Chef Amy Brandwein likes to keep things simple at her stylish osteria, neighboring Hermès and Louis Vuitton at swanky CityCenterDC. She understands better than most that the subtle smoke and char of a wood-fired oven or a really good olive oil is often the only accessory that high-quality seasonal ingredients need. She also knows pasta, whether it’s house-made ribbons of pappardelle curled around roasted mushrooms or cappellacci plumped with pumpkin and ricotta. The adjoining market sells Brandwein’s pastas and sauces along with sustainable seafood and Italian pantry items. Expensive.
Also great: Burrata with figs; tuna-and-sausage meatballs; rare tuna with beets; paccheri pasta with white Bolognese; torta di formaggio.
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.
