From November 2004

Hidden behind the Spring Valley Shopping Center on Yuma Street, DeCarlo's is a neighborhood secret. It's the kind of Italian restaurant you don't find much any more--professionally run with white tablecloths, seasoned waiters, and a menu devoted to the greatest hits of Italian cooking. You can start with grilled sausage and peppers, mussels with garlic and tomato sauce, or pasta-and-bean soup.

Pasta courses include penne with sausage, linguine with clams, and trenette carbonara, each superbly done. For a main course, tuck into a beautifully cooked veal marsala, tender braised osso buco, or flavorful grilled squid with butter and white-wine sauce. WAMU talk-show host Diane Rehm, who lives in the neighborhood, says it's one of her favorite restaurants. It may become one of yours, too.