8-2-Eat: My 8 Favorite Places to Get Pizza

8-2-Eat is my food-focused list series. A perfect Friday distraction. Today's list is my 8 favorite places to eat pizza, representing great D.C. pizza places and restaurants in other places we like to visit. They are listed in order from closest-to-furthest from home.

Smoky, Comet Ping-Pong

1. Comet Ping-Pong. We're awfully spoiled to have the wonderful wood-fired pizzas of Comet Ping-Pong just a few blocks from home. Chris's favorite is the Smoky, featuring bacon, smoked mushrooms and smoked mozzarella, while mine is the Stanley, made with fennel sausage, roasted peppers and Comet tomato sauce.

2. Arcuri. On a nice day, we might take a longer walk down to Glover Park and end up at Arcuri, another great neighborhood pizza (and more) restaurant. Here my favorite is the Smokey (pictured at top), made with pepperoni, guanciale, smoked mozzarella and scallions.

3. Wiseguy NY Pizza. I'm also awfully spoiled t have Wiseguy within walking distance of work. This is D.C.'s attempt at authentic New York-style pizza. And, while I know New Yorker's can be awfully snobby about their pizza, it's hard to argue against the great slices at Wiseguy. My favorite is a toss-up between the topping-loaded Supreme and simple Margherita.

4. Grotto Pizza. We eat Grotto Pizza just once a year, but it's a wonderful tradition: our first meal of our first day on our annual trip to Rehoboth Beach. That first bite of Baker's Choice topped with sausage and pickled sweet peppers...that's when we know we've arrived at the beach.

Salsiccia Dolce, Spunto Thin Crust Pizza

5. Posto/Vezzo/Spunto This Crust Pizza. This chain of thin crust pizzerias in Manhattan serves Roman-style pizza made with a super-thin cracker-like crust that we really love. The fresh toppings are always good. Although Posto in Gramercy was our first and favorite outlet, we've found Vezzo in Murray Hill and Spunto in the West Village to be similarly excellent. The Salciccia Dolce with sweet Italian sausage, caramelized onion and fresh basil is our favorite.

6. Juliana's Pizza. While the Posto & Co. pizzerias make Roman-style pizza, Juliana's makes a true New York-style pie, and it's quite good. Don't be fooled by the longer line at neighboring Grimaldi's; be smart and eat at Juliana's. You may have to wait there anyway too.

7. Giordano's. Chris and I are pizza fiends. We devour our pizzas. There is often little, if any left. But one time in our lives, the pizza defeated us and that was at Giordano's in Chicago. Their Chicago-style pizza is thick--like 2 inches thick. Seriously! I think we each ate just one slice and gave in. I remember it being really good though, thick bready dough covered with ozzy mozzarella and piping hot tomato sauce. We thought we knew Chicago-style from Armand's (if the Tenleytown location were still around, it would surely be on this list), but this was another thing altogether.

Italian Combo, Upper Crust Pizza

8. Upper Crust Pizza. When we're on the Oregon coast, this Rockaway Beach pizzeria is our pick for really great pizza. It's not Neapolitan, New York, wood-fired or Chicago style. It's just great traditional American-style pizza from an old-school family-run pizza restaurant. As much as Grotto means summer at the beach in Rehoboth to us, Upper Crust means the same in Rockaway Beach, Oregon. Wouldn't be the same without it.