Friday, May 22, 2009

Trattoria Italiana

We were in the Woodley Park neighborhood to check in for the Avon Walk and in search of a quick dinner. Following a herd of Avon Walkers, we found Trattoria Italiana, an italian restaurant with a large front patio. Since the weather was nice, we took a seat at one of the patio tables...

The evening was more memorable for the quirky service than the food. Various waiters buzzed about and we were never sure who "our" waiter was. At one point one of them zoomed up to our table, grabbed the strip of paper that had held the silverware bundle together and started to write our order down on it! I think they were a little overwhelmed by the dinner crowd.

B started with a salad which was perhaps the most uninteresting salad we've ever seen at a restaurant. Check out the picture below. It was about 75 cents worth of ingredients (yes, that is a pile of lettuce and nothing else - they brought you a bottle of oil and vinegar for dressing) priced at something like $8.

B ordered the linguini with sausage and mushrooms and described it as tasting exactly like something a freshman in college would make if he was making dinner for his friends. Definitely edible and filling, but not outstanding.

I chose the Penne Obama. I can pretty much guarantee that President Obama has never eaten here and probably never will. Nevertheless, his namesake pasta called my name because it promised penne in a spicy sauce. The sauce wasn't very spicy but a generous topping of mozzarella cheese can cover a multitude of sins in a baked pasta dish.

The restaurant is located along a strip of Connecticut Avenue that has dozens of restaurants. I'm not sure I'd come back to this one before I tried every other restaurant in the row (including the McDonald's and Chipotle!). It was overpriced, the service was erratic, and the food was dull.

Second Thoughts from B

In this economy, everyone seems to be selling the latest gimmick that will save you money. Well, here's my attempt at joining those masses. Follow these three simple steps and I'll save you and your significant other $50.
  1. Open a bag of lettuce and put it on a plate.
  2. Cook whatever pasta you have in your pantry and then add your favorite sauce and some cheese.
  3. Do not go to Trattoria Italiana.
Trattoria Italiano on Urbanspoon

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