaining their trademark squashed Modigliani shape. Salads were salads, the dressing on the green version watery from wet leaves, not half-bad and enlivened by a few slices of pickled carrot, though not up to the unexpected excitement you can get from a perfect plate of radiant leaves at buck’s these days. The appearance of a small menu where once there was none has brought a few more choices, a soup, more wine, though glitches in placing orders, a source of dejection for the servers, who convincingly claim not to be responsible for them, have not been resolved. It was nice to be back, just for the opportunity of spending more time admiring the pastoral bathroom fresco. At least half of the park benches in this fever dream of a place were empty and nobody was using the ping pong table parked out front on the sidewalk, or the tables in the back, for that matter. The kitchen at Buck’s, in the meantime, has swung back to its former heights and would do its customers a great service by devising an e-mail system to notify them when the caramel apple cake is available, or the breaded veal chop.

[pizza man]

I had the pleasure of dining at Comet this evening.

I must say that I found the service just about right, attentive but not annoying or pretentious.

Thought the decor was nice too.

I did find myself shaking everything that was even a little loose looking for the bathroom. That was fun.

The pizza was interesting, very crispy, good flavor, and mine even had a weird little hole in it. That was fun too. I have a little bit of heartburn.

Overall, a nice place to eat. Didn't change my life but, I will go back. Possibly for beer pong?

Speaking of Pong has anyone mentioned that the oven kind of resembles a giant ping pong ball?

[DonRocks]

When people think about "cutting-edge" restaurants in this area, their thoughts immediately turn to Minibar, or perhaps Citronelle. But the most cutting-edge restaurant in Washington DC is a pizza parlor in upper Northwest, and no, it's not 2 Amys. Comet Ping Pong should be a destination for anyone who cares about contemporary art. The restaurant itself is a work of art - it could be an exhibit in the Tate Modern - a tongue-in-cheek masterwork, so full of playful references that you forget how brilliantly executed it is.

When you order the softshell crab pie ($18), you'd be making a terrible mistake if you ate around the crab, saving it for the end. What you need to do is immediately begin mashing it up, spreading the succulent drippings all over the crust, and then taking a little piece of shell in each bite. Don't worry about mangling the pie; just do it - it's a tough crust which can easily withstand such treatment. Order one of these with a bottle of very good 2005 Pinot Grigio ($19), eat it first, and then order the Smokey pizza ($14) which has smoky mushrooms, smoky fresh mozzarella, smoky bacon, melted onions, and garlic. This may sound like too much of a good thing, but it's not that smoky, and more importantly it's not overly salty. It's a fantastic pie, and goes perfectly with a 1/2-carafe of their house Chianti ($13).

There are now Comet Hot Wings ($5.50) which, as you can probably guess, are made from free-range, organic chickens - one thing I noticed about the drumsticks is the bone itself, which is ample - as if the chicken had actually spent its life walking around and developed the need for a bone structure.

I'm going out on a limb and calling Comet Ping Pong as the best pizza in the Washington DC area - it has surpassed 2 Amys. I'm saying that right now is the time to go, because at some point in the future, it is going to become a wildly popular destination for locals and tourists alike. It is one of the most important restaurants in town - enjoy it while you still can.

Cheers,
Rocks.

[DLB]

Has this place been reviewed by the Post yet? I have only been once and thought it was pretty good. It's surprising to me that Tom has not reviewed this place....not that it really matters.

[mtpleasanteater]

I was in there once and I heard the owner say that Tom S. had eaten there but he didn't expect a review because the menu was so short and there was basically nothing to say about the restaurant, and he seemed kind of relieved by that. He said that to the table next to us who complained about the food the whole time, even though they were his friends and were comped etc.

[clayrae]

So I had made plans to try this place before Rocks raved yesterday. But even after the rave I wasn't expecting to be impressed. It's just pizza, really, how much can you rave?

Well.

This is damn good pizza. I had the white pizza (garlic, mozzarella, olive oil) my friend had the margarita. And just, Wow. The crust is thin and crunchy. The perfect thin crust, not so crispy that it breaks like a cracker, but a good thin crisp crust. And kinda char grilled with a lovely smoky tang which I think was coming from the crust but that I also tasted in the tomato sauce. Not overpowering, just, interesting, in a good way.

The caesar salad was drenched in dressing and I left most of it in the bowl. And our waiter was MUCH more interested in hitting on the waitress and the bartender and the girls at the bar than serving us (to the point where I finally just got up and handed my credit card to someone else so we could leave.)

But that pizza. I'll be back for that.

[brioboy]

Fun place, fine service and props to Rocks for the instructions on how to manipulate the soft-shell crab pizza. Not sure that the great unwashed are willing to make the leap to pizza that has to come with instructions but it made me very happy. The Mrs doesn't think it's the best in town - too short a menu - but can see that it that for what it does it does it very well. I just kept agreeing with her so that she wouldn't object to me sneaking bits of her merguez pie.

The waiter made an interesting point when I asked if this was part of the Greenwood empire. "Yes and it makes me nervous when I have to say that." Why? "You would be surprised how many people come looking t be disapointed."

[Heather]

Softshell crab pizza: $17

Allagash White: $6

My son flirting with Carole Greenwood: priceless

Another good meal here, not perfect, not inexpensive, but who cares? I got to sit back, drink some beer, eat a great pizza, watch my son groove to the music and my daughter try to lick the pizza drippings off her elbow. "Super tasty" is their verdict on the pizza. I agree.

When you order the softshell crab pie ($18), you’d be making a terrible mistake if you ate around the crab, saving it for the end. What you need to do is immediately begin mashing it up, spreading the succulent drippings all over the crust, and then taking a little piece of shell in each bite.

Yes, the key is making sure all the bits, limbs, and innards are smooshed around. And add a few hot pepper flakes. Nirvana on a crust.

[Heather]

Ice cream sundaes are now available, in addition to ice cream by the scoop. Flavors are strawberries and cream, or tin roof (fudgy sauce and peanuts). They are big enough to share, and at $7.50 each, you'll probably want to.

Oh, and the green tomato/potato pizza is even less exciting than it sounds. Go for something with merguez instead.

[ol_ironstomach]

Ice cream sundaes are now available, in addition to ice cream by the scoop. Flavors are strawberries and cream, or tin roof (fudgy sauce and peanuts). They are big enough to share, and at $7.50 each, you'll probably want to.

When I was there last week, the flavors were chocolate, vanilla or strawberry, made in-house using milk from an unspecified local organic creamery. The menu(!) is a bit confusingly worded, but the "tin roof" is their standard (two scoop) sundae topping configuration, but I wasn't too crazy about it...the peanuts are unchopped, and the fudge sauce falls towards the frosting-like end of the fudge syrup spectrum.

Menus. With prices. Whodathunkit?!

There are also now chicken wings on the apps list, but they're not Buffalo wings. Herbed then I guess broiled, and served with ranch dressing to dip.

It seems to me that the pizzas have grown in size from what they were last winter. Also, it now resembles New Haven pizza even less than before; the crust has taken on a decidedly flatbread-like quality, almost like a toasted pita chip. It snaps instead of chews. It's an interesting concept, but I preferred the way it used to be.

[Joe H]

Comet's pizza has never had anything in common with New Haven. The RESTAURANT is "New Haven style" but the pizza is from Connecticut ave not state. This is not to say that the pizza isn't very good, perhaps excellent. But the actual pizza has absolutely nothing in common with Pepe's, Sally's or the Spot. You can even go onto www.sliceny.com and look at the thread about New Haven pizza where there are numerous photos. The pizzas don't even look similar let alone taste similar. And "soft shell crab" pizza on Wooster street? Come on!

Again, Comet has very good to excellent pizza. But it is NOT New Haven.

[Heather]

Haven't we been over this multiple times? Perhaps we could change the thread title.

I was disappointed in the formerly excellent crust last night. It was stretched much to thin, and overcooked enough to resemble a burned cracker.

[Joe H]

Heather, in the current issue of Washingtonian, Kliman continues to call it "New Haven pizza." As good as Comet is (and, yes, I readily acknowledge that it is) it's just not Sally's or Pepe's (or even Modern's) pizza. When I continue to see the claim from people such as Kliman it really bothers me. It would help if he would go to New Haven and eat their pizza before continuing to make the claim. Right now, this is one of the very few opinions that he has that I seem to disagree with. For the most part I think his taste is very similar to mine. As for specific differences between Comet and Pepe's/Sally's, I went into this in my lengthy post #83 on the second page of this thread. Sorry for my personal obsession.

[alan7147]

Heather, in the current issue of Washingtonian, Kliman continues to call it "New Haven pizza." As good as Comet is (and, yes, I readily acknowledge that it is) it's just not Sally's or Pepe's (or even Modern's) pizza. When I continue to see the claim from people such as Kliman it really bothers me. It would help if he would go to New Haven and eat their pizza before continuing to make the claim. Right now, this is one of the very few opinions that he has that I seem to disagree with. For the most part I think his taste is very similar to mine. As for specific differences between Comet and Pepe's/Sally's, I went into this in my lengthy post #83 on the second page of this thread. Sorry for my personal obsession.

[trillian68]

Heather, in the current issue of Washingtonian, Kliman continues to call it "New Haven pizza." As good as Comet is (and, yes, I readily acknowledge that it is) it's just not Sally's or Pepe's (or even Modern's) pizza. When I continue to see the claim from people such as Kliman it really bothers me. It would help if he would go to New Haven and eat their pizza before continuing to make the claim. Right now, this is one of the very few opinions that he has that I seem to disagree with. For the most part I think his taste is very similar to mine. As for specific differences between Comet and Pepe's/Sally's, I went into this in my lengthy post #83 on the second page of this thread. Sorry for my personal obsession.

Wow. I've boycotted this place from the get-go because of the New Haven thing, which has really bothered me too. I don't know a lot about a lot ... but I AM from New Haven, born and raised and all that. Plus, I'm Nabl'dan (sp? seriously), first generation from around Naples, for anyone pining for a little Sopranos tonight. I take my pizza seriously. (Sally's, Pepe's, Modern ... all good, but I'll let you know exactly which camp I'm in once I get to know you better.) All that said, your posts, Joe H, have actually given me hope. I'm going to withhold prejudice, put any comparison to NH out of my mind, and maybe give Comet a try. Go crazy. Still open, right???

BTW ... broken record ... hee.

[Waitman]

Wow. I've boycotted this place from the get-go because of the New Haven thing, which has really bothered me too. I don't know a lot about a lot ... but I AM from New Haven, born and raised and all that. Plus, I'm Nabl'dan (sp? seriously), first generation from around Naples, for anyone pining for a little Sopranos tonight. I take my pizza seriously. (Sally's, Pepe's, Modern ... all good, but I'll let you know exactly which camp I'm in once I get to know you better.) All that said, your posts, Joe H, have actually given me hope. I'm going to withhold prejudice, put any comparison to NH out of my mind, and maybe give Comet a try. Go crazy. Still open, right???

BTW ... broken record ... hee.

One should not take these things too seriously. As best I can tell, the owners don't. The pizza, yes; the linguistics not so much. Shhesh. Just eat some.

(Having recently had the opportunity to try Modern and Pepes, I'd suggest a family resemblance -- first counsins. But really, who cares?)

[trillian68]

One should not take these things too seriously. As best I can tell, the owners don't. The pizza, yes; the linguistics not so much. Shhesh. Just eat some.

That's my point -- I'm going to (and probably more that just some) and really look forward to it now!!! I do take pizza and the NH claim seriously. But not myself, for what that's worth. Shhesh, right back at'cha. How crowded is it on early weekend evenings these days?

[Waitman]

I've never seen it crowded to where one has to wait for a table, ping-pong or otherwise.

[Dave Pressley]

Went to Comet Saturday evening to try the pies. I've never had New Haven-style pizza, so I wanted to give it a shot.

The green tomato and potato pizza was decent but kinda boring in flavors. These green tomatoes did not get any more dense in flavor as they were baked onto the pizza. They stayed pretty watery and were underseasoned. The potatoes were nicely cooked (but still boring) and the (smoked?) mozzarella on top was nice and gooey with a pleasant layer of olive oil on the top. The crust was very much like a flatbread and the topping covered the WHOLE pie (love that). Overall, it was a decent pizza but I'm not dying to race back and get it again.

We also had the pepperoni (on behalf of my 2 year old) and found the tomato sauce to have nice flavor and we enjoyed the thinner consistency of it. It did have a curious bitter finish to it that raised a few eyebrows but by no means ruined the pizza. Just strange. Left us wondering what ingredients in their sauce could cause this bit of bitterness to happen. Overall score for the pepperoni pie...eh.

Service was incredibly refreshing to me though. I have never wanted a server to befriend me while I casually dine at a less-than-fine-dining restaurant. I don't want to know their name. I don't want to know their "favorite things on the menu". I want drinks and food promptly without any extra conversation. I want the bill within one minute of asking for it. That's exactly what happened at Comet. "Wanna drink?" was the opening line by the server when she approached the table. I was in love already...and I'll be back because of that alone.

[JLK]

Nabl'dan = Napoletan?

[synaesthesia]

Wow. If you haven't had the soft shell crab pizza yet, go get it. It is fabulous. Considering that you pay about that much for a single crab at most other places, it's actually a pretty amazing deal at $17. The crust was quite leaky though, which was painful since I really wanted to capture every single bit of that amazing salty, sweet flavor.

[DLB]

Why did Tom wait nine months to review?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?n...&id=1131542

[Pat]

Why did Tom wait nine months to review?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?n...&id=1131542

From reading the review, it sounds like he thought it was too inconsistent to review early on but that it had promise.

[Waitman]

From reading the review, it sounds like he thought it was too inconsistent to review early on but that it had promise.

That's not a courtesy that has been extended to other establishments.

[DLB]

From reading the review, it sounds like he thought it was too inconsistent to review early on but that it had promise.

I like Comet, a lot, but that's B.S. If he thought it was inconsistent, as most places he has reviewed in the last few weeks, then his review should have been based on that.

[Pat]

That's not a courtesy that has been extended to other establishments.

I guess it's a judgment call for the reviewer, but if he doesn't think there's enough for a substantial review, he's probably going to shelve it and review places that are consistent enough to be evaluated, then come back to see if it's more consistent. With something that's small and high concept, it's probably trickier to make that call than for a more traditional place.

Since he was tying it into a trend in artisan pizzas, that may have had something to do with the timing of the actual writeup as well (just a speculation--I'm not sure how it would affect it). Of course, by waiting, he's setting himself up for comments about favoritism .

[Pat]

I like Comet, a lot, but that's B.S. If he thought it was inconsistent, as most places he has reviewed in the last few weeks, then his review should have been based on that.

Maybe it's just my take on it, but there's inconsistent and there's not-ready-for-prime-time inconsistent. He's got to have something to work with to write a review. It's necessarily subjective. He did mention the previous inconsistency in his review at least.

I've got no particular stake in defending Tom, and this may have exhausted my opinion on the matter .

[DLB]

Maybe it's just my take on it, but there's inconsistent and there's not-ready-for-prime-time inconsistent. He's got to have something to work with to write a review. It's necessarily subjective. He did mention the previous inconsistency in his review at least.

I've got no particular stake in defending Tom, and this may have exhausted my opinion on the matter .

I think he needs to explain this one. I have liked the pizza here since day one, and was not sure why it was never reviewed. Some have said it was due to the limited menu. I thought that was hogwash, as the chipper in Old Town has limited offerings as well, but it was reviewed within months of opening.

[alan7147]

I think he needs to explain this one. I have liked the pizza here since day one, and was not sure why it was never reviewed. Some have said it was due to the limited menu. I thought that was hogwash, as the chipper in Old Town has limited offerings as well, but it was reviewed within months of opening.

I was there the first night Comet opened to the public and TS was at eating at the booth next to me. Can't say that he didn't get there early on after they opened.