Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Dupont Italian Kitchen (DC) does Italian cuisine decent

Last night we took Samuel and joined some friends for a true neighborhood meal at the DUPONT ITALIAN KITCHEN (1637 17th St, NW - www.dupontitaliankitchen.net) where we had not been for at least 3 or 4 years.

It was a pleasant surprise as we quaffed a decent quality BELLERUCHE Cotes du Rhone Red 2006 from M Chapoutier for under $30/bottle which is a wine that can go with pasta/meat and fish as well. Samuel had the requisite SPAGHETTI with MEATBALL and Tomato Sauce as he quaffed a Ginger Ale and munched the soft bread dipped in lightly seasoned olive oil.

The soups are tasty and we tried the MINESTRONE and the slightly spicy and flavorful GAZPACHO.

Main courses were all appreciated and extremely reasonably priced in the low to mid teens from PENNE with CHICKEN to GRILLED SALMON with Capers & Lemon Sauce (which turned out to be a creamy, but tasty lemon sauce), GRILLED TUNA with TOMATO SALSA and my excellent VEAL SCALOPPINI with Prosciutto and Mushroom Brown Sauce over Pasta. The sauce was not too rich and the prosiutto was a bit peppery making for a nice blend of flavor and seasoning. The server was willing to quickly switch pasta for vegetables at no cost making the dining experience easier for the non-carb folks.

We were all too full for dessert, so we headed home happy to know the food quality can be good when the dishes don't cost $20 or $30 or more!