Disappointed in Pete's "Apizza"

When I heard that a place called Pete's was bringing New Haven-style pizza to Washington, D.C., I was as excited as anyone else who has ever eaten pizza in that Connecticut city. Last night I ordered a takeout pizza from Pete's (there's not really a seating area to eat in). This was my first taste of Pete's Apizza, and I was really disappointed.

The toppings were excellent (great calamta olives and good pepperoni), and the crust was good, albeit not quite what you'd get at a New Haven institution like Frank Pepe's. But those were the high points.

Now, here's why I was disappointed. The cheese didn't work for me. I don't know if they used too much parmesan or peccorino (or something else), but I didn't like their mixture of cheeses. I'm a traditionalist who prefers that nearlyall of the cheese be mozzarella.

And the tomato sauce was dismal. It tasted like something out of a jar of Chef Boyardee. Very, very bland. To the owners of Pete's, I have some advice. Go and buy a takeout pizza at Vace's deli (pronounced voch-ay) on Connecticut Avenue and find out how a superb tomato sauce can transform a pizza.