Ryan Z.
Yelp
Al Tiramisu is an old stalwart of the DC dining scene, and I think it's a very good restaurant, but you might in for some sticker shock.
We were a party of four, and we started with cocktails (about $20 each, all very good). For appetizer, we each had an off-menu sampler which had delicious house-smoked duck, grilled calamari, rolled eggplant, and piece of a portobello mushroom, and a wedge of burrata. I loved everything except for the mushroom which was a bit blah. It was a yummy start, but at $25 a head, felt about $10/portion more than it should have been. We found a good bottle of red wine for $120, which was one of the cheaper bottles on the wine list.
While not mentioned on the menu, all the pastas are available as half portions which was a pleasant surprise. I absolutely loved my tagliatelle with wild mushrooms; it was fantastic. So was the ricotta gnocchi in cacio e pepe - pillowy, rich, and divine. The lobster pasta, a signature dish, was good but perhaps not a showstopper. Also enjoyed by our table was a delightful ravioli with crab meat.
Our "secondi" were the weakest part of the meal. I loved my lamb shank ossobuco which, if anything, was too big, but it was delicious with its creamy polenta and stewed tomato sauce. The ribeye steak, however, was overwhelmed by the truffle butter and not as buttery and tender as was hoped for the price ($48). The branzino was perfectly nice, but could have had a bit more flair.
Desserts were awesome. Creamy pistachio gelato, chocolate tartufo, and cheesecake...all very nice.
All in all, $850 with tax and tip...mighty pricey for dinner for four. I had a similarly good meal in a very upmarket Milan restaurant last month for about a third of the price. Yes, I know we aren't in Italy, but even by DC standards, this very good restaurant just didn't exactly feel like it was worth every penny.