About DC Restaurant Openings
A guide to the newest places to eat and drink.
Ellizabetta La Strega. 2401 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.
Elli Benchimol’s grandmother, Ellizabetta, was known for her Sicilian hexes, her spirituality and superstitions, and a cure-all herbal brew she concocted for anyone who was sick. The family nicknamed her La Strega, or “the witch” in Italian. She’s now the namesake and guiding force for Benchimol’s new Italian restaurant: Ellizabetta La Strega. It opens today in the Foggy Bottom space that for 25 years was home to fine-dining restaurant Marcel’s.
“I’m just huge into all things witchy, and I feel like craft cocktail art is a little bit of a witchcraft anyway as far as apothecary and putting all the flavors together and making your own syrups and tinctures,” says Benchimol, who also owns Champagne-and caviar-focused bistro Apéro in Georgetown as well as La Bohème, which serves a seasonal tasting menu upstairs.
The drink menu aims to have a female focus, highlighting female winemakers and spirit producers. The cocktails are all named after famous witches, while spritzes channel the restorative qualities of botanicals and stones, such as an Amethyst Spritz with chamomile, saffron, and butterfly pea flower. And the aperitivo-style happy hour (Tuesday through Thursday from 3 to 5 PM) is dubbed “witching hour” with Italian cicchetti (snacks) and discounted drinks available at the bar and, soon, the patio.
The kitchen is run by two Marcel’s alums: Jennifer Castaneda-Jones, who is culinary director for all of Benchimol’s restaurants, and executive chef Stephen Jones, who will oversee day-to-day operations. The lunch and dinner menus start with small plates for the table, whether fried artichokes with lemon/caper aioli or mozzarella sticks with an ‘nduja marinara sauce. A lineup of housemade pastas includes a prawn arrabbiata and Meyer lemon chittara with caviar and crème fraîche—a favorite carried over from Apéro.
A few dishes nod to Ellizabetta herself. Benchimol says her grandmother used to make her mussels in the style of tomato soup with grilled cheese. The restaurant’s version features a spicy tomato broth with pan al formaggio. And then there’s “Wiccan chicken,” a chicken Milanese that’s marinated in an egg wash with basil and parsley, giving it a green tint.
“It was a thing that my grandmother used to make. Because her chicken is green, everyone when they came over for dinner would be like, ‘Ew, why is it green?’ And I’m like, ‘Because it has fresh herbs in it!,'” Benchimol says.
For dessert, the restaurant worked with Dolcezza to make a classic spumoni with roasted pistachios, Amarena cherries, and a stracciatella chocolate drizzle. There’s also a tiramisu with a little bit of booze—”just like my grandmother used to make”—and Nonna’s cake, a custardy almond pastry pie with roasted pine nuts on top.
The witchy theme carries throughout the sultry space, painted in black and chartreuse green. Benchimol painted all the portraits on the wall of women with flowery head pieces, which are named after women in her life. Meanwhile, the bar’s backdrop features a waxing moon design—”the triple goddess symbol” representing the maiden, mother, and old woman. You’ll be able to get your cards read there on Tarot Tuesdays, and of course the restaurant plans to go big on Halloween with a costume contest on the patio.
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.
