Maggiano's Tyson Corner

One night in Orlando, we tried to go to Maggiano's http://www.maggianos.com/ because my boyfriend had a craving for linguine with clam sauce.  We wandered in the crowded door at 9 pm and the brusque hostess said the wait was 2 hours.  We ended up going somewhere else down the street.  I feel like very few places are worth waiting that long for a table.  Friday we ended up driving to Tyson's to the nearest Maggiano's for a late dinner.  We were seated quickly, and the host even called me ma'am.  sigh.

 We started off with calamari and a small caesar salad.  I ordered the linguine with white clam sauce and the pasta was overcooked. 

My boyfriend chose the Classic Pasta Angel Hair with Sausage.  A surprising special was the inclusion of a choice of Classic Pasta to take home with you when you order from the Classic Pasta list.  When the pasta feeds two easily, it's a pretty good deal for the price.  Carmine's tastes better for family-style Italian-American, but pricewise, Maggiano's is a solid contender.

Vapiano in DC

One of the nicest results of moving the office is now working closer to my boyfriend.  In between our office buildings, is one of his favorite fast-casual places.  http://www.vapianointernational.com/vapiano/cms/ We tried to go there once this summer for lunch, but 12-1 pm is definitely a time to avoid as the lunch crowd creates bottlenecks at the various stations.  Yesterday we went a bit later, and it was much quieter.  The card system makes this an easy way to pick different things from the pasta, pizza, panini and salad stations. 

Spicy Sausage and roasted vegetables with papparadelle ($11.95). 

 Pomodoro and arugula with spaghetti.  ($9.95)

Arugula Salad with sliced mushrooms, parmesan cheese and zucchini ($7.95)

***

The pastas were cooked al dente and the sauces were well-made.  I like that you can choose which type of pasta you'd like with the sauce of your choice.  It was all fresh and nice to share lunch together with my boyfriend.  It's not a super fast lunch excursion, and I could see how navigating the place when it's busier would detract from the experience.  Luckily, they'll place your order in take-out containers if you prefer to eat in your office. 

Vento in Dupont Circle

In the former Stars and Mimi's American Bistro space, change is afoot.  The new sign at 2120 P Street NW says "Vento", which means "warm wind".  The name matches its sister restaurant located at 915 15th Street NW, Siroc, or "Mediterranean wind".  Siroc and Vento are owned by Keram and Mehdi Dris and Chef Martin Lackovic, and both focus on affordable Italian-Mediterranean cuisine.  It's nice to see a non-burger, non-pizza establishment opening up in Dupont.  I went with a friend to Vento's soft opening. 

The chef, Corey Locker, formerly worked at The Heights in DC, Kyma in Annapolis, and Oh! at the Orchid Hotel in Los Angeles.  I remember hearing great things about Kyma and its Mediterranean menu.  The chef's twitter feed talks about housemade foccacia and handmade pastas.  I'm a fan of both. 

We tried three smaller plates including a potato and grilled baby octopus appetizer, grilled sausage and beans, and grilled shrimp with a chickpea puree, as well as three pastas.  We liked everything we tried.  The bar area provides an interesting alternative to Urbana at the Hotel Palomar, although the U-shape may lead to longer waits for beverages.  The one low point was the cannoli. Hopefully the neighborhood will welcome the new addition, and the cannoli will get a makeover.

Carmine's in DC

I had heard that the famous NYC restaurant, Carmine's, had opened a DC-outpost.  Early reviews included favorable comments.  It's family-style Italian, with portions so large you should go with a group to enjoy as many different dishes as possible.  http://www.carminesnyc.com/ Definitely a few steps above Buca di Beppo and Maggiano's.  7 of us went to an early dinner Saturday night for some pre-race carbo-loading.

Located at 425 7th Street NW, between D and E Streets. 

This immense 700-seat restaurant is across from the Shakespeare Theatre Company's Lansburgh Theatre. 

Mixed Green Slaad ($18.50)

Stuffed Mushrooms ($14.50). 

We should have asked, but these were stuffed with a savory pork sausage.

Linguini with white clam sauce ($23.50)

The clams were plump and the sauce was not too salty, this was my favorite pasta.

Penne alla Vodka ($23.50)
Robust tomato, vodka and cream sauce with chunks of tomato, basil and garlic. 

Spaghetti and Meatballs ($23.50)

The meatballs were the size of tennis balls.  Made with a mixture of beef and veal, they're dense and flavorful.

The Titanic ($19.50). 

A colossal dessert made with a flourless chocolate cake base, scoops of ice cream, bananas, strawberries, nuts and whipped cream.  A smaller version, called the Tugboat, is also available.

Tiramisu ($16.50)

Nicely flavored, this gorgeous dessert could easily serve 8-10 people. 

Call me Odd, but I thought the beautiful bathroom deserved a photo too.

***

The service was very nice and patient as we debated which dishes to try.  I couldn't help but watch the massive platters delivered to other tables and wonder how two people could dine here without boxes of leftovers for days.  Everything we tried was very good.  I'd like to return to try a few different dishes with a large group again.  In the one hiccup of the night, our server and her manager acted swifty and professionally.

The Italian Store

Some times I'm surprised by the places my boyfriend has not tried in the area.  When I heard he had never been to the Italian Store before, I had to remedy that.  http://www.italianstore.com/  Located in a nondescript shopping center in Arlington, this store has a nice array of cheese, salami, pastas and Italian wines.  The real reasons people head here are for the Italian "Philadelphia Style" subs and the New York Style pizzas.  If you haven't ordered ahead, take a number when you walk in, browse the aisles, taste some wine on Saturdays, and get ready to place your order at the counter when your number is called. 

When the difference between a large and a small sub is $1, it's hard to pass up the large.

 Large Milano (two Italian hams, provolone cheese, genoa salami) on soft bread ($7.99)

  Large Capri (prosciutto, genoa salami, provolone cheese, capacola ham) on soft bread. ($7.99) 

 Hot and sweet peppers, lettue and tomato with oregano finish them off.

These are so good, even the cat wanted a bite.

Dino

My better half likes Italian food, so we've been trying a variety of places. Dino is a small restaurant in Cleveland Park with a wide-ranging menu that should appeal to diners who want to graze on some antipasti and small bites with wine, or those who feel like a three course meal.
I like the burrata cheese better at Cork, but the stuffed squash blossoms are lovely in season. http://www.dino-dc.com/

Polenta ai tre fromaggi con funghi ($8). Polenta with three cheese (asiago, fontal and gorgonzola) and balsamic roasted mushrooms.

Risotto al nero di sieppi ($20). Risotto with cuttlefish ink, squid, tomato and parsley.

Arrosto d'Orata ($24). Whole roasted dorade with lemon, caper and spiced olive oil.

When Vapiano's lines are too long during lunch time...

Sometimes you have to go down the street to another Italian place. http://www.famousluigis.com/

It's a traditional red and white checkered tablecloth Italian-American restaurant on 19th Street NW between M and L Streets. It's not fancy, but the servers are pleasant and the food is abundant for the price.

Insalata Caprese $6.95. Lovely mozzarella cheese, the tomato could have been a tad riper.

Pizza for two with mushrooms and Greek olives $13. (half portion shown )

A pretty decent size for a 2-person pizza.

Linguine alla luciana - squid in a spicy tomato sauce $13.25

The Big Night

Ok... we weren't crazy enough to make a timpano, but we did think that we'd have a forking good time trying to make some gnocchi. Handmade gnocchi in August in DC...what were we thinking? It was a mini-fail but we had plenty of other delicious things for the joint birthday-bon voyage party.

Crostini two-ways: fresh fig with gorgonzola and honey, and artichoke tapenade

Wild mushroom and bechamel lasagna. This was my experiment in creating a meatless, red sauce-less lasagna.

Insalata caprese

Cantaloupe melon wrapped in prosciutto with fresh mint

Orange, olive and red onion salad

Fresh peaches with mint and onion

Setting up the table

Baked and Wired cupcakes in assorted flavors

The full table

Assorted salads, crostini and lasagna

Antipasti platters with salumi, roasted peppers, eggs and tomatoes; grapes, cheeses and olives

La Strada in Del Ray

My better half loves Italian. After a long afternoon of cleaning, we decided to head over to Del Ray to try some place new. I remembered there was a place called La Strada that makes their own pasta, breads and desserts, and luckily it was open. Right on Mount Vernon Avenue, it's a quaint neighborhood restaurant with an outdoor seating area. http://www.lastrada-ontheave.com/
La Strada has some nice touches, like their herb-infused olive oil to dip the soft focaccia bread from their bread basket into, and mood-appropriate Italian music playing unobtrusively in the background.

We started with their fritto misto of calamari, lemon and fennel. The coating was very light and crispy. The spicy tomato sauce had a lovely robust flavor. We also shared a insalate caprese with ripe tomatoes and sliced housemade mozzarella topped with basil chiffonade, olive oil and champagne vinegar. The special of the day was a rigatoni pasta with tuna and capers in a spicy tomato sauce. The meaty tuna paired surprisingly well with the sauce.

I love a good linguine con vongole in a white wine and saffron sauce, and the fresh pasta elevated this dish. The linguine pasta had a lovely tooth-feel that is missing from the dried variety.

La Strada makes their pastas and desserts in-house, and the cannoli were excellent. The sweet creamy ricotta mixture with a hint of vanilla was very light. It paired well with the raspberry puree and fresh fruit.