Restaurant: Graffiato
Location: 707 6th St NW. Washington DC 20001. 202-289-3600
Date: December 2, 2013
Cuisine: Italian Tapas
Rating: Good stuff
The whole tapas or small plates things has slowly been insinuating itself into the contemporary restaurant scene and Graffiato is a Washington D.C. take on doing it up for Italian. I happen to love small plates, as I’ve become a jaded mega-diner who thinks that 5 courses is just getting started.
Gray December afternoon in D.C.
The menu. Paper of course.
The obligatory modernist open ceilinged and open kitchened interior.
Smoked Beets. sheep’s milk ricotta, pickled orange.
Brussels Sprouts. pancetta, maple yogurt. This had unusual sweet and savory flavors (like bacon with syrup). As a fan of that, I really enjoyed it.
Burrata. meyer lemon, caviar, bottarga. This was tasty, but a waste of burrata’s lovely creamy texture as it was partially cooked. Burrata is best raw.
Toast for the burrata.
Potato Gnocchi. pork ragu, whipped ricotta, crispy rosemary. A nice ragu with a pleasant flavor and interesting texture (curiosity of the whip and the rosemary).
Ricotta Cavatelli. lamb ragu, chili, feta, mint, pistachio. Similar to the gnocchi, but with a pleasant larval chew.
Chinatown Ribs. pear slaw, carrot, ginger. Not very Italian, but very good.
Pizza dough with “pepperoni” sauce. Sure enough, the sauce tasted like… pepperoni pizza!
American Pie. tomato, mozzarella, basil.
White House.mozzarella, taleggio, ricotta, prosciutto, black pepper honey. This was a great pizza. Again, I love those sweet/salty things and this had a nice vibe going between the ham and the honey.
Hobbit. castelrosso cheese, wild mushrooms, lardo, crispy rosemary.
Porky’s Revenge. sopressata, pepperoni, sausage, tomato, mozzarella.
Zeppole. salted toffee. Nothing wrong with donut like stuff, but the sauce, which wasn’t so different from cannoli filling, was great.
Overall, while not strictly and authentically Italian, Graffiato was extremely enjoyable. I loved being able to taste so many flavors and the plates were mostly on-point, bright and yummy.
