By What’s your favorite Italian restaurant? What did you love about it? Was it the way the pasta was prepared? Was it the fresh ingredients they used? Well, forget about your favorite Italian restaurant because this one is ten times better. Please, don’t debate me. Sfoglina defines what an Italian restaurant should be and how it should be defined. The bar is set so high at this restaurant that it makes me debate if I was eating true Italian food to begin with. Sure, there are other restaurants such as RedHen and Casa Luca (two of my favorite Italian restaurants in D.C.) but Sfoglina has taken its place. In case you’re wondering, it’s pronounced { sfoal-yee-nah } . Don’t worry, it took me a while to pronounce it correctly. For the sake of humility, I pronounced it “Sfouh-gleen-uh”. Sfoglina is apart of the Fabio Trabocchi Restaurant brand which includes five restaurants. Casa Luca, Fiola Mare (which we’ve been to), Fiola, and Del Mar.
The interior of this restaurant is absolutely gorgeous. If you’re looking for a date night spot, then this is the place for you. Put on your best and go have a nice dinner. What I like most about this restaurant, other than the food of course, is its prices! No dish on the menu is over $28. The menu is pretty straight forward with around 18 or so selections of food to order from. If you’re able to sit at the Chef’s table, which is a slightly long table that sits in front of the kitchen, then I would suggest you ask to be seated there. The view is fantastic and you’ll see the hard work and dedication that each chef puts into each dish.
I was able to order three dishes which included one appetizer and two entrees. The first dish that I ordered was the Grilled Spicy Calamari that came with Romesco Sauce. This dish was considered a “small plate”, but the amount of Calamari they provide you, it would make it seem as though it’s a small dinner portion. The Spicy Calamari was buttery, chewy, and packed full of flavor. With each bite I fell more and more in love with how scrumptious the seafood was. I usually order my Calamari fried so I wanted to try it prepared a different way. I may or may not have forgotten my table manners while eating this dish because I promised when I looked up three people were staring at me.
The next dish that was ordered was the Spaghetti Chitarra. This dish is your traditional Carbonara but more ingredient-focused. The runny egg was the most perfect egg I’ve ever tasted on top of a Carbonara. The Pancetta and the Escarole were perfectly together providing an extra saltiness the dish needed. The dish was creamy, hot, and you can tell that the pasta was freshly-made. The rich quality of this dish is one of the reasons why I deem this place to be one of the best Italian restaurants in the city. This was the most satisfying Carbonara I’ve ever tasted.
The last dish that was ordered was the Beef Short Ribs. They are marinated for 72-Hours before prepared and made with fresh Zucchini, Polenta, and Salsa Verde. The Short Rib was the most succulent, tender, and satisfying dishes I’ve tasted in all my years living. It was so perfect that I sat there and contemplated on ordering another to take home. Actually typing the description on how great this dish was has my mouth watering right now. That’s embarrassing. I don’t usually go to restaurants more than once because it’s so many restaurants out here, but I may go to this restaurant a couple more times.
Overall, this restaurant is a stop what you’re doing and go visit it now. The flavors, the ambiance, and the overall greatness of this restaurant will speak for itself after you’re finished dining.
SavoryTravels 