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Showing results for tags 'Italian'.
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There's a Coming Soon sign at this building in Clarendon (near the corner of Wilson and Washington Blvd). The website says coming in early 2007 though, so I guess it's still a ways off from opening. Anyone know anything about this place? -
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. -
We went to Capri tonight and were pleasantly surprised. The Caesar and green salads were just OK, but the lobster ravioli and cappelini primavera with whole wheat pasta in a very tasty tomato sauce were both outstanding. Service was superb, and the place had a nice warm vibe. Interestingly, it started to fill up around 8:30--just about the time when McLean rolls up the sidewalks. -
Alta Strada opened three weeks ago and MichaelBDC and I have already stopped in twice for two very good dinners. After returning from a quick trip to New York, starting a new job, and facing an empty refrigerator, I convinced MichaelBDC to go to Alta Strada for opening night. We were surprised that the restaurant was only half full, but one of the GMs told us it was by design in order to allow the restaurant to ease into business. Michael Schlow was on hand to expedite and do some quality control. We started with the grilled octopus with chickpeas, calabrian chiles, and parsley. About 80 percent of the chickpeas were blended with the chiles to form a hummus like consistency and spread in a crescent shape on the plate. This was topped with the perfectly cooked octopus (which was poached and then grilled) a few whole chickpeas, and parsley. MichaelBDC and I both enjoyed this dish, especially the spice from the chiles. We also had the crunchy meatballs to start. MichaelBDC enjoyed this dish a bit more than I did, though I thought it was very good. I agreed with him that the outside of the meatballs were very crisp but did not result in a dry meatball. The restaurant also gave us an order of whipped ricotta to start. This was a luscious and great dish MichaelBDC and I both enjoyed. The only downer was the gratis bread and olive oil. The Italian sesame bread was average and the olive oil needed some salt. But since MichaelBDC and I enjoyed the starters so much, it was easy to overlook this part of the meal. We were already pretty full after the appetizers but had already ordered the Maltagliati with rabbit, fresh fava beans, and pecorino. This was my favorite dish of the evening. I really enjoyed the bits of rabbit and the fava beans. The pasta was lightly sauced, enabling the ingredients to shine through. We also ordered the broccoli rabe and spicy sausage pizza. It was good but not great pizza. There was nothing wrong with the dish, I just felt that the other items on the menu were much better. However, the pizza is perfectly good for an Italian place trying to offer a bit of variety. MichaelBDC and I each had a slice and asked for the rest to go. Last weekend, my brother and cousin were in town to run the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler with me and we decided to have our pre-race dinner here. We ordered everything that MichaelBDC and I had at our previous dinner minus the ricotta and added an order of tagliatelle bolognese and local striped bass with rosemary, white beans, escarole, and lemon. I only had the tagliatelle and thought it was very good. For dessert the table split the lemon sorbet, which was delightfully tart, and the nutella tarte, which was delightfully rich. MichaelBDC and I had two very successful visits to Alta Strada and are looking forward to more. It's so great to finally have a solid and decently priced Italian restaurant in the neighborhood.- 10 replies
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- Massachusetts Chain
- Mount Vernon Triangle
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I had dinner at Floriana last night. What a great evening. Walked in early with no reservation, they asked to give them 15 minutes so we went downstairs to the bar, which is a treat in itself if you have never been. Went back upstairs and was seated on the top floor; they are doing some renovating right now but were very apologetic (though they didn't need to be). Our server Matthew was great. I ordered a galls of wine I was not thrilled with and he got me another with no fuss; very much appreciated. I had the Oxtail Bolognese (20.00) which was AMAZING. Hearty, tasty, wonderful on a chilly night. Partner had the Gorgonzola topped Sirloin (23.00) which he loved. Great meal, great service! Scott -
Didn't Rocks mention some place in Falls Church in his Lettres de mon Moulin post today? -
I spend a lot of satisfying times in Bozzelli's and I think it belongs in the dining guide. It is a family-owned and operated deli with a seating area on Alban Road in Springfield -- Backlick runs from Annandale to Springfield, changes its name to Alban roughly at the big oil tanks across I-95S, and then changes its name to Pohick when it crosses Rolling Road into Lorton and Fairfax Station. Bozzelli's menu includes some of the best subs in the DC area. They have a few "signatures" like the Metro (basically an Italian hoagie), the absolutely decadent Pepperoni, Steak and Cheese, the Senator (Italian cheeseburger) and many more, all of which I can tell you are as good as any in the northern Virginia 'burbs....at least this side of the Italian Store. What finally drove me to write them up was the best breakfast sandwich I've had in a long time -- ham, egg, cheese, peppers and ketchup on an 8" pressed Italian bun. Man, was that good...! And on Fridays in Lent, there isn't a better 12" tuna salad sub anywhere. Bozzelli's also offers salads, a few pasta dishes, fresh-made desserts and unusually good pizza. They also have cooking classes on the occasional Wednesday evening, where Mama puts on some displays of excellent Italian cooking. http://springfield.bozzellideli.com/ -
http://www.northernvirginiamag.com/grill-w...rchive/?chat=71 detailed chat on Morou's (ex Farrah Olivia) new enterprise to make us forget (hopefully) about the dismal failure of once promising Bebo. -
Jul 28, 2017 - "At Venice Beach's New Pasta Palace Felix, Jonathan Gold Admires Noodly Views and Italian Cooking" by Jonathan Gold on latimes.com -
When's Rustico opening in Old Town (ish)? Mel? Rabbi? -
@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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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? -
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per Tagliata website. I was drawn in by the squid ink campanelle - with peekytoe crab, sea urchin cream sauce, chili, basil, & breadcrumbs. The pasta was wonderful, and so was the crab meat. The cream sauce had no discernible sea urchin flavor though 😥 The bolognese was also an excellent pasta dish. I would say their small selection of pastas are equal if not better than Cinghiale. The chicken parm was decent. -
Andy Hayler's Review
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I had dinner with friends at Osteria Morini this evening, the Italian joint at "Yard Park" on the right bank of the Eastern Branch between Nationals Park and the Navy Yard. I hadn't been down to that part of town since all of the development of the park and the ballpark, and it's really very interesting and pretty cool. The restaurant is sleek and appealing, though rather uncomfortably noisy. There's extensive outdoor seating, though, which during nice weather, such as we had tonight, is probably very nice, and much quieter than the restaurant indoors. While my friends and I were dining indoors, I was silently wishing we had taken seats outdoors; oh well, perhaps next time. I totally loved the food. My favorite bits: Exquisite, wonderful lardo, very thin slices in a curly tangle, with little slices of toasted bread, just fantastic. I asked the server where it came from, and she said Emilia Romagna, which is a pretty vague answer, but with every morsel I ate I felt closer to heaven (which my cardiologist might agree with, if he believes in an after-life). Charred octopus with "red rice salad": I was less crazy about the red rice salad, which I didn't quite understand, than the octopus itself, which was sumptuously excellent. The lardo and the octopus were the big winners of the evening, to me, but we had a lot of other things that were also smashing. Buttered spinach. Crostini with: smoked trout and goop, which was very nice; finely diced beets and goop, which was also very nice; and a melange of mushrooms and goop, which was rather strangely sweet, and the only dish of the night that I disliked. I had a dish of bucatini with crab and sea urchin, which I adored, and which of course ended up spackling my brand-new white dress shirt, as bucatini will do. There were some other things. Asparagus, which was nice. I forget what else. This place serves up some wonderful food, and the servers do their jobs very well. I recommend it.- 55 replies
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- New York Chain
- Nationals Park
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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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Il Radicchio. Tell me about that place. It's been there and I'm wondering what it's doing. -
Today, Monday, is opening day for Alba. We went to Alba on Thursday night for their "friends and family." We found it to be extremely imaginative with a number of dishes that I think are extraordinary for North America. I believe that it presents a new depth of Italian to Washington, D. C. that most have not seen before. I'd even suggest it is a real credit to D. C. that we have a restaurant like this. The setting is familiar and reassuring but a number of the dishes are a very real adventure. For anyone reading this who might have shared in one of the Laboratorio dinners I organized a number of years ago: do you remember the "duck stew?" Roberto has a dish called trofie all finanziera which is a type of pasta with what is essentially "duck stew" sauce. Remarkable. Also, an intensely delicious agnolotti al brasato (another Laboratorio dish), tamarin and an amazing chicken soup. Yes, chicken soup. It is even called this on the menu. Intensely reduced, deeply flavored chicken stock with cream, white wine and cubes of chicken breast and veggies with little "nuggets" of a pasta. Topped with homemade croutons. If it were not for our passionate waiter we would not have tried it. "Chicken soup" sounds so simple, so "Carnegie or Stage or Katz' deli like. But this was incredible. Better than any New York deli-all of which i have had chicken soup at. Others saw us, asking what we'd ordered. Pretty soon there were a half dozen or more bowls around us with another half dozen spoons for others so they could try, too. Roberto has never had chicken soup before-this is his first time presenting it. It will become a signature. Chicken soup. Trofie finanziera. Agnolotti al brasato. Tamarin. For starters and a bit of direction. Alba is an adventurous, exciting restaurant that gives full credit to the piedmont region where Roberto is from. And for anyone going, you'll see thematic features (various metallic structures and designs) throughout the restaurant which are from the Crayola factory which closed in Sandusky, Ohio in the late '50's. Alba recovered them from salvage and restored them where today they help create the unique but reassuring ambience of the room. Sandusky is also the home of Cedar Point, the greatest amusement park on Earth. It was once called 'the amazement park." There is both literally and figuratively a bit of the amazement park in Roberto's new Alba!- 32 replies
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- Mount Vernon Triangle
- Italian
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Dal Grano is next to the former Bistro Vivant, now Masala. Bland is the key word here. I had fettuccine with seafood white wine sauce. The dish had some nicely cooked shrimp and calamari rings, and some mussels (not in shell). I think it was the mussels that made the dish fishy, otherwise it had little flavor. I also think the pasta is not firm enough.
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- McLean
- Langley Shopping Center
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Eight of us middle aged types just celebrating life nestled in at Barbuto last March one afternoon from 2pm to about 5pm.and ordered their family style fixed-price menu (plus a few additional add-ins as I recall). We just told them we were hungry and left the rest to them. The food was quite good and the atmosphere was fun. I recall the kale and chicken being standouts, as well as the fish they offered us off menu for an upcharge (Dover sole?). I can no longer remember the beer list, but I do recall half of our bunch drinking beer through the meal, and this tends to be a wine crowd, so that may say something. -
Am I right that no one has written about Maple? Named after the big slab of maple wood that makes up the bar (not pancakes!), this place is right on 11th st. We went for the first time last weekend and were very happy we did. It's a small space and you can tell that the same designers who did Cork did Maple (although I found Maple more comfy/cozy). Lots of wood, grey, etc. and the bar ends in one of those peninsulas that can be a table for four. Outside tables too. The menu is small, and so is the kitchen. That said, everything was delicious. To start we had a summer special cocktail -- gin with limonata, blackberry juice, and blackberries. Refreshing and I am now totally addicted to this drink. We had two of the crostini (I don't remember the price for two, four were $10) and they were tasty -- one with white beans and anchovies and one with prosciutto, fontina, and fig. I give the edge to the white bean one though. I had the short rib panini, which was delicious. Hearty, rich, and just fantastic. My partner had the lamb bolognese, which was also great -- just gamey enough, but not too ripe. We shared a bottle of forgettable Montepulciano, but at $20 for a bottle, it was fine. There were plenty of other choices that were a little more expensive, but we went with the waitresses wine recommendation. We thought it was interesting she suggested the cheapest bottle! Dessert was a special -- cobbler with peaches and blackberries from the farmer's market with dolcezza vanilla gelato. YUM! A few things I loved -- first of all, it is not small plates. I am so tired of small plates! Second, the prices were great. For two cocktails, a bottle of wine, the crostini, two entrees and a dessert our bill was $100 for two people including tax and tip. Finally, they seem to have cool special events. We signed up for an upcoming Italian rare beer tasting. Only quibble was that the wine recommendation was not great from the server, but otherwise she was super nice, efficient, and good. -
Yet another one we have tried a couple of times. The setting is very decent with both indoor and outdoor seating areas. The menu focuses on pizza, some Italian dishes, and some sandwiches. Overall the food quality is hit or miss and I recommend the pizza over the rest of the food. That being said, the pizza at Arucola cannot carry the jock of both Comet and 2 Amys that are reasonably close. -
Badwolf DC has information about Casa Luca. http://www.casalucadc.com/ is the restaurant's website. http://www.opentable.com/casa-luca is Open Table's site for reservations. Fabio won the Rammy award this past weekend as D. C.'s Chef of the Year for Fiola.
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