me and Mike...just hangin'....you know....
I told you last week about heading to Graffiato this weekend…Top Chef’s Mike Isabella’s new place in Chinatown in D.C…..and It. Was. Awesome. Loved it…
The menu was chockablock(is that a word?) with delicious small plates…the hardest part was making decisions about stuff….we started off with some breads and the blistered peppers…yummy together…
So pretty, and soooo good....
And this fresh mozzarella, I watched a line chef stretch and make into a ball, right in front of us…it is topped with an herby/olive oil concoction…instant bliss.
Best seat in the house.....we thought...
We were seated at a bar that seats 6, that overlooks the kitchen in action…and Isabella was right there….tasting, wiping down the plates, looking like he was having a blast..
Love this touch...so homey, and just right...
And I should add, we could not get reservations, but they set aside a certain number of tables for walk-ins like us…and while we got there at 5:30 pm(hello early bird special)…we still couldn’t get a table…but in the end we adored sitting at this observation bar/chef’s table. Not as good for conversation, but lots of Isabella and food watching fun. And I adore the herbs planted in tin cars…nice touch. Service….attentive and knowledgable, and here’s something …we got out for $90 a couple. Not that that is cheap, but we did a lot of food sampling, and two bottles of wine(shared for 4 people, ok not just us). My fave dish…the Vermont pizza, with melted leeks, cheddar, and smoked bacon. Un-bee-leeev-able. And Mike Isabella wasn’t the only one doing some pretty serious cooking this weekend…more on that, on Wednesday!
