RSS FeedPenn Quarter’s Fiola – Open And Delicious
Editor’s Note: We wish to introduce a new guest writer, KT, to Penn Quarter Living.
The buzz of Fabio Trabocchi’s much anticipated new restaurant Fiola, in DC’s Penn Quarter lives up to the hype.
Upon entering the former Le Paradou space at 601 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, you are greeted by sparkling gold tiles accenting the dark wood modern bar. Hanging above, and providing just the perfect ambient lighting, are large, funky glass light fixtures enticing your eyes up to the high ceiling. Waitstaff, adorned with maroon shirts, white collars and black ties busily make their rounds.
Seating is abundant around the large sleek square bar. Or, if you prefer, just past the bar, but before the stairs descending to the main dining room, high tables are available for a more intimate experience. Upon sitting, two soft leather bound menus wait to be opened. Inside the drink menu, a vast selection of house cocktails, and wines by the glass or the bottle are listed on the worn paper pages.
The food menu at the bar reads more like a listing of exquisite small plates, enticing you with the likes of an indulgence of a cod bruschetta or the decadent king of grilled cheeses, a burrtta and black truffle panino, which shouldn’t be considered as it is a must!
Down the three steps to the sunken dining room, wood floors and high pillars make for a more modern feel. Along the western wall, high windows give a feeling of openness, while opposite, a stone wall with arched windows gives diners a peek in to a bustling kitchen. Maria Trabocchi, the chef’s wife and a common vision on the Fiola floor, said that the stone wall was built to mirror their own Mediterranean seaside house. Their dream was to open a restaurant and welcome visitors in as they would their own home, the stone wall is their interpretation of that dream.
Once seated at one of the polished wooden tables in the dining room, a hive of wait staff buzz around; they hand out menus, pour water, take orders, and perhaps most importantly, delivering the house made bread. Mrs.Trabocchi, confiding that these little bits of heaven took months to perfect, and are better-than-a-bagel-bread. They are shaped like muffins, but are the most exquisite balance of a croissant, meeting a foccacia, meeting a baguette. They are flaky, perfectly salty, and most importantly, unending.
Appetizers range from cured olives, to thinly sliced veal with apples, to a plate of burrata dressed with a basil Genovese and roasted tomatoes.
All of the pastas, sans one, are made in house. The lasagna is served in its own individual ramekin bubbling with melted cheeses and homemade sauce. The parpardelle is served with exquisite oysters, and is bound to become one of the most popular dishes.
The meats are flavorful and succulent, none more so than the sous-vide short ribs that simply melt in your mouth. Among your other choices are fine cuts of veal, and beef rib-eye, with a guinea hen also on the menu as well.
Finally, but certainly not least, comes dessert. Among them, the highlights being the blood orange panna cotta and the divine gianduia; a crispy-based chocolate dream reminiscent of a kit kat bar, taken to a whole new place — and a couple dollars more than your average kit kat too.
Fiola fits in seamlessly with the lot of prevalent restaurants that dot Pennsylvania Ave. With a trendy yet amiable atmosphere Fiola compliments the refined and homey dishes that taste more like you’re in a home along the Italian coast, rather than steps from the White House. The servings are plentiful, with reasonable prices, and you will walk away contently full, and perhaps with a little extra to savor later. Fiola brings a breath of fresh air to the DC Italian restaurant scene, and is a gift to the Penn Quarter that will hopefully be giving for years to come.
Fiola
601 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004
202.628.2888
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Comments
Nice write up. Everything I ordered and tried (the out-of-town foodie next to us was urging us to try everything the chef sent her way) was delicious. Especially liked the lobser filled ravioli.
cant wait to try it!!!… my new “resolution” is to start trying more of alll the great new restaurants that have opened…i fall into the habit of the same ones over & over (not bad when you consider matchbox and cap grille are “regulars”) but we have so many great NEW choices! xoxo
I had lunch at Fiola yesterday. I guess I missed something based on all the hype. My guest and I were both underwhelmed considering the $90 bill for two for what we considered a mediocre lunch. Next time I’m in the market for high-end Italian cuisine, you’ll find me back at TOSCA.
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Great post! It sounds delicious, I can’t wait to try it out. Are they open for lunch as well, or just dinner?