Pete's New Haven Style Apizza, located at the top of the metro in Columbia Heights, is opening its doors to the public on Monday, April 28th, at 11AM.

We are so grateful...

OK, skip over this next paragraph if you want to get right to the good stuff about our pizza.

Sorry. Just feeling really grateful.

A quick note about who we are.

...OK, skip over this next paragraph if you want to get right to the good stuff about our pizza.

Anyway, we are NOT a chain. Our three principal owners are Alicia Wilkinson-Mehr, native of New Haven County, CT -- hence the New Haven style pizza; Joel Mehr, Montgomery County born and raised, former NYC cabbie and upper west side Manhattan pizza joint manager; and Tom Marr, Fairfax County born and raised, who, along with Joel, most recently ran the kitchen at the National Gallery of Art. Alicia and Joel live in Petworth; Tom and his family live in Fairfax. And, providing backup vocals, Michael Wilkinson, a Columbia Heights resident since 1999, U Street before that and Logan Circle before that. Michael and Alicia are twin siblings, with deep roots in Connecticut. The name Pete's comes from our dad, Pete Wilkinson, and Alicia's son, who used to be known as Wil but now introduces himself as "Pete" and, by the way is a 4th grader at E.L. Haynes Public Charter School across the street at 14th and Irving, above the CVS. Those are the owners. Not some big corporation. A really little, really new corporation which could use some help setting up the books and getting things arranged so we stay out of trouble with the tax people. Oops, was that out loud?

OK, not such a quick note. Sorry.

So what is New Haven-style pizza? Anyone who knows Sally's or Frank Pepe's or Modern Apizza knows. If you're not a New Haven pizza nerd, you can check APIZZA on Wikipedia. Or, google any of the pizzerias mentioned above. Short version: New Haven Apizza is an outgrowth of the Italian-American community that settled in the New Haven area in the early 20th century. It reveres the Italian food culture of fresh ingredients, simple construction, and unpretentious presentation.

Many people think New Haven pizza is all about coal as a heat source. Not entirely true, although the most famous New Haven pizzerias do use coal-fired ovens. Our absolute favorite New Haven pizza is actually found in East Haven in a restaurant named Grande Apizza, where they fire the pizza in a gas-fired oven, like we do, at the perfect temperature for the perfect amount of time. Another thing is the crust. It's just DIFFERENT. Because of the way it's made, without divulging any secrets, it turns out PERFECTLY CRISPY on the OUTSIDE and PERFECTLY CHEWY on the INSIDE, with the perfect amount of black on the bottom. Also, New Haven pizza never has too much sauce, too much cheese, or too much of any topping. Because what's on it is so good, they don't have to load the toppings on.

We aim to use organic ingredients, locally sourced whenever possible, throughout the menu. And we aim to apply as many Green principles of producing, selling, discarding, re-using and recycling as possible. So, we're going to sell beverages in glass containers rather than disposable cups and deliver our food to the table on china rather than paper or styrofoam (BLLLECCCCHHH!!!) ; we're going to distribute biodegradable utensils and cups with our take-out; and we're going to ENCOURAGE (hound) OUR CUSTOMERS TO DISPOSE OF THEIR WASTE RESPONSIBLY.

Speaking of "throughout the menu," we are much more than apizza. We offer panini; salads; fresh pastas; antipasti; gelato from Georgetown's Dolcezzi; coffee from Italy's best, Illy; and an assortment of desserts. You can see the full menu at the website (www.petesapizza.com). Sorry about all of the semicolons in this paragraph. Dr. Echols really trained me well in my high school grammar classes. It's annoying, but technically correct. Trust me.

OK, screw English class and back to the restaurant.

Feel free to call us at 202-332-PETE, or email us at with your thoughts. We've gotten some great ideas already from neighborhood supporters. Above all else, let us know if you've got a NEW HAVEN connection. We'll treat you real special.

For photos of the whole construction process, browse the different sets within the Pete's collection on Flickr.

I am glad to take (er, or return) calls from people in the neighborhood who want to know more. My cell is 202-374-6591 and my home number is 202-545-0880. The store can be reached at 332-PETE (7383). You can call ahead to order in or take out, and you will (VERY SOON) be able to place your order directly online at www.petesapizza.com.

I have to say.

After eight years of living in the neighborhood -- my addresses have been 1407 Monroe (1999-2001), 1106 Monroe (2001-2004 SHOUT OUT TO COL HTS COFFEE!!!!!) and 4114 Arkansas Avenue (2004-present) -- I am so incredibly proud to be a Columbia Heights resident, and I am so proud to have been a part of the changes that have taken place over the past ten years here.

I am grateful for all the people who have taken the leap to move here during good times and bad.

And I am so proud to be taking part of the commercial renaissance of 14th Street, bringing it back to the glory it once possessed, and it now deserves.

Longtime residents and newcomers alike can and should share in this pride. We are an awesome neighborhood with awesome accomplishments that we could not have accomplished without both old timers and newcomers. THANK YOU.

Michael K. Wilkinson
Pete's Apizza
Windsor Consulting

Comments

Written by GforGood on 2008-04-25 11:04:12 Sounds fantastic! I actually just met one of you at the door of the restaurant as I was gazing in through the windows with my mom. Can't wait. The pizza sounds fantastic (especially the "not too much sauce or anything" part!!!). And I am nervously anticipating the pastas - I prey to gozilla and other imaginary creatures that the "not too much sauce" policy applies there too. I assume real al dente is given. Please gozilla, please let it be true.... :D

Written by DCzSlimmest on 2008-04-25 13:46:20 That's awesome news!!! Pizza should ONLY be made by pizza lovers. Far too many have entered DC's pizza market with no real passion or understanding of good pizza. Your introduction is very encouraging and I look forward to supporting Pete's for many years to come. All the best!!! ...BTW, I was already excited about your savory offerings, only to learn that you'll be offering Georgetown's Dolcezzi gelato as well!!! Please, please, please offer the Mojito flavor... it's my favorite!!!!

fresh pastas Written by on 2008-04-25 14:01:33 We sure hope you like the pasta. We're going to be using fresh pastas, which take 90 seconds to cook from fridge to sauce. It's in place of your better-known pastas, which are boiled from hard and dry, then sit around for a while until someone orders a plate, when it gets reheated and sauced.

Written by chris on 2008-04-29 12:25:07 more expensive than the italian store? really? give me a break. i live a block from this jam, and being from nj, know what good pizza is, but i doubt i'll be headed over to pete's anytime soon due to the extravagant pricing.

Written by TM on 2008-04-29 13:27:32 Went last night, and it was WONDERFUL! I'm a former NYC resident/pizza snob who loved the pizza. Perfect crust. Perfect toppings. Friendly service. Lovely decor. I will be back soon. Maybe tonight. And to the crabby person who posted before me, you can just get one slice for as little as $2.50.

Written by MG on 2008-04-29 13:30:07 Menu looks great, except for one thing: NO CANNOLIS! We're dying for a decent cannoli and were praying you might have one.

Written by chris on 2008-04-29 15:53:00 dude, crabby? give me a break. if you're from nyc then you should know that $2.50 for a slice is too much.

Written by Lee on 2008-04-29 16:19:07 chris: not when you consider the cost of a Chinatown bus ticket. ;-)    If you know of an alternative in the neighborhood serving equivalent or better pizza at a better price, feel free to share it. Otherwise, I'm not sure what your point is. As much as pizza is an imported food to the entire U.S., good pizza is even more an imported food to DC, and a recent import at that. If you can't handle the (very modest) premium that a place like Pete's charges, then stop eating imported food.

Written by chris on 2008-04-30 08:21:50 i see. lack of quality pizza = ok to gouge.

Written by on 2008-04-30 10:11:02 I'm a New Haven, CT native and a former resident of Wooster St - - the heart of the Elm City's pizzaland. I can't wait to give your pies a try. Thanks for the New Haven - love.

Day Three: Attack of the Blogs Written by on 2008-05-01 09:14:22 WOW! We're three days into operations and we've been thrilled by the response.    We have been getting a lot of attention on DC blogs, foodie blogs and neighborhood blogs & websites, including this one. We were also featured yesterday in the uber-popular Daily Candy website and email blast.    As a result, particularly starting yesterday, we have been getting an unusually high volume of customers for a new restaurant in its first week of operation. Heck, I think even if we were still pre-internet age, with our location at the top of the Metro in Columbia Heights, we would have a LOT of customers right out of the gate.    As our first weekend approaches, we would like to ask customers to be patient if it looks like the line is getting kinda long, and if the food takes more than a few minutes to arrive at your table.     Our staff is all still in their first week of work, and they haven't experienced the first weekend crunch yet. If last night (Wednesday night) is any indication, they're starting to get the idea...!    If you've read about us this week and were planning on visiting to try it out, we would appreciate people spreading out their visits as much as possible during the day, rather than planning on bringing a group for lunch right at lunchtime crunch, or dinner right at dinner crunch time. I know that may be a lot to ask, but I'm hoping that it makes the experience during this first weekend smoother and more enjoyable for everyone.    THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT, KIND COMMENTS AND MOST OF ALL YOUR UNDERSTANDING.    We're so proud to be here and look forward to serving you.    Mike Wilkinson  Pete's