Fiola

After several years and lots of praise in New York, acclaimed chef Fabio Trabocchi has returned to DC – and the exact site of his first U.S. cooking job – to open Fiola, a more casual take on his native Italian cuisine than he was doing at the former Maestro in Tysons Corner.

The freshly revamped space previously housed Le Paradou and before that Bice, where Trabocchi worked in the 90s.

It's now one of the chicest dining rooms in DC, with an elegant mix of rustic and glam touches. (I want that creamy pearlescent tile floor in my house. And those stunning retro-mod globed glass fixtures in the bar.)

Meals begin with the seriously addictive housemade bread, like the savory love child of foccacia and a croissant. The menu offers a selection of antipasti and small dishes to start (go for the “stracciatella,” a pulled buffalo mozzarella with basil and cherry tomato) and progresses to luxurious pastas like a silky mushroom pappardelle or lobster ravioli and a selection of meat and seafood entrees.

For dessert, don't miss the ricotta bomboloni. Or the lemon basil granita.

Fiola
601 Pennsylvania Ave. NW (entrance on Indiana Ave.)
202.628.2888