NYC’s Famed Cafe Fiorello Opens in D.C. | Eater DC

"Opening May 21 at 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, this New York City institution — which first opened in Manhattan over five decades ago, has been situated across the street from Lincoln Center since 1974, and celebrated its 50th anniversary last year — makes D.C. its second home as the flagship of Shelly Fireman’s hospitality group expanding beyond the Big Apple; "Shelly and I have always known that if we were to bring our flagship somewhere else, the nation’s capital was at the top of the list," CEO Ben Grossman tells Eater. The new 6,500-square-foot corner space previously housed Tadich Grill until 2018, and at its heart is a wood-burning oven, a unique feature for D.C. that gets its own special section on the menu: the branzino al Forno comes fire-roasted alongside peppers, onions, and olives, a center-cut veal chop boasts a distinctive wood-grilled flavor profile, and there's a flame-kissed cheeseburger served with Tillamook cheddar and cacio e pepe fries. Otherwise the menu intentionally mirrors longtime favorites — "These are dishes that we’ve been executing for a long time that have stood the test of time," Grossman notes — highlighting daily homemade pastas and sauces such as a classic plate of spaghetti and meatballs with pomodoro sauce and short rib-and-bone marrow meatballs, lobster carbonara served with classic guanciale and pecorino Romano, linguine and clams finished with a traditional white wine clam sauce, and rigatoni alla vodka. Thin-crust pizzas feature toppings like sweet fennel sausage and peppers, extra pepperoni, or prosciutto di Parma, and an impressive antipasto bar offers a consistent selection of eight roasted and pickled vegetables plus four seasonal rotations — standouts include fire-roasted red and yellow peppers and a crispy cauliflower Milanese with cauliflower coulis and Parmigiano-Reggiano. A tailored bar program riffs on Italian classics — "We’ve always thought of ourselves as an Italian playground where people can get the classics they love, with a twist," Grossman says — like a banana-flavored Negroni (bourbon and creme de banane) and a Grand Spritz that adds passionfruit and lime to the Aperol-and-prosecco template. The dining room aims for a hospitable, homey feel with warm millwork, classic Italian furniture, and Shelly Fireman’s personal art collection on the walls; "Shelly always says that we’re huggers, and that’s what we want folks to feel when they come to eat with us," says Grossman." - Lulu Chang