1828 L Street, NW courtesy Veloce

From a press release:

“Veloce, a quick service pizza restaurant from the acclaimed culinary talent behind Pizzeria Paradiso, will open for business on Monday, May 4 at 7:00 a.m. at 1828 L St., NW in downtown Washington, D.C. Credited with introducing the District to Neapolitan-style pizza more than 20 years ago, Veloce owner, operator and Chef Ruth Gresser’s new fast casual venture features the same artisanal, brick oven-fired pizzas, now available in minutes. Featuring breakfast, lunch and dinner fare, Veloce’s menu focuses on personal-sized pizzas, sandwiches and salads complemented by Compass Coffee for breakfast and desserts such as tiramisu.

Veloce will be open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Opening week will be marked by five days of promotions — including complimentary personal pizzas* for the first 100 guests starting at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, May 4. Pizza lovers can create custom 8” pies for $9 on white, whole wheat, mixed grains and seeds, or gluten-free crusts, or choose from a menu of curated pizzas composed by Chef Gresser.

After earning critical praise for her three Pizzeria Paradiso locations, Gresser is yet again introducing Washington to a new style of pizza, this time proving to the downtown work crowd that you don’t have to choose between great pizza and quick pizza. Working with Marra Forni — a local Beltsville, Md. oven maker owned and operated by an Italian family — Gresser designed a custom Neapolitan-style gas brick oven that can accommodate up to 25 pizzas at a time and mimic the results of Pizzeria Paradiso’s famed wood-burning ovens in less time.

In addition to producing quick-turnaround, quality pizzas, Gresser and team are focused on supporting and sustaining the community with all available means: cheeses, protein and vegetable toppings are sourced from quality producers while sausages and all sauces are house-made using organic, local ingredients whenever possible. A rotating special pizza and salad will feature seasonal produce.

Items are also packaged with recyclable, eco-friendly materials. In addition to their own house-made tiramisus in classic, lemon and chocolate flavors, they will also offer Carla Hall cookies and nuts; and PollyStyle oatmeal cookies, chocolate graham crackers and ginger shortbread.

Showcasing graphics by Soung Wiser of The General Design Co., the 1400 square foot downtown space — which seats 18 indoors and 16 on the patio — was designed by Eric Gronning, AIA of Gronning Architects. The open, dynamic space hums with geometric light patterns, and bold yellow accents bring the Veloce name to life.

*Limit one pizza per guest.

Guests with an appetite for curated combinations can choose from these menu items: Read More

If you have any animal/pet photos you’d like to share please send an email to princeofpetworth(at)gmail(dot)com with ‘Animal Fix’ in the title and say the name of your pet and your neighborhood. Your photos will go into the queue (usually 6-8 weeks wait) and will be posted in the order I receive them. If you’ve already entered your pet and would like to do so again – that’s no problem – just space the entries out a bit. Please try to send horizontal photos 640×480 (medium size on your iphone) if possible. If you’re not using an iphone any size is fine.

“Willow (formerly Foxy), a Homeward Trails/Monthly Adoptable Animal Fix alum, now rules the roost”

“Luckie. Lazy afternoon in Brightwood”

“This is Cairo from Capitol Hill.”

1828 L Street, NW

From a press release:

“This spring, Washingtonians can anticipate the opening of Veloce, a quick service pizza restaurant from the acclaimed culinary talent behind Pizzeria Paradiso. A custom designed Neapolitan-style brick oven will allow for fast cooking without compromising quality, producing artisanal pizza ready within a few minutes. Owned and operated by Chef Ruth Gresser, who is credited with bringing Neapolitan pizza to Washington more than 20 years ago, Veloce will be located in Downtown Washington at 1828 L Street, NW, serving both breakfast and lunch. The space will be designed by Eric Gronning, AIA of Gronning Architects with graphics by Soung Wiser of The General Design Co.

At Veloce, Gresser and team will serve personal sized veggie and meat pizzas, calzones, sandwiches and salads. The menu will feature composed breakfast and lunch pizzas, like the Rooster, which features basil pesto sauce, goat cheese, house-made chicken sausage, sweet red pepper and pine nuts. Patrons can also build their own pizzas and will have the option of four different crusts including white, whole wheat, mixed grains and seeds or gluten-free. Sauces will all be made in-house using organic and local ingredients whenever possible. Sausages will be made in-house, while a wide variety of cheese, protein and vegetable toppings will be available and sourced from small, quality producers. Read More

When I first saw this post on New Columbia Heights about someone finding a headless rooster on the sidewalk, my first thoughts were:

(a) Ewww.

(b) How noteworthy is finding a dead fowl on the sidewalk?

(c) Gross.

But to sidebar for a moment…

The writers assumption was that the rooster lost its nut as part of a Santeria ritual (which is different than a Sangria ritual, where you would just get drunk with the rooster, then maybe run with a bull together, but definitely no beheading).

This makes sense. I mean, outside of fearing that your neighborhood was suddenly infested by vampire chickens, why else would you cut the head off of a rooster and leave it laying on the sidewalk? (Hey, if they can make a movie about vampire dogs–why not vampire poultry?)

Anyhow…

I’m curious what is the most unusual thing you’ve ever found/come across on a sidewalk? I’m sure you have some great stories on this.

My “most unusual thing on a sidewalk” is actually kinda lame. I am constantly perplexed when I find single shoes on the street–and this happens all the time. How can someone lose a single shoe? Wouldn’t you notice that, like, right away?

I realized how lame this observation was when I once shared it with a friend, who immediately reminded me:

(a) that one time a man defecated on the sidewalk next to me, so I guess what he left behind was a little odd to see on a sidewalk, and
(b) that he himself had once found a prosthetic human leg laying in the middle of a sidewalk.

So tell me–what’s your best story about finding some strange thing on the sidewalk?