Galileo III Ristorante Italiano
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:
- Business-Jerk Job Interviews
- Client Lunches
- Vatican Visitations
- Political Pow-Wows
- Frugalistas
- First Dates
- Segway Tour Snack Breaks
- Chuck E. Cheese Birthday Party Alternative






















