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D'Acqua, 8th St & Pennsylvania Ave NW


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Anybody have any information about when this place is set to open? It is supposed to be a seafood restaurant owned by Francesco Ricchi with Enzo Febbraro (of Filomena) as chef. A friend of a friend who works in the building thinks it's set to open in November.

And what else is Ricchi up to these days? (Besides leading tour groups through Italy that is...) Does he play any part in Etrusco or Cesco - two restaurants almost never mentioned on this board anymore?

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I eat at Cesco pretty often, maybe 4-6 times a year. It's a comfortable place with a very warm welcome from Francesco's wife Elaine, a tenured wait staff, and a familiar clientel. The cooking is fine, with a few standouts, fresh seafood, and a swath of tired, unispired Italian "usuals." The wine list is sufficient, with only slightly ridiculous Bethesda markups.

I see Francesco in the kitchen almost everytime I'm there, wearing an apron, spoon in hand, sweat on his brow.

I mention this beause I'm afraid Cesco's output could suffer in his absence.

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Anybody have any information about when this place is set to open? It is supposed to be a seafood restaurant owned by Francesco Ricchi with Enzo Febbraro (of Filomena) as chef. A friend of a friend who works in the building thinks it's set to open in November.

And what else is Ricchi up to these days? (Besides leading tour groups through Italy that is...) Does he play any part in Etrusco or Cesco - two restaurants almost never mentioned on this board anymore?

This week's WaPo Weekly Dish
FROM SCANDAL TO SEAFOOD: Veteran chef Francesco Ricchi signed a 10-year lease over the weekend for the former Signatures restaurant, which shuttered last year in the wake of the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal. Modeled after one of the chef's favorite dining rooms in Florence, the 200-seat space will focus on fish and seafood, hence its name based on the Italian word for water: D'Acqua (801 Pennsylvania Ave. NW).

<snip>

D'Acqua is expected to set sail in mid-November or early December and to serve both lunch and dinner. Acknowledging the expense-account competition nearby, Ricchi says the forthcoming restaurant will also offer two private dining rooms and plenty of turf: veal, lamb and other meat, hopefully carved table-side. After all, jokes the chef, "We're in the steak corridor there!"

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Hi all,

Just want to let everyone know that D’Acqua is now open! The extensive menu from Chefs Febbraro and Ricchi focuses on fresh seafood, and has plenty of pasta dishes and meat options as well. Late night and bar menus are both available. The former Signatures space has gotten a makeover to reflect an Italian coastal bistro – complete with sparkly murano glass wallpaper, a water wall, and most importantly, the “market” display showcasing the fresh seafood of the day. Details below.

All best,

Danielle (on behalf of D’Acqua)

Publicist, Linda Roth Associates LLC

Address: 801 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Metro: Archives Navy Memorial (yellow line), Gallery Place/Chinatown (red line)

Phone: 202.783.7717 for reservations

Web site: www.dacquadc.com

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Absolutely.

DACQUA RISTORANTE MENU

COLD APPETIZERS

CATALANA DI GAMBERI

A chilled Salad of poached Shrimps, Vine Ripe Tomato Red Onion and Celery in Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

ASSAGGI DI CARPACCI $18

A selection of Tuna, Halibut, Salmon and Scallops Carpaccio

SALMONE CURATO E AFFUMICATO $14

Cured salmon with fresh Dill lightly smoked served with Pear and Mustard sauce

INSALATA DI GRANCHIO $16

Fresh Lump Crab Meat, Avocado, Coriander and Spring Onion

POLIPETTI E SEPPIOLINE ALL’ ACETO $14

Imported baby Octopus and Cuttlefish marinated in Garlic and Balsamic Vinegar

ARAGOSTA CON CAPONATINA $18

Main Lobster salad served with Caponatina, “a classic Sicilian vegetables salad”

ZUPPA FREDDA DI PESCI MISTI $15

A selection of Imported Seafood served in a chilled Fennel and Saffron broth

CARPACCIO DI MANZO $14

Thinly sliced raw Beef with Royal Trumpet Mushrooms, black Truffles and shaved Pecorino Cheese

TERRINA DI VEGETALI $12

Vegetables Terrine with Robiola Cheese and fresh Tomato and Terragon Coulis

HOT APPETIZERS

FRITTURA MISTA DI PARANZA $14

Fried Calamari, Shrimps, Anchovy

SPIEDINO DI SEPPIE E GAMBERI GRIGLIATI $14

Skewered of grilled Imported Jumbo Shrimps and Cuttlefish

PASTELLA DI GAMBERONI MAZZANCOLLE $18

Fried Imported Jumbo Shrimps in Pastella “Italian Tempura” served with a reduction of agrodolce sauce “Red Vinegar and Sugar”

SOUDE DI VONGOLE $15

Imported Baby Clams in a Garlic and white Wine sauce

IMPEPATA DI COZZE $12

Sauteed Mussels in a light spicy Tomato sauce

CAPESANTE CROCCANTI $16

Pan Seared Scallops with Prosciutto and Mustard served with a roasted Garlic Saba sauce

BACCALA OLIVE E CAPPERI $14

Pan roasted dried salted Cod with Tomato, Black Olives and Capers

RAGU DI POLLO $12

Chicken Breast Ragu with wild Mushrooms and baby Vegetables in a flaky Pastry

SALSICCIE E FRIARIELLI $12

Home Made Pork and Lamb Sausages served with Broccoli Rabe “Neapolitan Style”

SALADS

MISTA $7

Mesculun Lettuce with Vine Ripe Tomato in Mustard and Shallot Vinaegrette

CESARE $8

Romaine Lettuce in a classic Caesar dressing

INSALATA RUCOLA E PARMIGIANO $9

Arugula and shaved Parmesan cheese in a Lemon Vinaegrette

PANZANELLA $9

Tomato, Cucumber, Red Onion and double baked Crostini in Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Basil and Oregano dressing

FINOCCHIO SEDANO E PECORINO $9

Fennel, Endive, Radicchio and Celery topped with Shaved Pecorino Cheese

BARBABIETOLE E ASPARAGI $10

Red Beet, Frisee Lettuce and Asparagus in a Truffle and Raspberries Vinaegrette

PASTE FRESCHE E SECCHE

STROZZAPRETI CON RAGU DI PESCE $18

Strozzapreti with a ragu of Imported Seafood in a Lobster and Crème reduction

GNOCCHETTI GAMBERETTI E PLEUROTUS $18

Small Potato Dumpling with Rock Shrimp, Oyster Mushrooms and Asparagus

TAGLIOLINI PAGLIA E FIENO CON RAGU DI POLIPETTI $19

Eggs and Spinach Tagliolini with a Baby Octopus, Black Olives and Capers sauce

SPAGHETTI ALLA CHITARRA ACCIUGHE E BOTTARGA $19

Spaghetti with Anchovy, Broccoli Rabe and Bottarga

TAGLIATELLE AL NERO SEPPIA E PISELLI $20

Squid Ink Tagliatelle with a Roasted Squid, Garden Peas and Sun dried Tomato

TUBETTONI SABBIATI AL FORNO $21

Oven baked Tubettoni Pasta with Mussels, Clams and Zucchine gratin

LINGUINE ALLE VONGOLE $23

Linguine with Imported Baby Clams in a white Wine and Garlic sauce

TRIANGOLI DI PESCE $24

Ravioli filled with Seafood and Porcini in a Lemon and Marjoram sauce

PACCHERI CON ARAGOSTA E POMODORINI $28

Paccheri Pasta with Main Lobster and Cherry Tomato

SCIALATIELLI DI SALSICCIE ALLA BISESTI $16

Scialatielli pasta with Italian Sausages, smoked Mozzarella and Basil Pesto

AGNOLOTTI DI RICOTTA E ZUCCHINE $20

Agnolotti with Buffalo Ricotta and Zucchini in a Pumpkin and Artichoke sauce

MAIN COURSE

ZUPPA DI PESCE $27

A Classic Fish stew selection from our Seafood display

BRANZINO ALL’ ACQUAPAZZA $25

Pan Poached Sea Bass in a Lobster and Saffron reduction sauce

CARTOCCIO DI PESCE $28

Whole Dorado Fish cooked in Parchment paper with Mussels and Clams

CODA DI ROSPO $23

Monkfish wrapped in Pancetta served with a fresh Herbs, Lemon and Extra Virgin Olive Oil sauce

TONNO ALL’ ACETO BALSAMICO $25

Grilled Peppercorn Tuna Fillet with Caramelized Pearl Onion in a Balsamic reduction

OSSOBUCO D’ AGNELLO $23

Slowly cooked Lamb shank “Ossobuco style”

FIORENTINA DI MANZO MP

A Classic Beef Porterhouse cut to order

GALLETTO AL MATTONE $19

Marinated and Grilled Cornish Hen lightly spicy served with a citrus sauce

SIDE DISHES $6

CIANFOTTA DI VEGETALI PATATE ZAFFERANO

Zucchine, Eggplant, Onion and Tomato ragu Steamed Potato with Saffron

GATEAU DI PATATE SPINACI SALTATI

Potato Cake with Mozzarella and Rosemary Ham Spinach with Raisin and Pine nuts

RAPINI ALL’ AGLIO FUNGHI ARROSTITI

Sauteed Broccoli Rabe Roasted Oyster Mushrooms

PEPERONI GRATINATI VEGETALI GRIGLIATI

Gratin of Bell Pepper with Olives and Capers Selection of grilled Vegetables

A DISPLAY ON ICE OF WHOLE SEAFOOD IMPORTED AND LOCAL, CHARGED BY THE WEIGHT, CLEANED AND SERVED TABLE SIDE WITH A SELECTION OF SAUCES, GRILLED, SALT CRUSTED OR OVEN ROASTED .

BRANZINI, DORADE, TURBOT, JOHN DORY, RED SNAPPER, SEA BREAM, MONKFISH, DOVER, SOLE, RED MULLET, LOBSTER, OCTOPUS, CUTTLEFISH.

DESSERT $8

SFOGLIATELLE

Crunchy Pastry filled with Polenta, Ricotta, Orange Zest and Orange Blossom water

ZUPPA INGLESE

Layered of Vanilla and Chocolate Custard with Lady Fingers dipped into Alchermes

TIRAMISU

Our version of the Classic Tiramisu

PROFITEROLES AL LIMONE

Choux Pastry filled with a Lemon Custard topped with white Chocolate

STRUDEL

Apple, and Pears Strudel with Raisin and Pine nuts in a Strega liquor flavored Sabayon

PANNA COTTA

Traditional doubled baked Crème in a wild Berries sauce

GELATI AND SORBETTI

Home made Gelati and Sorbetti

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This place is across the street from my office. I haven't been impressed w/ the food, but wanted folks to know that they have an outside gelati cart now. It looks like it probably only holds 2-3 flavors but I imagine it'll get good tourist business in that spot.

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We're going next weekend. Hasn't anyone from this board been there who can report on dinner with some detail? (A gelato cart?!?) For myself, Francesco doing seafood is a dinner to look forward to. Some of his strongest dishes over the years at I Ricchi and Cesco were seafood based. Someone must have been there who can help steer us to some of this new restaurant's strengths.

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We're going next weekend. Hasn't anyone from this board been there who can report on dinner with some detail? (A gelato cart?!?) For myself, Francesco doing seafood is a dinner to look forward to. Some of his strongest dishes over the years at I Ricchi and Cesco were seafood based. Someone must have been there who can help steer us to some of this new restaurant's strengths.
Haven't been myself but this is what a friend wrote me about her experience: "The format of the restaurant is like a fresh Italian seafood market. They have stuff on the menu, including a hand cut Porterhouse, that was fantastic, but what they really want to do is show you their fresh seafood, you pick whatever you want and then tell them how to prepare it.. We had ocean scallops with truffles, a large platter of grilled seafood including langoustinos, baby octopuses, clams, mussels, shrimp, the best lobster pasta we have ever tasted and then the main course, John’s porterhouse, Missy’s Dorado baked in salt (which was the bomb) and I had more shellfish in a tomato/fennel broth that was spectacular. We had no idea we were getting so much food but since we were there for more than 3 hours, we weren’t uncomfortably stuffed….of course we had some great bottles of wine as well…Doug, the bald former bartender of 100 King works there and he remembered all of us as we came in….turns out that he also got some customer of 100 King a job there as well….and we sat and chatted with her after dinner….

Their grand opening is supposedly tonite…they did have a couple of service issues, but nothing as bad as Indigo Landing…just some kinks that need to be worked out….I can’t guarantee that you all will have as great a meal as we did, but I am definitely highly recommending this place for those who love seafood!"

I am editing to add that I received this review January 23.

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We visit D'Acqua next Saturday. I have a bit of familiarity with Italian seafood houses. This is a post of mine from last Fall which only makes me more eager to visit Francesco's new restaurant.

I applaud the ambition of D'Acqua. The bar is set pretty high however. I look forward to our visit.

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We visit D'Acqua next Saturday. I have a bit of familiarity with Italian seafood houses. This is a post of mine from last Fall which only makes me more eager to visit Francesco's new restaurant.

I applaud the ambition of D'Acqua. The bar is set pretty high however. I look forward to our visit.

Definitely go for a salt-baked fish. The best strategy is to let Enzo or Francesco give you a "tour" of the fish "market" and then tell them what if anything you're allergic to. Pastas are very good (squid ink tagliatele), appetizers (wan fritto misto) and salads (too-sharp dressing) can be uneven. Desserts are good, if you have room. Wine list provokes sticker shock, but there are some very good selections; they tend to push a Falanghina with the seafood menu - inexpensive and an ideal pairing.

Be careful what you say. People will hear you tables away, and you'll be able to eavesdrop, too.

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To recognize ten years with our employer, the head of the company treated an associate and me to lunch at D’Acqua yesterday. I have to say that the food was as good as I’ve had anywhere. We started off with half-portions of the Scialatielli Di Salsiccie Alla Bisesti -- fettucine-like pasta with Italian sausages, smoked mozzarella and basil pesto. It was deliciously rich and tasty with a good amount of both cheese and sausage. Thank goodness for the half-portions; with a full portion I wouldn’t have been able to eat anything else.

I ordered the Tonno All’ Aceto Balsamico -- grilled peppercorn tuna fillet with caramelized pearl onion in a balsamic reduction. For my taste, it could have had a wee bit fewer peppercorns, but that’s a minor gripe. It was very nicely done. The boss ordered us an excellent Italian white wine, but I didn’t catch its name. The restaurant has a good wine list, by the way, with many bottles in the $28-$32 range.

The boss chose fresh sea bass from the restaurant’s “market” and had it salt-baked. My associate ordered a hamburger with smoked mozzarella and pancetta, which was accompanied by house-made chips. He pronounced it “awesome.” None of us had room for dessert.

Pleasant atmosphere, good service, and excellent food at reasonable prices; I’ll definitely be making a return trip.

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RW is a tricky thing, as most people here can attest to, but D'Acqua didn't fall into the normal traps. Service was smooth and professional, very friendly and not rushed at all. They were busy, but it wasn't chaotic, everyone seemed to be happy at their tables. Portion size was normal, we were all full after our meals.

However, while they didn't fall into any of the normal RW traps, they did create a new trap, at least one that was new to me...

Why!? Why would a restaurant that specializes in seafood have a RW menu that has one seafood dish out of four on the appetizer menu (grilled calamari and arugla salad) and one seafood dish out of three on the entree menu (roasted salmon with sauteed escarole, black olives and capers, parsley and garlic sauce)?

Why!? Why would a restaurant create a RW menu that includes many items that aren't on their regular menu? I saw the lamb steak on both menus, but other than that, I am pretty sure that they were serving items that they generally do not serve.

It is just strange to me that a restaurant would choose to serve things off their regular menu during RW week, it can never turn out well. For us, it seemed like they were skirting around the spirit of RW, giving us dishes that they consider subpar to be on their regular menu. For others, if they go during RW and love their dish, if they come back a few weeks later to reorder it, they will be disappointed because it is no longer on the menu. Overall, it seems like a lose-lose situation for the restaurant.

For the four of us, with tax, but without tip, our total bill was $210. That means we were at about the $80 mark for alcohol on a Wednesday night (no upcharges on the small RW menu). Our server was great, our tip ended up being about 24 or 25%.

Anyway, overall, disappointment for all of us, just missed the mark at a place that we expected more out of. Good service, bad food.

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Why!? Why would a restaurant that specializes in seafood have a RW menu that has one seafood dish out of four on the appetizer menu (grilled calamari and arugla salad) and one seafood dish out of three on the entree menu (roasted salmon with sauteed escarole, black olives and capers, parsley and garlic sauce)?

Why!? Why would a restaurant create a RW menu that includes many items that aren't on their regular menu? I saw the lamb steak on both menus, but other than that, I am pretty sure that they were serving items that they generally do not serve.

Why are you surprised? Seafood is very expensive. Participating restaurants are under no obligation to serve their regular menu. Most create special menus presumably to minimize the hit on food costs, to go along with the lower cost to you. You, the diner, are not getting the regular experience there.

It's a "special promotion." It's up to you to decide how "special" it is.

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jiveturk, having not been to D'Acqua in a while and not being familiar with the menu, they could have adjusted the menu a bit to help ease the cost burden (it's been said here and other places numerous times that RW is generally not a week that restaurants turn a huge profit) or they could be looking to try out a new item when they have a larger than usual audience in the restaurant to gauge the response. While I will admit that the second is a particularly risky idea, the proprietors might have felt good enough about the dishes that they wanted to showcase them now to show that they are about more than just fish.

What did you and the people you were with have?

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We had everything on the RW menu other than the warm prosciutto and mozzarella bruschetta that was on the appetizer menu.

Personally, the food was a poor representation of what usually is served there (I have been there once before and felt that all the dishes we had were very solid). Maybe my one trip there beforehand was an abberation, but I have always heard pretty good to great things about their food, so I felt that last night was an off night for them as opposed to earlier experiences by me and others just being lucky.

They could, of course, have been trying out new things for an addition to the menu, but that seems unlikely to me (just because the food was not nearly as good as what I have had before, it seemed careless in preparation). More likely, they were trying to cut a few corners to save some cost. That is the decision of the restaurant and, while I don't agree with it, it is up to them to do. It just seems like a weird way to try to get customers to come back.

In my experience, the restaurants that truly embrace RW are the ones that are probably making the most money out of it. Vidalia, Dino, Corduroy and Farrah Olivia are some more recent ones that come to mind. They may not offer the whole menu, but they offer a good number of choices. There are some upcharges, but people can understand why those certain items have upcharges. They don't rush you through your meal and the service doesn't suffer.

That's just my opinion, I know what to expect during RW and I call them as I see them, both good and bad.

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We visit D'Acqua next Saturday. I have a bit of familiarity with Italian seafood houses. This is a post of mine from last Fall which only makes me more eager to visit Francesco's new restaurant.

I applaud the ambition of D'Acqua. The bar is set pretty high however. I look forward to our visit.

Joe, where's your review? I even looked on CH. A simple yay or nay would suffice.

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Joe, where your review? I even looked on CH. A simple yay or nay would suffice.
You didn't ask me, but I'd give it a yea. I had a very good dinner there indeed, pasta with sea-urchin, served in the sea-urchin shell (it was a big one), and beautifully grilled fish. Falling into my habitual geography scold role, though, I have to point out that the subject title of this thread refers to an intersection that does not exist. 8th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW do not meet.
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D'Acqua wasn't particularly good with the fry platter of calamari, zucchini and eggplant. The seasoning was fine but the frying was oily and limp. The sea urchin was listed at $94 a pound but fortunately the sea urchin pasta only cost $24 (I was sweating bullets for a little while). The rockfish was listed at $99/lb and even the tilapia was $34/lb (pretty expensive!). The urchin pasta turned out well but after having it twice (I liked it better than Corduroy's, only because there's no distracting seaweed), I'm ready to take a break. Next time I go to Le Bernadin, I'll have to try Ripert's version with caviar. My wife enjoyed her shrimp & prosciutto and her fettucine bolognese. Very good meal with very good service, but with the $10 valet parking, this place is more expensive overall than its competitors.

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Walked by today . . . there's a sign saying it has been permanently closed.

I had dinner there just 9 days ago, on October 24th, and it was packed (as was everywhere else even remotely close to Verizon Center). Based on that meal, I had raised D'Acqua ahead of CoCo Sala, Asia Nine, and Cedar in the Dining Guide. I hadn't been in quite awhile, and I'm glad I got to go one final time.

Cheers,

Rocks.

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