a culinary remembrance

Not far from the point where M Street meets Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC, there used to be a small Chicago-style pizzeria with the unoriginal name of Geppetto's. As an undergrad going to Georgetown University, I used to love walking up the street to get the occasional pizza there, and I was sure to take all my friends to the restaurant so they could share in the deliciousness. Geppetto's pizzas were thick-crusted and soaked in butter. They also came piled high—ridiculously high—with thick-cut pepperoni unlike any pepperoni I've had anywhere else.* The pizzeria cared nothing for your cardiac health, and this was just as true for my favorite Geppetto's appetizer: mozzarella garlic bread. So simple in concept, yet so glorious in execution, this bread came piping-hot out of the oven with a crunchy crust and a soft center, slathered in a mixture of mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano, fresh garlic, and fresh herbs. Because today is my second day off, I decided to try and recreate that appetizer. I'd say I was about seventy to eighty percent successful.

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*The pepperoni looked a bit like this, but was piled even higher. No joke.