Ninnella, Brother-Owners Angelo and Alessandro Forte in the Former Park Cafe Space in Near Southeast - Closed

[DonRocks]

I just called Park Cafe, and got a very normal sounding voice mail greeting, then hung up. To my surprise, they called me back! I asked if they were open today, and the gentleman told me they were closed (for renovations), but that they'd be opening again on January 15th.

It has probably been since Phyllis Richman wrote about it when I last went to Park Cafe, but I remember being taken back by how charming it was - I hope it does reopen, and that the cooking lives up to the promise of its location and architecture.

[Mark Dedrick]

I really, really love the look of the place. And I really like the idea of a true neighborhood place, that isn't part of some large strip of bars and restaurants. So I'm with you, I hope that the food once they re-open is good enough to bring me back.

[Pat]

I'm getting the sense that this may be an Italian restaurant in its new incarnation, but I don't know that for sure.

[Tujague]

Apparently it will now be "Ninnella Restaurant," according to a paper sign on the door. So Pat's sense that this will be an Italian place seems to be correct.

[Tujague]

The Park Cafe sign over the front windows is now down, replaced by the "Ninnella" sign, along with a notice in the window that they are opening tomorrow (Tuesday, Feb. 26).

[Pat]

The Park Cafe sign over the front windows is now down, replaced by the "Ninnella" sign, along with a notice in the window that they are opening tomorrow (Tuesday, Feb. 26).

That's some great timing, since the NPS is closing down the eastern half of the park starting today for 3 months. Since the western half took way longer than predicted when that was done years ago--and now there are huge budgetary questions--who knows how long that section of the park closest to them will be closed. Allegedly, the perimeter sidewalks will remain open, but that does seem like something that might hamper foot traffic via the park.

[Pat]

As I walked by on the other side of the street last night, I could see that it was open. I was too far away to note much else. Earlier in the day, while there was still paper up on the windows, the "Tuesday" sign had been amended to add "New Management."

ETA: I just saw this blog post with more information.

[Kanishka]

Hm. Am I alone in thinking the prices are a bit steep?

[Pat]

Hm. Am I alone in thinking the prices are a bit steep?

For a neighborhood restaurant they would seem to be on the high side, but I'm not sure what they aspire to be. If the food is good enough, it might bear out the pricing scheme.

Al was standing in the doorway of the restaurant when I walked by yesterday, which confused me. I asked if he was still involved and he said that yesterday was his last day. He also said something about having done the renovation, which I didn't quite understand. I asked about hours, and he said that they open at 5 PM for dinner and will start serving lunch in the spring.

[Banco]

I wish them success, but frankly I just don't see how they can maintain that price point. They wouldl have to become something like a destination restaurant, and that's nearly impossible in an area with scarcely any parking.

[DonRocks]

I wish them success, but frankly I just don't see how they can maintain that price point. They wouldl have to become something like a destination restaurant, and that's nearly impossible in an area with scarcely any parking.

This has got to be one of the oddest restaurants in the area. However, their website claims that the owner has a 3,500-bottle wine cellar. If that's the case, and the wine is for sale at the restaurant, that would make this one of the largest wine cellars DC has ever seen.

[Tujague]

This has got to be one of the oddest restaurants in the area. However, their website claims that the owner has a 3,500-bottle wine cellar. If that's the case, and the wine is for sale at the restaurant, that would make this one of the largest wine cellars DC has ever seen.

I'm no expert on wine, but when I moved to the Hill nearly 15 years ago and first dined here (when the menu focused on Chilean/Latin food), that wine list was really eye-popping. Labels I had never seen anywhere before, and a selection much larger than any neighborhood restaurant imaginable. This may have been one of the most overlooked wine treasures anyplace.

[lindzjax]

Has anyone been? Decent Yelp reviews, but ya know...

[Pat]

We tried, but it was a Saturday night (the 9th, I think) and they said they were all booked up. There were people in there, so I'll take them at their word that the rest were reserved for later diners and they couldn't accommodate walk-ins.

I've seen a couple of decent reviews that were not on yelp. One was at The Hill Is Home and I don't recall the other. One of them said that the portions for the appetizers were pretty large and better for sharing than ordering one per person.

One complaint THIH review had is that they have no information on hours listed outside the restaurant or anything on social media. I was wondering how people made reservations, since I have no clue what their phone number is. We just used to walk over to Park Cafe. Never had a reservation. Maybe they're still using the Park Cafe phone number.

Al is still involved in some way. He was there the night we stopped in and I've seen him there multiple other times, so I'm not sure what the deal is. Maybe it's because he's the owner of the building. He was unloading what looked like they might be warehouse restaurant supplies from a car outside last time I saw him.

[lindzjax]

Chanced it and went on Friday (I called late afternoon and was able to get a table). The atmosphere of the place is great, very cozy and true neighborhood feel (and in surveying the patrons, I would guess most are neighbors) and the service was quite good. The menu is small: handful of apps, maybe 5 pastas and 5 meat/fish options. We started with the buffalo mozzarella which was rather boring, but fine. We ordered two pastas: Tagliatelle with meat ragu and lasagna. The lasagna was wonderfully rich and flavorful, the tagliatelle was incredibly bland. We thought the prices were moderate. We will definitely go back in the future.

[Pat]

Chanced it and went on Friday (I called late afternoon and was able to get a table). The atmosphere of the place is great, very cozy and true neighborhood feel (and in surveying the patrons, I would guess most are neighbors) and the service was quite good. The menu is small: handful of apps, maybe 5 pastas and 5 meat/fish options. We started with the buffalo mozzarella which was rather boring, but fine. We ordered two pastas: Tagliatelle with meat ragu and lasagna. The lasagna was wonderfully rich and flavorful, the tagliatelle was incredibly bland. We thought the prices were moderate. We will definitely go back in the future.

Are they using the old Park Cafe phone number? Thanks for the report.

[lindzjax]

I think so... this is the number on their Yelp page: (202) 543-0184, which seems to have been the old number as well

[Pat]

I think so... this is the number on their Yelp page: (202) 543-0184, which seems to have been the old number as well

Thanks. I forgot the yelp page would have that .

[DonRocks]

Chanced it and went on Friday (I called late afternoon and was able to get a table). The atmosphere of the place is great, very cozy and true neighborhood feel (and in surveying the patrons, I would guess most are neighbors) and the service was quite good. The menu is small: handful of apps, maybe 5 pastas and 5 meat/fish options. We started with the buffalo mozzarella which was rather boring, but fine. We ordered two pastas: Tagliatelle with meat ragu and lasagna. The lasagna was wonderfully rich and flavorful, the tagliatelle was incredibly bland. We thought the prices were moderate. We will definitely go back in the future.

Did you get a chance to see the wine list? The owner of Park Cafe apparently had a 3,500-bottle collection, and I wonder if that might have conveyed along with the uzis and drug-making paraphernalia.

[lindzjax]

As a young Hill staffer, I had a couple of colleagues who waited tables at Park Cafe to make ends meet, so I'm a bit familiar with the owners less than traditional restaurant management style! The wine list at Ninella was pretty standard, but also fairly affordable (at least by the glass) compared to what I'm seeing around town these days.

[Pat]

Starting tomorrow, they'll be offering regular happy hour specials on drinks and appetizers Tuesday - Friday [closed Mondays] from 5 to 7 PM. The patio should be open this coming weekend.

I enjoyed a meal at the bar Saturday night (fritto misto and a lobster pasta special that was beautifully plated). The basement is no longer a cluttered mess. There are some tables set up down there and presumably will be dining offered downstairs in the future.

Don, the wine collection was apparently largely French pinot noirs. (The new folks haven't acquired it.)

[Banco]

We walked by here last week on Tuesday or Wednesday and it was packed, inside and out. I'm glad (and surprised) that they're doing so well.

[Tujague]

FYI, this morning's standoff was in the apartment above Ninnella. Glad to hear it ended peacefully (though I was also happy to have almost no traffic around Lincoln Park during my morning walk today!).

[DonRocks]

FYI, this morning's standoff was in the apartment above Ninnella. Glad to hear it ended peacefully (though I was also happy to have almost no traffic around Lincoln Park during my morning walk today!).

No traffic, but dodging a hail of gunfire? What happened?!

[Mark Dedrick]

According to neighborhood listserves, DCPD attempted to serve a warrant to somebody last night around 10:30 pm. Ten hours later the guy surrendered, but some streets were blocked the entire time. Also, many folks got ticketed for parking on the closed block because today is street cleaning. The fact that the city announced that they would waive the tickets is an unfortunate fact only for the shock/amusement value of this story.

[Pat]

The WJLA report that shows the suspect being searched places him in the apartments in the mid-1300 block of East Capitol, so I'm not sure what's going on.  All those buildings from there west to the corner and around kind of back up to each other.  There was a SWAT truck outside Holy Comforter Church this morning, which is right next to those apartments.

http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/08/man-barricades-himself-inside-d-c-home-92709.html

[Tujague]

The WJLA report that shows the suspect being searched places him in the apartments in the mid-1300 block of East Capitol, so I'm not sure what's going on.  All those buildings from there west to the corner and around kind of back up to each other.  There was a SWAT truck outside Holy Comforter Church this morning, which is right next to those apartments.

http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/08/man-barricades-himself-inside-d-c-home-92709.html

I was given my info by a friend--and longtime HIll resident--who lives on the 1300 block of E. Capitol, across from those apartments. The incident location on 13th Street is why they also closed off Massachusetts Ave. and A Street SE but left N. Carolina open. (I always thought Al from the Park Cafe lived in the upstairs of that building!)

[Pat]

Well, Yelp has its uses...

I recently learned that two of the employees who had been at Ninnella since early on (I know one had been there since opening, and I think the other as well) have departed and are working at other Italian restaurants on the Hill.  I figured something was up.  The restaurant is also not as busy as it was and wasn't open around brunch time last weekend.  So, I turned to yelp and found comments indicating that, some time late last year, the old owner took over the restaurant again and things are in decline.

See the posts by Sonia N. (March 11, 2014) and Joshua W.  (update of Dec. 19, 2013, appended to his review of Aug. 10, 2013) here.

[DonRocks]

Well, Yelp has its uses...

I recently learned that two of the employees who had been at Ninnella since early on (I know one had been there since opening, and I think the other as well) have departed and are working at other Italian restaurants on the Hill.  I figured something was up.  The restaurant is also not as busy as it was and wasn't open around brunch time last weekend.  So, I turned to yelp and found comments indicating that, some time late last year, the old owner took over the restaurant again and things are in decline.

See the posts by Sonia N. (March 11, 2014) and Joshua W.  (update of Dec. 19, 2013, appended to his review of Aug. 10, 2013) here.

A very useful post, Pat. Do you know if the chef or GM listed above are gone?

[Pat]

A very useful post, Pat. Do you know if the chef or GM listed above are gone?

One of the filtered reviews (page 1 of the not recommended reviews) says that the chef is no longer there, but this is all hearsay based on what is written on yelp.  I tend to believe it, based on the history of the space.  All I know for sure, personally, is that those two long-serving employees (the ones I was referring to are the ones Joshua W. also refers to in his review) are gone.

[DonRocks]

A very useful post, Pat. Do you know if the chef or GM listed above are gone?

One of the filtered reviews (page 1 of the not recommended reviews) says that the chef is no longer there, but this is all hearsay based on what is written on yelp.  I tend to believe it, based on the history of the space.  All I know for sure, personally, is that those two long-serving employees (the ones I was referring to are the ones Joshua W. also refers to in his review) are gone.

My guess is yes, they're both gone - the website bears no mention of their names:

But are they under the RFK Stadium parking lot? And don't say it because my maternal grandfather came over on a boat from Bologna and my favorite David Lynch movie is Eraserhead.

Bones: "Dammit, Jim, I'm a doctor; not a Pizzaiolo!"

[Pat]

The people i know who worked there left a long time ago.  They said something (with rolled eyes) about the Italian owners having passport problems and not being able to come back.

[Tujague]

Ninnella has been sold and will soon become Lincoln Park Kitchen and Wine Bar (catchy name, that ). According to the realtor who did the deal, the focus will be on small plates, and the menu posted in the window lists cheese plates, pastas, flatbreads, and a surprisingly wide range of some creative-sounding dishes at a much lower average price than the earlier incarnations there. If the chef can pull this off--and the realtor told me he is very experienced, though I can't recall details--it may well finally be the sort of place that location has needed (though its history has taught me not to hold my breath).