The Post's Weekend cover story on the area's best pizza places was pretty inclusive. There are 24 "best" pizza restaurants in the area! That's not simplifying things at all.

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Then yesterday, the Post published some reader responses to the article. The inclusion of their suggestions brings the total number of "best" pizza restaurant suggestions to 38. That's a lot of pizza options!

They're certainly not all the "best." That is silly. This lazy covering of all the bases just revokes the authority of the source.

Take Comet Ping Pong, for instance — more than one person surveyed in my informal poll said that Comet's pizzas were just too small. "If I wanted a three-inch-wide meal, I'd order a jumbo hot dog," my colleague fumed as another furiously concurred.

Comet has a three-star rating on Yelp! Things people say about Comet on Yelp!:

• So, all in all, if what you are after is some fun rather than some great food/wine, this is the right place.

• As for the pizzas, they had a good crust but just weren't that amazing, especially for the price.

• The kicker here is really the crust, it's crispy on the bottom yet light and fluffy. Basically it's perfect.

• Nice beer selection, great wings, and I love ping-pong! Pizza is a bit disappointing.

I have eaten at Comet on a few occasions and agree with the general feeling here: The food is OK, and certainly not "best."

Let's leave what's best to some experts. How about three officers from Italians in DC, the "point of encounter of the Italians to Washington, D.C." (thank you, Babelfish translator?). If there are any opinions that matter regarding your pizza possibilities, they belong to these dudes.

Sean Cogliardi, organizer of the group's sporting events, loves Il Canale in Georgetown.

It is by far the most authentic pizza, as well as general experience. Once I'm in there, if I didn't know I'm in Georgetown, I could be fooled into thinking I was in my neighborhood pizzeria in Italy. Atmosphere, taste, the people are from Milan and Napoli, etc. They also have an excellent tiramisu, though the best in town is still my own.

 He also loves 2 Amy's! "Excellent, excellent, excellent," he said. And yes, Sean, I've interpreted your little boast to mean you'll be sending over some dessert.

Lorenzo Montanari is the professional contact for the group and deals with (I think) organizations from the home country. My Italian's a little non-existent. Anyway, his name totally legitimizes him. I trust everything this man has to say about Italian food even though I've never met him. He says to go to Montgomery County for some Pizzeria Da Marco (Bethesda) or Pacci's (Silver Spring). Surprise, surprise, he also endorses 2 Amy's.

Finally, the ultimate opinion! Il Presidente himself, Ivan Butina, picks Pacci's as his favorite and explains a little something about an all-encompassing list of pizza joints:

First of all, when doing this kind of list it is important to be clear about what kind of pizza one is looking for: the American pizza and the Italian (or original Neapolitan) pizza are two different products. Hence, often Americans and Italians have different tastes. If you go on Yelp and check the reviews for Pacci's for example, you'll see that my Neapolitan friend Chiara says that this definitely is the best original pizza in DC, while there are Americans who don't like it at all. It's a matter of expectations.

Butina gives the thumbs up to Oro Pomodoro in Rockville, Il Canale, Sette Osteria, Red Rocks, and Piola in Rosslyn.

This just in: Today's Recoup offer is for discount at Il Canale! Pay $17 to get $30 worth of food at this highly rated place.

After the jump: The worst pizza in D.C.! And Mike Isabella's CityEats courtship gets so real.