Dinner at Al Tiramisu

Al Tiramisu is where you should go for dinner.  I am not a huge fan of Italian food, I usually think: why pay $20 for a plate of pasta when I can make it just as well at home for $1.75?  But this is truly a good restaurant.  I've walked past it a million times, and every single review I've read about it has been sparkling.  So I thought I'd give it a shot.  It was the best decision I made all week.  

The restaurant is small and unassuming.  The staff is friendly and professional.  The atmosphere is warm and inviting.  And the food. . . the food is delicious.  

There were two in my party.  Julia (who it would seem is becoming my regular dining partner for the purposes of this blog. . . actually, that is pretty much a lie.  She has been my regular dinning partner for the last ten years) and I made plans to meet at the restaurant 9:00pm.  I called ahead and asked if we'd need a reservation for two at 9:00pm on a Tuesday, and the deep Italian accent on the other end of the line said "its always better to make a reservation."  So I did.  We arrived at nine, and the same deep Italian voice greeted us with a very bright "bona serra!" once we stepped inside.  We were lead through the small homey dining room to a table near the back along the wall.  

As soon as we sat down, we were offered still or sparkling water and presented with a basket of assorted breads with olive oil and a little pot of chopped olives.  Our waiter (who also had a lovely Italian accent) told us about the specials, which consisted of a surprisingly wide variety of seafood along with a few beef and pork options.  We ordered some red wine, and took our time looking over the menu.  

The shaved fennel and orange wedge salad caught my eye, and Julia opted for the buffalo mozzarella and eggplant to start.  Our first courses were wonderful.  Light, flavorful, and fresh.  The fennel was mild and delicious, dressed lightly with oil and lemon and paired perfectly with sweet succulent sections of juicy orange.  

For the second course, we both decided on the ravioli stuffed with spinach and ricotta cheese, served in a butter and sage sauce.  It was absolutely divine.  The pasta tasted fresh enough to be homemade (and they do make some of their pastas in house) and the warm flavor of the butter and sage sauce complimented the spinach and creamy ricotta perfectly.  The portion was a little to big to finish, but not quite big enough to take left overs home.  

After digesting for a few minutes we took our waiter's advice and agreed to peruse the dessert menu.  Everything sounded amazing, and after being so impressed with dinner, it was difficult to choose which confection to end the meal with.  I went for the custard with berries, and Julia chose the chocolate custard with amaretto cookies.  I must say mine was better, but they were both delicious, and presented very artfully, topped with little slivers of chocolate, and decorated with interesting fruity sauces.  

All in all, this dinning experience was wonderful.  I would give it eight out of ten, which merits four out of five stars on my rating scale.  It would be perfect for a date.  Or anytime you want an above average dinning experience.

Al Tiramisu serves dinner seven days a week, and lunch Monday through Friday. Reservations are recommended for dinner. The restaurant is located at 2014 P ST. NW (on P street between 20th and 21st). PH: 202/467/4466. Al Tiramisu webpage