Brick ovens — to pizza fans what Sub-Zero wine coolers are to oenophiles — are popping up all over town. A few I know about: backyard versions at Peter Headley’s and Andy Howell’s (Café Rustica), The Boathouse, the soon-to-open Stuzzi, and now Aziza’s. If your idea of pizza are the carbtastic doughy mounds of Bottoms Up, this ain’t the pie for you. But if hand-tossed, stone-fired, crispy-thin ‘zas are your thang, step away from the Domino’s coupons. (Must I even tell you this?)
Fallen calls Aziza’s a “Richmopolitan Pizzeria,” a play off of Neopolitan, the authentic pizza of Napoli, Italia. The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (VPN) is an association dedicated to preserving the ways of the old masters by codifying what “true” Neopolitan pizza is, including oven-building and pizza-prep protocols that adhere to the artisanal traditions. The closest VPN-certified pizzeria is 2 Amy’s in DC, but Aziza’s officially recognizes theirs as “R.G.P.” (Really Good Pizza), and that’s good enough for me. (Rumor has it that Stuzzi — debuting in the former 1 North Belmont space — will be certified, though their name is not yet listed among VPN members.)
Fallen, the Billy who started Billy Bread, will also be baking loaves and producing other bounty from the bricks. Says Greg Boone, Fallen’s sous chef, “I cooked a thick New York strip in six minutes … and scallops came out like butter in about five.” I haven’t dug into those yet, but last night we chowed on three pizzas: Prosciutto and Arugula (cow mozzarella, Prosciutto di Parma, Manakintowne arugula), Pepperoni and Peppers (nitrate-free pepperoni, oven-roasted peppers, cow mozzarella), and Margharita (San Marzano tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, basil). The generous pile of spicy local arugula atop the salty ham and sweet cheese was marvelous. The pepperoni/peppers combo was most popular with the tots, and the Margharita was so real-deal, I almost made Fallen show his passport ... he's supposedly Lebanese, not Italian.
The rest of the pies are: White, Mushroom and Onion, No Cheese, Red. Aziza's seven 10-inchers range from $8 to 12, and toppings from salt-packed capers to Belmont Butchery sausage to fontina cheese are available for under $2 each. Our dinner with an app, three pies and two Almazas (Lebanese beer) came to $66 with tax, tip and leftovers. Uh-huh.
