Graffiato Review- DC

Oct 7, 2011 by Ronya Misleh

By Ronya Misleh

It’s cool to go to restaurants where famous chefs cook and share their dishes. It’s not silly to hope to catch a glimpse—or even grab a photo—of he or she who is amusing your palate and filling your tummy. And, even if this is your reason for going to Graffiato, if you just want to see Mike Isabella doing his thing (which is quite likely), and you happen to eat every last morsel on every plate put in front of you without this happening, the trip will still be worth every penny. And calorie.

The atmosphere at the Chinatown establishment is a cool, hipster one—exposed beams, brick walls, aluminum stools at the bar, lots of black t-shirt clad servers moving about—and one that, if you want to have the Graffiato experience, requires reservations quite far in advance. (A related note: the hostesses will seat you even if your whole party has not yet arrived—this is something that is hard to come by these days and, as a result, much appreciated).

The 15 seat bar has a lot to write home about, most specifically prosecco on tap. You heard me. Pair that with a shot of St. Germaine’s elderflower liqueur and some finely curled lemon peel and you’ve got yourself a fabulous bubbly cocktail. The cocktail menu is also unique—and seasonal. A notable option is the Smashing Pumpkin, a combination of Pyrat rum, lemon-pumpkin soda, and allspice dram. Other tasty drink choices include the DC Mule (Vodka 14, grapefruit, ginger beer) and Strawberry Fields Forever (Stone Barn strawberry liqueur, prosecco, sugar cube, bitters). There is also a good sized wine list. Cocktails are $9 and wine varies by glass.

Now on to the food.

Graffiato affords diners the opportunity to taste a variety of small plates and revel in the subtle nuances each has. A simple chicken thigh is elevated by Isabella’s Top Chef inspired pepperoni sauce. A pork rib gains momentum from the coriander yogurt sauce that also has a subtle zing of orange zest. Each bite brings a welcome surprise and an almost uncontrollable urge to snag one of those black t-shirted servers and ask for seconds (or, in some cases, thirds) and to play the “what ingredients are in this dish,” Top Chef inspired game.

The first plates to make their way to the table were those of the vegetable variety. The Brussels sprouts were well-received, even by those who don’t gravitate toward the oft hated vegetable. They were halved and sautéed so that the end result was a crispy sprout with a simple maple glaze. Chopped hard boiled eggs topped the green flavor buds. To some, the maple glaze was a bit too sweet, which would not have been such a shock to the taste buds had the promised pancetta been a part of the presentation. It was notably missing. The Caesar salad was undoubtedly the least favorite among our many selections. The lettuce seemed to be your average iceberg and the dressing was, unfortunately, rather tasteless. Absent were the sharp tastes of garlic and parmesan and the tartness of lemon that a typical Caesar salad offers. The cream cheese croutons were not overly spectacular, either, though they remained a much talked about item on our table. If you do happen to be a fan of these crunchy bundles, the staff will happily give you extra.

Next up were the pizzas. We ordered two, and each was big enough so that I and my five dining companions were each able to have at least one substantial slice. The Jersey Shore came topped with fried calamari, tomato, provolone, and a cherry pepper aioli. It is the cherry pepper aioli that makes this dish; I liken its texture and flavor to the creamy, orange sauce you often get when you order sushi. The crust was a bit overcooked and dry, and the amount of cheese was negligible, but the fried calamari was plentiful. To some, the fruit of the sea was a bit fishy tasting. The White House fared a little better. With three cheeses (mozzarella, taleggio, and ricotta) it would be safe to say that we were expecting a nice, gooey pizza. This was not the case. The lack of cheesiness, however, was made up for by the thinly cut and generously portioned prosciutto and the sweetness of the black pepper honey. This salty sweet combination—set atop the well-cooked crust—was a different and delicious approach to pizza making. It was interesting to note the differences in the two crusts, even though they came at the same time and from the same kitchen. The lack of cheese on both pizzas was a bit disheartening.

Our next wave of dishes were the pastas and the wood oven items. We ordered five of the six pasta dishes offered, leaving out only the potato gnocchi with mushrooms and a hint of truffle. First up was the very simple hand cut spaghetti. The pasta itself (which is made in house) was cooked to a perfect al dente and was mixed with just olive oil, poached cherry tomatoes, and fresh basil. All the flavors worked together—the tomatoes were sweet and the basil was not overwhelming. And, it begs repeating, the pasta itself was perfectly cooked. The chestnut agnolotti was next. This dish “replaced” the summer version which was stuffed with sweet corn and mascarpone and was (and remains to be) quite possibly the best pasta dish I have ever had. This one was tasty but it did not live up to its summer counterpart. The agnolotti was actually a bit undercooked, the edges of the handmade pockets a little chewy. The filling of butternut squash was a good texture and had just enough sweetness, which was a good complement to the brown butter that adorned the plate. Who doesn’t like a good brown butter sauce? The risotto also took on a seasonal flair of its own—pumpkin, smoked provolone, and pepitas, all of which provide their own autumnal flavor. The smokiness of the provolone provided a warm, cozy attribute to the dish and the pumpkin added obvious color and a great warm flavor. The pepitas, aka pumpkin seeds, gave the dish a little oomph of crunch. The polenta with the spicy pork meatballs was, perhaps, my favorite of all the pasta dishes. I wouldn’t generally qualify polenta as a pasta, but call it whatever you want. It was creamy and delicious and had great texture—so much so that you thought, perhaps, you were eating the corn from which it was made. The meatballs (three per plate, so perfect for our six-some) were flavorful and only a little spicy. The tomato sauce that covered them was just a little bit tangy, an obviously great asset to the dish. Next up was the pasta special: the lamb ragu with pistachio pappardelle, mint, and pecorino. The papardelle was an amazing green color which, if you hadn’t read the description, would lead you to believe it was spinach. But spinach it was not. The taste of the pistachio was subtle and it worked together with the lamb and the mint to give the dish a slightly Mediterranean feel. The lamb was well-seasoned to some, slightly over-salted to others; it also had a slightly lingering gamey taste.

We ordered three of the five “wood oven” items, the best of which were undoubtedly the pork ribs. The rub of Sicilian oregano and who knows what else gave the ribs a great flavor; the crust was perfectly crusty and once you bit into it and made your way to the pork itself, you were rewarded even more. The pork was cooked perfectly—moist and fall-off-the-bone. To top it off, the ribs were served next to a large dollop of coriander yogurt. This is my new favorite condiment. It was tangy and cold and creamy and the hint of orange peel gave the whole dish a nice, crisp, perfectly autumn feeling. This was the dish that we ordered extra of, grabbing our server as he scurried by with the orders of another table. The scallops came in a fast second. They were a substantial size and set atop a presentation consisting of a parsnip puree, caramelized parsnip, truffle, and pickled apple. The puree looked a lot like hummus but its flavor was quite different. It was smooth and sweet and cool to the tongue. The truffle was not as overwhelming as truffle tends to be—to the point where you wondered if there was even truffle in the dish. The pickled apples were very flavorful, their acidity mixing well with the sweetness of the parsnips and the richness of the scallops. And, you can’t go to Graffiato and not have an order of the chicken thighs with pepperoni sauce. Despite all their hype, they weren’t one of my favorite dishes. The chicken was well cooked, its exterior nice and crispy and its meat juicy. The pepperoni sauce was, to me, just a convenient afterthought, a sauce to serve with the chicken but nothing spectacular.

We had to get dessert, but for this course we showed a bit of restraint. We ordered two orders of the seasonal zeppole, which were served blazing hot and atop an aromatic pumpkin caramel sauce. The zeppoles were fresh and hot, their exterior crispy and dredged in confectioner’s sugar and their inside just barely cooked all the way—like that great brownie that’s just a minute undercooked or that chocolate chip cookie you take out of the over right as the surface begins to set. We devoured each and every zeppole and every last bit of the sauce within minutes. Our other dessert selection was the chocolate tart, served with pine nuts, sea salt gelato, and a drizzle of olive oil. The gelato, alone, was a little much to handle. It was more salty than sweet. The tart, itself, was bitter. Its chocolate was dark and bittersweet, and the accompanying pine nuts and the crust (which also had pine nuts in it) was not overly sweet. All together, it was an interesting bite. But the zeppoles definitely win as the dessert of choice.

For a group of six, with 2 cocktails each and a total of 14 dishes, 2 baskets of flatbread, a cheese plate, 3 desserts, and 3 coffees, it came out to about $55/person before tip. Not one of us left hungry or wishing we had ordered just one more dish. We did, however, leave with thoughts of when we could come back for more.

About Ronya Misleh

Ronya Misleh likes food. A lot. A foodie before foodie was even a word--growing up, she used to cry if dinner was something she didn’t like--Ronya has sampled the best (and worst) restaurants in all the cities in which she’s lived and plans vacations (and, really, her life) around eating. She hails from a food family—her mother is a great cook (despite the tear inducing meals) and she grew up in the trenches of family restaurants (first pizza, then delis)—so her appreciation for all things culinary does not come from far. Between that, her incessant consumption of Food Network shows, and the fact that she reads cookbooks as if they were novels, she knows what makes good food good and bad food bad.

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