Chef Fabio Trabocchi is changing up the format at Fiola, moving towards prix-fixe menus at his flagship Italian restaurant.
“A restaurant in my opinion always needs to evolve, and listen to the guests—what works, what doesn’t,” says Trabocchi of the five-year-old venture. “It made sense to further strengthen our position as a fine dining restaurant.”
Dinner guests can pick between three main prix-fixe options: three courses ($66), five courses ($95), and a “chef’s decadence” six-course menu ($120). Unlike many set menus, diners select dishes from different categories, and can opt for a traditional sequence that begins with antipasti and ends with dessert, or make a whole meal of, say, pastas. Trabocchi has also added a “winter flora” vegetarian menu, and $150 caviar tasting that includes a glass of Pol Roger Champagne. The lunch menu follows a similar format with afternoon pricing (generally $20 to $38).
All of that being said, it’s still possible to get a single dish at Fiola.
“There won’t be any ‘no’ as to how the menu will be consumed,” says Trabocchi.
Case in point: a section of individually-priced classics such as the signature lobster ravioli and veal chop that could be ordered solo, or incorporated into a tasting. The kitchen will adjust portions to-order, depending on the number of courses a table requests.
“We’ve never been good at small portions—being Italian, we have to feed you a lot.”
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
