The Italian Job: Eating Rich at Bistro Italiano

Photo by María Helena Carey

Back in May, we discussed the virtues and failings of Trattoria Alberto as a comfort Italian food option on Capitol Hill –as opposed to Acqua Al 2, where I have yet to go but dearly wish to do so.  I’d been meaning to write about another Capitol Hill Italian food institution, Bistro Italiano, for comparison, but one thing had kept me away: the fact that I kept hearing the warning about the space’s tiny size and its possible inability to accommodate larger parties.

I am happy to report that, at least on the night my raucous brood, my mother, and a family friend (yes, folks, that’s a table for five) made it to Bistro Italiano, there were two other very large groups at the restaurant, and we all seemed to be doing fine unless you stop to include the injuries incurred in the process of fighting for the last piece of brie-soaked bread.

Oh my.  That melted Brie with the accompanying roasted head of garlic and that tasty bread not only gravely endangered my fingers, but it also made me vampire-proof for at least a couple of days.  If you go to Bistro Italiano for one thing and one thing only, I strongly suggest that be it.  But of course they also have very tasty pastas and a really good basic marinara sauce.  The pepperoni pizza was a hit with the younger set; the pasta Primavera was chock-full of roasted veggies, plus the sauce wasn’t too heavy; and the eggplant Parmesan meant we didn’t hear a peep out of one of our tablemates for about ten minutes.  My own chicken Marsala was not quite Marsala-ey enough, alas, but the chicken itself was well-cooked and pounded delightfully thin enough to do away with the knife (which is a good thing when you have an 18-month old who thinks he’s the second coming of Shiva the Destroyer).  Everything we ate was paired with an excellent Italian red that worked really well.  And by “worked really well” I mean that we all stared sadly at the couple of drops our waiter let fall on the tablecloth, in his zeal to fill our glasses.  He was a wonderful, friendly waiter who helped make our experience of dining out with kids a very smooth affair.

About the only thing I can complain about –and, really, “complain” is almost too serious a word– is perhaps the fact that the desserts felt like they were mass-produced and didn’t match the vibe of the rest of the offerings of the house.  Did I eat all the tiramisù I was served?  Sure, but I also eat Peeps so maybe I’m not the most discriminating sugarholic.  However, the tiramisù was seriously lacking in delicious liqueur.  (I’m thinking– maybe they’d run out of Marsala that day, or perhaps they adhere to an earlier version of the recipe.)

Overall, I can’t really pick which restaurant I liked more.  I give a slight edge to Bistro Italiano, just because they seemed to have a few more creative offerings, such as the Brie and garlic combo; but I think that if you are craving something tasty and Italian (or at least Italian-sounding), either Bistro Italiano or Trattoria Alberto will fill that need quite nicely.

If you go: Bistro Italiano is located at 320 D Street, NE, and it’s a little tucked-away gem behind the busy row of restaurants on Massachusetts Ave., close to Union Station.