I find the pizza situation in DC similar to the Italian food situation - that is, decent pizza and Italian can only be found in fine dining establishments. I haven't been to Italy, so perhaps these fine restaurants offer cuisine more akin to the homeland. But in my experience, growing up in Boston, Italian is a big heavy comfort food and there are no airs about it. DC just doesn't have those joe schmoe joints you can walk into and get great pizza or italian food. (I'm sure it has to do with the evolution of the city; Boston, NY, B-more all had heavy Italian influx where most of the Italian in DC is transplanted.) AV room (on NY ave) might be the closest thing to an exception. The pizza there is okay and they have a sausage dish I really like. But really, you have to go to Baltimore to find good working-class Italian. Even in the realm of upscale pizza, Pizzaria Paradiso doesn't compare in quality (not as good) or price (more expensive) to any of the coal oven pizza joints found four hours to the north. I always get excited for Pizzaria Paradiso and then I leave feeling duped. Anyone know of any good low-brow Italian or pizza in town? There is a little lunch joint on 17th below M that as I recall has very good pizza. I don't mean to rehash the old naysayer DC-no-pizza-bagels discussion, and I do appreciate the local cuisine (Ethiopian and Salvadorian). It's just the Italian.