So, it's Sunday afternoon, all the good wine shops are closed, but you have a sudden craving for a bottle of Barolo with a little age on it -- maybe a '64 or even that that '62 Gaja you've been wanting but can't seen to find. And, what the hell. As long as you're drinking the Gaja, some handcrafted tortelli stuffed with a little smoked cheese would be nice. And some primo olive oil to slosh around, and a crusty baguette to wipe up the leavings. Who you gonna call?

The Griffin Market, that's who.

No longer a place to stop by on the way to Montrose Park for a bottle of picnic table wine and some crackers and cheddar and maybe a bottle of dishwashing detergent, the Griffin Market has been bought by Ricardo and Laura Bonino and its a very different place. I don't know much about Italian wine, but when Ricardo slips that '64 Barolo out of its hiding place and explains how it came to him from his late father's wine cellar in Italy, I'm not unimpressed. And there's a whole wall of less pricy Italians -- not for bargain hunters, I think, but a pretty serious collection -- and I do know a little about the French juice and I'm pretty sure that he's the only corner store in the metropolitan area with four different Sauternes and half-bottles of Domaine Weinbach Gewurtztraminer on the shelf.

And Laura - the one without the accent but with the pasta machine -- learned her chops in Roberta Donna's Laboratorio, so she brings a certain cred to that side of the business, as well. Give her a ring, the selection varies day to day she does custom orders as well. My admiration of the Sauternes led to talk of wrapping some foie gras in an 0-0 flour and organic egg yolk jacket somewhere along the line, the stuff they had there today (stuffed with smoked scamorza(?) cheese) will probably do until then. When we first got in we kind of drifted into the back looking for a little Sutter Home in screw-top bottles to make the flowers at Dumbarton Oaks a little more loving (get off your asses and go this weekend) and the tortelli were the first thing that kind of announced that some serious shit was going on, just by looking at 'em.

There store's not stuffed with stuff yet, but it sure has enough to get you through a heck of a dinner. Not just the pasta but a variety of prepared foods; salad greens; Breadline bread; oils and vinegars in modest profusion; marinated anchovies; cheese (yes, burrata) and cured meats... Ricardo and Donna are friendly and enthusiastic. And the whole venture has delightful and romantic feel.

Well worth a drop-by.

1425 28th Street NW
202-965-1222

Sono lieto di leggere questo. Un sacco di grazie, Waitman.

Wow, that's a Washington-altering report, Waitman! I've passed that shop a thousand times without ever imagining a reason to enter it, but now, it seems clear, there's a reason. Thanks.

Wow....I was there friday night, they were cooking soft shell crab but i couldnt get any, it was all reserved at 6pm...they told me to call during the day or better in the morning to see what they are going to have for dinner and place reservations. the kitchen is still too small for large quantities to be cooked. Anyway....the tomatoes are cheaper and better that at Tr..Jo.

And it turns up today...

Indeed. You gotta wonder if it was the author's local jaunts that inspired the short piece or Waitman's enticing post here.

When an articulate writer here is involved, it would be nice were editors to invite the author to contribute. Better than being scooped.

Meh. It's an old, if scummy, newspaper tradition to "re-purpose" others' work without acknowledgement. Howie Kurtz has written on it a bunch of times.

Everyone else uses the Internets for their research why not the WaPo food section?

Hi guys,
This is Laura from the Griffin Market.
First thank you to Waitman for the wonderful post. We really appreciate the kind words and are looking forward to welcoming all of you from the Don Rockwell website here at our little store.

About the article on the Washington Post yesterday- I can only say that Walter, the author, is indeed a neighbor and frequent shopper here. He was one of our first customers and has returned almost weekly. He certainly has eaten his fair share of firsthand "research material."

Come on by and say hi!

Laura and Riccardo

I was walking to work with Mrs. B today and she asked, "so did Nicholls scoop you?" and I got to experience the cheap thrill of replying "hah! I scooped him!" Beyond that, though I think it's unfair to ascribe anything untoward to Mr. Nicholls. Indeed, given the long lead time in the Food section, he may well have had his piece in a queue for weeks, waiting for the space to come open -- or had it in his mind, waiting for one more pasta sample before he filed.

At any rate, as long as Laura is hanging out here, I'll ask a question I was going to phone in later today: it seems that there's a fairly short window between the time you finish the pasta and the time it sells out -- what would be an ideal time to drop by Saturday, as Stephanie and I have decided to do an mostly-Griffin dinner (we tried it the weekend you were closed and were depressed all night after driving to G'town). Also, in addition to those old Barolos, what might you have in a red and a white under $30 to go with whatever pasta you'll have on hand?

Hi, this is Riccardo from the Griffin market.
Saturday we are going to have handmade Ravioloni filled with Eggplant, Tomatoes and a slice of fresh Mozzarella. You can stop by between 3pm and 6pm to pick it up. These are handmade so we can not produce a lot, we are going to have no more than 15-16 servings available. So the earlier the better.

As far as wines to have with the ravioloni, i would need to know which sauce you are going to use in order to make a correct suggestion.
If you are going to prepare them with a butter and sage sauce, I would go with a Dolcetto (17.00) or a Tocai (13.00).
With meat sauce I would go with an Aglianico (18.25) or a verdicchio Superiore (18.00)

Stop by and we'll talk
Thanks
Ciao
Riccardo

We finally got over to Griffin Market Saturday for the fixin's for a blended meal -- carryout goodies plus some home cooking. The centerpiece became the excellent raviolinis mentioned upthread: mushrooms, eggplant and mozzarella wrapped in what I'd call a rustic-style pasta -- thick enough to hold together for the extended boiling needed to melt the cheese, and still offer up a toehold for your teeth -- which we doused with a little brown-butter and sage fresh from the front yard. At $8 an order, they were an excellent investment.

Proving that they are not Italian chauvanists, Riccardo and LAura reccomended a French cheese -- La Tour, a pungent puck of creamily fermented goat milk -- for after the pasta, and a Portugese Vinho Verde to accompany the chilled tomato soup (first Sungolds of the year, from Arlington) that was the first course. The Cheese was a Piemontese creamy cow/sheep/goat combo by Caseificio dell'Alta Langararely called La Tur, which is rearely found in this area and which I found similar to a Robiola -- which Caseificio dell'Alta Lang also makes -- though simutaneously milder but richer.

As dazzled as I am by the old Barolos along the wall, I was in a way more pleased with the $18.25 Aglianico (? -- we've already recyled the bottles) from the hills above Naples (aka Campania) and perhaps even more so with the $18 Verdicchio, a wine that delivered a major blow to my prejudice against Italian whites. Given Campania's rep as a producer of good swilling wines and not much more, I was struck by the elegance of Riccard's choice: good fruit, but the kind of earthy backbone that always says Italy to me.

Finally, we finished with a a bit of high-end gelato, made especially for Griffin by somebody whose name I should know but have, instead, forgotten, surrounded by strawberries macerated in just a dribble of six-year-old Balsamic vinegar. An excellent ending to a fine spring meal.

Given the Post's big wet kiss the Wednesday before, I'd expected a crowd, and even tried to elbow some affluent-type in a convertable Mercedes out of my way, lest he get my ravilinis. Oddly, the place is not yet the mob scene I expect it will eventually become. Nonetheless, I was glad I'd ordered ahead and reccomend that others pursue that strategy, especially if the dinner hour is approaching.

Hi guys....
sorry to use this forum as a private posting zone but .....
today thursday 19th the Sandwich area will be closed all day, Laura needs to be downtown and can't be overseeing Panini making.
We will have some simple Panini pre-made that she's making right now, but nothing Hot or made to order.
She will be back for Dinner service.
The rest of the store will be open as always.

Sorry
Riccardo

Nothing to be sorry for as this is exactly the type of info that we all find helpful.

Note to self: Stop by soon...

Do! I stopped by on my walk home from Georgetown last night, and enjoyed a delicious polenta with shrimp and cherry tomatoes (the tagliatelle bolognese had JUST sold out!) followed by a ricotta cheesecake. More importantly, though, I enjoyed a wonderful conversation with Laura and Ricardo, who gave me even more ideas as I plan my trip to Italy in a couple of months. I'll be back soon.

Hi Guys...

I just want you to know that The Griffin Market will be open July the 4th only until 6pm.

And the next week will be Duck week.
We are going to prepare several different dishes with duck....
Stop by to learn more

Ciao
Riccardo