Tom Sietsema Awards 2.5 Stars to A Rake’s Progress - Eater DC
"Sietsema also gives the new Italian street food spot at the Wharf a try, granting it high marks for a sea-blue beachy design that includes a transportive photo of Positano. But “finesse evades a lot of the food here,” he says, referring to “a pale, thin-crusted pizza” that would be tasteless if not for otherwise pleasant toppings of porchetta, chopped red peppers, and broccolini. Meanwhile, he says a panini tastes like it’s stuffed with canned tuna and appears to be missing its advertised aioli. While the Tuscan kale with an anchovy-lemon dressing and a blizzard of grated cheese is “a hearty and delicious salad,” its large green leaves leave diners looking like grazing cattle. Sietsema strikes “gold,” however, on the fried food front; he suggests ordering the arancini with smoked scamorza and beef ragu. He’s optimistic about where the pasta menu is headed, thanks to paccheri with crab, shrimp and tubes of squid that resemble the featured pasta. Service is “uneven,” he notes, as appetizers and entrees appeared all at once during one poorly paced visit." - Tierney Plumb
