The menu may read like any other Italian restaurant’s, but nearly every dish at this Bryan Voltaggio spot comes with a surprise. Expecting bread and olive oil to start your meal? Here, complimentary slices of warm focaccia come with ricotta and whipped mortadella. Think you know what fettuccine carbonara looks like? Here, noodles studded with lardons and roasted pearl onions are topped with an egg-yolk espuma—mix it all together for a creamy sauce. Even the cannoli aren’t really cannoli but a sweet ricotta dip with a squiggle of dark chocolate and wonton-like chips. Moderate.
Also great: Kale Caesar; lasagna with lamb Bolognese; cioppino.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
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.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
