Filomena Ristorante
1063 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.
(between K and M streets)
(202) 338-8800
Entrees: $14.95-$32.95
Reservations: a must for Valentine’s Day
Attire: leave jeans and sneakers at home, but no need for a suit
Attention gentlemen, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and reservation lists are nearing their capacities. It’s time to pick up the phone and arrange for a romantic meal for that special someone. While many restaurants have the aura of love prevalent in their decor on Valentine’s Day, only a few make notable impressions on the ladies.
Hidden among a sex shop and a vintage jean store is the quaint Italian restaurant where passersbys view an extraordinary window display of women making various types of pastas and raviolis by hand.
A steep set of stairs leads you down to Filomena Ristorante’s deceivingly large, yet cozy dining room where desserts greet you on both sides. Set in the back of the restaurant is the “Filomena kitchen,” a dining room reserved for the CIA, the president and celebrities that looks like it was taken from a dollhouse.
The dimly lit main dining room gives an overall sense of romance as waiters sharply dressed in tuxedos serve exceedingly large portions of authentic Italian food. The menu has a varied selection of pasta, fish, chicken and meat dishes, making it a difficult decision for anyone’s palate. Filomena offers the usual chicken parmigiana dishes for those with simple tastes, and other dishes are kicked up a notch to tickle the taste buds of the eclectic food connoisseur.
Appetizers are usually the best part of the meal, but in this case it is a toss up. The calamari and Portobello mushroom topped with a crab cake have a stiff competition with the rich main courses. Not to exclude the diet conscious, the salads are great, too, and are made with the freshest vegetables and cheeses.
Along with the moderate to pricier bill comes two liquors to cleanse their palate. One is grappa. Translation: gasoline. In the second bottle is sambuca. A small cup of coffee beans is brought with the sambuca – a symbol of good luck to be placed in the liquor. It is an Italian tradition to have a shot of grappa or sambuca at the end of a meal and an insult to the host to refuse this gesture. So bottoms up!
This Valentine’s Day menu will consist primarily of the usual selections with an insert of special dishes. Teddy bears will be handed out to the ladies, an impressive gesture that will definitely win the men brownie points. So, if you’ve got the date and can pay the rate, the mood will be right and the food will be great.
