&pizza... Yes, Please!

 

&pizza (pronounced "and pizza") is an American fast-casual restaurant chain, with over 30 locations in Washington, D.C., Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Miami and Virginia.  They sell personal and customizable oblong-shaped pizza. They tailor each location to its neighborhood, with local artists designing the interiors.

The Washington Post called the restaurant "the pizza shop for the 21st century", describing it as Chipotle for pizza" and was on the Fast Company World's Most Innovative Companies 2018 list. Buzz Feed calls them next generation of pizza.

That’s all well and good. I’m happy for all the accolades this Washington, DC franchise has received. But, what I love the most about this company is its commitment to paying a living wage to its employees. Bravo!

And, they give any employee who willing to ink the ampersand a free tattoo. How cool is that?

I’m fortunate to have an &pizza one block away from our condo. Doug and I love the customization of each pie. We watch our pizza being made each step of the way. So fill’er up with our favorite toppings and the magic happens. The pie goes in the specialty oven and comes out in minutes. The crust is perfect! But it’s not over. You walk to another bar and choose even more topping. Even an Italian visiting our fair city would approve! Well, maybe more toppings than they are used to in Rome, but it is delicious.

If you are visiting DC enter &pizza in your map app and you’ll find a location near you. Or, both Dulles and Reagan National airports have branches. Why not customize one for the road? This Washington, DC franchise will provide one more memory for your journey home.

I snapped a photo of our recent meal. Isn’t their branding awesome? Can you guess what our toppings were?

Their branding is stellar!

Their branding is stellar!

Customizable toppings!  Can you guess what is on this pie?

Customizable toppings! Can you guess what is on this pie?

Krakow, Poland Day 2

Doug got accepted into a two-month term in Oxford as a research fellow. His term would mean that we would be apart from one another during our upcoming 35th wedding anniversary in June. So, we cashed in some frequent flyer miles and began making plans. We thought about a stint in Malta or Greece, possibly Ireland… but in the end, we settled on visiting three major cities in Eastern Europe.

Two years ago I traveled to Eastern Europe with Janelle and Mindy for the first time. We had a great time exploring, tasting new foods and scouting potential Kilometer 66 suppliers.

Ever since I’ve been dreaming about taking Doug there.

What a joy it was to introduce Doug to Krakow, Poland. If you are in that part of the world I highly recommend a few days exploring this beautifully preserved city. And, if you go be sure to go to Polakowski Restaurant. It’s a great first immersion into Polish food and cheap to boot!

I almost forgot to take pictures!  The food was such a delight.  Be sure to check out the real fruit decorations.  Who does that?!