Our waiter was incredibly friendly and happy to recommend his favorite menu items. He sang along to the Jimmy Buffett tunes that were playing and was generally a pleasure to deal with.
We started off with a traditional garden salad. No picture needed, it was a straightforward green salad with a tasty vinaigrette dressing. For our entree we split the 12-inch Caprese Pizza. It was a thin neapolitan-style crust topped with mozzarella, roma tomatoes, garlic, sea salt, olive oil and fresh basil. We intended to take half of it home but it was so thin and light that we managed to finish the whole thing!
We couldn't decide between pizza and pasta, so we got both. We tried the cavatelli pasta with hot italian sausage and peppers in a marinara sauce. The cavatelli was a bit doughy for B's taste but I like it like that. It was topped with a generous helping of mozarella cheese and served with toasted crostinis that added an interesting crunch.
I think you can find better pizza in DC (Two Amys) and better pasta (Papa Razzi or Filomena), but if you're in the neighborhood killing time before a Reagan Airport pickup, Cafe Pizzaiolo is a solid choice for an Italian meal.
Second Thoughts from B
For a quick, inexpensive, fresh, and easy Italian meal in a relaxed setting (they have board games available), Cafe Pizzaiolo is a good choice. Is it good enough to make a special trip to the always lovely and entertaining Crystal City (I hope this description conveys the appropriate level of sarcasim)? As a former resident, I can unequivocally say no. Then again, that's a comment on Crystal City and not Cafe Pizzaiolo... But if you're in the neighborhood, whether that be a trip to the airport, the mall, the Costco, or driving through to get to Old Town Alexandria, you could do much worse.
We couldn't decide between pizza and pasta, so we got both. We tried the cavatelli pasta with hot italian sausage and peppers in a marinara sauce. The cavatelli was a bit doughy for B's taste but I like it like that. It was topped with a generous helping of mozarella cheese and served with toasted crostinis that added an interesting crunch.
I think you can find better pizza in DC (Two Amys) and better pasta (Papa Razzi or Filomena), but if you're in the neighborhood killing time before a Reagan Airport pickup, Cafe Pizzaiolo is a solid choice for an Italian meal.Second Thoughts from B
For a quick, inexpensive, fresh, and easy Italian meal in a relaxed setting (they have board games available), Cafe Pizzaiolo is a good choice. Is it good enough to make a special trip to the always lovely and entertaining Crystal City (I hope this description conveys the appropriate level of sarcasim)? As a former resident, I can unequivocally say no. Then again, that's a comment on Crystal City and not Cafe Pizzaiolo... But if you're in the neighborhood, whether that be a trip to the airport, the mall, the Costco, or driving through to get to Old Town Alexandria, you could do much worse.
I don't know what you're talking about - I thought Crystal City was "lovely"- especially the underground mall!
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