42 March 27 , 2022
- Whited out
- Missing string
- No watch
- Shamrock
- Amber shades
- Gnome
- Seeing double
- New stripes
- Longer tie
- Rust hat
- Smoothed over
- Missing foot
PREVIOUS WEEK’S SOLUTION BY EVAN BIRNHOLZ
SOLUTION TO: ROCK BOTTOM (MARCH 20)
'(37+ +2:7 2 /,02 :+ 26
(//,( $9( 57 (721 +,5(
/,$1$ 9(18( $&1( $)(:
72<(' (17(56 $'237, 21
$7( 661 :5,7 1,1-$
'5(: 7 5, 3$7( 6 /2(6
72 '$7( +2%% 7 +86 2/'(
5287 ('( 1 (77 8 2.6,*1
2+ 06 75 ,* +$, 5 81 (9( 1
86 %25'(5 7,1& 7 7( 5 (6$
(5$ 621 * 6 6+(
2+,6(( 678'< 5($'$%/(
5$0$'$ 725 < :2 5 ) 5 $,'
$121< 0 2562 $%% 5 2 66$
/287 6$/( 8172 ,$06$0
6,7$5 0 (6$ %(7 &5$*
0200$ 6&$5 &$7 86(
%$%$'22. +$77(5 (5,&$
20$ 5 81 ,7 /($9( 0(7(6
201 , 5,6( 0$;,0 ,1$1(
72*$ 1$6$ 60 ,/( 62576Solution to puzzle
“ROCK BOTTOM,” March 20Key to the previous Second Glance
March 20
From top: The exterior of 2 Amys, near Washington National Cathedral;
the almond cake with wine-poached cherries and vanilla ice cream.practice social distancing. (Want to take the igloo shape off his
hands? Pastan is open to selling and says the oven, including
installation, cost him about $20,000). Other than that, the
interior hasn’t changed much over the decades. The main
dining room still wears paint the color of butter and sports
prints of 19th-century Naples. Tile floors, naked tables and a
pressed-tin ceiling do nada to absorb the clamor of a busy
lunch or dinner, but come on, no one goes into a pizzeria to
meditate.
Even after the city lifted restrictions, 2 Amys continued to
ask customers for proof of vaccination and identification, a
precaution that Pastan says doesn’t always go over well in what
he wryly refers to as “the most important city in the world.” It
seems some of its citizens don’t want to be bothered. (“I’m a
doctor. Of course I’m vaccinated,” his staff has heard.) If you’re
still reluctant to dine indoors, keep in mind that 2 Amys has a
patio out back and offers takeout. Since it reopened last June,
initially outdoors, the pizzeria has sold almost 78,000 pies.
That’s a lot of ding! dings! from the bell that summons servers
when pizzas are ready.
Another legacy of the pandemic: no tipping. Instead,
hospitality is included in the bill, a detail servers consistently
point out (and grazie for that). For such a fast-paced setting, the
crew is vigilant. I particularly appreciate the easy back-and-
forth with the folks behind the bar. When a companion sniffed
at the idea of my ordering mackerel crudo, an eavesdropping
minder swooped in with a taste of the starter — and sold the
naysayer on the strong-tasting fish lashed with fruity olive oil.
But even the servers in the lively dining room do an ace job of
juggling order-taking and dish delivery.
Pastan envisioned 2 Amys as a place that would welcome
everyone from “the screaming kid to your grandmother” and
attributes the restaurant’s long life to a something-for-everyone
menu whose dishes “don’t cost a whole lot.” Pause. “Maybe I’m
just lucky.”
He’s wrong, of course. His customers are the ones that
should be counting their good fortune.
photos: Deb Lindsey; original second glance photo: Washington Post reader David C. Kennedy