A Roma sub from The Italian Store in Arlington, Virginia, which is chock full of mortadella, genoa salami, prosciutto, provolone cheese, and delicious spicy and sweet marinated hot peppers

Happy Monday!  It’s logistics day here at Gravy Central.  The hubby and I, having gorged ourselves on American consumerism, family/friend time, and sandwiches, are trying to stuff ourselves and our glorious loot into four suitcases and one air shipment intended for the Gravy Baby.  While we do that, I’m reminiscing about some of the amazing meals we’ve had, starting with Washington, DC.

One of our first stops was at The Italian Store, a no-frills grocery and deli in Arlington, Virginia.  The Italian Store has great sub sandwiches, and I found myself doing the truffle shuffle trying to decide which combination of cured meats I wanted to indulge in.  The menu offers you a choice between a hard or soft Italian roll (for me, it’s always a hard roll, which is crustier than a soft one), and you can choose between having sweet or hot peppers added (or, in my case, both).  The hubby went for the chicken parmesan sandwich, and we sat outside enjoying the warm but not sweltering summer day while feasting on these delights.  Everything, including the mild weather, was a treat that we can’t get back in Kuala Lumpur.

One of 2Amy’s specialty pizzas, consisting of fresh mozzarella, squash blossoms, pinenuts

Later that night, we caught up with friends at 2Amy’s Pizza, the only pizza place in DC serving up certified Neopolitan pizza.  I love that the Italians take their food so seriously that they’ve set up a series of government controls to regulate the authenticity of their products, and I love even more that 2Amy’s has held that distinction of authenticity since 1998.

2Amy’s also has great small plates, and one of my go-to favorites is the house-cured sardines.  The sardines are vinegary and great on top of a little bread and butter.

The hubby has his favorite, too — the polpettine al forno.  These little meatballs arrive straight from the oven to the table, with crusty bread for dipping.  He’s been daydreaming about these guys for weeks, so it was good to see him finally reunited with them.

By the end of the weekend, the hubby and I were full of good food and quality time with friends and family. We were so happy to see that everyone’s doing well and that DC still feels like our home base.  It did feel a little weird, however, to be homesick when you’re actually home, but that’s exactly what I felt during parts of our stay in DC.

Having that polpettine helped keep those waves of homesickness at bay, though.

The Italian Store | 3123 Lee Highway | Arlington | Virginia

2Amy’s Pizza | 3715 Macomb Street | Washington | DC