Oro Pomodoro, Rockville

The chefs at Oro Pomodoro have earned the right to call themselves "pizzaioli," or pizza makers, by upholding the traditions set forth by the Neapolitan authorities on pie creation. Their wood-burning brick ovens are set precisely to Vesuvius-like temperatures, their dough is blended just so, and their ingredients all meet strict standards for authenticity and freshness. Oro Pomodoro's preparation earned their pizza an official certification from the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association for its authenticity. Like actors wearing white shirts in detergent commercials, the chefs liberally sprinkle San Marzano tomato sauces, gorgonzola cheese, prosciutto, kalamata olives, and fistfuls of sun-dried tomatoes. That same palette of time-tested Italian ingredients, which also includes Caputo flour and buffalo mozzarella, lends itself to ravioli, fettuccine, and other pastas are made fresh daily in the kitchen.

Every dish is served in a cheery bistro-style dining room, which combines glossy expanses of mahogany with playful polka-dotted upholstery on the benches and bar chairs. Sinuous wine racks stretch up from a counter between rows of benches, hinting at a carefully curated wine list featuring elixirs from the Tuscany and Veneto regions.