White pizza is one of my favorite guilty pleasures. I needed a fix before New Year’s resolutions set in so yesterday, JAY and I tried Fire Works American Pizza and Bar near Courthouse in Arlington. When we first entered, we were impressed with the contemporary yet comfortable decor. The hostess, waitstaff, and even the gentleman manning the wood fired oven were friendly and attentive, even before anyone noticed my pen come out. I have a soft spot for a waitress with a sharp wit and sound knowledge of the menu and ingredients, and ours did not disappoint. She was particularly accommodating when we asked about ingredients in the salads and substitutions on signature pizzas.
As an appetizer, we split the crispy duck spinach salad with spiced pecans and orange vinaigrette. (Salad is healthy, right?) The salad was a good idea which turned out to be disappointing in execution. The duck was crispy, but skinless and as a result dry. It would have been better to save those calories for pizza. The pieces of pecan and crouton crumbles were unusually small. The kitchen’s idea may have been to add more flavor by increasing the surface area of the spiced pecans, but the crouton crumbles just added an oily taste and could have been omitted entirely. The orange vinaigrette dressing, which accompanies other salads on the menu as well, was the highlight in this salad. Perhaps the other salads come off better.
We ordered a modified “r. t.” signature pizza, which comes with pesto sauce, fresh mozzarella, spinach, cherry glen goat cheese, roasted peppers, and salami. We substituted the salami for locally sourced lamb sausage for a $1.50 charge, and were delighted by the flavor. Is this the best pizza crust these two New Yorkers have ever tasted? Not by a long shot, but it was solid. Importantly, the pie was not overly laden with the toppings or sauce and the thin crust, while a little dull, held up well. I cannot comment on Fire Works pizzas with their white sauce, but in this instance, kudos to the restaurant for not overcompensating for their tomato-less pies by piling on entirely too much cheese and topping.
I would rate the pizza strong 7 of 10 for its incorporation of fresh, local, organic ingredients and its overall construction, and bump the overall experience up a point for the service and decor.
Can Fire Works compete with Pupatella, Pizzeria Orso, and the newly opened Ballston location of Rustico? There’s only one way to find out. Maybe those resolutions can wait until next year.
– CAF (Recurring Guest Blogger)
