However they keep on with sourdough for a similar purpose as anybody else: there's nothing like that style.
“There’s a depth and basis to a bread product that may solely be obtained by way of correct fermentation,” says Wiser, noting that Little Grand's crusts are made with levain, or a flour-based combination made out of a starter that enables for better flexibility. . “The complexity that sourdough brings, mixed with a vivid tomato sauce, actually nice cheese, all of this stuff… I hold coming again to the phrase 'umami.'”
On a current go to to the Little Grand, I used to be stunned by the boldness of the crust. It maintained its tangy taste and crunch beneath the load of the thick, garlic-flavored puree coating the tomato pie, a mix that might have simply was a soggy mess.
Sourdough is as difficult because it will get round these components, the place the final strategy, in response to Wiser, tends to be to “hold issues easy.” The co-owners attempt to emphasise high quality over spectacle, a philosophy borrowed from a enterprise Batista opened years in the past: All Souls Bar in Shaw, a neighborhood spot beloved for its small, rotating choice of dependable cocktails.
Initially, the group envisioned the Little Grand as a religious sequel to All Souls, telling themselves they have been merely opening “one other bar that has pizza,” Wiser says. In some methods, that is nonetheless true. Drinks are comparable, though the newer spot takes it up a notch by serving traditional cocktails in fancier glasses. Every institution is a stone's throw from a bustling space (All Souls is a block from U Avenue), however maintains a comfortable ambiance because of heat lighting and restricted seating.
However when the group began serious about what to serve on the Little Grand, they realized, “Oh no, we opened a restaurant.”
Then meals grew to become the focal point. They sought steering from Bobby Hellen, a New York-based pizza whisperer recognized for his Sicilian pies, to give you what Wiser calls his “pizza id.” Whereas some menu choices stay, like tomato pie or garnished pepperoni; Different combos come and go relying on the time of yr. The essential white pizza, which balances gentle cheeses like ricotta and mozzarella with a lot spicier grana padano and pecorino, might be upgraded to a “particular white” starring seasonal produce. The roasted mushroom pizza, as soon as a white particular, was so in style that it grew to become a everlasting fixture. On the finish of March, the vegetable rotation included kale.
The homeowners supply components as domestically as attainable. The grass-fed beef within the meatballs, for instance, is raised on a Virginia pasture. Contemporary ricotta from a Pennsylvania farm options in one of many different non-pizza dishes supplied on the menu: a small salad consisting of cheese, thinly sliced radishes and sliced apple, dressed with a spicy French dressing combine , recent mint and puff pastry. sea salt. You may want this brightness to offset the wealthy meatballs or all these slices of pizza, though it's value noting, as Wiser does, that a lot of the dishes served on the restaurant are “lighter than they give the impression of being.”
Which implies you’ll be able to cease by with associates, order a pizza or two, and choose up some small plates when you're at it. The menu pays homage to Wiser's snacking preferences with “martini pickles,” a small plate of greens that references his behavior of munching on something pickled he can discover, whether or not it's celery, olives and even kimchi. whereas consuming a martini at dwelling.
Pizzas are served in 12-inch rounds or squares, though the latter possibility was briefly discontinued so the group may determine how you can streamline the labor-intensive course of by baking squares on the identical temperature because the rounds. Wiser recommends arriving early in case you crave a sq., as the present resolution is to supply much less every evening to make sure every one is in high situation.
“The sourdough world is getting nerdier and nerdier,” he says. “I'm nonetheless studying about this on a regular basis.”
808 Seventh St. NE, 202-758-0783. littlegranddc.com.
Hours: 5 to 9 pm Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. 5 to 10 pm Friday and Saturday. Closed on Tuesday.
Nearest metro: Union Station, with a zero.7 mile stroll to the restaurant.
Costs: From $5 to $33 for all meals menu objects.