Tagolio Pizzeria (549 S. 23rd Street), located along restaurant row on 23rd Street in Crystal City, is one of the few pizzerias to serve an authentic coal-fired pizza in the D.C. area.
A crew from the county’s cable TV channel caught up with the restaurant’s French-born owner to find out the secret to Tagolio’s critically-acclaimed pies (and its freshly-made gnocci). Short answer: the dough, the fresh ingredients and the coal-fired oven.
It’s a tradition at Faccia Luna, the “American Trattoria” that has been a presence in Clarendon since 1992. For those who haven’t tried their pizza, or those who can’t get enough of it, our partners at WTD are offering a great deal: $20 worth of food and non-alcoholic beverages for $9.
The deal is available for purchase through next weekend. It must be redeemed by Dec. 1.
Construction Planned for New Penrose Square Park — Construction is set to begin on a new public park in front of the Penrose Square apartment building on Columbia Pike. Included in the park will be a 50-ton granite sculpture of a “concave elliptical parabola.” [Pike Wire]
Free Pizza Offer — For some reason, Papa John’s and the Washington Post are giving away thousands of free pizzas over the next three days. Papa John’s has three Arlington locations. [The Capitol Deal]
As we reported last month, the restaurant will deliver pizzas via mopeds, cars and, for addresses within a mile of Pete’s Clarendon location, via Segway. Pete’s co-owner Joel Mehr called the restaurant’s custom-modified Segway “an extremely efficient way to deliver to urban residents.
At least at first, delivery will only be available in the evening, from 5:00 p.m. to close.
The store, located in the old Pizza Milano space near Harris Teeter, features signature pies like the Ragin’ Cajun (sausage, chicken, garlic bell pepper onion), the Superbiotic (artichoke, spinach, bell pepper, mushroom, garlic, red onion, cliantro) and the Smokehouse (hickory-smoked BBQ sauce, onion, chicken), as well as specialized options like gluten-free crust.
As we reported in March, the New Orleans-based chain says it’s trying to be “part of the solution to the global epidemic of obesity and chronic disease” by making fast food “healthful instead of harmful.”
The three-month old restaurant will soon be launching delivery service, and co-owner Joel Mehr says the newly-purchased Segway will allow his delivery staff to serve residents of Arlington’s dense urban core faster than traditional delivery methods.
The Segway — once it’s outfitted with a custom pizza-holding basket — will be able to transport multiple pies at a time, unlike deliveries by foot, and will be able to park anywhere, unlike deliveries by car. Plus, Mehr said, it’s cheap and eco-friendly — only requiring a $0.20 overnight charge for eight hours of operation.
This will be the pizzeria’s third location. It also has restaurants in Crystal City (507 S. 23rd Street) and Fairlington (1623 Fern Street, Alexandria).
“Café Pizzaiolo will serve authentic Neapolitan and New York Style pizzas,” says the Village at Shirlington web site. “They combine natural, high quality local ingredients with imported Italian products to create our distinct style.”
Jim Morrison in Arlington? — The late Doors frontman Jim Morrison apparently was an Arlingtonian. The son of a Navy admiral, Morrison lived at as many as three different Arlington addresses. The current resident of one of his reported former addresses says Morrison’s ghost has haunted the house on three different occasions. [Falls Church News-Press]
Pete’s Apizza Groupon Selling Fast — A 50% off Groupon for Pete’s New Haven Style Apizza (3017 Clarendon Blvd) has nearly sold out. As of this writing, 5,800 people have purchased the deal — 4,800 specifically for the restaurant’s recently-opened Clarendon location. Expect the Clarendon restaurant to get considerably more crowded over the next few weeks as a result. [Groupon]
Pete’s co-owner Tom Marr tells us the restaurant has gotten all the necessary county occupancy and state alcohol permits, and is on track to open Sunday at 11:00 a.m. It could open today, he said, but management is focusing on training staff.
Pete’s serves New Haven-style pizza, which is explained at length on the company’s web site. Their “specialty apizzas” include: “Boola Boola” with house-made meatballs, roasted peppers, caramelized onions and cherry peppers; “Merritt Parkway” with Prosciutto di Parma, Kalamata olives, caramelized onions, basil and extra virgin olive oil; “New Haven” with white clams, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, Pecorino Romano and oregano; and “Nighthawk” with basil pesto, grilled chicken, wild mushrooms, caramelized onions and fresh mozzarella.
The addition will bring Bozzelli’s, which opened in November, into direct competition with one of the few other street-facing quick-serve options on the southern end of Crystal Drive, Pizza Autentica (2450 Crystal Drive).
Bozzelli’s is serving plain cheese, pepperoni and veggie pizzas for now. Fancier options like the white pizza are still a few days away, an employee said. In addition to the pizza, Bozzelli’s is also now offering mini cupcakes and other sweets in Crystal City.
A Naked Pizza restaurant will be replacing Pizza Milano, in a storefront that faces the Harris Teeter parking lot on the northern end of Pentagon Row. Pizza Milano, which used to offer free delivery, is now closed.
New Orleans-based Naked Pizza is noted for its devotion to making positive social change — it claims to be “part of the solution to the global epidemic of obesity and chronic disease” by making fast food “healthful instead of harmful” — as well as its health-minded pizza.
Zpizza Opens in Rosslyn — Office-dwellers in Rosslyn have another lunchtime option. Local pizza chain Zpizza has opened next to the Baja Fresh at 1100 Wilson Boulevard. [TBD]
Alexandria Mayor Endorses Krupicka for State Senate — Alexandria City Councilman Rob Krupicka (D), who’s running for the state Senate seat currently held by the retiring Sen. Patsy Ticer, has received a quick if unsurprising endorsement from Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille. Ticer’s 30th District seat– which encompasses most of Alexandria and South Arlington — is also being sought by Del. Adam Ebbin and Arlington School Board Chair Libby Garvey. [Krupicka for State Senate]
