Well Fed Network

Posted by Liz Deutermann on Well Fed on the Town.

DC is a lot of things: it is not cheap, it is not all that child-friendly, it is not particularly fun, but it is a playground for the rich and style-deprived. (Seriously. Young men born and bred in this town have no sense of humor when it comes to clothing. And if you aren’t wearing a suit, girlfriend, with yo mama’s pearls, you’re not going to be taken seriously- but do say “no” to too much shoulder padding, please.) That said, we like to think we’re a grown-up, cultural bunch.

For example, we like our pizza topped with steak, our drinks in Reidel glasses and our bananas flaming. Which is why we go to Chinatown and head for Matchbox Pizza.

Matchbox, a welcome addition to the Washingtonian’s Cheap Eats roster, is steps away from the Chinatown Metro. Located around the corner from Zengo (which is known for delicious mojitos and is on my list) it’s a door down from Capitol Q, but it’s worlds away in terms of atmosphere. The pizzeria bills itself as a vintage pizza bistro and with its dark wood and authentic wood-fired masonery ovens it does Pizza Paradiso several better by offering a wide selection of truly tasty martinis, featuring house infused liquors, and a variety of bistro dishes. The prices are more than reasonable- most are $7-$18 with the exceptions being a $19 yellowfin entree, a $21 rockfish, and a $25 filet mignon.

The menu is fantastic- there’s so much to choose from, even if you’re not in a pizza mood. After sharing the small size portion of their simple salad (which included greens, tomatoes, dried cherries crisped Parmesan and a balsamic dressing), we sampled the grilled chicken and portabella stack, the blackened chicken sandwich with gorgonzola and roasted red peppers (which came with a side of waffle cut fries) and the bistro burger. The burger was a chunk of grilled Angus with gorgonzola, cremini mushrooms and applewood smoked bacon. There are also sliders (aka hamburgers for folks with commitment issues) which can be ordered in batches of 3, 6 or 9 and come with spiral cut fries. The fries I can pass on, but the sandwiches were impressive. All are served on either a toasted brioche or ciabatta roll and while there are only two choices of cheese, both are perfect complements to the filling, whether you go with the mild gruyere or tangy gorgonzola.

Next we went for pizza. The crust is what most places would call hand tossed but any similarities end with the name. Matchbox crust is a foundation for the toppings, so don’t worry about filling up on puffy end pieces. We chose to sample the pepperoni pie, a sausage and onion pie, the “fire&smoke”, and the flat-iron steak with carmelized onions, mushrooms, gruyere cream and banana peppers.

The pepperoni was delicious - nothing fancy, it features double pepperoni, a “zesty” sauce and mozzarella. The sausage and onion was a little more hefty with Italian sausage, sweet onion and the ubiquitous roasted red pepper that you see in almost every dish. The “fire&smoke” pizza would easily please the fussy vegetarian (there’s one in every group) or heat seeker. It features fire roasted red peppers, sweet onions, chipotle tomato sauce, smoked gouda and fresh basil- the menu says “very spicy” and we were not disappointed. The gouda, a unique choice for a pizza, lends the “smoke” to the name. The flat-iron steak pizza was by far the best surprise- the flavorful meat was so tender that it was not unlike biting into a firm banana, and the banana peppers had a slight bite. The gruyere cream base is unique and delicate. Very tasty. You can also put together your own creation. My advice is ask your server what’s good so you don’t end up disappointed- the staff has sampled the food and is knowledgeable about combinations that will please your palate.

Matchbox has a good bar and an excellent martini list. We got there early to take advantage of the happy hour specials, but were surprised to learn that we were unable to get the same prices on the same drinks table-side. At the beginning of the meal folks were scrambling downstairs to order their drinks and bring them back up to the table. We tried the Watermelon Tease (featuring watermelon infused vodka) and the Ginger Snap (pineapple infused rum and ginger syrup), but the hands down favorite was the Matchbox Punch. In addiction to coming in a pint glass, it’s fruity and very easy to drink. It contains a variety of the house-infused vodkas, in addition to pineapple and orange juices, a bit of sour mix and grenadine. Not sure what to order? The drinks menu is divvied up into the Top Ten, Girlie, Manly and House drinks.

Meanwhile, the desserts at Matchbox are fairly, well, unremarkable. There was the ubiquitous molten chocolate cake and a bread pudding that is tasty, but if you’ve had a good meal (and you will) you won’t have room.

Pizzas are available in a small 6-slice or large 8-slice size. They are also available for takeout. Should you prefer to eat in reservations are recommended, but only available for parties of 8+. There is a good beer selection that ranges from boutique to cheap.

DC folks may not be styling, but we treat our very adult tastebuds right.

Photo from their website.