Have you ever seen a Matryoshka doll? They’re the wooden nesting dolls, with a doll inside of another doll inside of another doll. Sound familiar yet?

That’s exactly what comes to mind for me when I think of the “restaurant inside a restaurant” theme. In similar ingenuity, a restauranteur can open a smaller, specialized restaurant inside one of their existing spaces without necessitating the need to find an appropriate retail space. Such is the story of Farrah Olivia, the higher end Italian themed mini-restaurant inside of Kora. Both are named after the daughters of Chef Morou, having appearances on both Iron Chef America and The Next Iron Chef under his belt. It would be natural then, to have at least somewhat higher expectations of this restaurant than Kora.

On a weekend night, it’s surprisingly easy to obtain reservations for a table here, but the Crystal City area in Arlington isn’t exactly known for being a hotspot for yuppies and yupsters looking to hang out on a night off. Jen and I ended up being one of two tables dining there during our entire meal, served by a lone waiter who was unavailable often enough for me to believe that he was servicing tables at Kora as well.

Aside from a basket of warm housemade bread and a quartet of spreads, the chef further extends a warm invitation with an amuse bouche of a deep fried dumpling sliced in half and served atop a small pool of sauce, a touch that I greatly appreciated, almost doubly so as I thought about eating Jen’s as well while she was on an excursion to wash her hands in the ladies’ room. No fancy molecular gastronomy or bleeding edge cooking techniques, but just a simple, well prepared start of a meal. The dough is fried crispy to the point of adding texture without being excessively crisp.

The Painted Gazpacho is a beautiful dish (ever so slightly tipped over by our server), a yin and yang combination of chilled eggplant and tomato basil soup.  It sings notes on your palette as beautifully as the presentation of the dish itself.

The Goat Cheese Gnudi here is the exact same served at Kora, and to this day remains one of my favorites. Jen and I both ordered it- Jen as her entree, and for me, as my appetizer. Served with tomatoes, artichokes, onions, and arugula, this is a hearty and enjoyable dish. That is, if it’s prepared correctly. My dish was served with just a bit of dressing, enough to give the dish an adequate amount of moisture, whereas Jen’s dish was devoid of the same sauce altogether and being a much less enjoyable affair to eat.

As an entree, I ordered the Fillet of Beef, served with foie gras butter, fried shiitake mushrooms, date wine, and a spinach gratin cake, served on a painter’s palette as you dabble and mix flavors. A literal encouragement to play with your food. Everything on my order was served perfectly, from the fillet being cooked to a medium rare, to the complementing tastes of the sauces, butters, and condiments on my plate. All this to my relief, as I had previously overheard one of the patrons at the other table sending back her fillet several minutes prior for being way too undercooked.

All of this is to say that while Farrah Olivia aims to be of the highest caliber, it seems miss the mark on several points for being what could be conceivably considered “the fancy Kora”. Lacking consistency in its dishes and what appeared to be a server shared between two restaurants, I’m glad to to know that Chef Morou is able to keep Farrah Olivia afloat on the shoulders of a much more successful Kora- I doubt this restaurant would be able to continue purely on its own.

See Farrah Olivia on a map here.

Recommended For:

• Wandering Wayfarers
• Business Jerks
• Special Occasions
• Gnudist Camp

Not Recommended For:

• Hotspot Hunters
• Starvin’ Marvins
• Paleoheads
• Frugalistas

Mike Isabella, the former head chef at Jose Andres’ Zaytinya, has found himself at the celebrity chef’s table after a very strong performances on Top Chef and Top Chef All-Stars. He’s taken the momentum and opened up his first restaurant, Graffiato, on the east side of the Verizon Center and Chinatown.

The restaurant offers small plates, pastas, and pizzas with locally sourced ingredients, a promise that I find appealing given my localvore leanings. Farms are listed proudly on a chalkboard at the upstairs dining room over the kitchen.

There’s a lot to like about the menu for Jen and me, so much that decided to go right in with the tasting menu for two to get a sampling of Isabella’s favorites. The cheese plate, to start, is an excellent selection of locally sourced dairy. We sampled a cow, goat, and sheep cheese that’s accompanied by a generous serving of sweet, tangy mustard. Three for three great cheeses and not a single one being a letdown on the plate.

Jen’s longstanding campaign against peppers precluded her from trying the Blistered Sweet Peppers with me. Seasoned with smoked paprika, capers, and topped with microgreens, the sweetness plays well against the acidic background and the smoky undertones. I really wished I had a hotdog to go with all of this.

Jen did split the Honey Glazed Cippolini with me. A sweet, roasted, medium sized cippolini onion, cooked with whole honey glazed garlic cloves, served with rosemary and onion seeds, I found myself scarfing down the cloves while Jen took down the onion.

We started in on the pasta dishes, first with the Sweet Corn Agnolotti. The pasta is very similar in preparation to ravioli, but traditionally smaller in size. Each pasta bite rewards your mouth with the sweet taste of corn, mixed with pine nuts, chantrelles, and of course, incredibly fresh pasta. A dish like this meant to be shared, but I found that I wanted the entire plate to myself. Jen’s pretty good at paying attention to what I like and how fast I start eating it, so she took didn’t hesitate to go in right after me.

The Roasted Potato Gnocchi is an absolute must, with braised pork shank and burrata cheese. The kitchen was accommodating enough to separate out the meat for Jen but still serve the pork on the side for me. WIN WIN. You mean I have to eat twice as much pork as I normally would because my girl’s not gonna have any of it?

OKAY.

Burrata’s a delicate, almost creamy cheese, much like a softer mozzarella. A great cheese to go with the chewy texture of the roasted gnocchi, and the tender pulled pork shank is unbelievably delicious.

The pizza menu is full of exotic selection, and none seemed more exotic to the both of us than the Countryman Pizza. Made with black truffles, fontina cheese, and served with a duck egg, the wait staff breaks the yolk tableside and spreads it evenly across the pizza canvas for an exceptional pie. Given the fact that I tend to only eat pizza at some of the better pizza places in DC due to my paleo eatin’ ways, I’m pretty happy to say that this pizza is right up there with that crowd. If there’s one problem I can single out with this, it’s the pizza stand. The pizza stands are horribly unsteady, as we saw at least two other tables have their pizzas topple over as the last few slices were taken and the balanced weight of the plate came crashing down to the table.

The sole meat dish delivered to us was the Chicken Thighs in Pepperoni Sauce with cherry tomatoes and basil. Holy hell, what’s up tender chicken? Several chunks of moist, tender, juicy, dark chicken in a hearty (and meaty!) tomato sauce, and another home run for Mike Isabella. Chicken tends to be the ‘safe meat’ (kind of like safe word, but then, totally not) on most menus, but here, it stands proudly as appealing of an order as any of the other meats on the menu.

The closing dish, which we dug into before I remembered to take a photo, is the house 24 Carat cake – a carrot flavored panna cotta that comes chilled and served in a tumbler. Who knew carrot tasted so good with a cold cream?

There was some sort of mixup between our waiter and the kitchen, as we sat with the check and I did the math in my head, the individual plates we got as part of the tasting menu simply did not add up to the cost of the two people eating the tasting menu. Both Mike Isabella (who came personally table to table to to talk to us about our meal, and his pretty badass collection of tattoos) and the GM worked it out with us, and we were both pleased at how accommodating and easy it was to work out with the two of them. The service otherwise was great- empty plates were quickly taken away, there was never a significant lull without another plate being delivered.

There are several dishes we sampled that I’d love to have again, but the menu offers enough variety that I’d have a hard time not trying out some of the other dishes, like the Pork Ribs, Octopus, or the Jersey Shore pizza, served with fried calamari, tomato, and a cherry pepper aioli. The pizzas are by the best value on the menu, and you won’t find yourself disappointed.

See Graffiato on a map here.

Recommended For:

• Paleoheads
• Vegetarians
• First Dates
• Summer Dress
• Localvores

Not Recommended For:

• Weight Watcher Wandas
• Vegans
• Organic Orangutans
• Cheese Eatin’ Surrender Monkeys

Fiola is the new Italian restaurant in DC by Fabio Trabocchi, famous for his creations at Maestro in the Tyson’s Corner Ritz Carlton before the doors closed last year. Despite a slight mixup with the hostess losing our reservation, Jen and I were seated reasonably quickly for a weekend night. The buildout of the restaurant is of very high quality, with custom chandeliers, stone facade walls, and paneled wood walls as far as the eye can see. Despite the restaurant being given the high end treatment, some of the smaller details just didn’t work. Our first clue in was with the menus, with a sueded leather binding and thick, textured pages in between, neither Jen nor I ignore the fact that these were quite possibly the most flaccid menus we’d ever seen. The menu droops in your hand like…well, a sad flower (coughcoughpeniscoughcough) and the ink fails to adhere to the paper, leaving them virtually useless.

Thankfully, we received a different set of menus at our table than we did at the bar, ones a fair bit more legible. I’ll be the first to say that neither Jen or I would consider ourselves large, or even average sized Americans, but getting into the booth seating in between tables is virtually impossible unless you’re a size 0 as a woman, or, well, a size 0 as a man. I graciously took the chair seating at our table instead.

The bread service is a nice treat, a spiral shaped rolled bun that’s very reminiscent of a super fresh croissant, possibly the best bread service I’ve had in a long time. I’m sure the restaurant is quite aware of this, as you only get one to carry you through your meal, with just a tiniest bit of olive oil to accompany it. The olive oil to bread ratio is slightly disparaging, possibly due to the fact that I soaked up the entire puddle with one deft swab of my bread.

After several minutes of pouring over our menus, we decided to split the fried mozzarella balls, which turned out to be more a duo of mozzarella balls. These aren’t your Costco brand mozzarella digs. You know the kind I’m talking about, heavy on the bread, with a 75% chance of biting into… a hollow mozzarella case. Don’t you hate that ish? It’s like the stupid company that produces them should be selling “PARTY SIZED MOZZARELLA AIR BALLS” instead. Ridiculous.

Where was I? Mozzarella balls. Right.

These are fully and completely stuffed with a warm, chewy mozzarella, served in an sweet, aromatic tomato sauce and topped with just the perfect amount of parmesan. Absolutely amazing, although take care not to inhale these or you’ll miss out entirely.

Jen ordered the baby artichoke salad, which turned out nothing like either one of us had expected, not to say that’s a bad thing. The baby artichokes tasted like a cross between a typical artichoke and a radish, julienned and served with cheese (pecorino? manchego?) and a zesty green sauce of some sort.  A really fantastic salad, unlike any we’ve had before.

I ordered the Crostini of Cod, Tomato, and Oregano, served Fisherman style, based on the waiter’s recommendation. A trio of crostinis, each served with two hearty chunks of cod. A good balance on flavor, ingredients, and presentation, but I couldn’t help but feel a little bit underwhelmed after having devoured this dish. Maybe it was the fact that the waiter said it was possibly the best thing on the menu.* Maybe it was the fact that I was expecting a giant side of cod on a massive raft made of bread.** Maybe it just wasn’t that amazing of a dish.

Jen ordered the Pappardelle with oyster and royal trumpet mushrooms, a complete vegetarian’s delight. This dish carries itself like a meat pasta without the meat. Wide ribbons of pappardelle are mixed with chunks of sauteed mushrooms, then served in a savory brown sauce fit to satiate even the meat-eatiest of meateaters.

I had the Cacio & Pepe, a spaghetti chiatarra served with sheep’s milk based cacio cheese, crushed black peppercorns, and what amounted to a white sauce without the cream. Heavy without being overly decadent, and a well executed spaghetti dish, despite my initial reservations.

We skipped out on ordering desserts, but the kitchen graciously delivered a trio of sweets to each of us, with from left to right a chocolate chip macaroon, a mini gingerbread and caramel sammich, and jelly and shortbread biscuit sammich. All delicious, but both Jen and I agreed on the chocolate chip macaroon being the best of the three.

I’m at odds with the service here. While we never waited too long to order, to have our food delivered, or to have our water glasses refilled, our waiter never offered on a second glass of wine for Jen or bring plates for our either of our two rounds of appetizers without me expressly asking. The service has potential, but still needs a considerable bit of polishing and work. Despite a few gaffs, the overall experience was very good. Patrons tend to be on the well dressed side, so wearing at least a button down shirt if not a sports coat is advised for attending gentlemen. The damage is actually fairly reasonable for an upscale DC dining experience without the stuffiness, and despite entering a sea of Italian restaurants already flooding the streets of the District, I have a feeling that Fiola will do just fine.

See Fiola on a map here. (entrance on Indiana Avenue).

Recommended For:

• Pastafarians
• Vegetarians
• Paleoheads (there’s a ton of meat dishes here, too)
• Special Occasions

Not Recommended For:

• Thriftmasters
• Codependent Carls
• Stripclub-bound Downtown Hounds
• Zone Dieters

* He didn’t actually say that.

** I did actually hope for that.

Roberto Donna, the owner the well renowned Italian Chef at Galileo III, hasn’t had the easiest time with running a business smoothly in DC, with a history that spans over 30 years back to the roots of the original Galileo restaurant.

Naturally, Jen and I were eagerly anticipating our dinner here, but finding the restaurant just isn’t as easy as you’d think. There are no loud, backlit signs announcing YOU HAVE ARRIVED AT GALILEO III, no huddling crowd of smokers outside the doors, no…well, anything, to easily identify where the restaurant is at night until you get close enough to the frosted windows to see the Galileo III logo etched into the window, barely readable with the light of the sun.

Once inside, it’s still not clear if this really is THE new home of Chef Donna. The interior feels dated, despite having recently opened their doors in late 2010. Luckily, Roberto Donna’s wife, the steadfast champion of Galileo, greeted us and whisked us to our waiting table, to which there seemed to be a number of for a weekend night.

Each item on the menu reads as a unique testament to the chef’s skills and creativity. Jen started her meal with the Budino di Parmigiano, a Parmigiano Reggiano cheese pudding topped with Burrata cheese and cream of porchini mushrooms. The rather plan setting with little more than a doily to enhance the appearance didn’t end doing much to really get Jen excited about her selection. A rich, creamy concoction served in an small ramekin that’s very good, but not quite something that either one of us would call great.

My appetizer, the Taglierini Neri ai Frutti di Mare, a plate of black taglierini pasta with squid, octopus, mussels, clams and shrimp covered in a light tomato sauce, was considerably better. Large chunks of fresh seafood adorned the plate, and the pasta is fresh as it can be without someone in the kitchen throwing flour on the table and splashing me with water and eggs. Despite all evident quality of the dish, it still lacks the presence of of being prepared in one of the finest restaurants in the city.

Jen’s entree, the Tortelloni filled with red beets, seems to do a bit better swimming lazily in a baby pool of chive cream sauce with fresh microgreens. A good vegetarian friendly dish, but still fell flat of astounding either one of us.

My main course, the Tagliata di Manzo, consisted of grilled marinated beef rib eye, potato tart, and roasted chanterelle mushrooms, served with dry tomato and a black olive sauce. A winner! A succulent, flavorful portion of beef, complemented by the taste of the tomato and olive sauce, and perfect with the textures of the mushroom and potato tart.

Galileo III has some of the best Italian dishes in the District. The service is very good, and Donna’s wife is constantly making the rounds to make sure your meal is as good as it possibly can be. The menu structure, with options for a three, four, and five course meal, are a bit confusing, as I thought I could order three entrees for a three course meal, which is, obviously (and to my stomach’s dismay) not the case. Portion sizes are good, the noise is low enough to have a conversation if there’s not a loud screaming girl at the bar, and despite the decoration being a bit behind the times, it’s not really going to detract from your meal. The quality of ingredients are good and the talent in the kitchen is there, but the execution is a bit lacking at times, and you should note that at three courses for $55 to start, it’s not going to be a cheap meal.

While I’m glad to have finally had a meal at the hands of Chef Donna, I can’t say that Galileo III is a place I’d consider being so good that I’d immediately think of going back to again. There’s no doubt that very good meals are served here, but I can’t ensure that the meal you’ll have here is going to be great.

See Galileo III on a map here.

Recommended For:

Italian restaurants are a dime a dozen in DC, which isn’t to say that all are created equal. When it comes to competition like that, the capabilities of the kitchen are indubitably of importance, but what about the basics of a meal, the fundamental elements used in every dish?

Restaurateurs will sometimes go above and beyond to ensure their ingredients are of the utmost importance. Acquiring their agriculture locally and thereby supporting local community. Obtaining their seafood from sustainable fisheries. Making sure every steak and sausage comes from pasture-raised, antibiotic meats. Using local, organic dairy vendors for the mountains of cheese used for every plate.

Well, now you’ve got an idea of the lengths Dean Gold and Kay Zimmerman of Dino go through to ensure that your meal is as unforgettable as they can make it. After all, the devil is in the details.

This Cleveland Park restaurant is a long hike from downtown, especially in the sub-arctic temperatures Jen made me carry her via dogsled (Normsled), but it’d easily be a great walk in temperatures otherwise warmer that we encountered in our winter stroll (car and metro options would have been entirely too reasonable). Tables are outfitted with giant dishes of sea salt and bottles of olive oil, perfect to soak your fresh, tableside bread in.

Highlights of our meal included my order of the Uova alla Diavola. Creamy Sriracha achovy aioli, anchovy salsa verde and fresh yolks make for some of the best deviled eggs I’ve had in years.

A wide assortment of cheeses are available from cows, sheep, and goats, all paired with rustic slices of bread, fruit, and candied nuts.

My locally sourced Dr. Joe’s Pekin duck breast with pasta stood no chance to an appetite built up from a good 30 minute sprint uphill, with Jen cracking the whip and screaming “MUUUUUUSH! MUUUUUUSH!” to my lone ears and tired legs. She even noted that I was unconsciously pushing the strips of duck to the side of the plate as I powered through the plate,.

Jen: What are you doing?

Me: Huh?

Jen: Why are you pushing the duck to the side of the plate?

Me: Uh, apparently because I wanted to save the best of this for last.

But really, the duck here is unreal in flavor on a bed of Dino’s finest house made pasta.

The Budino de Pane, or bread pudding, however, was a bit lackluster not only in presentation but substance. Made with barberries and raisins, then served with a scoop of vanilla gelato and and amaretto whipped cream, this was by far my least favorite dish of the night, but with 10 other different dessert choices, I’m sure I can manage to eventually come up with something I like on that menu.

The service is of the caliber of the dishes served here at Dino. Our waiter was friendly and accommodating, great with casual banter and recommendations on the restaurant’s formidable list of selections. Nothing about this place screams “DC HOT SPOT” but rather, an upscale dining establishment that Cleveland Park just happened to be blessed with having in their ‘hood.

What is it about Italian restaurants that make them so plentiful throughout the District? Is it our region’s love for pastas, rich sauces, and abundant selections of wine? Or is it somehow a considered a comfort food among gastronom and omnomnomnivores alike?

Whatever the reasons, it’s refreshing to come to an Italian restaurant that simply, somehow, just does things better than the status quo.

Add in special considerations such as a $39 for three course special every night of the week, and that the restaurant has a number of gluten free options to choose from, I can’t see why I wouldn’t be returning.

Unless Jen suggests we take the dogsled again.

See Dino on a map here.

Recommended For:

• Vegetarians
• Pastafarians
• Frugalistas
• Paleoheads
• Dinner Date after the Zoo

Not Recommended For:

• Indecisivists
• Jersey Shore Casting Call
• Haters
• Gators
• AC Slaters

There are a number of restaurants in Georgetown that, for whatever reason, I’ve simply never noticed. In fact, a large cluster of restaurants barely a block away from one another, just a few steps south of M street. On a whim, Jen and I decided to give one of the Italian restaurants, il Canale, a go.

This two story restaurant greets you with a host table to your left, and a giant wood burning pizza oven to your right, where pies are cooked to D.O.C. Neapolitan perfection, certainly close to being as good as 2Amy’s but without the hike or the wait.

We were seated on the 2nd floor of the restaurant, which has a private patio for additional seating during warm DC spring and summer months.  Seating is cozy, but not so tight that you have to contend for elbow room at your own table with the people sitting next to you.

So let’s get to brass tacks.

The Frittura Di Calamari E Zucchine, crispy calamari and zucchini with a marinara sauce, is executed in superb fashion. A nice crisp batter on fresh calamari, not too much oil, and the wrapped lemon is nice touch. A highly recommended appetizer.

The Margherita D.O.C. pizza (well done, of course) here is, as I said, about as good as some of the other top Neapolitan pizzeria houses in the District. Buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil to top it off,  This one barely made it on camera before being completely devoured by me the two of us.

But just because you order a pizza, doesn’t mean you can’t still put in an order for some pasta, too. So we did just that, ordering up the Gnocchi Al Filetto Di Pomodoro- ricotta dumplings drowning in a pool of cherry tomato sauce, served with just a hint of buffalo mozzarella and olive oil, topped with a few more leaves of fresh basil. Pow.

There aren’t many reason NOT to like il Canale. The restaurant is contemporary, service is good, and the Italian food is as good and unpretentious as it gets. Prices for everything we ordered were more than fair, and portions sizes, one of my biggest gripes at many supposedly top tier restaurants, is not even remotely an issue.

The one thing that this restaurant does have going against it is that it competes in a sea of Italian establishments all over DC, without many notable exceptions that really make it stand out from the rest, which very realistically, is quite a feat to accomplish. Like dropping your aunt’s heirloom ceramic egg when drunkenly admiring it over Thanksgiving dinner after one too many bourbons and catching it in mid-air from utter destruction.

I don’t know where that was going.

I’d happy go back and try this place again.

See il Canale on a map here.

Recommended For:

• Vatican Visitations
• Vegetarians
• Blind Dates
• Pastafarians

Not Recommended For:

• Papal Paleoheads
• Zone Dieters
• Taking Out the Dalai Lama to Dinner
• Boozy Fourthmeals

Casa Nonna takes residence on Connecticut Avenue where California Pizza Kitchen once stood for years upon years. Longer than I can remember, perhaps even before I moved to the area over a decade ago.  I anxiously awaited the opportunity to try out the new restaurant, which occupies a mammoth space just south of Dupont Circle.  Thankfully, the owners, the very same that own the various BLT Restaurants, decided to make use of the existing pizza ovens and cash in on the D.O.C. pizza trend that’s becoming the standard of quality pizza establishments in the District.

On a slow weekend evening, Jen and I walked into the restaurant without reservations around 6:30pm, but also without concern, as nearly all the tables were empty.  We asked for a table for two, quite possibly the easiest table to seat in any restaurant.

Hostess: Would you like to sit outside?

Me: No, it’s starting to get a little chilly out. How about a table inside?

Hostess: Well we could seat you at the bar tables (points at tables with high stools)

Me: (looking at Jen, wearing a skirt a bit short for a table of height) How about one of those booths over there?

Hostess: Well we could sit you at the pizza bar.

Me: Can we just sit at a booth? It looks like there’s a free table or two. (Or fifty).

Hostess: We’re waiting for people with reservations for those tables who’ll be coming in at 7 o’clock.

Ah yes, reservations. Reservations are great for a restaurant if you’re expecting a large influx of patrons, and your restaurant is at least half full to almost completely at capacity.

But that certainly was NOT the case, in any remote fashion.

At this point, I started to turn around and just leave, because it’s not exactly like there’s a shortage of Italian restaurants in DC, and my hunger is doing absolutely nothing for my patience. Jen, the obviously much better half, somehow talked the hostess into getting us a table at one of the booths, an absolute miracle in this bustling establishment.

Look at all those happy diners.

At this point, we tried to make the best of the meal and focus on the food.

Jen’s Penne All’arribiatta was very good.  A spicy tomato sauce with a decent portion of penne that made her happy, which naturally makes me happy.

I ordered the Fettuccine Al Burro, which translates roughly to “Noodles kneaded off a donkey’s hindquarters” in Italian.  A nice, unique take on the typical Fettuccine Alfredo, using only fresh Parmesan and butter with no cream, but nothing about it that made it a must have.

I also ordered the side of Meatballs, which you can have made with veal, pork, or beef, covered in tomato sauce and cheese.  The trio of meatballs are fairly sizable, and make a perfect complement to share, or eat on your own if you have a cavernous stomach like myself.

The restaurant itself is contemporary in design, but again, nothing here that stands out. It’s worth saying that it’s hard to really make a restaurant stand out with its interior; you really notice badly decorated restaurants, and amazingly decorated restaurants, but by and far, the vast majority of the restaurants in the middle of those two options are forgettable.

Our waiter was fair, but the whole hostess debacle soured the entire experience. If the first person I encounter with a restaurant has a poor attitude, that impression will carry throughout my meal. It’s a hard psychological fact to shake.  And as I mentioned before, there are a multitude of restaurants that do Italian fare as good, if not sometimes better, than Casa Nonna. I recommend you trying that other restaurant instead.  And if you’re the owner of Casa Nonna, you really ought to change out your hostesses.

See Casa Nonna on a map here.

Recommended For:

• Miami Club Scene Pros
• Client Lunches/Dinners
• Outdoor Seating
• Bar Seating
• Kitchen front Seating

Not Recommended For:

• Paleoheads
• Zone Dieters
• Italian Cuisine Connoisseurs
• Patrons without Reservations
• Any self respecting omnomnivores reader

Mezza Luna doesn’t particularly stand out amongst its neighbors on 19th street, which I have deemed ‘the less fun version of Adam’s Morgan’.  Truth be told, the restaurants along 19th street in NW shine their brightest during the week, serving lunch to the droves of businesses that hold the majority of the commercial retail space there.

Despite the slight difficulty in finding the restaurant (you have to descend a set of stairs from the street level to garner entrance), Jen and I eagerly looked forward towards our dinner there.  Inside, the layout and design was…less than aesthetically pleasing.  A large bar area filled the left portion of the restaurant, illuminated by strips of blue LED lights, reflecting tirelessly against the polished chrome barstools.  Dallas Cowboys propaganda fan memorabilia proudly adorns the walls.

We had barely walked in and already, this place was not going in a good direction.

To the right, several tables and booths filled the remainder of the restaurant.  Our reservations were for 9:00pm, which is not an unusually late dinner, but not late enough to explain a mostly empty restaurant.

Not good.

We looked around, and save for a few girls sitting at the bar and a handful of wait staff milling about, Jen and I were one of four groups of patrons here for dinner.  We were taken to a booth closest to the entrance of the restaurant, and started reading over the menu.  Our waiter, a diligent young man, arrived three times checking to see if we had decided what we were going to order before actually making our decision.  Well, let me rephrase that.  Jen knew in about 10 seconds what she wanted for dinner, I took a RIDICULOUS amount of time being tempted between an inordinate selection of pastas.

We put our order in and really took in our surroundings.  There was a private section for staff behind Jen, and a large white coated plywood area where a man (who I assumed was the manager) stood, observing the restaurant.  I made the comment to Jen that if it were a manager’s observation section, it should be raised higher up on a platform and more closed off, instead of making it look like a cheap cashier’s counter like it actually did.  Aside from the bar, very little was remarkable about the restaurant.  The furniture was contemporary, the walls adorned with paintings, mirrors, and a lonely potted plant did its best to camouflage the pillar that stood behind it.  It all seemed a bit too effortless, and not in a positive way.

To my point earlier, I’m sure that passes well enough for patrons during the week who stop in for a quick lunch, but for a dinner, it really negatively affects the people seeking a meal out in the town.

Our appetizers arrived quickly, thankfully, and we dove right in.

Jen’s Mozzarella Caprese came out with great presentation, but fell short of being a satisfying appetizer.  Neither of us could quite pinpoint what it was about her dish that was lacking, but something was definitely amiss.  Like awesomeness.

I ordered the Calamari Fritti, which again, remained fairly unremarkable, and started to get me worrying that this was how the entire evening was going to play out.  The portion was good, the calamari was fried well, and nothing about this dish was bad.  But nothing about this dish was great, either.

We cleared our food and as our waiter cleared our plates, we suddenly realized that the rest of the staff was clearing the room.  Being the last patrons in the restaurant, I guess they didn’t really see the need to keep the tables out on the floor.

But no, that wasn’t quite it.  There wasn’t a cleaning crew idling around with a mop bucket.  The wait staff were quickly piling chairs and tables into the corner behind us, which again, totally ruined the idea that we were even at a restaurant.

I noticed an African American woman carrying two cases with her towards the white plywood cashier’s desk, and instantly realized what was happening.  She walked back outside, and came back carrying two more bags, and began setting up behind Jen.  She disappeared for a few seconds, and then slowly stood up, holding a CD turntable in her hand, which she gently placed on the desk…and I instantly realized what was happening.

We were slowly watching the restaurant turn into a club.

As I looked around us, I made a second important realization.  This wasn’t an ordinary club night.  How do I say this?

Aside from the guys working at Mezza Luna, I was the only man there.  Several groups of girls congrated near the bar, a few at a table, and a strange Voltron-looking thing that was sipping on a cocktail, but otherwise, the place was slowly filling up with women.  It wasn’t really a problem for me, but I definitely got some strange looks, as if I didn’t belong.

Our entrees arrived, and our focus was back on to the food.

My Pesto Chicken Fettuccine was surprisingly…outstanding.  The noodles tasted fresh, the pesto cream sauce was rich with flavor, and the chicken was tender and juicy.  Bits of wilted baby spinach, pine nuts, and roasted red peppers all helped in really making this dish much better than just average.  and A complete 180 from the calamari, I was really pleased with this dish.

Jen’s Quattro Formaggi Ravioli was equally as good.  The ravioli was cooked al dente, and the tomato basil cream sauce tasted super fresh, as if the chefs were making the last dishes of the night.

Which, I guess, they were.

I suppose this better explained the big rush our waiter had us in at the beginning of the meal, to get us through before the club patrons started to pour in.  By the time we were finishing up our meal, the lights had been cut and the jams were pumping out the speakers.

Mezza Luna’s strength clearly comes out in their pastas, but as a restaurant, in very little other ways.  They proudly hold a ladies-only club event, Socalite Saturdays, every first Saturday night of the month, starting at 10:30pm.  The event benefits The DC Center and the Women in Life Association, who both fight for the rights and social justice of the LGBT community.

I’d assume that the place gets crazy with all three Dallas Cowboys fans in DC during the fall as well.

See Mezza Luna on a map here.

Recommended For:

• Dallas Cowboys Fans
• Pastafarians
• Girls Who Like Girls Over Boys
• Vegetarians

Not Recommended For:

• Wedding Receptions
• Impressing Your Date with Hard to Get Reservations
• Romantic Dinners
• Paleoheads
• Zone Dieters

Coppi’s is one of the many restaurants on U St. in DC that has seen a surge in popularity in the past few years.  Their pledge to the environment spans from their locally sourced organic produce, grass-fed/free-range meats, a wood burning oven, wind powered electricity and ultra-low wattage light bulbs.  How low?

Coppi's Interior

The focus here is definitely pizzas, with the highest of quality ingredients.  That’s not to say that’s all the restaurant does, as they also have a solid selection of antipasti (appetizers), insalate (salads), entrate (entrees), and dolci (sweets/desserts).  So, I started with what I can only remember as the Piatto di Carne.  The meat platter itself seemed a bit light on the side, but really, all I was looking for here was my meat fix before splitting a pizza with Jen.  Truth be told, the smoked salmon, the salami, the pancetta, and the smoked ham did just that for me.  A tasty sample of cured meats, but the salami was a bit too “meaty” for me.  Considering that they were all grass-fed meats, I guess that’s just my mis-perception of what high quality food costs, right?

Right.

The pizzas here are off the chain good.  Jen and I split the Al Cinque Formaggi- a white crust topped with ricotta, provolone, mozzarella, pecorino, and romano cheeses.  Do you know what that’s like?  It’s delicious, like having the last unicorn steak in existence.  I’m not sure if it was the organic magic at work here, but this was a damn good pizza.  A perfectly baked crust, lots of gooey, stringy cheese, and just the perfect amount of sauce to hold it all together.

You can always follow up that meal with your choice of dessert, so Jen and I split the bread puddding a la mode.  Your standard fare bread pudding, but well executed and presented for optimal omnomnomnomnomnom.

Here’s a photo of the bread pudding:

Bread Pudding a la mode

All in all, Coppi’s serves up a very tasty and very expensive meal.  The question of price for quality comes to mind again, amongst others.  Will we all one day have to pay more realistic prices for food when our food sources become scarce?  Are you an ardent fan of high quality ingredients (Red Sea sea salt, Micronesia olive oil, Vietnamese Maroon Pygmy cinnamon) when you eat?  Do these pants make me look fat?

The pizzas here are very good and a fairly good value, but I’d skip out on the appetizers and desserts.  The restaurant also holds very generous hours, open even during the blizziest of blizzards that take over DC.  If you’re craving a good pie and you’re in the area, stop in and give Coppi’s a try.

See Coppi’s Organic on a map here.

Recommended For:

• Pizzaholics
• Deep Snow Dining
• Organic Aficionados
• Vegetarians

Not Recommended For:

• Inexpensive Dates
• Zone Dieters
• Paleoheads
• Carbophobes

When in Dallas, one doesn’t think to rush to Las Colinas for dinner. The concrete jungle is home to more office space than Reston, the mustang statues and Trevi’s at the Omni Mandalay. For business travelers who prefer to walk to an amazing meal, Trevi’s is the answer.

At first glance, Trevi’s is not for vegetarians. My server, however, was delighted to offer several vegetarian options. I opted for the gnocchi with a tomato sauce with vegetables.  A beautiful basket of bread arrived before my meal. The garlic was a nice surprise as I always avoid the butter. If you look closely, you will see the butter was too cute to eat anyway.

Flower Shaped Butter...so cute!

I was very surprised by the gnocchi. The gnocchi tasted more like dumplings. I liked them so much I asked my server about the preparation. He said they are pan seared a bit when all of the ingredients are mixed together immediately before they hit the plate. They were so soft on the inside and just a bit firm on the outside. They were also HUGE!  The tomato sauce was light and the dish included a nice variety of perfectly prepared vegetables…not too crisp…not mushy.

Huge Gnocchi

Trevi’s is located in a hotel. Sometimes hotel restaurants are a bit lacking. Not Trevi’s. If you find yourself in Las Colinas, step into the beautiful Omni Mandalay, visit with the exceptional staff, and wander downstairs into Trevi’s. Their Italian fare won’t disappoint.

Bonus: On the 1000 Point Open Table list

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