As you should know, Washingtonians are enjoying RESTAURANT WEEK here through this coming Sunday. Last night we returned to TEATRO GOLDONI (www.teatrogoldoni.com) in downtown DC on K Street for the special 3-course $35.09 dinner menu. In past reviews of Restaurant week I have praised many dining spots for their inventive and varied menus; some even offer almost everything off their regular menus. I have also slammed some fine dining spots for offering such limited menus, that one wants to order off the regular menu at sometimes twice the price (but that is NOT the point of Restaurant Week).
Returning to Teatro Goldoni after many years had bittersweet memories now that our dear friend Fabrizio Aielli and his wife Ingrid have sold the spot and moved to Naples, Florida (where they have opened Sea Salt which we adored on January 1 of this year!). Recent changes at Teatro have brought back another friend, Chef ENZO FARGIONE who ran BAROLO on Capitol Hill for so many years, so we were very excited about seeing an old friend in his new digs!
We brought Samuel with us as well as our dear friends Mel & Juan and went in really expecting a treat, but left a bit sour. There is no question that the menu at Teatro Goldoni is dreamy, indeed, we ordered a portion of pasta off the regular menu for Samuel: RIGATONI with Homemade Sausage, Broccoli and Fresh Tomato Sauce which he adored. The main course portion was huge (we had asked for a half portion and got a whole--they had to cut the price when the check came with the full amount!) and we all tasted a bit, as there was no way Samuel would finish it, even though he thought it was superb (and it was!).
The wine list at Teatro has stars from $35 to way up in the $1K zone; something for everyone. We drank two bottles of superb fresh tasty SALVIANO ORVIETO 2006 from Umbria; a real bargain at $35! It makes for a great aperitif and goes with lighter dishes as well like our starters. We asked for a red wine (Negroamaro/Cab combo), but they were out and sent over a MONTEPULCIANO d'ABRUZZO 2003 from Bosco Nestore called BOSCO PAN instead that is 85% Montepulciano and 15% Cab making for a nice medium to full bodied red, great with bigger dishes as well as lighter ones. Oddly, when the bill came, the price was wrong and it took TWO trips to get it straightened out.
So far, everything was pretty good, it was with the set menu that we lost interest.
There were only two choices for starters and desserts and three choices for main courses; hardly a decent selection. What was sad was that little or no love went into the construction or creation of these dishes compared to the superb Rigatoni.
SUSHI STYLE CAESAR Salad Roulade with Olive Oil Soaked Bread Crumb Dust and Chive Mustard Sauce and Roasted Parmesan Cubes was a sad attempt at something inventive, but bland. The lettuce came in a thick wrap sliced up and the highlight of the dish was the four excellent mini-cubes of parmesan.
WARM BABY SPINACH FOAM SQUARE over FONDUE of Soft Tuscan PECORINO CHEESE, Crispy Sweet Onion and Ragu of CAPONATA Style EGGPLANT with Tomato Filet and Black Olives sounds and was indeed delicious, but sadly the portion was quite small, let's say about two-three times the size of an amuse..which by the way there was none of.
So with one hit appetizer we went on to the main courses which included a third fish option nobody tried:
GIANT RAVIOLI PASTA filled with PORCINI Mushroom, Potato & Thyme in a Roagu of Roasted SHRIMP and Warm Broccoli Mayonaise was indeed just one giant ravioli, and again quite a skimpy portion. I also found it odd that the menu called it "ravioli pasta," when pasta is really not needed in the description! It was quite delicious, but one square that was about 3x3 inches hardly filled the bill.
The rest of us opted for the ROASTED STUFFED VEAL with Mushroom Potatoes & Rosemary in a Port RED WINE Reduction and Sauteed Spinach. The dish was well conceived and the portion size decent, but sadly the meat was quite chewy and tough.
When asked by both our waiter and the manager how our food was, we indulged and told them both of our displeasure with the quality of the meat and the size of the ravioli portion; they barely apologized, and I guess that is where I felt something had gone wrong. I know it's Restaurant Week, but that is not an excuse for bad service and no reparation when things go wrong.
The highlight of the meal and a true treat were the desserts: ALMOND CAKE in CARAMEL SAUCE with Cappuccino of Mascarpone & Rum Cream Custard was a wonderful combination of visual and flavorful ingredients.
VANILLA/ORANGE PANNACOTTA "Sunny Side Up" was a perfectly created vanilla panna cotta with two orange "eggs" in the center; a playful treatment and one that was simply delicious as well.
Four small glasses of limoncello came and placated us a bit. We KNOW that the quality of the regular menu at TEATRO GOLDONI is tops and hope to return soon when Chef Enzo can prove this to us as he did dozens and dozens of times at Barolo in the past. As far as the Restaurant Week menu goes, avoid it.
Indeed, we probably will avoid the rest of Restaurant Week anyway!
