NORFOLK, Va. — Editor's note: This story is a part of 13News Now's Friday Flavor series.
The smell of good pizza is now wafting through the Railroad District in Norfolk.
District Apizza is open and ready for business. Managing partner Matthew Albano said he opened this spot because he wanted a taste of home.
"I'm originally from Connecticut. The pizza, I think, is astounding," Albano said.
New Haven-style pizza isn't something Hampton Roads is too familiar with. Albano said he wants to change that.
"The key, I think, to a good New Haven-style pizza is cooking it at a very good high temperature," he said.
They have two woodfired ovens imported from Italy to get that high temperature needed.
"The other key component is the dough. We use a two-day cold-proof on our dough," Albano said.
The dough is made in-house. The chef works on their specialty pies once the dough and the oven are right. Their number one seller is the tomato pie, a simple pizza with fresh tomato and Italian cheese.
"We also have an oyster Rockefeller pie, and our second and third most popular would be our meatball and ricotta cheese pie," said Albano.
Now, to some, something that may seem a little odd is the crust. In many cases, people think it looks a little burnt on the edges, but Albano said that's intentional.
"Another thing that's very characteristic of New Haven-style pizza is the char," he said.
So, don't be alarmed if your crust comes out a little more toasted than what you are used to.
They aren't done at pies. They have a number of small plates and pasta.
"We actually have our own pasta machine in-house," Albano smiled. "So, we make our own rigatoni and our own spaghetti on premises every day."
Outside the food menu, they also have an awesome big bar with a full drink and cocktail menu with wine and beer on tap.
"We're bringing something absolutely unique and different to Norfolk and Virginia and Hamptons Roads in general that you don't really find down here," said Albano.
District Apizza is located at 2411 Granby St, Norfolk, VA 23517.