Friday, November 23, 2007

Restaurants

Here are a few other places whose pizza Eve Zibart recommends:

Extra Virgin

4053 Campbell Ave. in the Village of Shirlington, Arlington; 703-998-8474. Entrees $14-$24; pizzas $8-$11.

It's hard being both a local bar and a family restaurant, but Extra Virgin manages pretty well. Yes, the oil is good, but the food isn't swimming in it (unless you dip the bread in that oil, Parmesan and pepper plate, and you should). Try the veal-stuffed ravioli, the sweet roasted onion with sausage, risottos, wood-fired pizzas and the veal chop in porcini glaze. Pastas are made in-house and often outshine sauces. If you hang out at the bar, the bruschetta and calamari are your friends.

Giuseppi's Pizza Plus

199-L E. Montgomery Ave. (in Regal Row), Rockville; 301-424-0413. Metro: Rockville. Subs and pizzas $4.50-$21.75.

It's not advertised as low-sodium, but Giuseppi's pizza crust and tomato sauce both squeak by on a pinch of salt (as do the sub rolls, it seems), and that might be a big advantage for some customers. For the rest of us, there are plenty of toppings to alter the flavor balance, including notably crisp, greaseless crumbled bacon. (In fact, the white pizza with tomatoes, bacon and spinach will delight BLT fans.) Prefer your own delivery service? Get the pizza "half-baked" and carry out.

Liberty Tavern

3195 Wilson Blvd., Arlington; 703-465-9360. Metro: Clarendon. Entrees $15-$29; pizzas $10-$14.

If this heartland-American menu has a mission, it's to showcase market-fresh produce, artisan cheeses and natural flavorings, and that's apple pie to me. Pledge organic allegiance to pizza with white cheddar, prosciutto, sage and Granny Smith apples; figs with watercress and blue cheese; hanger steak with black-eyed pea and corn succotash; shellfish pasta with chilies, mint and fennel pollen; molasses-cornmeal bread; and Amish-raised pan-roasted chicken -- you'll feel better for it.

Potomac Pizza

Locations in Friendship Heights, Rockville, Potomac and Kentlands. Subs and pizza $6.79-$21.99; entrees $8.99-$12.99.

At last: a fat-free pizza you can really eat. The crust is tasty, the mozzarella a great leap beyond the rubbery synthetics of a few years ago and you can pile on the (grilled) vegetables. The "guilt-free" is cheese-less to boot, which might sound dull but, thanks again to good, fresh veggies, is like a thin-crust focaccia. And if your special interest is "green" harvest methods, get the grilled tuna sub, made with "dolphin-safe" meat and your choice of wraps or breads.

Vapiano

Locations in downtown, Ballston and Dulles Town Center. Entrees $7.25-$10.25.

A slick and surprisingly likable hybrid of Italian concept and German engineering, these spiffy pizza and pasta bars manage to produce, as the slogan goes, fresh fast food. Choose pizza toppings or pastas (house-made) and sauces from four bargain price points, and the chef whips them out in just a couple of minutes. And although a couple of combos may seem odd (fig, prosciutto and honey pizza), remember that this culinary coupe has been driving in the fast lane in Germany for five years -- and that's a coup.

Zio's

9083 Gaither Rd., Gaithersburg; 301-977-6300. Entree $10.25-$15.95; pizzas $5.75-$15.95

Inexpensive and filling Italian food is easy to find these days (although it's more often franchise fare), but a really good family-recipe pizza may be harder to find than ever. The pizza dough here, made from Mama Pappano's family recipe, is like the best fresh bread you've had in weeks, and even if the pasta isn't as consistently fine, it will keep the family happy. Pizza, garlic bread, thick wine glasses, salad bar -- Zio's is just like the old days.