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Ghibellina, Italian Gastropub with a Huge Bar on 14th and Corcoran Street


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i was looking forward to trying the pizza after hearing so many raves (and the reports of the decline of my beloved two amys), but for various logistical reasons, i find it easiest to get carryout from restaurants. i know the food suffers, but i'll take diminished rasika over no rasika any day.

however, i was sad to learn that at Ghibellina you can't call ahead for carry-out. they will do carry out, but you have to go in to the bar, order it, and wait about 15-20 min to get the pizza (at least that's the time frame i was told). Which is all just so cumbersome it doesn't seem worth doing. between that and the prices, i'm a bit put off the place.

$16 for an individual margharita, or $17 for an individual sausage seems quite high to me. has anyone come up with an explaination for why the pizzas are so expensive here, and on 14th st generally? for example, at doi moi, just across the street and probably with similar rents, that $17 will get you a sablefish with dill and tumeric or fried rice with crab, or for $19, less than the price of a clam pizza at ghibellina, you can have a lemongrass roasted half chicken. at posto, which also probably has similar rents, that $19 gets you tortelli with robbiola and porcinis.

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i was looking forward to trying the pizza after hearing so many raves (and the reports of the decline of my beloved two amys), but for various logistical reasons, i find it easiest to get carryout from restaurants. i know the food suffers, but i'll take diminished rasika over no rasika any day.

however, i was sad to learn that at Ghibellina you can't call ahead for carry-out. they will do carry out, but you have to go in to the bar, order it, and wait about 15-20 min to get the pizza (at least that's the time frame i was told). Which is all just so cumbersome it doesn't seem worth doing. between that and the prices, i'm a bit put off the place.

$16 for an individual margharita, or $17 for an individual sausage seems quite high to me. has anyone come up with an explaination for why the pizzas are so expensive here, and on 14th st generally? for example, at doi moi, just across the street and probably with similar rents, that $17 will get you a sablefish with dill and tumeric or fried rice with crab, or for $19, less than the price of a clam pizza at ghibellina, you can have a lemongrass roasted half chicken. at posto, which also probably has similar rents, that $19 gets you tortelli with robbiola and porcinis.

That carryout order policy is very odd. But not sure why you think Two Amys has declined? I was there most recently a few weeks ago and everything was consistent with how it has always been.

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Tom S hinted at a 2 Amy's decline in a chat not too long ago, but i'm very happy to hear that's not the case!

btw, the woman who answered the phone at Ghibellina said the reason they couldn't do call-ahead carryout was that the phone was answered by the host stand, and they couldn't get the orders to the kitchen. which still seems odd to me.

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Tom S hinted at a 2 Amy's decline in a chat not too long ago, but i'm very happy to hear that's not the case!

btw, the woman who answered the phone at Ghibellina said the reason they couldn't do call-ahead carryout was that the phone was answered by the host stand, and they couldn't get the orders to the kitchen. which still seems odd to me.

That is odd. When I called a while back, I was told it was to prevent no-shows. That made no sense to me either since they could just take the credit card over the phone. Maybe it has to do with wanting to be perceived more as a sophisticated Italian eatery with great pizza versus a carry-out pizza joint? Not sure but maybe Jonathan will explain here at some point when he next checks in.

That small issue aside, the pizza here is wonderful and Ghibellina really stands out on the now-crowded (and often mediocre) 14th St for serving some seriously good food. I also love that a small portion (beyond just Chef) of the Palena diaspora is here.

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That is odd. When I called a while back, I was told it was to prevent no-shows. That made no sense to me either since they could just take the credit card over the phone. Maybe it has to do with wanting to be perceived more as a sophisticated Italian eatery with great pizza versus a carry-out pizza joint? Not sure but maybe Jonathan will explain here at some point when he next checks in.

That small issue aside, the pizza here is wonderful and Ghibellina really stands out on the now-crowded (and often mediocre) 14th St for serving some seriously good food. I also love that a small portion (beyond just Chef) of the Palena diaspora is here.

Who else? Great to hear!

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The reason why we do not take orders over the phone is indeed because the hostess is very busy seating tables, greeting guests and dealing with an often out of control wait list.

It was a difficult decision, and one we have mulled over on at least 3 different occasions. But we just felt the hostess did not have time to take orders, deal with questions regarding the menu and take credit card information on top of their other responsibilities.

One day, hopefully when all the apartments along 14th street are full, we will change the policy so we can accommodate our neighbors.

As for the Palena diaspora, we have Carly, who is a prep cook and the dining room captain; we have Noel (a former pastry chef at the Amernick Bakery as well as at Palena); we have Michael Rosato (former server in the back dining room); we have Aldaberto (a former cook). All are great people that have helped make Ghibellina a better place.

We do hope you give us a try, even though our pizzas are higher priced than you are accustomed. We sell our pizzas at 1/2 price everyday (7 days a week) from 4pm-6:30pm at the bar. Perhaps you will come in, and if you do, please say "Hello."

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The reason why we do not take orders over the phone is indeed because the hostess is very busy seating tables, greeting guests and dealing with an often out of control wait list.

It was a difficult decision, and one we have mulled over on at least 3 different occasions. But we just felt the hostess did not have time to take orders, deal with questions regarding the menu and take credit card information on top of their other responsibilities.

One day, hopefully when all the apartments along 14th street are full, we will change the policy so we can accommodate our neighbors.

As for the Palena diaspora, we have Carly, who is a prep cook and the dining room captain; we have Noel (a former pastry chef at the Amernick Bakery as well as at Palena); we have Michael Rosato (former server in the back dining room); we have Aldaberto (a former cook). All are great people that have helped make Ghibellina a better place.

We do hope you give us a try, even though our pizzas are higher priced than you are accustomed. We sell our pizzas at 1/2 price everyday (7 days a week) from 4pm-6:30pm at the bar. Perhaps you will come in, and if you do, please say "Hello."

Great stuff all. Thanks for the post, Chef.

Didn't realize that many ex-Palena staff are there but, suffice to say, "...All are great people that have helped make Ghibellina a better place." probably understates it. Ghibellina is a wonderful place and, for any place, nothing is more important than the people that make it so.

And, FWIW, the pricing hasn't stood out to me. I'm not certain but think your pies may also be a bit larger (12 vs 10) than some of the peer spots around town.

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The reason why we do not take orders over the phone is indeed because the hostess is very busy seating tables, greeting guests and dealing with an often out of control wait list.

It was a difficult decision, and one we have mulled over on at least 3 different occasions. But we just felt the hostess did not have time to take orders, deal with questions regarding the menu and take credit card information on top of their other responsibilities.

One day, hopefully when all the apartments along 14th street are full, we will change the policy so we can accommodate our neighbors.

As for the Palena diaspora, we have Carly, who is a prep cook and the dining room captain; we have Noel (a former pastry chef at the Amernick Bakery as well as at Palena); we have Michael Rosato (former server in the back dining room); we have Aldaberto (a former cook). All are great people that have helped make Ghibellina a better place.

We do hope you give us a try, even though our pizzas are higher priced than you are accustomed. We sell our pizzas at 1/2 price everyday (7 days a week) from 4pm-6:30pm at the bar. Perhaps you will come in, and if you do, please say "Hello."

I cannot believe I still have not come to indulge in the pizzas there. Ach need to fix that soon!

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I've really enjoyed Ghibellina since the first time I visited just last year. Jonathan and his team are fabulously talented and welcoming.

But it was only last night, after taking some friends visiting from out of town, that it crystallized for me how I think about this place with such great people and wonderful food.

Simply said, they manage to do many things well (several quite paradoxical) and that's no small feat judging from so many other restaurants that seem overextended due to crazily extensive menus, aspirations beyond skill levels and other familiar challenges.

Some examples of what I mean:

- This is a very hot spot, on 14th, with waits, a bar scene and a persistent crowd into the late hours on many nights, including last night. But, once at a table, even surrounded by happy conversing people, it can actually feel like a family neighborhood spot. We were told to expect an hour's wait when we checked in but were seated in 40 minutes. I think exceeding a wait time expectation (seating faster than promised) is a newer best practice being used by some of the best no-res restaurants. Rose's does the same thing consistently.  Our server, Amy, took great care of us.  And, was great to see Carly, one of the Palena alums who runs the dining room.  Though the menu and vibe on entry are clearly different, the feel having dinner here is reminiscent of the same from Cleveland Park; moreso than the Grill Room but not a totally fair, apples-to-apples comparison on the service and teams.

- Chef Copeland and his kitchen team are putting out some sophisticated, but also very accessible, food. As examples here, the consomme with pillowy ravioli stuffed with sheep's milk cheese, was clearly the work of someone who learned to make it from the consomme master now at the Grill Room. My friend's 9-year-old boy just wanted pepperoni on his pizza. That we adults and he loved the fennel salami (finocchiona) used is perfectly exemplary of what Ghibellina does. 9yo never knew the difference but the adults surely did! The boy just thought it "the best pepperoni ever!" setting up a nice revelatory moment when he's older.

- Ghibellina isn't a "pizza place." Rather, it's a wonderful restaurant that happens to make some of the city's very best pizzas. The 9-year-old didn't realize that but did get frustrated with his mom after she cut him off after he'd downed about double the amount of pizza she had! Luckily, they don't live in the DC area else it might become a problem requiring school counseling. :-)

Happening bar and welcoming restaurant. Pizza and many more substantive dishes. Pizza both kids and adults can really both go ga-ga over. Hip and raucous 14th St eatery yet so very down to earth.

Even the gelato last night, of course made in house, included a scoop of flor di latte the 9-year-old inhaled, along with a generous scoop of an almond (with almond brittle) that this big fan of Robb Duncan won't forget; likewise true for the 9-year-old's mom.

Jonathan, does Noel do all your desserts, including the gelato?

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My wife and I are planning to go again soon - to try the fabled pizza finally.  That said, it'd be hard not to explore more of the menu while we're there.

I remember we went to Dar Poeta in Roma maybe 7 years ago. We each had a pizza. They must be laced with crack they are so good. We ended up ordering a third pizza for dessert. OOF. Wondering if we start with a pizza here at Ghibellina if we'll have the conviction to meander to the rest of the menu or order more pizza. Haha!

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My wife and I are planning to go again soon - to try the fabled pizza finally.  That said, it'd be hard not to explore more of the menu while we're there.

I remember we went to Dar Poeta in Roma maybe 7 years ago. We each had a pizza. They must be laced with crack they are so good. We ended up ordering a third pizza for dessert. OOF. Wondering if we start with a pizza here at Ghibellina if we'll have the conviction to meander to the rest of the menu or order more pizza. Haha!

Everyone marches to the best of their own drummers but I've been able to meander back-and-forth between the pizza and other parts of the menu without too much trouble. Of course, the easy way is to share a pizza and another main or three depending on your group, like we did a few nights ago. I do think menu design is one of the secrets to Gibellina's success. People are the most important factor but, the menu isn't huge, fits on a single page but also offers real and interesting choice with the pizzas taking up only maybe 30% of the real estate on that page.

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Jonathan, does Noel do all your desserts, including the gelato?

Thank you for your kind words and support. We go to work every day just trying to do a bit better than the previous one.

As for the dessert program...we would love to have Noel do the desserts at Ghbellina, but unfortunately he has a full-time day job, and also works part-time at Posto doing the desserts there. At Ghibellina he works solely as a food runner or server assistant.

The desserts are all done by me. They are simple and hopefully very flavorful, and should fit right in at a Gastropub.

I was fortunate enough to get some experience making gelatos and other pastry stuff at Franny's when I was working in New York.

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Marty, I agree it was way expensive, but there's no way you are eating at Ghibellina (same owners, upstairs) for $45pp *including* tax/tip. And, as much as I love DCity, $30 gets you a rack of ribs or 3 sandwichez, no sides or drinks - hardly dinner for 4.

FWIW, I went for happy hour last week, and in addition to three drinks and a Finocchiona Pizza, I got a full-priced pizza to go (for $16), and my total bill all-in was $52.55; it would have more like $30 without the carryout order - granted, happy-hour prices, but still.

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FWIW, I went for happy hour last week, and in addition to three drinks and a Finocchiona Pizza, I got a full-priced pizza to go (for $16), and my total bill all-in was $52.55; it would have more like $30 without the carryout order - granted, happy-hour prices, but still.

I should have added "unless you just order pizza" to my message.

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So, with the help of a good friend, I will be spending more time at Miriam's Kitchen as an employee, have free time to run and train for the Marine Corps Marathon, and finalize my business plan and search for money to open my own casual eatery where I am quite sure you all will love.

Two years ago, I was training for my first ever marathon and spent many Saturday afternoons devouring pizza at Ghibellina after 15+ mile runs and a much needed nap. Unfortunately, I got injured a month before the race and wasn't able to get to the starting line. I am back at it again this summer training for the Marine Corps Marathon and have been looking forward to more Saturday afternoons at Ghibellina. They won't be the same knowing Jonathan Copeland isn't doing quality control at the restaurant.

See you at the starting line chef. Happy training.

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Two years ago, I was training for my first ever marathon and spent many Saturday afternoons devouring pizza at Ghibellina after 15+ mile runs and a much needed nap. Unfortunately, I got injured a month before the race and wasn't able to get to the starting line. I am back at it again this summer training for the Marine Corps Marathon and have been looking forward to more Saturday afternoons at Ghibellina. They won't be the same knowing Jonathan Copeland isn't doing quality control at the restaurant.

See you at the starting line chef. Happy training.

The quality control of such a large restaurant without a *very* talented chef (and it doesn't have to be a Frank Ruta-style chef) will suffer - think about Masa 14. 14UP has attracted an awful lot of talented people; now, it's going to be quite a test to see if they can retain them.

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It is true that I have left Ghibellina. It was a matter of wanting free time to pursue my own restaurant. It's tough to do when there is very little to no free time, or when one is always tired during said free time.

I felt, after two-plus years, this was as good as time as ever to leave. Upon getting hired, I had three goals, and I accomplished them all. I promoted dishwashers to prep cooks, prep cooks to line cooks, and was able to make food that was near and dear to my heart. But at the end of the day, my goal is ownership, not working for someone else, no matter how gracious and encouraging they are.

So, with the help of a good friend, I will be spending more time at Miriam's Kitchen as an employee, have free time to run and train for the Marine Corps Marathon, and finalize my business plan and search for money to open my own casual eatery where I am quite sure you all will love.

Thank you for your past and continued support.

I am excited to see you move towards your real goal - your own place! How exciting that will be. I can't wait!

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Two years ago, I was training for my first ever marathon and spent many Saturday afternoons devouring pizza at Ghibellina after 15+ mile runs and a much needed nap. Unfortunately, I got injured a month before the race and wasn't able to get to the starting line. I am back at it again this summer training for the Marine Corps Marathon and have been looking forward to more Saturday afternoons at Ghibellina. They won't be the same knowing Jonathan Copeland isn't doing quality control at the restaurant.

See you at the starting line chef. Happy training.

I had the pleasure of running 2 marathons in 2013, my first and only two. Such an amazing sense of accomplishment. And finishing that first one was one of the best and most emotional experiences of my life. Unfortunately through the training and opening of Ghibellina I developed plantar fascitis during the training of the second one, and even though I finished the training and completed it at my goal, it left me out of commission for all of 2014. So I am looking forward to this one, as I'm healthy and ready.

I am glad I played a small part in your training. Thoughts of food and drink tantalize and torture me during long runs. But man is the food rewarding when you finally sit down and eat.

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Don't know if the Chef is gone yet, but the food is still excellent. The beet salad was fresh and tasty, the burrata was awesome and you got a good amount, and, per usual, I loved my pizza. My boss enjoyed the ravioli, too. This is one of the city's great moderate price point places, and I hope it continues to be so.

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Damn. Then I've been saying Ghirardelli wrong. 

Or I have. :unsure:

What I've "figured out" (right or wrong) is: in Italian, a "g" (adagio) or two "gg"'s (Aggio) by themselves are soft (I think the second "g" makes it sound like there's a "d" in front of it (Dodge)); add an "h" to either and they become hard (spaghetti). There are probably rules and exceptions-to-rules, but it seems to work in most cases.

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Or I have. :unsure:

What I've "figured out" (right or wrong) is: in Italian, a "g" (adagio) or two "gg"'s (Aggio) by themselves are soft (I think the second "g" makes it sound like there's a "d" in front of it (Dodge)); add an "h" to either and they become hard (spaghetti). There are probably rules and exceptions-to-rules, but it seems to work in most cases.

You have it right. Same rules apply to pronunciation of letters "g" and "c" with regard to the presence or absence of an immediately following "h". So the first syllable of "Chiarello" is pronounced like the word "key" in English, while the first of "cippollini" is pronounced "chee" as in the word "cheese".

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A running pal and I did a post long run happy hour at Ghibellina on Saturday. Weekend happy hour starts at 3pm now and the place was nearly packed when we got there around 3:15pm. We had a few cocktails and ordered the quatro formaggi pizza. The pizza tasted as good as I remembered it, though it was a little soupy in the middle. That did not matter much to either of us though as we quickly scarfed down the pizza, topped with as much of the hot peppers as we could handle.

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Before the low country chefs made famous the dish shrimp & grits, them Italians were making gamberi e polenta (I made that up - this is not meant to be educational).  Ghibellina makes a fine version.  While their gamberi were not big, they were cooked to a tender consistency which I enjoyed.  The verdure fritte were nice and crispy but bland - which was fine with the onion rings but bland fried zucchini doesn't work for me.

 

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6:15 pm on a Monday night and the bar at Ghibellina was full.  $10 pizzas and $6 cocktails will do that.  Unfortunately my cocktail was poorly mixed and unbalanced, but only 6 bucks.  

We needed a quick meal before a show at The Studio Theater and our waiter made sure we were taken care of. The Burrata was the best dish we had, a nice sized piece of burrata with a puree of winter squash, really tasty.  The Insalata Ghibellina was a perfectly fine mix of arugula, avocado and roasted tomatoes.  The bread was also good, with a bowl of peppery olive oil for dipping.

We ordered two pizzas.  Maybe it's just me, but wood fired pizzas just might not be my thing.  The soupy center (maybe we should have tried ordering them well done), soggy crust, the toppings sliding off the pizza, last night's were kind of a mess.  Also both pizzas lacked flavor, no pop.  The mushrooms weren't particularly mushroomy, even the truffle oil (which I normally hate) was non-existent.  On the Salsicce E Cipolla pizza the sausage was really bland.  I honestly thought their pizza was pretty ordinary.

The Old Ox Brewery Black Ox Rye Porter on tap was very good.

Our server had us out the door by 7:15, plenty of time to walk down the street for a 7:30 show.

Granted this was my first time dining at Ghibellina, but my impression is that if I had friends who wanted to go out on 14th Street and they picked Ghibellina I'd be fine going again, but I wouldn't really seek it out myself.              

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1 hour ago, Tweaked said:

Granted this was my first time dining at Ghibellina, but my impression is that if I had friends who wanted to go out on 14th Street and they picked Ghibellina I'd be fine going again, but I wouldn't really seek it out myself.              

I hear they lost their chef ;)

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2 hours ago, Gadarene said:

Man, that marinara pizza when you were there is still one of my all-time DC dishes. So freaking good.

Thank you. That means a lot. One of the best pizzas I ever had in my life was also a marinara pizza, but from Florence, Italy.

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2 hours ago, LauraB said:

I haven't been to Ghibellina since Jonathan left, but when he was there we were regulars and the pizza was fantastic!

Ghibellina under Jonathan was a legitimate contender for "Best Pizza in the City" - it was *without question* the "Best-Value Pizza in the City" during happy hours.

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Went here for brunch yesterday.  Sat at the bar and enjoyed a delicious insalada ghibellina, the pizza with olives (can't recall) and a portabello mushroom and avocado sandwich (each split two ways).  We loved the salad and pizza, which was as good as ever in our estimation.  The sandwich was fine but nothing to write home about. 

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Last night we had wonderful service from the folks at Ghibellina, despite being the customers from...heck. I always pride myself on not being late for reservations, but last night--arriving separately--both my husband and I were more than 15 minutes late. He drove past the restaurant right on time, but it took him a long time to find parking quite a few blocks away. He still got there before I did. I underestimated the time to get there by metro, left a bit later than I planned, and then turned the wrong way coming out of the U Street station. I didn't have the restaurant's number with me to call and say I/we were late. Score!  By the time he arrived about 20 minutes late, they had cancelled the reservation. (The 15-minute policy is clearly stated on the web site.) Then they gave him a table anyway!  Very nice. I'd also made a fussy request on the notes section of the reservation form, because my cousin was supposed to be joining us an hour after our reservation, so we were pretty high maintenance.  

Anyway, they were all just lovely. Our waiter was fantastic. We had an enjoyable meal and joined my cousin at the bar after we finished eating.  We had the Salsicca Pizza (sausage and onions). It was served uncut and was a little bit soupy, which is how I assume it's supposed to be. We liked it. There was nice blistering/charring on the crust. And the scissors for cutting it were fun :). My husband also had the soup of the day which was a tomato soup with carrots and other vegetables. He raved about it. I liked the spoonful I sampled but wasn't really in the mood for tomato soup.  For salads, he had the Insalata Cavola, and I thoroughly enjoyed my Insalata Lattuga.  I also ate most of his polenta croutons. Loved those.

My cousin enjoyed his Margherita pizza at the bar later, and it was great to see him, since it had been almost a decade.  The last time we saw him, we had gone to the Dupont Pizzeria Paradiso...and that was before it changed locations.

 

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