About DC Restaurant Openings
A guide to the newest places to eat and drink.
Ulivo. 2737 Sherman Ave., NW.
Three years ago, Tim Monaghan decided to leave behind a career in banking and finance to spend more time with his two young sons. Instead, he decided over a meal at Georgetown’s Apéro, he was going to open a restaurant.
Monaghan had worked in restaurants when he was younger, but set out to learn more of the business, first as a bartender and server at Apéro, then working front-of-house jobs at nearby French restaurants Lutèce and La Bonne Vache. Today, he finally opens a place of his own: Ulivo, a casual, candle-lit Italian spot in Park View where nothing on the menu costs more than $30.
Monaghan says he settled on Italian because it was “what they needed” in the neighborhood, and the space had previously been home to an Italian restaurant called Capa Tosta. He tapped chef Nick Perkins, who previously worked a Petite Cerise and Cece’s Roland Park in Baltimore, to lead the kitchen.
The concise menu begins with antipasti such beef-and-pork meatballs with whipped ricotta and hot honey as well as a chicory Caesar salad with green goddess dressing.
Handmade pastas span from mezze rigatoni with a vodka sauce bolognese to fusilli with bresaola-braised collards and chestnut puree. There are also a small handful of entrees such as roasted trout or a pork chop with polenta, braised bacon, and stewed peppers. Drinks are focused on spritzes and negronis, and there is a small selection of Italian wines. The dining room—with 65 to 70 seats inside and 20 more on the patio—is dedicated to walk-ins only.
“We’re trying to keep the cost down and keep the arrogance down in our house,” Monaghan says. “So all of our stuff is very simple and straightforward.”
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind DC’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.
