Teatro Goldoni - Review

Day 2: Teatro Goldoni (www.teatrogoldoni.com)
Overall Rating: RRRR 1/2 (out of 5)

In 2009, Teatro Goldoni won the prestigious RAMMYS Award for Favorite Restaurant and after dining there last night, Parry and I understand why. Chef Enzo Fargione isn’t just a chef to watch, he is a chef to experience – over and over again.

We started our culinary journey with seared potato-leeks-pancetta and crab cakes over cream of basil and a chickpea powder texture. The savory cakes were moist and flavorful and Parry felt the chickpea powder added a welcomed crunch to the dish.

Next, we dug into roasted cauliflowers dressed with bread crumbs, capers, roasted garlic, basil and Ligurian black olives over a carpaccio of roasted red and yellow peppers with polenta crackers and red beet chips. We expected this dish to be less savory and blander than the first because it is comprised solely of vegetables. We couldn’t have been more mistaken. The dish sang with flavor and as a self-confessed hater of beets I must acknowledge that the even the beet chips warranted a thumbs up.

As good as the appetizer experience was we were unprepared for the delicacy and scrumptiousness of our main course. Parry’s dish of roasted monkfish wrapped in pancetta and served over a reduction of Merlot red wine and oven baked artichoke hearts was awe-worthy. The monkfish was succulent, the artichokes delightfully seasoned and the reduction made Parry want to lick the plate.

After sampling Parry’s dinner and swooning I eyed my own plate of Teatro lithograph saffron pasta sheet cannellone filled with smoked and buffalo mozzarella, porcini mushrooms and served with arucola pesto and parmesan cheese foam. I commented that branding pasta can be deemed pretentious unless it is truly the most phenomenal pasta in existence. The first mouthful of the cannellone convinced me. Chef Fargione has every right to place his mark on this dish. The stuffing was culinary genius. The cheese was rich, creamy and smoky, the mushrooms delicate and the pesto intensely flavorful.

Parry and I wondered if a kitchen skilled in creating and producing savory dishes could deliver a sweet ending to an almost perfect meal. Fortunately for us, Teatro Goldoni ends the way they begin – with a bang.

The orange chocolate torte was a dreamy mix of quality dark chocolate and cocoa, zesty orange caramel and fresh pistachios. Parry, who normally rejects anything that combines orange and chocolate scraped the plate clean.

My dish of chilled strawberries and sweet rhubarb macerated minestrone with basil sorbet, poppy seeds and crunchy meringue was a refreshing surprise. The minestrone was sweet but not syrupy and the strawberries soft and tangy. The basil ice cream however, stole the show. The flavor was delicate and opulent and I must admit that I desperately wanted another scoop.

At this point, you get that Chef Fargione and his culinary team delivers innovative menus comprised of award-worthy dishes. But there is more to this story. From the second Parry and I walked in to our final moments in the restaurant, we were treated to exemplarity service. The Manager took the time to greet us personally, the bartender provided helpful suggestions regarding the wine list and our server Sayid was warm, skilled and attentive. It was obvious to Parry and I that everyone employed at Teatro Goldoni take pride in their job and their place of employment.

If the purpose of Restaurant Week is to introduce the masses to the finest food Washington has to offer, then Teatro Goldoni succeeded. Without question, Parry and I will return – over and over again.