A Penn Quarter Newcomer Offers Ridiculously Large Lasagna, Thin-Crust Pies — And a Scene | Eater DC

"A Penn Quarter newcomer from NYC, this 50-year Italian institution has reanimated the prominent Pennsylvania Avenue corner with a full-on scene; on a recent weekday evening I saw a packed house ranging from birthday groups to a no-Fs-given Marjorie Taylor Greene seated smack-dab in the center of the dining room, yet despite the Capitol-adjacent address the focus stayed squarely on service and food. I’d start at the destination antipasto bar showcased at the entrance — vegetables come in 3- or 5-count portions ($26; $34), and toothsome mushrooms of all kinds, squash carvings, and lemon spinach played well together on one plate — then move to the open-faced lasagna for two (or more), a deconstructed, oblong pie whose baked noodle sheets curl into crisp edges. The flame-kissed Black Label burger lands with a metal vase of cacio e pepe fries ($28), and the thin-crust pizzas that built its New York reputation are essential; even the margherita is anything but boring ($19). The space isn’t a copy-paste: a personal art collection from the late owner Shelly Fireman presides over classic Italian furniture in a sprawling room, and the gregarious manager, John — newly arrived from New York — makes the rounds with a tray of mini chocolate chip cookies, a sweet house tradition." - Tierney Plumb