Pizza

It hardly seems necessary, with all the home-delivery possibilities available, to make suggestions for pizza sources, but if you want to ignore those stuffed-crust, soft dough or crunchy crust confections with exotic topping combinations and tuck into the simple open sandwich style of the original Neopolitan snack, here are some good home-made versions around.

Italia Gourmet, 8662 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring, 301 588 6999. Maria Fortini tops hers with mozzarella made fresh each morning;

Mamma Lucia's, 2409 University Blvd West, Wheaton, 301 949 2112. Eleanora Lazzaro ('Mamma Lucia') makes a comfortingly authentic pizza in three sizes, plain and pepperoni;

Vignola Pasta Gourmet, 113-A N. Washington St, Rockville, 301 340 2350. Luciano and Alma Vignola make good Margherita and White Genovese pizza whose crust survives the freezing process.

Roberto Donna, award-winning chef and owner of Galileo and several other Italian restaurants in the area, at home and in a hurry goes half-way towards making his own, swearing by the cheese and herb variety of American Flatbread in the eco-friendly white box and brown bag stocked by Whole Foods for a base. To it he adds his own sliced tomatoes, mozzarella, herbs and drizzle of olive oil, before baking according to instructions.

If you want to make your own thin and crispy pizza without fuss, Bertucci's Brick Oven can often be persuaded to sell you their base uncooked in a box with a little semolina sprinkled over to stop it sticking. Several branches in DC and VA phone books. And Vace's sells fresh pizza dough, home-made tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and, in summer, bunches of fresh basil, 3315 Connecticut Ave NW, 202 363 1999; 7010 Wisconsin Ave, Bethesda, 301 654 6367.

But if you crave that wood-burning stove taste and see no reason to make your own pizza or have one delivered, you can’t beat the authenticity of the pizzas at Two Amys, 3715 Macomb St NW, 202 885 5700 and Pizza Paradiso, 2029 P Street NW, 202 223 1245 and 3282 M Street NW, 202 337 1245.

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