1608 14th St NW

"Scenic Dining on 14th Street This industrial-rustic style Italian gastropub is perhaps home to the most coveted dining seats in the city. It is first-come, first-serve at the six elevated front-marble countertop stools where not only can you savor Tuscan-inspired hand-made pastas like tagliatelle al ragù, dishes like pollo al mattone, and bistecca alla Fiorentina for two (a three-pound porterhouse) and wood-fired pizzas like a margherita or a sausage-topped salsicce e cipolla, but also the unobstructed views of passersby trekking along the bustling 14th Street Corridor. As I was dining there and reflecting on the scenery one Friday evening, I was amazed with the area's transformation in the past 15 years. What was once D.C.'s "red light district" has become its premier neighborhood."