The Way "We" Slice It

To my mind, few food items inspire the same kind of loyalty in people as pizza. When you find a great spot, you end up eating there religiously. People argue why their place is better than alternatives X or Y. And, if you frequent a restaurant, you become a regular... part of a community. Sure, people take ownership of other kinds of restaurants. But for pizza, it just seems to make more sense.

As such, my expectations were immediately sky-high upon hearing that Chief Spike Mendelsohn, the Top Chef contestant turned mad grill-ologist behind Good Stuff Eatery, was opening a pizza place. Good Stuff had quickly become one of my favorite DC food spots; the Good Stuff melt is very nearly a religious experience on a bun for me. So, after enduring a set of fairly extensive delays - it was originally billed to launch in April - We, The Pizza finally opened it's doors to the public.

When Elyse and I visited We (as Spike and co. have taken to calling it), we immediately knew that we'd have to spread ourselves out. We, The Pizza offers 12 different pies... and that's before you even consider the wings, pasta, sandwiches and homemade Italian sodas. We decided on four different slices (sausage and peppers, cheese, spinach and artichoke, mushroom) and two different sodas (sour cherry and pineapple). The sodas were great, but they definitely weren't the stars of the show.

Before we go any further, a confession: I judge every pizza joint by how it handles a plain, cheese pizza. Without any exotic ingredients or zany combinations to hide behind, cheese pizza gives a truly accurate depiction of what kind of clout any given pizzeria truly has. Spike did not disappoint. The crust was baked perfectly. The blend of cheeses was balanced and delicious. And don't even get me started on the seasoning. After my first bite, I knew I'd be back for more.

That only set me up for the other flavors. While the sausage and peppers pizza was fairly bland and non-distinct, the final two slices sent me into the stratosphere. The Forest Shroomin Pie -made with wild forest mushrooms, truffles, mozzarella and thyme - was unbelievable. This is what people should mean when they say mushroom pizza, rather than a normal pie topped with a few measly fungi. But as good as the Shroomin Pie was, nothing could prepare me for the spinach and artichoke slice. It was a revelation; rich, creamy and had a tremendous amount of flavor cohesion. Even after a few weeks, I still don't feel as though I've had enough time to truly put it into words. But suffice it to say, Elyse and I will be back soon. On our walk home that evening, we talked about making We the Pizza our pizza place. Or, in her words, "God help us when they start delivering."

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image: capitolbites flickr