All-Purpose Pizzeria serves up a twist on authentic Italian salads, antipasti and pizzas in the hip neighborhood of Shaw.
As soon as you walk in its location at 1250 Ninth St. NW, you feel welcomed into All-Purpose Pizzeria’s cozy dining space. The wood floors, dim lighting and open kitchen will make you want to spend all night sipping wine and eating pizza. You can dine at the bar or at a table, and its full-length glass windows bring in light and the bustle of this trendy neighborhood.
A few highlights from their extensive and tasty menu are the spring green salad ($14) with crunchy vegetables coated in a buttermilk lemon vinaigrette, calamari fritto ($14) and the crispy roasted garlic knots ($10). However, these items are merely the previews before the main event.
Pizza takes center stage at All-Purpose with gourmet pies ranging from $17 to $19. The restaurant offers a range of pizzas from the traditional Bayside ($17) with tomato, buffalo mozzarella and basil to the inventive Cossimo ($19) with roasted mushrooms, scallions preserved truffle sauce and grana and taleggio cheeses.
The Sedgewick – a sinfully cheesy white pizza with four different types of cheese: whipped ricotta, taleggio, mozzarella and parmesan – stands above the rest for $19. The whipped ricotta adds a bit of creaminess to the pizza, while the taleggio and mozzarella add a bit of thickness. The parmesan sprinkled on top adds a tangy flavor that pairs nicely with both the chives and truffle honey that is drizzled over the top.
The chives add a bite of savory flavor that works well with the richness of all four cheeses and pairs well with the aromatic and sweet truffle honey. The richness of all four cheeses is enhanced by the truffle honey, which is heavenly drizzled on the thin wood-fire cooked pizza crust.
The pizza itself was cooked to golden brown perfection. With a perfectly crispy crust and slight smoky flavor that comes from the wood fire oven, flavor is packed into every bite.
When I picked up my first slice, cheese poured off the edges of the crust all over the tin tray and my plate. It was cheese lover’s paradise. Despite the many different flavors at once, none of them were overpowering. They all blended together like a harmonic symphony.
If you’re looking to step away from the limited pizza delivery options D.C. has to offer, the Sedgewick at All-Purpose Pizzeria will elevate your slice.
