Arts & Entertainment
The perfect slice?
Friday night family pizza tradition got rude awakening outside the Big Apple
Growing up in New York, every Friday night was pizza night with my family.
Each week, a perfect New York-style pizza pie made its way to the kitchen table. Pizza that had the perfect crust; not too thin and not to thick; the right sauce-to-cheese ratio and not swimming in oil. I loved those Friday nights with my family and I still love pizza.
I thought all pizza was perfect, just like the ones that sat in front of me in my youth. The rude awakening arrived when I moved to Boston. My first Friday night alone I called the local pizza parlor and ordered a large pie.
“We don’t sell pie,” said the man on the other end of the line with a chuckle, “We sell pizza.” Before the man could hang up I asked for a large cheese pizza pie, but what eventually arrived at my dorm room didn’t even come close to the perfection I was used to. That’s where my quest for the perfect pizza began, and after 10 years in Boston I never found pizza that met my snobby New York pizza standards.
Now my quest continues in Washington and the perfect pie is still eluding me. Not a single jumbo slice comes close, but they aren’t supposed to; they fill a different pizza niche. Manny and Olga’s on 14th Street serves up a solid pizza, but not perfection. Places like Pi, Pizza No. 17, Pizzeria Paradiso and Matchbox all offer great gourmet pizza options but none are New York-style pizza. So when a coworker said he had some of the best pizza of his life at Menomale Pizza Napoletana (2711 12 Street N.E.), I assembled a group of people and we descended on the Brookland pizza spot on a Friday evening.
Menomale, which means “thank goodness” in Italian, opened this past May and is owned by Italian-born pizza-master Ettore Rusciano and self-proclaimed beer nerd Leland Estes. These guys put together a menu that consists of pizza, calzones and sandwiches made completely with ingredients sourced from the Campania region of Italy. The beer list is clever and constantly rotating with both bottles and drafts available for patrons.
The accommodating staff offered us a couple of seating options upon our arrival, since seven of us had arrived and the adorable 38-seat restaurant can sit a party of six maximum. However, a cozy option in the back corner allowed us all to enjoy our meal together. We started with the Formaggi Della Casa that had three artisan cheeses, dried fruit, nuts, honey and delicious pizza crust to serve it all on. I devoured the cheeses in minutes leaving very little for the rest of the table, including a “moldy” blue cheese that was exquisite, and I don’t generally like “moldy” cheese.
For the meal I had the Buongustaio Pannuozzo wood fired sandwich with sausage, prosciutto de parma and buffalo mozzarella. The name means tasty sandwich and it was exactly that. The pizzas we tried included the margherita (sometimes the best way to judge a place is with its simplest dish); the Diavola, which has spicy salami and red peppers on top of the buffalo mozzarella and tomatoes; and the Capricciosa, which is mozzarella, San Marzano tomatoes, fresh garlic, salami, artichokes and black olives. We also tried the interesting Patata, which is cream of potato, sausage, black olives, mozzarella and fresh basil. All of these items are cooked in the wood burning pizza oven that Rusciano brought to the U.S. This oven cooks the pizzas at 900 degrees and is one of the largest on the East Coast. It also kind of looks like a cool spaceship, at least to me.
Each of these pizzas is made with high quality, fresh ingredients. The flavor profiles are all interesting and the pies all come to the table piping hot and delicious. Menomale makes gourmet pizzas that are on an equal playing field, if not better than some of the establishments mentioned earlier. Sure, I will still be looking for my perfect New York-style pizza (and bagels, and black and white cookies, and deli sandwiches), but I will still return to Menomale for some gourmet pies every now and again.
Cupid’s Undie Run, an annual fundraiser for neurofibromatosis (NF) research, was held at Union Stage and at The Wharf DC on Saturday, Feb. 21.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Sweat DC is officially expanding to Shaw, opening a new location at 1818 7th St., N.W., on Saturday, March 28 — and they’re kicking things off with a high-energy, community-first launch event.
To celebrate, Sweat DC is hosting Sweat Fest, a free community workout and social on Saturday, March 14, at 10 a.m. at the historic Howard Theatre. The event features a group fitness class, live DJ, local food and wellness partners, and a mission-driven partnership with the Open Goal Project, which works to expand access to youth soccer for players from marginalized communities.
For more details, visit Sweat DC’s website and reserve a spot on Eventbrite.
Friday, Feb. 20
Center Aging Monthly Luncheon with Yoga will be at noon at the D.C. LGBTQ+ Community Center. Email Mac at [email protected] if you require ASL interpreter assistance, have any dietary restrictions, or questions about this event.
Trans and Genderqueer Game Night will be at 7 p.m. at the D.C. Center. This will be a relaxing, laid-back evening of games and fun. All are welcome! We’ll have card and board games on hand. Feel free to bring your own games to share. For more details, visit the Center’s website.
Go Gay DC will host “First Friday LGBTQ+ Community Social” at 7 p.m. at Hotel Zena. This is a chance to relax, make new friends, and enjoy happy hour specials at this classic retro venue. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Saturday, Feb. 21
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ community, including allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
LGBTQ People of Color will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This peer support group is an outlet for LGBTQ People of Color to come together and talk about anything affecting them in a space that strives to be safe and judgement free. There are all sorts of activities like watching movies, poetry events, storytelling, and just hanging out with others. For more information and events, visit thedccenter.org/poc or facebook.com/centerpoc.
Sunday, Feb. 22
Queer Talk DC will host “The Black Gay Flea Market” at 1 p.m. at Doubles in Petworth. There will be more than 15 Black queer vendors from all over the DMV in one spot. The event’s organizers have reserved the large back patio for all vendors, and the speak easy for bar service, which will be serving curated cocktails made just for the event (cash bar.) DJ Fay and DJ Jam 2x will be spinning the entire event. For more details, visit Eventbrite.
Monday, Feb. 23
“Center Aging: Monday Coffee Klatch” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more information, contact Adam at [email protected].
Tuesday, Feb. 24
Coming Out Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a safe space to share experiences about coming out and discuss topics as it relates to doing so — by sharing struggles and victories the group allows those newly coming out and who have been out for a while to learn from others. For more details, visit the group’s Facebook.
Genderqueer DC will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a support group for people who identify outside of the gender binary, whether you’re bigender, agender, genderfluid, or just know that you’re not 100 percent cis. For more details, visit genderqueerdc.org or Facebook.
Wednesday, Feb. 25
Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom upon request. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.
Asexual and Aromantic Group will meet at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a space where people who are questioning this aspect of their identity or those who identify as asexual and/or aromantic can come together, share stories and experiences, and discuss various topics. For more details, email [email protected].
Thursday, Feb. 26
The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center. To be more fair with who is receiving boxes, the program is moving to a lottery system. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245.
Virtual Yoga Class will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This free weekly class is a combination of yoga, breathwork and meditation that allows LGBTQ community members to continue their healing journey with somatic and mindfulness practices. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
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