Tag Archives: Modern Italian

Osteria da Nino, Shirlington

Posted on June 25, 2015 by Don

Osteria da Nino, not Samuel Beckett’s Tavern, is the best restaurant in Shirlington. First, let me add that I went back to Samuel Beckett’s Tavern for a late supper the other evening, and only the bar menu was available. Starting … Continue reading →

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Peter Chang Cafe, Williamsburg, and Graffiato, Richmond

Posted on April 12, 2015 by Don

I was in Newport News this weekend, and took the opportunity to try a couple of DC-area favorites, a long way from where their Executive Chefs are: Peter Chang Cafe in Williamsburg, and Graffiato in Richmond. I’d never been to … Continue reading →

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Palena Cafe, Cleveland Park

Posted on March 23, 2014 by Don

(See the March 8, 2014 Review here.) The following course was oven roasted sea bass with coriander and lime that was the best piece of fish I’ve eaten in years. A crispy buttery salty crust atop a moist, perfectly done … Continue reading →

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Palena Cafe, Cleveland Park

Posted on March 8, 2014 by Don

(See the September 5, 2011, Minibite here (yes, it was a play on Dalí) and the March 13, 2011, Review here.) As things seem to be shifting eastward, from Cleveland Park towards 14UP, Palena and Palena Cafe become ever-more valuable to the … Continue reading →

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Mourir de ne pas mourir

Posted on September 5, 2011 by Don

L’Amoureuse Happy Labor Day (and unofficial last day of summer (hat tip: Allen, Éluard, McCarthy, Saramago)), Knock! Knock! Knock!, <groan>, 8 AM room service serving as a wake-up call to September, coffee and tea served in the impossibly elegant suite at the … Continue reading →

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Graffiato, Chinatown

Posted on July 3, 2011 by Don

I don’t watch TV except for a few times a year. When it comes to popular culture (at least, culture that’s made popular through television), I’m as out of touch as anyone. This is neither a “bragging point” nor an … Continue reading →

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Fiola, Penn Quarter

Posted on June 23, 2011 by Don

It isn’t, or shouldn’t be, my job to correct The Washington Post and Washingtonian for their spectacular failures in reviewing our city’s greatest restaurants. If a major publication wants to say Rasika is “four stars,” or that The Source is … Continue reading →

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Bibiana, Downtown

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Don

It had been so long since I dined at Bibiana that it got moved up from my “short list” to my “critical list.” I pulled up a seat at an empty bar at what was a very full restaurant, with … Continue reading →

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Tosca, Downtown

Posted on March 11, 2011 by Don

On Thursday, Tosca (along with its sibling restaurant, Posto), was one of only four restaurants in the entire area to donate 100% of its proceeds to Food & Friends during the Dining Out For Life promotion. Because of this, they … Continue reading →

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Palena Cafe, Cleveland Park

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Don

(See December 1, 2010 Review here). Palena Cafe has taken some recent criticism on the internet for … existing, but also for expanding, for no longer offering the back-room menu, and for some reported service glitches as well. Last Monday … Continue reading →

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