pizza quest begins: Raia's Italian Market

pic from heights blog

My search for the best pie in town starts at 4500 Washington. Raia's Italian Market is stuck in the middle of a new, stucco shopping center. Inside, it's a charming little market filled with imported sauces, wines and sparkling waters, dotted with red and white checkered tables that are warmed by the brick oven in the corner. Every time I see a brick oven in the room I am supposed to be eating in, I give a that a "0oohhh hell yeah" to the pizza. We opted to skip the wait and sit outside, it was a decent enough evening after the rain cooled the air...so WTF not. We talked about all the things that happen when you get old: forgetting everything, hurting all the time and pooping yourself. The first thing to know is Raia's makes an excellent thin crust. Crust is key for me. The only difference between pizzas are the crust. You can apply the same toppings over and over, but a good crust is what separates perfection from street vendor pizza.





I had the Rotunno pizza, topped prosciutto di parma, arugula, fresh mozzarella, shaved reggiano, & marinara . The prosciutto was tops, but all in all a little too leafy.





I was drawn to @delucasounds' Carl Raia/olive pie. It kicked mouth's ass. I am not the biggest fan of olives, but this was a great flavor combo: artichoke hearts, basil, black olives, green olives, Italian sausage, mozzarella & marinara. The salty sausage and artichokes made me happy to be eating olives. Never happened.


So kudos to Raia's. The pizza ranges from $9-12 and with a appetizer can easily feed two, so go check it out.