FOOD: Pizza Wars

By ANNETTE HENNESSEY
Falls Church Times Staff

September 3, 2010

After a hectic week in our house, nothing welcomes the weekend better than ordering out for pizza.  (Add a glass of wine and a good comedy from Netflix and I’m in heaven!)

Even though we’ve been ordering pizza for years, our family hasn’t formed a firm allegiance to a local pizza joint.  So this summer, when faced with a lazy day, we decided to blind taste-test eight cheese pizzas in preparation for the coming school year.

My two kids called four friends to help with the judging.  We created score sheets and a tracking grid to note comments about delivery times, pick-up process, price, and size.  We identified eight different restaurants in Falls Church City or just over the line – ranging from national chains to one-of-a-kind pizza parlors.  We ordered medium pizzas (when available) with just cheese.

The contenders were:

Anthony’s Restaurant & Pizzas 309 West Broad St Falls Church, VA 703-532-0100	12-inch	$9.54
Domino’s Store #4347 6138 Arlington Blvd # C Falls Church, VA 703-533-9000	12-inch	$12.49
Flippin’ Pizza 800 W. Broad St Suite 103 Falls Church, VA 703-752-8672	18-inch (only size available)	$15.26
Papa John’s #831 500 W Broad St Falls Church, VA 703-237-7272	12-inch	$14.42
Pie-Tanza Falls Church 1216 West Broad Street Falls Church, VA 703-237-0977	12-inch	$10.45
Pizzeria Orso 400 South Maple Ave Falls Church, VA 703-226-3460	12-inch	$13.08
Vocelli’s 7393-C Lee Hwy Falls Church, VA 703-208-3500	12-inch	$13.53
Z-Pizza 1051 West Broad St Falls Church, VA 703-536-6969	10-inch (There is a 12-inch pie but I misordered)	$7.90

Every restaurant either delivered piping hot pizzas in a timely manner or had them ready for our arrival.  And while prices ranged, you could easily grab a pizza for under $20.

Once the pies had been sliced into tasting portions, they were placed on one plate.  Using rating sheets, the six-student panel of judges was asked to rank the pizza’s crust, sauce, and cheese, and then vote for their overall favorite.  They chewed and sipped lemonade to cleanse between bites. Silently, they wrote comments in the margin.  Some needed a second slice to make a decision.

But when the votes were tallied, there was a clear winner.  And I think you might be surprised at the results.

The winner? Domino’s.

That’s right.  Four out of six judges picked Domino’s as their favorite.  The crust was described as flavorful, fluffy, nice flavor of garlic, spicy, chewy (good), and crispy.  They also liked the sauce, but thought there was not enough on the pie.  The only aspect of the pie that got mixed reviews was the cheese – with some judges thinking it was gloppy.

If you looked at the numerical scores awarded the three components of the pizzas, Anthony’s came in second.  The panel of judges particularly liked their crust (which tasted homemade) and their sauce with chunky tomatoes.

To be fair, Pie-tanza and Pizzeria Orso pies would have been better devoured in the restaurant.  Their wood-fired crusts and gourmet cheeses didn’t appeal to the student taste buds like a more traditional pizza.  But if you want to eat pizza in your jammies on your couch, our panel said these are not the pies for you.

And even though I couldn’t participate in the “blind-taste” test (since someone had to dish up the plates), to appease my own curiosity, I filled out my own scorecard.  And I didn’t disagree with the kids.

Domino’s was a decent pizza.  And Anthony’s came in second on my scorecard.

Domino’s launched a new pizza recipe in early 2010, to celebrate its 50^th anniversary.  In its product launch, ads talked about how they had improved their cardboard crust and sauce that tasted like ketchup.  I guess I can say they succeeded in convincing six ‘tweens and a mom that it’s not a bad choice…

…when on a Friday night, your fingers need to do the walkin’ for dinner.

My thanks to Thomas Beddow, Claire Schmidt, Tallulah Lewis, Jack Hennessey, Anna Hennessey, and Alicia Devereaux for their discerning palates and attention to detail (see cover photo).

IT’S SUMMERTIME! Check Out These Great Summer Camps

By ANNETTE HENNESSEY
Falls Church Times Staff

June 16, 2010

This Friday, school’s out in Falls Church City…and summer officially begins!  Even though swimming pools have been open since Memorial Day, the lazy hazy days of summer don’t really begin until you no longer have to be at a bus stop at o’dark thirty.

So what are your plans this summer?  Still looking for a good camp or two?  The Falls Church City Recreation and Parks Department offers something for everyone of all ages.  From Mommy & Me swim lessons to horseback riding, sports to science, art to adventure, tennis to fencing, a wide range of camps still have openings, according to Amy Maltese, camp coordinator for the City’s Recreation and Parks Department.  Click here for a full list of camps with openings.

Descriptions for each camp can be found in the 2010 Summer Camp Brochure which is available online at http://www.fallschurchva.gov/. Hard copies of this brochure are also available at the Falls Church Community Center. For additional information, contact Amy Maltese at 703-248-5307 .

MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG:
Falls Church Times Celebrates 2nd Anniversary

By ANNETTE HENNESSEY
Falls Church Times Staff

June 8, 2010

As most of you know, two years ago the Falls Church Times was born.  According to George Southern, our self-appointed historian, it was conceived on May 18 but the first story appeared on June 8, 2008.   We really didn’t pull it together until the fall, but since George went on record with June 8, it’s now our official anniversary date.

With a couple of years under our belt, we’ve had to deal with changes. Jimmy Scarano departed for graduate school. Election coverage stretched our staff.  More and more people began expecting us to have indepth investigative reporting, not understanding that the Times was an all-volunteer effort.  But along the way, we’ve stayed true to our founding principles:

• The Falls Church Times remains non-profit.
• Our comment policy has created a forum for City residents to debate in a robust, yet civil manner; no personal attacks or mean-spiritedness are allowed.
• Through our opinion pieces and Community Comment, the Falls Church Times has shown its willingness to publish opposing Read more

SATURDAY 6/5: Farmers Market Chef Demonstration

The next Farmers Market Chef will be this Saturday, June 5th from 9am to 11am at the Falls Church Farmers Market.  The chef will be Chris Edwards, Executive Chef from the Restaurant at Patowmack Farms.

Baxter, Lovette to Leave Falls Church City Schools

By ANNETTE HENNESSEY
Falls Church Times Staff

May 26, 2010

Last night, the Falls Church City School Board accepted the resignation of Thomas Jefferson Elementary School principal, Vincent Baxter, effective June 30, 2010.  Mr. Baxter became principal of TJ two years ago when the former principal, Trudy Taylor, retired.  He had previously served as assistant principal at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School.

In April, Gail Lovette, the assistant principal who was hired to replace Mr. Baxter at MEHMS, also submitted her resignation to the School Board. She is leaving MEHMS on June 30 to attend the University of Virginia to obtain her doctorate in Reading Education.

In a press release from FCC Public Schools, Mr. Baxter announced his decision to leave as “personal” and said:
“I’ve had four wonderful years here in Falls Church City . . . [my leaving] stems from a desire to work a little closer to home so that I can be more involved with my own children’s lives as well as the lives of the students I serve in school.”

Dr. Lois Berlin announced that Bob Palermo, assistant principal at TJ, would be promoted to principal and that the school’s Primary Years Program (PYP) coordinator, Mary Kay Howard, would assume the responsibilities of assistant principal at TJ.

“At this critical time, it is important that there’s a continuum,” Dr. Berlin said.  “Mr. Palermo and Ms. Howard have been a part of the school culture for many years, they are well-respected by the faculty, staff, students and parents, and they are well-versed in PYP and its attributes.  All of this will help ensure a smooth transition at TJ.”

70 Neighbors Petition to Protect Historic Woodland House

1890s house at 610 Fulton Avenue: After owner’s passing in February, property is up for auction and possible subdivision. (Staff photos by George Southern)

By ANNETTE HENNESSEY
Falls Church Times Staff

May 24, 2010

Woodland House at 610 Fulton Avenue sits on over one acre of property in the center of Falls Church City.  Originally built in the 1890s, the house has been in the Shefer family since the 1960s, but the owner died in February 2010.  The house and surrounding property is expected to be sold by sealed bid auction next month.

Neighbors are concerned that, since the house sits on one of the few large residential tracts remaining in Falls Church City, the property could be subdivided into standard lots. In addition, the property contains a dramatic poplar tree that is at least 100 years old and which occupies virtually the entire southwest corner, or about one-quarter acre.

Therefore, the neighbors claim in their petition to the city, “the siting of the house together with the tree would complicate a developer’s plan to subdivide the property and construct dwellings, whether multiple single family or townhouses or other types of residential units.”  They expressed their concern that the size and location of the lot would create pressure on the City to compromise the historic house and its property “in the name of economic development of the City.”

In the petition, the neighbors call on City Hall to preserve both the historic home and poplar tree, establishing an official position, either by legislation or resolution, against development of the property.

OPINION: Sharing the Budget Pie

By ANNETTE HENNESSEY
Falls Church Times Staff

February 22, 2010

For the last 10 years, the schools’ part of the budget pie has hovered around 40%, give or take a percent or two (if you include debt service, the piece of pie grows to 44-48%).  With the projected budget shortfall at $9 million, to keep the schools at 40% of the pie would mean a $3.6 million reduction in the school budget.  What will that mean to Falls Church City Schools?

With no target budget given to the schools by City Hall this year, Dr. Lois Berlin, at the request of the School Board, outlined four tiers of budget cuts at the beginning of the budget process.  Her four budget reductions ranged from 1.8% (accounting for all the federal and state budget cuts) to 8.6% (accounting for the almost $9 million budget shortfall experienced by the city).  The Tier 4 reductions came close, but only equal $3.1 million, and the public outcry against such draconian measures included at this tier such as moving to half-day kindergarten; eliminating elementary-level art, music, and foreign language; and increasing class size by as many as five students has indicated the improbability of that scenario.

Let’s face it.  The economy is not going to rebound in one year.  Unless something drastic happens, we’ll be facing, at the very least, a flat budget for FY2012.  Can the schools withstand these cuts this year, and then even identify new budget cuts for a second year?

Most people engaged in the current budget debate seem to agree that strong schools add value to our Little City (except for those who feel the City School System is doomed, doomed, doomed and we should sell out – quick – to our friendly neighbors).  The debate should now be how much more of the pie we give the schools to maintain the quality of the education for our children and retain the staff the school system has worked hard over the last few years to recruit.

The City budget work sessions have been structured to identify citizens’ priorities.  But groups at recent meetings have been given a list of 68 “lines of service” to prioritize.  By focusing on such a large number of options, it’s easy to focus on pet projects and harder to identify the core functions of the Little City that citizens value most.

With such a dramatic budget reduction, hard choices will be need to be made.  The questions we should be asking are:  Where can we let things slide a year or two?  What are luxuries and what are necessities?  Where can cuts be made, and where do we have to meet legal or moral obligations?  By looking at the major themes, it may make it a little easier to identify those areas:

1. Community Outreach
2. Development
3. Education
4. Environmental
5. Human and Community Services
6. Library
7. Public Safety
8. Recreation and Parks
9. Transportation

And then we should ask the experts – the city staff who run these programs. Acknowledging that all decisions are difficult, where could there be cuts and how would those cuts realistically affect your program?  How easy would it be to rebound after suffering those cuts?  What would be your four tiers for reductions?

As Dr. Berlin constructed her four tiers of budget scenarios, she worked closely with the school administrators and staff to identify cuts and how those reductions would affect the education given to the city students, the staff, the infrastructure of the school system, etc.  The process was a painful one for staff and administrators alike.  Departments were pitted against department; staff continue to feel vulnerable and that many of these budget reductions rest on their backs.

Last week, School Board Chair Ron Peppe stated, “We want to keep any budget reductions as far removed from the classroom as possible,” and indicated that the School Board budget request to the City Manager would be in the neighborhood of a $1.1 million reduction.  Those cuts fall within the Tier 2 range, and the principals’ assessments on how those cuts will affect their schools are available online on the Falls Church City Schools budget page (http://www.fccps.org/board/budget/fy11/index.html).

I can only assume that the City Manager is going through the same process with his staff as he formulates the City’s FY2011 budget scheduled to be released on March 8^th.  Clearly a tax increase is in the Little City’s future.  The question now is how large and where will the increased revenue be spent?  Citizens will be more supportive if they know what the funds will be used for, and how City Hall and the School Board arrived at those priorities.  I am hopeful that the city budget presentation will be as transparent as the school budget debate has been. Read more

It Takes a Village… to dig out a playground

By ANNETTE HENNESSEY
Falls Church Times Staff

February 19, 2010

An e-mail blast was sent.  People responded.  And students at MEHMS enjoyed recess outside for the first time since the Big Snows of 2010.  And that’s the way it works in The Little City.

Read the full story on the MEHMS website or watch and listen to the Rockin’ talents of MEHMS Technology Specialist Brett Sparrgrove.

Special thanks to Kathleen Donovan for the photos and inside scoop!

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