To be honest, location was a very big factor in choosing our first venue of dining. I went for RedRocks Pizzeria because it was strategically close to Tivoli Theatre where we planned on seeing a GALA Theatre production that night. That said, RedRocks rocked!...and it brought my appreciation for the food scene in the Columbia Heights neighborhood to another level!
I really wanted to take advantage of the location of the theatre performance and indulge in good Latino cuisine, but a couple of Latino foodie friends, who went to the performance earlier that week didn’t have names to recommend for savory food from back home. They did recommend another pizzeria in the area for a quick bite before the show but I opted for RedRocks because the ‘Neapolitan-Style Pizza’ was so tempting…well, that and because they had a picture of people eating outside the restaurant, which if this blog survives till Spring/Summer, is a weak spot for me. I love and absolutely cannot resist outside seating!
We got to RedRocks and the first reaction we had was “why haven’t I’ve seen this place before?”. JR had an intellectual explanation that one doesn’t notice things they are not looking for but I just went for the “maybe that big commercial banner repelled my eyes from looking at the place long enough to notice it” explanation. Despite the unattractive commercially banner/post that had the restaurant’s name written in big fonts, I think that one of the biggest reasons why neither of us have noticed the restaurant was because it blended in well with the beautiful row houses that decorate the neighborhood. As we approached the restaurant I suddenly had a déjà vu of stepping into a house party a friend invited me to in Columbia Heights a while ago. There was a very homey vibe about walking into RedRocks.
It was also pleasant inside. It was actually better than what I expected – Red bricks, dark brown wood, candle light, and delicious smells that lured me into the restaurant further. Definitely a great date spot. The waitress led us to the second floor, which was potentially perfect until the noisy “group of twelve”, or something, walked in. Our waitress was nice though and the good food made up for the loud noise which the group made on the second floor. So piece of advice, if you are on a date and/or want to have more of a quiet and intimate conversation go for a corner on the first floor or make sure that no crowds are, or will be coming in for dinner on the second floor.
We came in time for happy hour and even though I was in the mood for beer (apparently they have a good beer selection) JR suggested wine…and I can never turn down wine! We both got the house wine, San Lorenzo Montepulciano, which went really well with what we ordered. I already knew that I wanted the Insalata Caprese for an antipasto and two pizzas: a pizza rossa and a bianca. We ordered the Salsiccia (sausage) for the tomato sauce based red pizza, and the Funghi (mushrooms) for our white pizza option. Mmm!
The Insalata Caprese went really well with the red wine but I wished that they were more generous on the olive oil and had normal tomatoes instead on cherry tomatoes. That said, the antipasto hit the spot, especially with the freshness of the mozzarella. Again, the antipasto went really well with the house wine that by the time we were done with our appetizer, I was already thinking of getting another glass. The pizze came and they were larger than what I expected. I have a respect for non-petite food proportions, especially if the cuisine of choice was Italian. I went for the Salsiccia and JR took a piece of the Funghi. We like. The sausage in the Salsiccia Pizza was savory and it had a sweet after taste that invited you to eat more. I also love mushrooms so I knew that I would like the Funghi Pizza. Luckily, the chef that night at RedRocks might have been in a good mood and added more mushrooms to the pizza! The result: hearty, juicy, and satisfying – not what one would expect from thin crust pizza. For the most part, RedRocks did not disappoint with their pizza, but I must say, as a crust-lover, that there was more potential to enjoy the crust. It was just fine.
I would definitely go back to RedRocks and I actually envy those Columbia Heights hipsters for having such a nice neighborhood pizzeria so close. But no time for envy…it was nearly 7:45 and we only had 15 minutes to run to our 8:00 PM show at GALA/Tivoli. The proximity of RedRocks to the theatre is another advantage of choosing the venue for a night out in town that combines good food and art.
