When I moved back to the DC area (one of the many times I have returned after trying to leave) about five years ago I went on a date to a little place called Pines of Rome.  Two memorable things happened on this date: First, I saw Wolf Blitzer eating there.  The novelty of this wore of quickly as I was presented with the best white pizza I have ever eaten in my entire life.

Cost – $$

Service – B-
Pines of Rome isn’t a very high-end Italian restaurant so the service isn’t anything to write home about – they are fairly polite and efficient so as long as they get that white pizza out in < 10 minutes I’m happy.

Food – B+
As I mentioned in the preface they have the best white pizza in the world.  By far.  In fact, I would recommend getting the white pizza as a shared appetizer and then getting it again as the main course and finishing up with white pizza with some whip cream for dessert.  I’ve also tried the other dishes and they are fairly good but nothing that you can’t make at home yourself.

Decor – C
They have those typical cheapy plastic table mats and sticky wooden furniture.  Clearly they don’t use a lot of their profit on furnishing the restaurant.  There is something sort of quaint and authentic about how scaled back the furnishing in the place is.

Feel – B+
Pines of Rome has been a mainstay in Bethesda for many years because they deliver great Italian food at a good cost with no frills.  They are like the Southwest Airlines of Italian food in the DC-area.  They are a great spot for families or couples simply looking for a quick bite to eat before catching a film in downtown Bethesda.

Pines of Rome is located at 4709 Hampden Ln, Bethesda, MD 20814.

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