Famoso

UPDATE: This venue is now CLOSED and has been replaced by Mi Cocina

Location: Chevy Chase/Friendship Heights
Nearest Metro: Redline Friendship Heights
Website: http://www.famosorestaurant.com/

This is what you call a place that has Hollywood Swank. How could you not when the restaurant is located next to Tiffany & Co. & Barney's Co-op. Don't be surprised when you see plenty of famous and infamous people here. On the warmer days the patio is available for seating. Decorated with a grand style bar and white formica chairs and tables. The servers and waiters/waitresses are decent.

Now onto the juicy good stuff, the food! I strongly suggest this place for brunch. It's perfect with an Italian menu crafted with pizza, pasta, salads, foccaci, and paninis. The brunch menu also includes breakfast items such as omelets and waffles, which are all very delectable. The food isn't as pricey as you would expect, but the presentation of the food would make you think that your pockets would cry when you walk out, but quite the contrary. The pizzas are AMAZING. Thin crust, fresh ingredients, you cannot go wrong ordering one of these creations. The other day for brunch I had the salmon and baby goat cheese foccaci with arugala. I must say not only was it larger than I expect, but it was awesome. I might have to sneak back and grab another one this weekend.

Al Tiramisu

Al Tiramisu
DuPont Circle
Italian Restaurant
Red Line
Website: http://www.altiramisu.com/


Ah, I've resurrected! And i've been hungrier than ever! On a late Sunday night around 9ish (almost past my bedtime) my sister who was in town, and I were looking for a place to grab some good grub. My roomie had given great accolades to this Italian restaurant called Al Tiramisu in DuPont. Well since we were both in the mood for Italian I figured hey why not. So we walk in and were greeted by a very tall, polite gentleman. The restaurant is sort of small and quaint, reminiscent of the restaurants in Italy, and was filled with couples. I was happy they were still open (it was about 10 at this point).

So we sat, and viewed the menu. It wasn't very extensive, but they had the usual pasta, salads, and anti pasta entrees. We both quickly agreed on the cheese and spinach ravioli. I took a glance at the wine menu and was surprisingly pleased. As I have said before I love wine, and they had two of my favorites. The wine list was more extensive then the food menu, not necessarily a bad thing. The food came amazingly quick which please me and my sister since our stomachs were literally growling at this point. The waiter asked us if we wanted cheese, and of course, I couldn't decline. We greedily ate our food and, I will say the food was decent, nothing to really write home about, but it was still filling and if it was a little cheaper I probably would have felt a lot more enthusiastic about it.

The dessert menu was pretty extensive as well, and I opted for the tiramisu (my fave dessert). My sister opted for a chocolate style gnocchi dessert that was served with ice cream. It's not on the website and I can't remember the name of it, but it was pretty good. I was a little disappointed with my tiramisu, I don't know if it was because I had extremely high expectations, it still hit the spot, but just wasn't what I was expecting. It was good just not the best. I would definitely suggest this restaurant if you want to stop for a swig of good Italian wine or for some yummy Italian dessert (just don't go in there with high expectations on the Tiramisu).

I might have to try it out again to see if I feel the rest of the entrees are worth the bang for the buck. LIke I said the food wasn't that bad, however if it was a little cheaper I might be more enthusiastic about it. The service however was fantastic, someone came by to make sure the water glasses were filled and to check and make sure everything was okay. I never once thought to myself "where is the damn waiter". That definitely made the experience pleasant. Wouldn't suggest this spot for large gatherings of friends, but if you want to opt for something a little more quaint and unpretentious.

Dino

Located on Connecticut and Ordway directly off the Cleveland Park Metro Stop on the Red Line)

Dino's is an Italian restaurant in Cleveland Park. The menu is very precise and to the point, the portions are pretty decent and the prices aren't even that costly. The wine selection is said to be the best in the city, and I will agree, they actually carried the wines that are hard to come by, but highly favored by me. The baretender a.k.a. the "Mixologists" was friendly, knew his stuff, and was also a certified sommelier. It's cozy and has a "neighborhood" type of feel but still upholds a certain air about itself. My friend ordered the Hanger Steak and although they don't carry A-1 she enjoyed it all the same. I ordered the Conchiglie ai Fruitti di Mare (pasta with shellfish) it was really good, a little salty, but pretty good. My cousin ordered the Halibut and that was amazing.

They also have a really good special Mon-Thurs, a 3 course meal for $24 as long as it is ordered before 7:00 pm.

If you love wine like I do you will be able to appreciate this place!

Price Range $15-up

http://www.dino-dc.com/index.html