No. 34: Bebo Trattoria

Call it Galileo-in-exile. With his building on DC’s 21st Street reduced to rubble and a yearlong renovation on the horizon, chef Roberto Donna has decamped for Crystal City. Gone is the formality and seriousness of Galileo, replaced by an affable, all-day trattoria with antipasti, freshly made pastas, and grilled meats. Not a truffle in sight.

Drawing a crowd after Pentagon hours has always been a challenge for Crystal City’s restaurants. But Bebo already has become a go-to dinner spot for Arlington families willing to forgive the sometimes forgetful service and to embrace simple dishes from the Piedmontese chef’s repertoire at Maggiano’s-like prices.

The menu is filled with easy-to-like dishes such as fried rabbit with orange mayo (like chicken tenders, only better), rich polenta with house-cured pancetta, fried potatoes dusted with Parmesan, and house-made sausage with salsa verde. The kitchen speaks with a new directness: A grilled pork chop drizzled with balsamic vinegar and fresh garlic tastes straight out of a Marcella Hazan cookbook, while a plate of bucatini all’Amatriciana doesn’t try to make it new—just definitive. Desserts are also uncomplicated—black-and-white cannoli, chocolate custard with zabaglione. The early standout? Vanilla crème brûlée with a scoop of vanilla gelato, all prettied up with sugared strawberries.