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Bebo Trattoria, Chef Claudio Sandri in Crystal City - Closed.


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Well DRers, finally a reason to cross the river and head to the concrete jungle that is Crystal City. My friend and I hit up Bebo last night with full intentions of eating our way through the bar menu...and I'm glad that we did.

Four or five of the Piatti Piccoli would make a light dinner for most people, the portion sizes are roughly the same size as what you get when ordering tapas or mezze at Jaleo and Zaytinya. But being the gluttons that we are, we started at the top and worked our way down to the bottom. Prices run from $1.95 to $5.25 per plate...ordering the whole menu runs about $50. It really is a very good deal.

Warm Brushetta with Garlic and Olive Oil - Bread nothing more, nothing less.

Toasted Bread Topped with Gorgonzola Cheese and Onion Marmalade - An interesting little dish, slathered in melted cheese and the marmalade was good. Not the best dish of the night but solid.

Fried Zucchini - Little match sticks of fried zucchini that were surprisingly good. Like shockingly good. I'd order this over the fries (see next) any day.

Fried Potato rolled in grated Parmesan cheese - French fries dusted with parmesan cheese, not worth the calories unless you really want some fries.

Sweet Onion Frittat topped with spicy Mascarpone Cheese - Bit of a clunker. Mini pancakes topped with a dollop of cheese that tasted of paprika...I'd skip this one.

Fried Calamari with garlic saffron sauce - If you are a fan of fried calamari, get this one. Lightly battered, crisp, calamari tender, not a trace of oil. Simple and well done.

Grilled Shrimp with Spicy Pizzaiola Sauce - Two grilled shrimp that were perfectly cooked, I liked the breading coating but the spicy Pizzaiola Sauce was a bit lackluster. Order this with the calamari and dunk the shrimp in the saffron sauce instead!

Potato Crochette with herb mayonnaise - Another good dish, creamy crochettes, the mayo was perhaps a little salty, but very enjoyable.

Deep fried saffron risotto balls - Best dish of the night. Crispy crunch from being fried, slight chewiness from the risotto, creamy center. At $3.00 order multiple batches!

Mini Pork Sausage with Green Sauce - Ours sausage arrived undercooked, but was still a tasty sausage.

Stewed Eggplant in a Sweet and Sour Tomato Sauce - Second best dish of the night, almost a chunky salsa in apperance, slathered on grilled bread...excellent.

Fried Cauliflower Florest with Lemon - Skipped this dish because I hate cauliflower in a projectile sort of way.

Prosciutto with Buffalo Mozzarella - I was little underwhelmed, not much flavor going on here.

Mortadella with Gherkins and Onion - If you need your cured meat fix order this over the prosciutto.

We rounded this off with an order of the cannoli, you get two, but they weren't nearly as good as the cannoli Donna use to serve on Galileo Grill days. The shell was much denser, the ricotta cream not as yummy. And we had an order of the Affogato al Caffe' (Vanilla Ice Cream with Espresso), if you just want a little sweet after dinner go with this, a scoop of vanilla ice cream with a shot of espresso on the side, pour the espresso on the ice cream and watch it melt into a delicious mess.

We also downed 8 glasses of wine, the barberas on the wine list were pretty tasty.

And now the crazy part: 13 plates, 8 glasses of wine, 2 desserts, and coffee...$110 including tax. It has to be one of the best deals in town!

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Is Bebo serving Brunch this Sunday? :)

Indeed they are, Nov 5, 11:30 to 2:30.

The format is one that I haven't seen before. According to the flyer, you select from one through four courses, and Chef Donna prepares a variety of dishes, family style, for the entire table. "Prices are based on the number of guests in the party and the number of courses ordered. Brunch prices range from $7.50 to $15 per person, per course."

Incidentally, the pizza oven is still sitting, unassembled, next to the entrance. Staff figured it would still be a few weeks to functional. Service was pretty good last night despite a full house, modulo the waiters still instructing the runners, who were still struggling with a tendency to "auction" dishes. Bebo is a place you can actually get a tasty glass of red for around $6, and the risotto del giorno was still the delicious gorgonzola and pistachio. Roberto's new joint is a keeper.

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Tried Bebo for the first time this afternoon. The veal milanese special was fantastic! The service was not.

Question: Why would a runner bring a bowl with plastic wrap on top to a table near us? Is that some new presentation technique for something? If so, it doesn't work so well because it proved very difficult for him to remove the plastic with one hand while holding the tray (with the bowl on it) with the other hand.

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Indeed they are, Nov 5, 11:30 to 2:30.

The format is one that I haven't seen before. According to the flyer, you select from one through four courses, and Chef Donna prepares a variety of dishes, family style, for the entire table. "Prices are based on the number of guests in the party and the number of courses ordered. Brunch prices range from $7.50 to $15 per person, per course."

Incidentally, the pizza oven is still sitting, unassembled, next to the entrance. Staff figured it would still be a few weeks to functional. Service was pretty good last night despite a full house, modulo the waiters still instructing the runners, who were still struggling with a tendency to "auction" dishes. Bebo is a place you can actually get a tasty glass of red for around $6, and the risotto del giorno was still the delicious gorgonzola and pistachio. Roberto's new joint is a keeper.

We did go and it was great.

The family style format offers a lot of great food. We took half home with us.

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My boyfriend and I went here on Saturday.

APPETIZER – We split the Penne all'Arrabbiata. They brought it out on separate plates, which is a small service touch that I always adore in restaurants. The sauce was a bit too saucy for me, but the taste had just the right amount of kick without being overwhelming. The pasta was cooked perfectly!!!

ENTREES - For our mains, I had the rockfish with sautéed onions and cherry tomatoes in a white wine broth. I didn’t like this dish very much. It was very bland. I had to add a lot of salt to make it edible. The sweetness of the onions was nice, but not enough to compensate for the blandness of the fish. My BF got the bronzino (which we were surprised to learn is the same thing as sea bass. Who knew??) with some kind of yummy green sauce. It was served with grilled vegetables. It was really, really a good dish. The waiter took the time to de-bone the entire fish for us (it is grilled and served whole) so we appreciated that special attention.

SIDE DISHES - For side orders, we had the sautéed potatoes which were absolutely perfect. Perfectly cooked and well-seasoned. and the broccoli rabe. Rabe is a bit bitter for my tastes, but it was prepared very, very well.

SERVICE - Or server did a pretty good job. He knew very little about what wines to suggest, but knowing that we were not pleased with his suggestions, he smartly went to fetch the sommelier. He talked to us about what we would probably like and even said that if we didn’t like his recommendation, he would not charge us for it. Of course we would not make a restaurant comp us an entire bottle of wine, but the gesture was appreciated. The waiter warned us that their computer system us a bit wacky and our pasta would probably come out at the same time as our entrees. He gave us the option of having him hold the entrees until we were finished with our pasta or bringing it out tether. I thought that was a very nice option to give us. So he was a winner in my book

Dessert. Who could have dessert when there is a Cold Stone Creamery a mere 30 feet away!

OVERALL – I was happy with the space and the service (the hostess seemed a bit frazzled, which was strange at 5:05 on a Saturday… but hey, what do I know?) and the food. I will just order a bit better next time. I would definitely go back. In a heartbeat!!

Peace & Many Blessings,

LaShanta

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My BF got the bronzino (which we were surprised to learn is the same thing as sea bass. Who knew??)
Regionally, branzino can refer to a number of different fish, although the true Italian branzino is a particular type of sea bass. In these waters, the usual substitution is striped bass; Fabio Trabocchi does the same thing.

BTW, you owe it to yourself to try the desserts at Bebo. Gubeen and I can vouch for the deliciousness of the pannacotta and the affogato.

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A strong second!!!!!!!!!!!!! Coldstone isn't even good ice cream but to forego Roberto's desserts for chain ice cream mix is................______________________________!

The tiramisu I had on Friday was the best I have ever had in a restaurant. I still can't get over how good and cheap this place is. We have been 4 times since it has opened and I have sampled every dessert except the poached pear; desserts are not to be missed.

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I had the tiramisu Saturday night and it was almost inedible :) There was so much liquor and espresso that you couldn't taste anything else and we couldn't find any lady fingers.

It was the only nonwinner in our meal though. The broccoli rabe is amazing, the Italian wedding soup was perfect for a cold night (although I would have liked a few more meatballs but I assume that is luck of the ladle) and our lasagnette and fettucini with meat ragu met all expectations.

The service was great-very attentive. At times it was almost too attentive. Both the waiter and the food server brought me a soup spoon. I'd rather too much attention than not enough though.

One piece of advice, it is cold when you sit next to the glass windows so if you are always cold ask for a different seat.

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I had the tiramisu Saturday night and it was almost inedible :) There was so much liquor and espresso that you couldn't taste anything else and we couldn't find any lady fingers.

It was the only nonwinner in our meal though. The broccoli rabe is amazing, the Italian wedding soup was perfect for a cold night (although I would have liked a few more meatballs but I assume that is luck of the ladle) and our lasagnette and fettucini with meat ragu met all expectations.

The service was great-very attentive. At times it was almost too attentive. Both the waiter and the food server brought me a soup spoon. I'd rather too much attention than not enough though.

One piece of advice, it is cold when you sit next to the glass windows so if you are always cold ask for a different seat.

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Are you kidding me?

No, not at all..... I LOVE Cold Stone. And yes, I even love the singing. A CSC fan and darn proud of it!! :)

Don't get me wrong, I like my fou-fou desserts as much as the next foodie.... But every now and then you want some "substance" to your desserts. And they EVEN had pumpkin ice cream. YUMMY!!! :lol:

Also, I am not a huge fan of traditional Italian desserts anyway. They are never sweet enough for me. So there! I've said it. And I stick by it! OK, fine......so maybe I'm a fake, no-count, wanna-be foodie. Sue me! :) Me and my chain ice cream mix can be banished to a restaurant-less location in the Arctic. I'll end up being 200 pounds, but darn it, I'll be HAPPY!

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No, not at all..... I LOVE Cold Stone. And yes, I even love the singing. A CSC fan and darn proud of it!! :)

Don't get me wrong, I like my fou-fou desserts as much as the next foodie.... But every now and then you want some "substance" to your desserts. And they EVEN had pumpkin ice cream. YUMMY!!! :lol:

Also, I am not a huge fan of traditional Italian desserts anyway. They are never sweet enough for me. So there! I've said it. And I stick by it! OK, fine......so maybe I'm a fake, no-count, wanna-be foodie. Sue me! :) Me and my chain ice cream mix can be banished to a restaurant-less location in the Arctic. I'll end up being 200 pounds, but darn it, I'll be HAPPY!

Give the 'strawberry salad' a try next time. It has ice cream and strawberries - and my favorite part is the sort of hidden creme brulee that supplies an unexpected crunch and creaminess. Yum!
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We went to Bebo's for their 1st brunch service. Brunch is served family style with everyone at the table having the same dishes. You may choose the antipasti, pasti, carni or dolci courses. Any combination or all or just one. Our antipasti yesterday included, Marinara Fried eggs, Fried Zuchinni, Marinated Cauliflower w/Capers, and Marinated Eggplant with Red Onions. Carni included Meatballs with Marinara atop Polenta, Roast Pork with Broccoli Rabe, and Balsamic Garlic Chicken Wings. Dolci was a Yogurt Gelato, and incredible Chocolate Pannacota? with a Creme Anglaise, and a Tiramisu that was perfect. In fact we commented that it wasn't overdone with espresso as others seem to be. You must have gotten it all HV!

I took Dons' wine reccomendation and ordered the Barolo. There was not a dud in the bunch! Service was great, but it was also fairly empty yesterday at 2PM. I imagine that will change when people find out it is open for brunch.

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Give the 'strawberry salad' a try next time. It has ice cream and strawberries - and my favorite part is the sort of hidden creme brulee that supplies an unexpected crunch and creaminess. Yum!

Now THAT may be worth a try. I do love strawberries. But strawberries in November????? That sounds kind of fishy. :)

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October and November are wild strawberry season in Italy.

the strawberries aren't wild, but this restaurant is. it was heartening on saturday night to revisit this awkward, exaggerated space and see the masses being fed real and good food instead of the concocted mexican fare of the original occupant. service was friendly, efficient and knowledgeable, the waiters young italian gazelles rushing from table to table, and occasionally almost leaping into each other with glasses of red wine precariously perched on trays only seconds away from a mishap. in our still fairly early snapshot of the place, service appeared to be smoothing out from what was observed in previous accounts here. the runners knew who got what. courses ensued at a steady pace. the troops on the floor were energetic and well drilled. the regimens that now need working out are in the kitchen, which is ambitiously, and convincingly, cooking from a long menu of fairly simple, classic, all-time italian hits.

The lardo was a new experience for me – two soft crisco-white strips on a white plate and verging on invisibility, tasting sweet and salty as if it came directly from the pig, accompanied by first-rate tartar and sausage, lemon, olive oil, vinegar, salt and celery leaves you can assemble however you like. Mussels were plump and prime, but the two pieces of toast provided to soak up the lightly winey broth were burnt black, leaching some of their bitter carbon into the liquid.

The trippa I would not have ordered had I not read about it here first, and it was a great recommendation, bargain priced to boot, at $10. The texture of the tripe itself was perfect, not chewy, not too soft, a meaty bread in a deliciously bright, peppery tomato sauce with onions and garlic and finished with pecorino. I know there are many adults who haul around with them a predilection against finding sustenance in the lining of an animal’s stomach, but if you introduced this dish to a young child they would be absolutely hooked on tripe for the rest of their life.

In the many nearby moderately-priced restaurants chef donna has shrewdly taken on in his exile from downtown, the scodella di vaniglia I was served might legitimately be considered a disaster. Here it played as farce, a gaffe, a laugh to be shared with a surprisingly observant neighboring table. The first bite was intriguing, not something that would have occurred to me, and the second puzzling. Why such a heavy hand for something that obviously was not going to be easy to carry off? The third bite I knew would have to be my last, and my wife could barely get over the small morsel I then shared with her and in so many words said that I must be absolutely crazy for even asking her if I thought there was something wrong. I motioned over a waiter as he was passing at near pronghorn speed. Is there supposed to be salt in this? I asked him. No, sugar, he said. I’m a chef, he told us, let me taste it. He returned with a spoon, sampled a dollop of the pudding and strawberries sprinkled with sea salt, made a face, whisked the dish off the table and sprinted back to the kitchen. I can imagine the commotion and epithets this would have stirred from chef ramsay, but bebo himself might well have been amused. Of course my wife caught on to this so fast, i told the nearby diners who had been watching the scene, because she herself had once served the family an apple pie in which salt was substituted for sugar, the identities switched when the expert oaxacan cook from down the hall had returned salt for the sugar she had borrowed. A replacement arrived by the time she had polished off the first of two well-made canolies, dipped in chocolate sprinkles at one end and chopped pistachio at the other and redolent of cinnamon throughout. The corrected version of the pudding dessert was basically good, sugar preferable to the salt, real vanilla bean in evidence, although what was intended for the underlying brulee was unclear to me, with a few traces of carmelization around the sides of the dish but the crunch of raw sugar more apparent.

At $5.50 for rail drinks, you really don’t deserve that much from the bar. However, I would have willingly paid more for something better. The first version of my wife’s dry gin martini surely was not, tasted more of watery lemon furniture wax to these guzzlers, and was sent back. The second glass was equally weak but may have had some gin in it, along the lines of what you might receive when you indiscriminately order a martini in Europe. At least the bartender, unlike places like coppi’s the last time I tried it, knew the primary ingredient in a negroni, but his rendition tasted of campari and little else, the requisite gin and vermouth safely in hiding.

I know I hate crystal city and I’m really not fond of bebo’s space, which the restaurant itself seems to be regarding tentatively. But this restaurant is much more accessible than Galileo, prices are not the deterrent they used to be, and only a fool would not be heading back soon to delve further.

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Note, the entree sausage Luganega is the same sausage as the bar small-plate sausage Salsiccia Luganica con Salsa Verde, but is about three times the size. Both are very tasty, but don't expect a different taste experience. Having said that, its excellent. I brought home 1/3 of mine for lunch tomorrow, and will drive my fellow cube-dwellers insane with jealousy.

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The tiramisu I had on Friday was the best I have ever had in a restaurant. I still can't get over how good and cheap this place is. We have been 4 times since it has opened and I have sampled every dessert except the poached pear; desserts are not to be missed.

I'd agree about the tiramisu. Went in last Friday and sat at the bar. Had the tiramisu for dessert and loved it. There was a bit of excessive expresso on the top, but other than that I thought it was an awesome layering of marscapone, ladyfingers, etc. The presentation makes it a bit difficult to use actual ladyfingers, so I'm not sure if they use ladyfingers or some other sweet bread of the right shape.

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I'd agree about the tiramisu. Went in last Friday and sat at the bar. Had the tiramisu for dessert and loved it. There was a bit of excessive expresso on the top, but other than that I thought it was an awesome layering of marscapone, ladyfingers, etc. The presentation makes it a bit difficult to use actual ladyfingers, so I'm not sure if they use ladyfingers or some other sweet bread of the right shape.

I think this points out one of the biggest problems of Bebo to date, inconsistency.

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Third time at Bebo -- my previous visits were at lunchtime, so I'm not sure if the calm pace at dinner last night was normal, or if they are finally beginning to settle in.

Hubby and I sat at the bar and had a number of small plates to start. Everything was delicious...

1) Potato croquettes -- 4 to an order, crisp and light

2) Grilled breaded shrimp -- on their own, the shrimp don't impress, but the spicy pizzaiola dipping sauce really makes this dish

3) Bruschetta with gorgonzola and onion marmalade -- lovely flavors, sharp cheese, appropriately sweet onion relish

4) Frittata with spicy mascarpone (?) -- I'm not sure if that was the ingedient used, but I would happily eat an entree sized portion of this frittata for brunch (hot or cold).

Chef Donna sent out a fifth small plate with nicely grilled bread, mortadella, and gherkins. When I was a kid, my siblings and I called this "Italian bologna," and of course we wouldn't touch the stuff. My mother always shrugged and smiled, no doubt thinking "more for me." Needless to say, I won't be passing this up on the holiday antipasto platter anymore. The meat was delicious and the accompaniments just right.

Hubby doesn't eat pork or beef, so the main menu was somewhat limiting for him. He opted for two apps and another small plate. I had the bucatini all'amatriciana, which was just as I remembered it in Italy (wonderfully flavorful). He had the seared tuna belly special, which was served with a peppery arugula salad, roasted peppers with polenta and the fried cauliflower small plate. Not a clunker in the bunch.

I had the strawberry salad dessert on a previous visit, and was tempted to order it again, but thought it would be better to branch out. We decided to share the meringue/ice cream/hazelnut sauce dessert, and I had a hard time not licking the plate clean. What these two desserts have in common is a nice combination of flavors and textures -- cold, crunchy, creamy.

We each had two glasses of wine -- the bartenders were fairly green and not overly helpful pairing wines with our food, but we were happy with the wines we tried (all three barberas and a montepulciano).

Our check was $91 before tip for all of that amazing food and drink (w/sparkling water, although they can do better than Pellegrino, IMO). Since i work in Crystal City, I'm hoping (praying) that Donna is able to keep Bebo open even after Galileo re-opens. You really can't beat the price to quality ratio.

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Some of my homies from so cal were in town so we decided to have dinner at Bebo. The food was good, but the service still had a few kinks.

Luckily, we had a reservation because the place was packed at 7:30 on a Tuesday(!). The hostess stand was a whirlpool of confusion due to the simultaneous arrival of a walk-in party in front of us, my friends and me, another walk-in party behind us and a large group from the bar that was ready to be seated. Eventually, one of the three ladies from behind the hostesses stand called my name and we made our way to a table (the same table where I have sat the three previous times I've been to Oyamel :) ). I told the hostess that the fifth in our party (rwtye) had yet to arrive and asked her to please keep an eye out for him.

7:40, no rwtye. :) 7:42, my phone rings. It is rwtye calling from some place that is just as noisy as the dining room at Bebo... the bar at Bebo. I walked over to find him hanging with Fresh Master C and his posse (including Iced-C who is so rarely seen outside of his 'hood -- the bar at Restaurant Eve). rwtye had gotten to Bebo ahead of us, talked to the hostess(es?), given the name of the reservation and was assured someone would come get him from the bar when the rest of the party arrived. Ooops. :lol:

Our waitress, Sema (I think that was how she told me it was spelled) was quite knowledgeable and very professional. But the rest of the staff we dealt with were somewhat frazzled. I usually don't give it a second thought if by chance plates get mixed up and the wrong person gets the wrong food, but rwtye's appetizer was set down in front of my friend even though all three of us were shaking our heads "no" and my friend was actually waving it off. When my friend picked up the plate and handed it to rwtye, the food runner stood there for a good 5 seconds completely perplexed by what had happened. Not a big deal and, actually, pretty amusing by that point. But what was unforgivable (to me :) ) was that fact that we could not get any additional bread after we finished off the initial offering. :blink:

But on to the really important part... the food...

We started out with a soft polenta with a formaggio morbido (soft cheese) and pancetta (7.95) that was to die for.... I know that they did that to open sooner and I appreciate that, but I'll still miss Oyamel a little.
I also had this. I also thought it was very good. And I also still miss Oyamel a little.

For a main, I had squash/ricotta filled agnolotti (it was a special). While tasty, the ricotta really masked the squash flavor. I guess I prefer the version that contains mainly squash with just a touch of parmesan and nutmeg. But the pasta was perfectly cooked and was just the right quantity.

Chocolate pudding and hazelnut cake for dessert, which was a mixed bag. I though the pudding had too much rum, but I also don't exactly like that kind of thing. The hazelnut cake should be listed as a cookie. The best part was the divine carmel sauce and the amazing hazelnut ice cream, which may be some of the best ice cream I've ever had.
I also had the hazelnut "cake". Our waitress was quick to point out that the cake was more like a cookie and that was fine with me. They brought out the desserts. Then, five minutes later, they brought us spoons. Only spoons.

The "cake" was in three chunks, each about 2" across and nearly an 1" thick and a spoon literally was not going to cut it. Try as I might, I could not get anyone's attention to request a fork and a knife so I ended up picking up the pieces of "cake" with my fingers and biting off little, dainty pieces in what I hope appeared to be lady-like manner. The ice cream was the best part of the dish. I found the "cake" was a bit too sweet for my tastes, especially for the quantity and, while good, the caramel sauce was nothing out of the ordinary and only added to the over-sweetness of the dish. I snagged a bite of my friend's strawberry dessert and totally regretted I did not order that.

All in all, a good dinner, but I think rwtye had the right idea in joining Fresh Master C and his peeps at the bar.

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My husband and I finally got to Bebo last night. The food was wonderful, and we ordered a lot of it to try as much as we could. The service was basically good, though it was uncoordinated in places and a couple of things got forgotten.

The breads were delightful, and I probably should not have indulged as much as I did before having having ordered any food. The crusty bread was addictive, but the sweeter, cakelike bread was awfully good too.

My husband got an appetizer of baked polenta with sausage ragu, which he devoured. (That may have been a special.) I got a little bite and it was, indeed, a very satisfying dish. I got a salad of radicchio, endive, and (grilled?) onions with balsamic dressing, which was different from what I expected. I loved it but hadn't expected it be a warm salad. I like a little surprise with my meals, and it was fabulous warm. That will make a nice winter salad. It was also a bit bigger than I expected and I hung onto it throughout the meal, thinking I would eat more of it. In the end, I got about half of wrapped up to come home. (ETA: I just found the menu online. I neglected to note the first word of the description: roasted. :)

I also ordered the pasta fagioli, which I think was my favorite dish of the night. When I go back, I want to try more of the menu, but this is one thing I will definitely be ordering again. And for $5.25! :) Because I had ordered both soup and salad, the waiter carefully questioned me as to in what order I wanted them brought or if I wanted both at once (which I opted for).

While I had decided that I wanted to order the bucatini all'amatriciana--probably my favorite Italian pasta preparation--for my main course, I was also tempted by the squash-filled agnolotti special. To resolve this dilemma, we got one order of the agnolotti (in a sage butter, I think?) and split it, which they kindly brought out on two plates. Getting the 3 (or 4?) pieces did enough to satisfy my curiosity and left room for the bucatini as well (well, some room; part of that came home too). My husband got the braised pork ribs with cannellini beans, which was a filling main course. He finished it all, though I got a little. I particularly liked the flavor of the beans.

We were too full for dessert, though I wanted to order the hazelnut cake. Next time I'll have to be more restrained, and maybe that will leave room for dessert. When we got the check, we could not believe how inexpensive such a large, satisfying meal could be (and that was even with my ordering a glass of barbaresco). Looking back at the itemized receipt as I type this, I realize that we were not charged for the agnolotti, so it should have been a little more expensive than it was.

On the whole, service was fine. The issues were fairly minor and seemed to be coordination issues, as when they tried to bring us olive oil for the bread when we had no bread plates to put it on or when they brought the dessert menu before our main course had been brought out. There were also times when I thought I wasn't communicating too well with our waiter. At the end of the meal when we declined dessert, he urged us to order coffee. He was rather insistent, so I said I would have a regular coffee (I never know what to call it. American?). Then he asked my husband if he wanted coffee, and he said, "No." A few moments later, our waiter brought the check. No coffee. No coffee listed on the check. I hadn't really wanted the coffee, so I wrote it off as miscommunication.

When we were at Laboratorio maybe a year and half ago, a couple near us had an adorable infant with them. After at first being surprised to see a baby there, I looked over at Chef Donna, who was looking at the baby and just beaming. He seemed to take great delight in having the baby there. I didn't know if these were people he knew or not, but he seemed quite pleased to have the baby in the room. Something about that just made me happy. As I sat there, I thought how much it felt like being in a small village restaurant and how suited the chef seemed to that. Bebo seems to be that restaurant.

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Two more things I like about Bebo:

They put a salt/pepper grinder on the table. While I hardly ever (if ever) add salt at the table, I do sometimes like to be able to add pepper. This is a gesture I appreciate.

They did not try to sell us bottled water. I'm sure we could have gotten it if we requested it, and that's the way it should be (IMO).

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The wife and I went out for the family style brunch. It breaks down like this, there are four courses, four things per course. Antipasti for 2=$18 add the pasta course for 2 + $20 add the meat course for 2 + $30. The whole thing goes up on a sliding scale per persons at the table. For the antipasti we got zuchini friti, marinated cauliflower, grilled eggplant and eggs fried and covered with pizzete sauce sp?. I should add that everyone at the table must order the same amount of courses and you don't get to decide what you want and don't want. You get it all. And....wait for it.......you get to take home what ever you don't eat!!!! Get the f outa here you say....I kid you not. N and I were slightly sated after the first course. Then we had the pasta fagoli, the pasta pamadoro and lasagna. She didn't like the soup, so I ate all that. I thought the lasagna was good, but not nearly as good as the pasta with tomatoes. So, after two courses we are stuffed like ticks and we didn't even eat all the food from all the courses so far. We got cauliflower, eggplant, zuke, pasta fagoli, pasta pomadoro all to go. We also got the lasagna to go. Then since we had ordered three courses we got the whole third course (chicken wings, popolettie, pork shoulder, polenta and broccoli rabe to go....

Let's recap, for 70 bucks/ 35 per person, my wife and I got 2 days worth of meals.....I couldn't help but feel like I was robbing the place as we left with 3 to go bags!!!! I might add that I was famished when we got there and am by nature a big eater, but damn....Best bargin by far and great food to boot. Go check it out, well worth the journey....I'm gonna go eat now....

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"Tasting Dinners at Bebo Trattoria starting on Saturday, November 25th Beginning this Saturday, November 25th at Bebo Trattoria, Chef Roberto Donna will be hosting "Bebo's Tasting Nights" every Friday and Saturday. Each Tasting Night will feature a special 6-course menu reminiscent of Chef Donna's popular Laboratorio (which is temporarily closed for renovations). The dinners will take place in the semi-private room at Bebo with two seatings; one at 6 p.m. and one at 9 p.m. The menu, consisting of 5 courses and dessert is $65 per person plus beverage, tax and gratuity. Please note, for the first tasting dinner this Saturday there will only be one seating at 7:00 p.m.

Seating is limited and reservations are required. To book a table for these special dinners, please call Nancy or Alysa at 703-412-5076."

They're also starting cooking classes again...

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We tried Bebo last night as part of a friend's birthday party. The food was great- I had the prosciutto and fig appetizer and the papparedelle con funghi, my SO the caesar salad and the spaghetti bolognese (he's a classic italian kind of guy). For a party of 12, our waiter was excellent- patient, friendly, and knowledgeable.

Overall, however, the service was seriously lacking. We too had plates "auctioned" as well-the runners clearly had no idea who was to get what, and we had two or three dishes brought to us that no one had ordered. They forgot my entree and we had to flag the waiter down to get it after everyone else had been served. Dessert orders were taken for one half of the table and not the other, and the check was brought before the other half was given a chance to order dessert. And a waitress, who I saw serving dishes to other tables, left the bathroom without washing her hands. Ew.

The food was delicious, the wine list super reasonably priced, but come on Roberto!! I would expect better trained staff from such a seasoned restaurateur. The grace period is over.

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My visiting mother and I had lunch at Bebo yesterday. The food was both delicious and reasonably priced; our service was attentive, pleasant and well-paced (the restaurant was maybe 20% full so that had to help).

Things started off with a jolt. Well, at least for Mom. The first item on the menu of specials was calf's brain. Let's just say she isn't into offal so she couldn't fathom why they offered it, much less as the first item on the menu. :P

Moving right along. I started with prosciutto and figs (wonderful) while she had Italian the wedding soup (she enjoyed it; I found it somewhat bland). For mains, she had the meatballs (which struck me as a lot of meatballs in one meal, but she was happy) and I had a special pasta of mezaluna stuffed with sausage and apples (savory, not sweet, and deicious). With a bloody Mary for my mother and a glass of wine for me, lunch for two including tip was approximately $60.

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For a first-timer visiting Bebo with a couple of girlfriends: Would you recommend we make a reservation and eat in the main restaurant or sit at the bar and eat? We hope to go one night this week. I am just wondering if we shouldn't miss out on the bar menu.

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Sit at the bar-the entire menu is available to you-and you should focus on it. Specifically, the risotto of the day (hope for gorgonzola dolce), the lamb with gremolata, veal with marinara sauce, veal carpaccio, strawberry dessert, etc. Although I've had 90% of the regular menu I don't think I've had anything off of the bar menu. Yet.

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The "grill" sandwiches are back, on a full time basis (slightly higher prices though):

Pannini

Served on Ciabatta Bread with Green Sauce and Braised Onions and Peppers

Pork Shoulder - $6.25

Chicken Breast - $6.25

Homemade Sausage - $6.25

Homemade Hot Dog - $5.00

Meatballs in Tomato Sauce - $6.95

Additional Toppings

Provolone - $1.50

Broccoli Raab - $1.50

Patate Fritte - $2.50

Salads

Insalata Mista - $4.95

Caeser Salad - $6.95

Cold

Mozzarella and Tomato - $7.50

Mortadella and Provolone - $6.25

Tuna, Celery, Hard Boiled Eggs - $6.50

Prosciutto and Fontina - $8.95

Side Dishes

Potato Salad - $1.50

Giardiniera - $2.00

Chick Pea Salad - $1.50

Pasta Fagioli - $4.00

Wedding Soup - $4.00

Dolce

Cannoli - $2.50

The following condiments are available upon request: Barbeque Sauce, Hot Sauce, Homemade Ketchup, Sauerkraut and Relish

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Went on a date to Bebo last monday and had quite an enjoyable time. Got there around 8:00 for a reservation, and seemed to be fairly full at that time for a monday. Saw Roberto and spoke with him for a few minutes and then sat down. Took a while initially to get situated, as I was interested in both my date and looking at the menu and wine list. Bread was served, but not with olio and I could not find the wine by the glass to save my life. Ordered a bottle of Dolcetto and started with the Lardo and the fried Mozzarella with anchovy sauce. The sausage was spectacular and the beef carpacio was more like steak tartare in its presentation, but quite good. Fried cheese is fried cheese, so always a winner. Then had the Canneloni and the veal-both of which were really good and fairly priced. Portions were perfect as well. Finished with a desert sent by Roberto that was like a baked Alaska(can't quite remember the name-but god was it good). Dinner was $125.00 and I can't wait to return and try the pizza and other dishes.

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Got the email this morning that Bebo would start serving sandwiches at lunch. As soon as I read that, I was going to walk down there for sure and be in line early. So I got there at 11:25am with a couple of officemates and got our sandwiches. Chef Donna came out and talked to us for quite a bit while we were waiting for the cash register to get fixed. One of my friends asked him when he was going to be a guest chef on Top Chef and he said not until they invite him like on Iron Chef... then he mumbled that he didn't even want to be on Iron Chef.

Anyhow, the sandwiches lived up to their name and I will probably be going back every day until I've had every single sandwich. I'm very pleased Chef Donna is in Crystal City.

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is this a serious restaurant or just a place for Roberto to place his staff while his real restaurant is undergoing renovations?

I'd say it depends on what you mean by "serious". Regardless, I'm certain that Roberto didn't mind having some place for his staff to go and a place for him to cook while Galileo is closed for renovation.

If you read the thread you'll notice a number of descriptions of the food, so you should be able to make up your own mind about whether or not it's a "serious" restaurant (whatever that means). If you mean serious as in upscale dining, probably not so much (or at least not as much as Labratorio and Galileo). If you mean serious as in is Roberto taking it seriously and putting out good food, I'd say definitely.

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