Osteria dining is typically a simple, laid-back affair, but restaurateur Fabio Trabocchi doesn’t do anything without a little finesse, prettying up scallop crudo with flower petals or up-charging for tableside-shaved Alba white truffles. Still, the cooking is comforting at its core. A juicy veal chop parmigiana upgrades your average nonna’s recipe with prosciutto and salsa verde, and lobster gnocchi in a rich tomato sauce spills out of the crustacean’s shell. Whatever you do, save room for the ricotta bomboloni with warm chocolate sauce. Expensive.
Also great: Parmesan churros; Caesar salad; meatballs; shells with tomato and bacon “fumé”; “drunken” tuna.
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.
