Just in time for the return of indoor dining, Washington DC's Restaurant Week kicks off today with an impressive lineup of Italian restaurants. This year, the festival stretches for two weeks, granting more time to enjoy Italian food, wine and cocktails in and around the Beltway, from Arlington to Columbia Heights.
Thirty Italian restaurants have rolled out special menus, available until February 7. Most offer dinner, while others, like Al Dente in American University Park, serve lunch as well as DC's beloved ritual: weekend brunch. The prix-fixe menus cost $22 at lunch/brunch and from $35 to $55 for up to four courses and a drink pairing at dinner for in-person dining—restaurants can reopen with 25 percent capacity today—with discounted pricing for pick-up and delivery.
Many of the power brokers from DC's mouthwatering fresh pasta scene will be serving their best. And while not all of the Italian restaurant legends of DC have signed on Restaurant Week, the event offers a great opportunity to become acquainted with new restaurants and try new dishes.
Centrolina has prepared a buckwheat Malfadine with sausage and mushroom. Officina makes a rich short rib ravioli. The potato gnocchi stirred in a pumpkin crema at the newly opened NAPOLI pasta bar and Chef John Melfi's house-milled flour pappardelle in ragù at Modena should not be skipped.
The variety and number of choices on most menus show how far chefs have gone to make the Restaurant Week experience significant. Slow-cooked comfort food appears on several menus. Wild boar and bechamel-layered lasagna, ribollita soup, roasted chicken and polenta abound, especially at I Ricchi in Dupont. So do seafood dishes of crispy cod fritters, branzino and swordfish. House-made desserts of cannoli, chocolate budino cake, tiramisu and gelato can finish off a meal.
As New York City thoughtfully reminded restaurant-goers for its annual restaurant week, which also kicks off today, be sure to tip generously. Check the D.C. Restaurant Week website to learn more about food delivery options, outdoor patio seating, reservations and menus.
Here are the Italian restaurants participating in Washington D.C.'s Restaurant Week. Buon Appetito!
A La Lucia
Al Dente
Al Tiramisu
All Purpose
Alta Strada
Bellisimo Restaurant
Bond 45
Centrolina
Federico Ristorante Italiano
Filomenta Ristorante
Fiorella Kitchen
Floriana
I Ricchi
Iron Gate
La Bettola Italiano
Little Coco’s
Modena
Mon Ami Gabi Bethesda
NAPOLI Pasta Bar
North Italia
Officina
Osteria de Nino
Osteria Marzano
Portofino
Ristorante Piccolo
RPM Italian
San Lorenzo Ristorante + Bar
Stellina Pizzeria