2 Amy's

[iamthestretch]

I should start with the usual disclaimer. Hello, my name is Stretch, and I am a 2 Amys addict. In fact, there probably haven't been but one or two weekends in the past 18 months when I haven't inhaled at least one of their pizzas. My wife just looks at me now around noon on any given Saturday and goes, "2 Amys?" And I'm all, like, "What-ever." But inside, the crust junkie has already begun to dribble and twitch.

So I was more than politely interested when Tim the formerly-ponytailed-proprietor told me a while back that he and Peter Pastan had decided to make some changes -- which are now becoming apparent. Basically, they're clearing out the back room by the bar to create more of a holding area -- replacing the dining tables with small, high bar rounds and stools -- and bringing in a small plates menu for people to nibble on a la Mario B. That's going to make waiting for a table, which I gather you can now expect to have to do most evenings, a lot more pleasant. It's also going to present an opportunity to go sample some of the best home-cured meats around. Trust me, I got to go down to the "pig room" the other day and there are some serious prosciuttos and such airing out down there. (Along with some real honest-to-God guanciale, which is just one more reason to order any of the special pizzas with the house sausage on them. Unless you're a wuss like my wife and don't like pig faces.)

Anyway, the antique slicer is in and you could probably make a more-than-decent meal out of some of the cold cuts and a few of the existing appetizers like the roasted olives and the suppli -- breaded, fried risotto balled around a mozzarella core. The wine list is decent, and there's always the La Chouffe on tap. ("One of the few beers treated and revered like wine," says one British beer reference. "Only if you can run to top notch Alsatian Gewurztraminer should you contemplate drinking anything else with your next curry." Or pizza, say I.)

Which kind of brings us to the pizza. There's already a long thread on who likes what in D.C., and I like Pizzeria Paradiso just fine, but for me this is it. Just the right amount of tooth in the crust, and really good stuff on top. I know people who happily eat nothing but the perfect Margarita Extra, but you should at least check out the specials now and again. Today I had one with fresh hedgehog mushrooms, nutty, slightly caramelized whole cipollini onions, a thick sprinkle of Grana Padano and a nice fresh egg cracked into the middle and perfectly baked by the heat of the oven. Aaaaaarrrgggghhhhh.

One downside is the place is getting seriously slammed, even at lunch on weekends. But it seems like a happy shop, with the same faces at the oven and out on the floor for years now, and they really hustle so the service hasn't suffered much. Go early and often is my advice. Just don't try and talk to me when I'm eating...

[BackwardsHat]

Thanks for the update!

2 amys is my favorite pizza in DC, maybe in the country (although hot sobe in Miami beach is damn good too)...

The wait for a table and lack of place to wait has always been a problem for me as I can rarely get to 2 amys early enough to make the wait anything less than over an hour...

Glad to hear those changes are being made, I am inclined to agree that it will make waiting for a table much more enjoyable and maybe a new experience in and of itself...

Do they still have that big table to the left, immediately after you walk in? That's always been one of my favorites for when we go in a medium sized-group...

[MCJB2]

2 Amys is the best place for pizza in DC, I don't like Paradiso. I've only been once but it tasted so bland, I don't understand the appeal at all. 2 Amys does seem to be increasingly popular, the last time I DIDN'T have to wait for a table was last spring. The new holding area seems like a great idea. I would love it if they expanded & added another branch somewhere.

[JennyUptown]

What a timely post as I was at 2 Amys for lunch yesterday. I thought we had arrived early enough to avoid the bulk of the lunch crowd, but...ha! It was a zoo. There were only two of us so we got a table after just five minutes, but the waiting crowd in that runway by the door kept spilling over to the point where we felt like we had company at the table.

But the food was just as good as ever. We started with the supli (yum!). I generally prefer them with some marinara sauce for dipping, however our harried waitress couldn't get around to it. Then we shared a 2 Amy's with pepperoni and salami. So good.

No time for dessert yesterday.

[sara]

Hi

I just enjoyed a lovely rainy day lunch at 2 Amys. It began very well with a free neighborhood parking spot just a block away (always a big plus for me!). I arrived to meet a friend at 12, and the place was barely half full. Nice, calm, not noisy, the room smelled great and the grass boxes on the window sills really gave the place a nice springy feel.

We started with a special little dish of roasted beets, orange segments, and sea salt. Huge portion for $5 but we devoured it. We then moved on to a pizza santa-some-woman's-name with fresh mozarella, cherry tomatoes, and argula. Perfect! I usually leave my pizza crusts behind (like all bread crusts, see the Nectar thread), but I ate every last bit of this pizza. We finished with the special apple crisp and homemade vanilla ice cream and honey ice cream. The crisp could've been a bit warmer, and the crust on the crisp was a little overdone for my taste, but the ice cream was great.

Prompt, polite service, delicious food, easy parking--I know it's a rainy April weekday, and is usually much more crowded but I still nominate this for a top lunchspot.

[dcfoodie]

I'm at 2 Amys at least once a week. My favorite is the Norcia. The new antipasto bar is wonderful. :) If you go to Cafe Deluxe enough you will see the owner sitting at the bar taking a break. I wrote a review of 2 Amy's on my site.

[sweetfreak]

I just did a search on 2 Amy's and could not find a thread devoted to this restaurant, so I felt compelled to start one.

I really, really like this place. Especially now that they have added seating in the bar area and on the patio out back.

Dined there on Saturday night with my husband. We shared the Suppli al Telefono (sp? don't speak Italian) to start. These are the fried risotto balls stuffed with cheese. Yum is all I have to say. We devoured these.

For pizza, I ordered a special. It had local tomatoes (yellow and red), pancetta, chanterelles, grana and parsley. I had to chuckle because on the menu, it said "pancetta (bacon)" perhaps in reference to last week's Food section of the Post. This was delicious. The pancetta was incredibly salty, though (and I am a salt fiend). But what a combination of flavors!

We shared the cannoli for dessert and this was the only weak point of the meal. The shells were great, but the filling was way too dense for my taste...almost like paste and not a whole lot of flavor.

What do others think of this spot? Likes? Dislikes? I have yet to have a bad meal here, so I am curious.

[JennyUptown]

I am also very surprised that 2 Amy's doesn't have it's own thread. Great place! Inexpensive, unpretentious, good food.

I agree with you about the supli...big-time delicious. I love them.

I tend to get my pizza with some variety of meat. Pepperoni, salami is good, etc. I also ask them ahead of time to cut mine into slices because I'm generally a klutz with knives so add hot, slightly slick pizza into the mix and you have the potential for a huge mess.

[DonRocks]

Between dine-in and carry-out, I've been to 2 Amy's more than any other restaurant in Washington DC, so that should tell you what I think. This ranks right up there with my all-time favorite pizza, and Peter Pastan is a genius for having opened this restaurant when he did.

(I suspect many people here know this, but for those who don't, "suppli al telefono" means "telephone cord," and when you bite into the risotto ball, pulling it away from your gullet, a long, thin cord of cheese will be formed, hence the name.)

Cheese,

Rocks.

[P.S. as I merge this thread, I note eunny jang's comments down below, and I should add that I've only been to 2 Amy's perhaps twice this year - I've never liked the deviled eggs or the suppli al telefono, but the pizza has always been at least very good, and it usually hovers somewhere up in the outstanding range.]

[iamthestretch]

There are some other bits and pieces on the place scattered around eGullet here and here. The Two/2 thing does make searching a bit tricky.

I'm a total devotee, but agree with sweetfreak that the pancetta can be overpowering. If you don't want that much kick, substitute the excellent house-made sausage. (When it's on the menu, do not miss the special sausage pizza with hot and sweet peppers. Oh mama!) Also, if you like beer with your pie, try the La Chouffe, a Belgian golden ale they have on tap.

[eunny jang]

I really, really really really really hate to say this.

I don't really like 2 Amy's anymore, and don't often think of it when trying to come up with someplace to go to dinner.

Those risotto things, so delicious and marvelously swollen with goodies inside before...have come out damp and oily and hard rather than crisp the last few times I've been there.

The formerly lovely roasted olives have become awkwardly seasoned with herb, with whole sprigs of almost-raw stuff lurking about to leave a nasty, lingering woody taste.

The cockles on the vongole pizza have been dried out and a little off. Last time (a couple months ago), I was positive I detected sand in one.

The anchovies on the puttanesca have been off-puttingly salty - enough that I wondered if someone forgot to rinse them or if they've started using the Reese tins of anchovies wrapped around capers.

Pizzas have come back uniformly burnt on the bottom with soggy, doughy centers.

Everything has been awkward and unfriendly to eat, right down to the wet, slick calzone-thing my boyfriend picked at, with clumps of damp, unevenly heated ricotta and unmanageably big, salty wads of lukewarm proscuitto.

Service has ranged from perfunctory to downright obnoxious.

I used to LOVE this place, going there a couple times a month for a while there. I've probably been four times this year, and been dissapointed each time. Hopefully it's just me.

[JennyUptown]

Isn't it sad when a good place goes bad or at least inconsistent? I've been so disappointed at an old favorite recently that I'm afraid to go back (it's Matchbox in case you are curious). But I miss it.

[iamthestretch]

I used to LOVE this place, going there a couple times a month for a while there. I've probably been four times this year, and been disappointed each time. Hopefully it's just me.

Wow, really? That's a bummer. Was it dinner each time? The reason I ask is we always go for lunch, to beat the crowds, and I'm wondering if sheer overload has been taking its toll in the evenings. Our mileage is as good as ever, though there has been some occasional slight variance in the pizza crust as they've brought in new guys at the oven. (Jeez, what a geek I am. )

[morela]

One thing I know:

As mush as I adore 2 Amy's, their deviled eggs are weak. Pretentious oily ones as I recall and, like, I think those eggs need a trip to The Mayo Clinic.

Bring Out The Best, as they say...

The pizza, I love, though.

[sweetfreak]

Hmmm, I have to say the suppli were pretty spot-on Saturday night. Even better than the first time I had them. They were crispy on the outside and meltingly smooth on the inside. Delish.

I am constantly amazed at how light the pizza is. Even at Pizzeria Paradiso, I could never eat an entire pizza, but at 2 Amy's, I can make a pretty significant dent. I always ask for mine sliced too, Jenny. And my crust on Sat. stayed so crisp. You could definitely pick up the slices without any flopping.

[DonRocks]

eunny jang prompted me to try 2 Amy's again last night - here's a brief report:

Wines - still a fine little list at painless prices. The default is to get them served with water glasses, but if you order a bottle and ask for stemware, they'll happily bring it to you. A 1999 Salice Salentino for $24 was a great pizza wine at a fair price.

Bread - they'll only bring bread if you ask for it. A bit too oily/rubbery with too much bad-tasting flour on the crust this time around, but certainly homemade and honest.

Salad - a mixed green salad (arugula, endive, frisee, etc.) was simple and perfect, with just the right amount of dressing.

Pizzas - all pizzas were unevenly cooked, with parts of the crust charred and other parts not. I took a lap around the restaurant and confirmed that this was an ongoing problem last night. A special of "fresh Hawaiian giant prawns" with tomato, grana, etc. was the single worst pizza I've ever had at 2 Amys. The prawns were overcooked and yuckily salty, and the pizza had nothing to like about it at all, right down to the burned crust. Another special of "2 Amy's Sausage" was much better, the sausage being housemade and fabulous, and the crust being cooked properly 80% of the way around the circle, with 20% being charred. A ripieno stuffed with mozzerela, grana and tomato was good as well, although not at the very best level that I've had here.

Desserts - the cookies and truffles plate has gone to hell in a handbasket. Dried out, boring, and nothing like it used to be. Pistachio chocolate chip ice cream was fabulous, world-class ice cream that could have used smaller chocolate chunks. Grapefruit sorbet was as good as any I've ever had in my life. Despite the chocolate chunks, nothing has changed my experience that 2 Amys has my favorite ice creams and sorbets in the entire city.

Service - a mixture between curt (when we were seated), responsive (when we asked for stemware, polite (when we asked them to delay our pizzas for awhile in order to enjoy some wine and salad), and forgetful (the 2 Amys Sausage pizza was ordered with pepperoni as well, but brought without, and the server told us the ice cream and sorbet would arrive in two separate dishes so as not to mix them together, but they arrived in one).

So, there's one night at 2 Amys. As you see, it was a mixed bag, but my overall experience was a bit closer to eunny jang's than I really want to acknowledge. However, I see nothing that couldn't have been prevented with some more attentive supervision over the kitchen and waitstaff, other than the giant-prawn pizza which simply may have been beyond repair.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[dcfoodie]

I ate at 2 Amy's last night. It was a pretty typical experience for me. My wife and I ordered a couple of the special appetizers. One was a bread and tomato soup that was a little salty, but in the end utterly delicious. The other was the prosciutto and potato croquettes and they were excellent as well. The Norcia is our favorite pizza there and we ordered it again as usual. it was perfectly cooked and the ingredients were very fresh. Maybe we need to break out and order a different pizza for once. I really appreciate the wine list at 2 Amys. I'm no wine expert, but the wines here are always enjoyable and reasonably priced.

For dessert, we ordered the coffee crunch ice cream which was some of the best ice cream I've had in a while. I really want to know where they get their ice cream. I thought I read somewhere that they make it themselves, but I wonder where they would possibly make it in that tiny place. We ALSO ordered the cookie plate. Unlike DonRocks, I thought it was pretty good. He might be right about how it used to be better, but I have only started recently ordering them. Still, they seem very good to me and are a bargain at $4. They hit the spot after a large meal.

The one downside was that it was very LOUD. I mean, ear piercingly loud. There was this one table of girls that was obviously a birthday party or something and they just could not help how loud they were being.

I did not mind much though. I mean, if you want a romantic evening out, you should not be getting pizza, nor should you be in the Cleveland/Tenleytown area. The service always varies at 2 Amys but I've never had anyone be rude. This time of the year you will have some inconsistant service mainly because it is the start of the college school year and it seems like a majority of their people come from AU.

[Busboy]

The Mrs and I went there Thursday night, after the rain and humidity broke, and got waitlisted for a table on the patio, perhaps a bad choice, as we shall see.

While sitting at the bar, we enjoyed a delightful Sicilian white -- though, after a month in Greece, paying the same for a 250 ml caraffe as I grew used to paying for a full liter of wine doesn't strike me as a bargain -- and I decided that I liked the look of the non-pizza items better than the pizza.

After we were seated, we ordered a variety of small plates and, against my will, a pizza marinara. I like 2 Amy's pizza fine, but they've never rocked my world in the way other pies have. We'd looked over the pizzas on the way in and, authentic though they may be, we decided we wanted a little more sauce than the smear they were coming out with, and so we requested extra sauce. In addition, we asked for the pizza well-done. The result was the first 2 Amy's pizza to really get me thinking, "now, that's a hell of a pie." Crusty, just-burnt, with a light but tangy saucing, topped only with slices of garlic. I was a very happy man.

The telefonos, which had arrived earlier, were disappointing: the cheese nugget inside lacked the bulk needed to string out properly between mouth and savoury, and was overwhelmed by the rice. Tasty enough, I suppose, but not quite there. The ricotta with olive oil, meant to overcome the cheese deficit cause by the cheeseless pizza, was bland beyond words. I liked the bread, though, especially when it was sopping up the toothsome remnants of the other plates.

The fennel with blue cheese and dill was fantastic, the speck spectacular and cross-section of mackeral with olive oil and a tomato relish a revelation -- fishy goodness cut with the acid tomatoes and served in just the right quantity to get the tastebuds dancing. If the pizza hadn't been the best I'd had there, my initial observation would have been correct. If you haven't done so, I suggest you sit at the bar and watch as the bartender (Scott?) handles the cold plates with affectionate precision: sizing, shaving, drizzling and finishing the various meats, legumes, salads and cheeses, and order whatever looks most peasanty-good to you that night.

Unfortunately, as we were drifting into post-dinner bliss, the waiter, obviously eager to get the hell out, began dragging chairs and tables across the wooden patio. Soon, he was joined by a busboy (one of my own!) who began dumping silver into a tray at a volume roughly equivalent to that of a minor car accident. "Stay as long as you want," the waiter lied, and dragged another table across the boards. It was all of 9:45. It was quite a buzzkill. We had a chat with our friendly bartender about it and he promised to have a conversation, but the bum's rush soured an otherwise delightful evening.

Edited September 11, 2004 by Busboy (log)

[iamthestretch]

Broke a promise to my waistline and combined an errand up Wisconsin Ave. with a stop at 2 Amys this afternoon. I've never been a huge fan of the stuffed pizzas there, as I find ricotta rather bland, but the special calzone today was right on: Lamb meatballs, fontina, pecorino and fresh tomato sauce. A bomb-ass belly bomb. I remarked on the fact that the place was packed despite the drizzle. "Eh, we're a foul weather restaurant!"

Edited September 15, 2004 by iamthestretch (log)

[Al_Dente]

the special calzone today was right on: Lamb meatballs, fontina, pecorino and fresh tomato sauce. A bomb-ass belly bomb.

←

Man, that sounds good.

[iamthestretch]

It sucketh not. Neither doth it blow.

[JennyUptown]

Lamb meatballs, fontina, pecorino and fresh tomato sauce.

I was all excited about my Indique leftovers until I read that. Now I am jealous.

[mdt]

Broke a promise to my waistline and combined an errand up Wisconsin Ave. with a stop at 2 Amys this afternoon. I've never been a huge fan of the stuffed pizzas there, as I find ricotta rather bland, but the special calzone today was right on: Lamb meatballs, fontina, pecorino and fresh tomato sauce. A bomb-ass belly bomb. I remarked on the fact that the place was packed despite the drizzle. "Eh, we're a foul weather restaurant!"

←

Damn stretch, what is on the schedule for dinner tonight?!

[iamthestretch]

Fanboy that I may be deemed to be, can I resurrect this thread to note that the above lamb meatball calzone spoken of lo these many months ago was back on the menu today? In the company of some suppli, three La Chouffes, a blood orange panna cotta with caramel sauce and spiced shortbread and a baby who slept through the whole proceeding, it made me very, very happy.

Edited February 10, 2005 by iamthestretch (log)

[Nadya]

Fanboy that I may be deemed to be, can I resurrect this thread to note that the above lamb meatball calzone spoken of lo these many months ago was back on the menu today? In the company of some suppli, three La Chouffes, a blood orange panna cotta with caramel sauce and spiced shortbread and a baby who slept through the whole proceeding, it made me very, very happy.

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Two things:

1. I do believe lamb meatball calzone may have been hiding but only briefly, as I distinctly recall filching a few bites from the plate of my unsuspecting friend no more than a month ago. (When the snow has fallen.) Man, were they a source of juicy goodness.

2. What do you do to your baby to keep him quiet throughout your meal? (If it's legal, of course.) This is not the first time you mention it, so if there is a patent method in play here, there's big bucks to be made by sharing it, at a reasonable price, with scream-averse parents worldwide.

Edited February 10, 2005 by Nadya (log)