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Showing results for tags 'Italian'.
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This place is not big (they repurposed and upgraded the former coffee space 3 years ago) - they have a very cozy indoor space and an adjacent outdoor area which is awesome in Spring, Summer and Fall. They enclose in the Winter months and heaters help make it an extension of the indoor space. This is a true "family" restaurant, from the kitchen to the front-of-the-house you will find a family member nearby always ready to assist. The food is fresh. The salads are excellent and big, so if you happen to split one you will be fine. Their cheesy garlic bread is the perfect start on a cooler Fall evening (like last night). They change their menu seasonally and even recently opened for breakfast on weekends only. I could bore you with the dishes I have tried, but I always try something different every time we visit; everything has been great and prepared with care. They have a "Social hour" Friday's from 3-6 PM featuring live music be I have not been able to catch that yet. Two (2) very cool concepts, Sunday Family dinner and Gnocchi Thursdays. Sunday Family Dinner is a special including salad & entree (~$25). Currently you can opt for spaghetti or a lasagna (composition changes weekly). Gnocchi Thursdays ($18) allows you to select from one of several weekly, rotating gnocchi specials - have done this several times and you will not be disappointed by selection or result. My wife and I have been here probably 10 times and each time have left completely satisfied with smiles on our faces. Desserts are plentiful and displayed on the bar/counter area to tempt you. The service is solid and genuine. -
I have been going to this restaurant since I was a kid. This location is not the original, but they have always had a presence in Falls Church. If you want to know where the "locals" go this is it. Family owned, there are at least two generations of the family working here and on any given day the founders are at the restaurant, many times greating you when you walk in. They have a board of daily specials and portions are substantial. Service is always with a smile and after you have been there a few times the wait staff will remember you and treat you like family; the greetings and familiarity are sincere. Breakfast, lunch or dinner, Greek specialties are always worthy...however their steak and cheese is a treat, very flavorful and served steaming hot. Have never had anything but great experiences here and cannot believe this place was missed in this forum. It is tucked away 1/2 a block off Annandale Road, behind the Bill Page Honda dealership.
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- Falls Church
- Greek
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Claudio’s Table website
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https://www.tonaridc.com/ Tonari is the Japanese-Italian restaurant by the Daikaya group. I've been wanting to go there for quite some time but it was closed during Covid. We finally made it last night. They have substantial outdoor seating as they built a wooden shed on the street. From the specials, we ordered (i) GRILLED BROCCOLINI infused with soy, basil, and mushroom served with agrodolce, kezuri bonito flakes, tama arare, chili threads, oregano, (ii) pork & beef MEATBALLS, tomato sauce, bread crumbs, Parmesan, and (iii) BRUSSELS CHIPS. The brussels chips were $3 and were on the happy hour menu. These were good but small. Order more than 1 if you really like crispy brussels sprouts leaves. The broccolini was tasty. The meatballs were nothing special. We also ordered 2 pizzas - (i) MUSHROOM shiitake, brick cheese, Parmesan, dandelion greens, yuzu kosho, mushroom besciamella, maple syrup, ichimi, and (II) GYUNIKO shaved prime rib marinated in soy & mirin, brick cheese, provolone, Cheese Whiz, red onion, ichimi. These are Detroit style pizzas, with focaccia-like crust and toppings pushed to the edge of the pan. Both taste pretty traditional - I didn't really taste much sweetness in the mushroom pizza notwithstanding the maple syrup. I did prefer the prime rib over the mushroom but would order both again. Finally we ordered 3 pastas - (i) MENTAIKO tagliolini, cod roe, butter, chili flakes, tsuyu, lemon, shiso, shredded nori, (ii) MISO ALLE VONGOLE bigoli, clams, miso, garlic, butter, oregano, lemon, olive oil, and (iii) UNI UNI UNICO tagliatelle, sea urchin beurre noisette, tsuyu, creme fraîche, butter, lemon, aonori, bread crumbs. The Mentaiko was a bit sweet but I enjoyed the flavor the shredded nori added to an otherwise rather bland dish. The clam pasta was the best, great texture to the pasta but don't bother eating the chunks of tough clam (could've been surf clam). The uni pasta didn't taste sea urchiny enough. Our dish didn't look bright yellow like the picture on the website. The service was a bit lackluster. They forgot our wine, brought out wrong food and served things as they were ready. We expected the food to come out in the order set forth above but that didn't quite happen. Service charge is included (stated on the menu). On the other hand, it wasn't particularly expensive and the food was enough for 4 people.-
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- Daikaya Group
- Japanese
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@MichaelBDCand I went with our personal trainer to L'Ardente just before Christmas to thank him for keeping us relatively in shape throughout the year. He can also put down a lot of food so as a bonus, we got to order several dishes to try. Highlights were the Duck Hunt (four individually served duck ravioli in foie gras and truffle), Vitello Tonnato & Tonnato Vitellato (veal carpaccio w/ tuna sauce and raw tuna w/ veal sauce), and the sausage ragu pasta. The duck ravioli was my favorite dish of the night. It was very luscious and just melted in my mouth. When the other two hesitated a little too long about who should get the fourth ravioli, I happily claimed it for myself. the veal with tuna sauce and tuna sashimi with veal sauce was a close runner up. The kitchen really let the ingredients shine, which I really appreciated. And the sausage ragu pasta was the favorite pasta dish of the night. It definitely tasted like what you imagine sausage ragu pasta would taste like, except it was the best sausage ragu with the best pasta. Other dishes of the evening were the panzanella di funghi with oyster mushrooms, veal osso bucco pasta, and the famous 40 layer lasagna. Honestly, the lasagna was our least favorite dish of the evening. It was way too rich and there was nothing to cut the richness of the combination of short ribs, truffle mornay, and rich cheese. It was the only dish we didn't finish. Overall, we loved our meal and can't wait to go back to try more of the menu.- 5 replies
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- Italian
- Mt. Vernon Square
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Gonzalo and Melina Pardo met at Paradiso in 2003, and they dreamed of opening their own restaurant for over a decade. The Argentine family, joined by their two sons and a chef from New York, recently opened La Fiamma in the former Paradiso space. I plan on giving it a try, but the exterior is nicely refreshed, and the menu has some items like Seafood alla Veneziana, which Lady KN will devour, homemade black linguine and all....and count me in on the veal chop with Barolo reduction. Opening a family-owned single restaurant on the tail end of a pandemic -- with the Delta variant looming -- takes a special set of equipage. I'm rooting for them to succeed, and I applaud their fortitude. I'm thinking this is a cooler weather kind of restaurant, but it's on my list. -
"Yep, it looks like one." 😯 "The Erotic Origins of Italy's Most Famous Sweet" by Agostino Petroni on bbc.com
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Little Coco's for dinner tonight. It's about 3 blocks away, so easy walk. We ate appetizer buffet, and it was tasty. Also wine. If you like their pasta (we weren't in a pasta mood tonight), Thursday is pasta and prosecco night there. So, a deal on 2 pastas with 2 salads and a bottle of wine. -
This deserves its own thread, but we ordered delivery from Grazie Grazie on Monday and really enjoyed it. Things like salads and sandwiches suffer a bit on delivery, rather than eating them there, but the 8+1, the new version of the 9th Street Italian, reminded me of original Taylor. I'll order again. -
Stopped by Sweet Science for a coffee this morning in NoMa, and saw this on the neighboring storefront.
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I really want to go to Thompson Italian....hard to get reservations, and then I saw this on the menu: Roasted Garlic Bread, Marinara, Parmesan $9...WTF!
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https://www.maialinomare.com/ Now open.
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“Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are.” –Come on, ya’ll, every one of you knows who said this 🙂 “Tell me who you hire, and I will tell you who you are.” -KMango Just a quick shout out, and a bit of head shaking, to Amy Brandwein. Stuck in CityCenter for almost three months, I practically lived at Piccolina. I darted in for morning coffee, grabbed late afternoon snacks, and took out several evening dinners. You name it, I inhaled it. Which is where the head shaking comes in. I probably negated a lot of cold weather workouts via my jaunts into the blissfully aromatic, fire-warmed cafe. Without exception, the ingredient quality and immense satisfaction of each dish delivered. Of special note were command performances of eggplant Parmesan, lamb sausage scacce, and turmeric roasted carrots with yogurt. Deliciousness can be found at many DC haunts. However, the staff here appear to love what they do, enjoy each other, deeply care for their customers, and demonstrate immense pride in their products. I wound up chatting with several employees on random occasions, various mornings and evenings. They all spoke favorably of hard work, reflecting their ethic. Their eyes lit up when describing the day’s offerings. A few times while I awaited my order, Amy walked in to check on stock or pick up an item for Centrolina. Each time, the staff treated her with genuine warmth and admiration. She returned it, joking around or expressing gratitude. As I have observed elsewhere, once “the boss” leaves the room, that marks the arrival of rolled eyes or negative comments. But each time she left, deep smiles remained, everyone seemed elevated and boosted from the exchange. Amy has created an achievement beyond measure. She has connected great people with great food and is hiring for fit. Despite the stresses of a fast-paced, top-quality culinary production, she creates a respectful, meaningful and fun place to work. She demonstrates character, values, and integrity in action. Brava, Amy, Brava. And please, please keep me away from those chocolate crackle cookies.- 6 replies
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- Downtown
- CityCenterDC
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They just opened their Reston location Friday - apparently have another coming soon to Tysons and one already open in DC according to their website. On good word, the place was packed, food was pretty good. It is situated on the main promenade diagonally across from Clydes in the old Paolo's (then Neyla) space. Indoor and outdoor seating is also nice, the latter being close to the main fountain at RTC. Appear to have around 25 locations throughout the US. Part of the FOX Restaurant Group which also has a FlowerChild location in DC.
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Andy Hayler's Review
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I love solo dining. at a table, not the bar. My opportunities are limited and the dining landscape has changed in the 12 years since BL-7th grader arrived and my time became less my own. A few weeks ago I tried at Duck Duck Goose but they won’t take reservations for solo diners and refused to seat me without a reservation in an empty dining room. An hour plus later I had eaten mediocre Ethiopian, cried and their dining room was still 75 percent empty. I have another window this Wednesday. I will be in DC, with car. Looking to dine around 6 pm. If you miss Palena and Frank Ruta’s cooking and hospitality, where would you go? -
This family-owned place has been around since 1993 - it is tucked away at the end of a strip-shopping plaza at the opposite end from Outback. Carpool Herndon is 200' away. They are open for lunch and dinner daily. The food is good or good+; just have not been there enough recently to expand. The place is clean and service is friendly. Atmosphere is a little dated, but you will always be greeted as if you have been there before. I had not been in some time, just kind of fallen off our radar, and stopped by last week for a nice lunch. Specials are posted daily and their bread fresh baked. Food comes out efficiently and you can tell they have a lot of regulars.
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@eatruneat and I were feeling good, but in need of a snack after doing a wine tasting at A Litteri and scoring several bottles - seriously, if you like Italian wine, you need to check out A Litteri. They won an award as the best selection of Italian wine outside of Italy a few years ago. Anyway, we sat down at the bar and were warmly greeted by co-owner Antonio. I ordered a glass of wine and @eatruneat ordered the 'Stellina Sprotz'. After trying her drink I immediately regretted ordering wine. Made with DC distiller Don Ciccio & Figli's Amborsia liqueur and a few other ingredients, it was a light, slightly sour orange delight. I looked down the bar and realized that everyone else had one except me. We ordered the Cotto & Funghi pizza and were a little surprised when it came out uncut. Two seconds later a server dropped off pizza cutter, which didn't totally solve the issue. The tray the pizza is served on has a bit of a lip, which makes cutting the crust a challenge. Once cut though, the pie was delicious. The sauce tasted close to Marcella Hazan's tomato sauce with a hint of sweetness and velvety texture and the toppings tasted very authentic. Unfortunately we were time constrained and that was all we were able to try, but will be back to try more and this time I'll get myself a Stellina Sprotz.- 4 replies
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- Union Market
- Italian
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"Lupa, Restaurant that Replaced Petit Louis in Columbia, To Close this Weekend after a Year in Business" by Sarah Meehan on baltimoresun.com This was in the former Red Pearl space, which was in the former Jessie Wong's Hong Kong space.
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- Columbia
- Lake Kittamaqundi
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I'm admittedly a creature of habit. Each time I'm in New York, I tend to hit a few places from my list of "regulars" - though I try to squeeze in one or two new ones when I'm there. So it's with that context that I say that I've been to La Pecora Bianca in NoMad the last 4 times I've been to the city. LPB isn't the best italian restaurant in New York. And it isn't the best restaurant in NoMad (which, in my opinion, is the NoMad Restaurant inside the NoMad Hotel). But it fills a gap left by the closing of Craftbar (which wasn't technically in NoMad but close enough). It is a restaurant that serves good food that isn't super high priced where we can meet friends for dinner without a reservation 4 weeks in advance. It's always the place chosen on the dreaded text message chain the day before when someone asks "where should we meet for dinner." From the appetizers, I recommend Whipped Ricotta with truffle honey and country toast ($14) and the Meatballs ($14). Roasted Cauliflower with raisins, pine nuts and mascarpone ($15) is also good, but I'm not a big cauliflower person in general. From the pasta menu, Gramigna with house made sausage, broccolini and pepper flakes ($24) is a favorite, as is the Tagliatelle with bolognese ($24). And the Tiramisu for two ($15) is worth the caloric splurge. Fair warning, they are strict about the wine pours, which can change the glass vs. bottle mathematics.-
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- Local Chain
- NoMad
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I first wanted to applaud this new establishment (now several months old) for opening in one of the riskiest spots in the city for restaurants, given how PizzaGate affected so many businesses near Comet Ping Pong. We ate here several weeks ago, and I would describe it as a safe-choice venue with some interesting specials. Prices are fair for the value. Ambiance is come-as-you-are comfortable, I like it. Service is a strong point, they are very friendly. It is hard to provide any strategies for this place, as WYSIWYG menu-wise. We did order from the larger format menu, and got the $45 Grigliata Mista - filet of mackeral, two head-on fish, and octopus. Simple and tasty. Our child ordered spaghetti and meatballs $16, it was a modest portion which she easily finished. I also ordered a tripe dish in a red sauce, from the special menu, it was good. We will be back, it is a nice neighborhood amenity, and the bar is well-stocked. It will be in my rotation with Buck's and Sfoglina for last-minute neighborhood walk-ins. My interest is peaked in that it seems to be food-centric without being Instagrammy or outwardly pretentious. But I don't think they will capture an AU crowd like Comet Ping Pong or Medium Rare seems to enjoy. It is a bit of a strange bird and I will enjoy tracking it.
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The kids were going to see Aladdin so I made early dinner reservation at Masseria Dei Vini. I’ve never heard of the place but the location works and the menu looks authentic if not on the expensive side. The best starter is the fried zucchini sticks - thin, crispy and the batter did not fall off. Their baked calamari is almost as good as fried calamari. The rice in the GUAZZETTO ALLA PUGLIESE (Shrimp and Clams in a light Tomato Sauce, served with Apulian Grain) apparently is very delicious according to my daughter. The two pastas we ordered were very good - pappardelle with rabbit ragu, squid ink pasta in whey clam sauce. If anything the pasta could’ve been firmer. We also ordered a thinly sliced steak that’s very good as well. I would recommend the restaurant as a solid Italian joint.
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Andy Hayler's Review
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Andy Hayler's Review
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Andy Hayler's Review
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