John Sundstrom Plans Casual Pizza Spot on Capitol Hill

James Beard Award-winning chef John Sundstrom relocated his Lark restaurant to a bigger, airier space on Capitol Hill two years ago. He held onto the original 12th Avenue location, though, using it for private events. Now comes word that Sundstrom and partners Kelly Ronan and JM Enos will open a casual pizza restaurant called Southpaw in that spot this fall.

The restaurant's name means "left handed" and is designed to indicate that the restaurant will be thinking outside of the box for its pizzas, which will fall somewhere in between Neapolitan and New York style. Expect traditional ingredients and "some out of left field," according to a release.

The pizzas will be baked in a wood-fired oven, and the early word is that the toppings will be mostly vegetarian, with a list of meat add-ons. Complementing the pies will be salads and vegetable sides, plus rotating cheeses and charcuterie. Sundstrom will source much of Southpaw's produce from Lark's rooftop garden.

On the sweets side, expect salted chocolate chip cookies and two soft serve flavors, one traditional and one inventive. All drinks, including wine, will come from taps, and the list will be compact, with one red, one white, two beers, one cocktail, and one soda available.

The restaurant's decor will be dressed down a bit to match the more casual theme. Guests will order from a counter with food delivered to tables.

Southpaw will join a bevy of new Capitol Hill pizza restaurants, including Pizzeria 88, Dino's Tomato Pie, Sizzle Pie, and more.