Fratelli la Bufala: The new cheese in town

We know how much you love pizza, but sometimes the neighborhood Jumbo Slice isn’t going to cut it. Tucked between Blues Alley and North Canal Street in Georgetown one can now find an authentic Neapolitan pie. Fratelli la Bufala, a popular pizza haven in Miami, has now opened its second U.S. location in D.C. The La Bufala Brothers, whose father was a Bufala mozzarella producer, have several locations around the globe from London, Barcelona and Tokyo to Rio de Janeiro and Istanbul. Their unique story as a family run operation is a must-read for every visitor and can be found on the menu. Home to the former Alamo Grill, the two-story restaurant is adorned with some eclectic buffalo décor, a few coveted tables out front and a quaint rooftop deck complete with tiki bar. The bar on the first floor only has a handful of seats but at least 10 wines by the glass and several varietals by the bottle, all Italian.

And the food you ask? The house specialty is their homemade buffalo mozzarella, made from buffalo milk, imported from Italy. You can have your mozzarella fried, breaded, smoked or grilled with endless possibilities thereafter. (Hint: try the sliced mozzarella covered with couscous grains which is then deep-fried.) A selection of buffalo cheeses before or at the end of your meal are offered smoked or seasonal and accompanied with honey, sweet mustard and toasted bread.

Then there is of course 22 pizzas to choose from. With a wood-grilled oven in the center of the dining room, you can watch your pie being made from scratch. Only Italian products are used here and after trying some of their authentic Neopolitan dishes, one can taste the difference in their traditional menu.  And have no fear, the dishes may be written in Italian but the descriptions are all in English. The La Bufalata salad was suggested as the perfect start and more than enough to share. The Ciliegina salad includes grilled buffalo sausage with caciotta cheese and fennel seeds while the La Spadone di Bufalo has buffalo minced meat spiced and grilled. There are several pasta dishes as well and the La Pappardelle is just one of the sinful entrees drenched in a buffalo ragu bolognese.  Or try the La Trenette dish which has handmade egg pasta mixed with prawns, lemon zest and a rich buffalo ricotta. Finish off your meal with a cannolini or their La Cheese Cake, made of course with buffalo ricotta. Pair one of these with one of their delicious limoncellos or a glass of grappa and feel like your night of everything Naples is complete.

For more on Fratelli la Bufala, check out our exclusive photo gallery!