I am not a very disciplined blogger with regards to this site. I do a much better job keeping up over on Good Day Rome.  For some reason, I have neglected to chronicle our pizza eating. I can assure you it is not because we have stopped eating pizza.

Fired Up Pizza, Durango

I could have written about Fired Up Pizzeria in Durango, CO, which we visited in August. Quite yummy, great crust, fresh ingredients and yes, a wood-fired oven. Highly recommend if you find yourself in Durango.

I should have blogged about La Gatta Mangiona, which many would rate as one of the finest pizzerias in Roma. We visited for the second time a couple of months ago with another retired-from-the-embassy ex-pat couple. It’s terrific pizza and they have excellent sfizi and fritti as well. Beware, though, it is a longish trip on the #8 tram, you must have a reservation, and it is helpful to speak Italian. Some day I will properly review La Gatta.

La Gatta’s cute logo.

I might have said a few words about the forgettable pizzeria in Lucca, whose name I have forgotten.

Then there were the repeat trips to La Pratolina, Dar Poeta, Rossini, and Da Remo. But I have written about them each several times. They are all still worthy and we still frequent them, maybe too often. I have a hard time writing anything new about these great places.

So here we are, with a new entry: Bir & Fud. Yes, it is a strange name, not Italian and certainly not English, more of a phonetic approach. I have heard about Bir & Fud for many years so I decided we would expand our horizons and give it a whirl. I had a bail out plan in mind: Dar Poeta is right around the corner.

My choice: Good old Pizza Napoli. The anchovies were large and tasty, not too salty.

They do not take reservations and I had heard it could be mobbed, so we set out ridiculously early, arriving at 19:10. The pleasant bar was full of beer drinkers, and the dining room had only a few people. The hostess informed us we could be seated but the kitchen would not be ready until 19:30, and we had to be out by 21:30 because there was a private party arriving to take over the entire restaurant. Fine with us.

It’s a small, pleasant, and modern dining room. The Italians might say accogliente, comfortable and welcoming, but in a minimalist way. Nothing formal nor stiff about this brew pub. Artisanal beer is indeed a specialty, and the pizza is very good.

Ric’s choice: a calzone with capers, olive, anchovies, spinach and ricotta. A bit salty for me, but he loved it.

Pizza Quality: 3  Very good ingredients, a very chewy crust, stands up to the ingredients and does not get soggy, but the number of selections is small by comparison to other pizzerias. 

Service: 3  They won’t necessarily rush you, but you may be told when you reserve that you have to depart by a certain time as the table will turn at least twice in an evening. Bi-lingual.

Ambiance: 2  Pleasant, small dining room, tables not overly crowded. One point deducted for no outdoor seating.

Bonus: 1   Extra point for a great beer menu. 

Total Points: 9

Returnability: Go-to Place – fine if you are in Rome. Dar Poeta, in my opinion, is better but DP does not have the choices in beer.

I did not take enough photos of the interior to give you a good feel for it, but here’s a start.

Lively bar with beers on tap.

Not a very exciting entrance, in a typical dim alley in Trastevere.

Tha name say it all.

Our beers. It seemed each beer had an appropriate glass assigned.