Mozzeria - DC
Michele: I blame Phil. A few weekends ago, I am binge watching Somebody Feed Phil - Season 7, probably as Phil is trying to swim in Iceland, when Susan texts about trying out Mozzeria from the DC episode. That’ll teach me to like one of her Facebook posts. We both have March birthdays and there is an orchid display at the National Portrait Gallery. Flowers and pizza, I’m in.
Susan: Michele and I hit up this amazing restaurant after visiting the National Portrait Gallery. Because being cultured makes one ravenous for pizza, no? We parked about a block away and didn’t have much trouble finding street parking on a weekend afternoon.
Michele: Despite having been featured on the show, it is relatively quiet on a Sunday afternoon and we are asked to sit at the bar for our late lunch. Mozzeria’s wood fired Neopolitan pizza restaurant is deaf-owned and operated. The bartender was amazing; I later learn her name is Sehuam. She is very patient with us as we pointed and gestured our order.
Michele: We order bread with white garlic sauce and three pizzas to try, the Margherita, the Salumi, and the Meatball. I don't have the heart to tell Susan that I don't like meatballs and how the heck are they going to keep them from rolling around of the pizza? We watched the pizza maker tend to his craft as a few more people join us at the bar. The atmosphere is relaxing and quiet, with a nice selection of music playing in the background. With a big sunny space like this, you expect sound to travel, but it doesn't.
Susan: LOL. Who doesn’t like meatballs? My favorite was the Margherita after all. Just the right balance of acidity to savory on a chewy crust. I also tried their ice tea. It was the best ice tea hands down. You can find this deliciousness on either coast, one in DC and the other in the Bay Area by food truck.
Michele: I end up devouring the bread when it comes. It is not a foccacia, but like a ciabbatta with a mixture of garlic and olive oil spread on top. We choose the white garlic sauce for dipping. The bread is slightly charred on the outside with a tender moist crumb inside. The combination of bread and sauce is delicious.
Then the pizza arrives. The white blond pizza crust is cooked perfectly through with bits of char on the bottom. It is that perfect chewy with a few thin spots that achieve a cracker like consistency that shatter in your mouth when you bite in. My favorite is the Salumi, the meat is salty with the slight funk of a good prosciutto. This offsets the sweet from the tomato sauce and savory sesame seeds with the chili flakes hitting the back of your throat.
It. Is. Delicious.
Michele: Then Susan says we have to get our picture with Christin, the General Manager, she was on the DC episode with Phil. Sigh, I hate having my picture taken. The person who made our pizzas (I never got his name) gamely takes several pictures. This is the best one in my opinion. Thanks pizza guy! Thanks Christin! They were such good sports about it.
Susan: Mozzeria is 3 minutes / half a mile away from Gallaudet university. It was founded in 1864 as a grammar school for both deaf and blind children. Be prepared to point and gesture but it will be one of the best Neapolitan pizzas you’ve tasted.
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