Journey to 2 Amy’s

Hello all—

Its been an eventful summer and now that I’ve returned from my spanish sojourn it’s time to get back to pamparius business.

My cronies and I visited two pizza establishments after embarking on our journey to Barcelona: 2 Amy’s in DC and a very special place across the pond which will be revealed in a forthcoming post. Coincidently, 2 Amy’s is the first wood fired establishment (to my knowledge) I visited in my adult life and this was my second visit. For those who have not experienced 2 Amy’s, the restaurant has a reputation for being crowded, noisy and spotted with Italian folk and, to no surprise, such was the case when we arrived.

The pizza was as good as I had remembered but, to be truthful, we were so famished when we arrived anything would have tasted satisfactory. I ordered a standard DOC margherita (Buff. Mozz, San Marzano tomatoes, and basil), where as my other comrades ordered three margherita extras (same as above however with cherry tomatoes), and two of the three with arugula.

The portion sizes and quality of the toppings were spot on and the pies’ centers were the right amount of neapolitan-soupy. Additionally, and unlike most pizza establishments, 2 Amy’s has a great beer and wine list (more than a few beers on tap, maybe five) which surely elevated the experience.

My only point of criticism involves their crust, which is decent, but not quite my kind of thing. Firstly, it’s a bit tasteless, which could be the fault of using instant/active dry yeast. I prefer naturally leavened and properly fermented dough which produces a more dynamic flavor profile.  Thus, I view instant/active dry yeast as a lesser or convenient option when leavening dough (what I assume they use at 2 Amy’s). Furthermore, rather than the crust rim/coricionce/crumb being pillowy and contrasted, it seemed underdone (maybe it’s due to their kneading technique). The point is, I expect traditional-esque places to have softer crusts, but not crusts as dense as 2 Amy’s, nor for them to be as tasteless.

We finished our meal with large ball of buffalo mozz as our dessert.  Because buffalo mozz has been discussed a few times on this blog, I feel it necessary to note, that from my experiences, buffalo mozz varies incredibly from place to place (just like any cheese would) and the best stuff I’ve had was in Spain. In an interview, Anthony Mangieri once stated that all the buffalo mozz from Italy comes in one shipment and though I’ve heard of a few American buffalo mozz ventures (California? Vermont?), I’m not sure if establishments use the stuff. Either way, it’s clear that some batches a far superior to others. The buffalo mozz at 2 Amy’s was certainly better than the overpriced garbage that I purchased at the late Ukrops but it did taste a bit bland and a bit too wet. I suppose it’s just the sort of thing that gets better with better availability and proximity to the producer.

All criticism aside, 2 Amy’s has it going on if your up for a unique, ‘softer’ neapolitan pizza experience and I do recommend it. Also, if you visit and feel adventurous check out their crushed red pepper: usually I abstain from using it with better pizza but whatever they’re stocking is distinct and quite tasty.

Peace

Nathan