Famous Luigi’s is credited with introducing pizza to the Washington DC area in 1943. Their fine Italian pies deserve a place in pizza paradise.
I’ve already resigned myself to never finding a pizza like the one I first ate at Famous Luigi’s on 19th street near Dupont Circle. I was a teenager at the time and the Italian delicacy was just coming on the scene.
Over the years, I’ve eaten there almost every time I’ve visited the area. Even my kids consider it the best.
Luigi’s traditionally decorated tables with candles stuffed into empty wine bottles.
In Search of the Second Best Pizza
But sadly the immigrant family that owned the place died and the next generation eventually closed the doors. I’m told that Luigi’s has been reincarnated by its previous owner. It’s now Osteria Marzano in Alexandria. This is a pilgrimage I must make.
Meanwhile, I’m searching St. Louis for the second best pizza. Like meatloaf or bread pudding, we all have our preferences, when it comes to the Italian pie. It’s a dish ripe for interpretation.
A Zesty, Cheesy Pizza
Ideally, I look for a medium thin crust with lots of stringy cheese, that trails off the spatula, when you lift a slice onto your plate. Pizza from Antonino’s on The Hill does this superbly. As to flavor and varieties, I go with Pi Pizza, and for convenience, Dewey’s, a half block from my condo.
The four-cheese pizza at Antonino’s on the Hill.
Pi Pizza
The half Bronx Bomber from Dewey’s.
Admittedly, I’ve not tested every pizza joint in St. Louis. But if you’ve run onto one that you think matches, what I’ve described, please let me know.
With nothing better to do, testing pizzas is as good a way to start the New Year as any.
