We had dinner at Cesco's last night (thanks to Tysons Corner Play & Learn for their monthly Parents' Night Out). It's not often now that the waiter in an Italian restaurant is Italian, but ours was, and provided some of the best table-waiting we've had in a while. He, as well as the other waiters, also made it a point to invite us to let him know if there is anything we didn't like or couldn't eat in a dish. We had appetizers of a portobello mushroom in a splendidly balanced onion, garlic, and herb sauce with a slice of tomato on top. It was served steaming hot in a shallow crock, wrapped in foil which the server peeled back for us. The calamari was a generous serving of not only the rings but the tentacles (Bart Simpson style), with greens. It tasted great if you can handle looking at it. The papardelle, homemade, as are all their pastas, with rabbit sauce was wonderful except for a few shards of bone. The rabbit was shredded and very tender with full flavor. The risotto of the day, with shrimp and asparagus, was properly al dente and perfectly creamy. Everything was served immediately, as though right from the hands of the chef. We shared a tiramisu for dessert, which was good but rather airy and light in flavor, despite the heavy dusting of cocoa. The cappuccino was also very foamy and lacked punch, although it was decaf. The setting successfully reproduces an Italian trattoria. The semi-urban clatter of Bethesda outside contrasted with the alive but relaxing atmosphere inside. There is also abundant outdoor seating, which we passed up on this humid D.C. day. The hostess visited our table to ensure everything was satisfactory. She made a point to tell us that Francesco Ricchi makes all the pasta himself (a seemingly tedious task for an executive chef--could this be hype?) and is there cooking all the time. The check, which also included a bottle of mineral water and two glasses of house chianti, was about $75 before tip.
Washington, DC