Anyone tired of pricey prix-fixe restaurants should check out the latest addition to Adams Morgan: Red White and Basil, housed in the former Hans Pedre’ Kaffe space. The pasta bar from L’Enfant Cafe owners Jim Ball and Christopher Lynch officially debuts tonight after a soft opening phase, and serves three-course meals for $16.
Chef Travis Hearne, who also oversees the kitchen at L’Enfant, created the menu. Guests start off with salad, and end the meal with a traditional cannoli. For the main event guests can mix-and-match seven types of house-made noodles—including a gluten-free option—and stuffed pastas, topping them with a variety of classic sauces such as bolognese, pesto, and mushroom cream. Fresh focaccia bread with melty cheese and daily specials like a bowl of meatballs can be ordered for an additional $3 to $7.
A wallet-friendly wine list from Francis Ford Coppola Winery currently ranges from $7 (glass) to $29 (full liter), plus two styles of Italian Moretti beer ($6 to $7). Guests can sit at a small bar or high-top tables, or order meals to-go. When warm weather returns a small patio will seat additional guests.
Currently the restaurant is only open for dinner, though Hearne plans to launch lunch and weekend brunch soon. Red White and Basil. Open for dinner daily: Monday through Thursday and Sunday, 6 to 10; Friday and Saturday, 6 to 11.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
