100 Very Best 2017Glitzy owners—who include reality-TV personalities Giuliana and Bill Rancic—and a black-windowed Vegas vibe have a way of making discerning eaters nervous. And while there are areas to avoid on RPM’s Italian menu (bill-padding antipasti such as lobster caprese salad and octopus with chickpeas, for instance), few places in town are doing so right by the Italian-American repertoire. Our tactic: Order pastas with abandon—a simple, flavor-bursting linguine pomodoro, a strapping carbonara—and share one of the oversize entrées, like the gigantic chicken Parm. Oh, and the garlic bread, a boat-size baguette slathered in garlic confit and butter, dipped in Parmesan, and burnished in the oven. Expensive.
Also great: Caesar salad; fried artichokes; spaghetti with king crab; grilled prawns; lobster fra diavolo; caramel-and-vanilla-gelato cake.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
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.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
Kristen Hinman has been editing Washingtonian’s features since 2014. She joined the magazine after editing politics & policy coverage for Bloomberg Businessweek and working as a staff writer for Voice Media Group/Riverfront Times.
