Sunday, October 26, 2008

Paolo's - Georgetown, DC

A few months back my bf took me to Paolo's, and Italian restaurant located in the heart of Georgetown. The closest metro stop would be Foggy Bottom-GWU on the Blue/Orange line.

It is located on Wisconsin Ave near N St. It has outdoor seating along the side underneath an awning for when the weather is pleasent outside. Due to the restaurant's location there is only street parking available, which can be a bit of a hassle when you're trying to make your reservation time.

The inside is decorated with trendy yet warm decor and is a normal sized restaurant with a bar in the front. There are 2-seater tables along the wall, booths in the back, larger tables in the middle, and another room off to the right. Sorry my bf's arm is in the shot!

We had reservations on a Saturday around 6pm, so it was not really crowded at all, however when we were leaving there were a lot of people around the bar, and much more hustle and bustle in the dining room.
I ordered a glass of red sangria, which was delicious and arrived in a tall skinny glass with fruit on top.

While waiting for our food we were given seasoned breadsticks to dip into a sort of olive-spread. If you love olives, then you'd love it. It was a bit strong in flavor, so I did end up eating most of the bread alone.

For our appetizer we ordered their 'fried calamari with spicy cherry peppers and house marinara' for $12. It was very tasty, and had a great crispy outside that was seasoned well. My only critique would be that the outside would fall off the squid everytime I stuck one with my a fork, so a lot of the time I would eat the squid 1st then pick up the fallen fried part later. Stupid camera!

My bf ordered a dish that was a daily special, so I don't remember the name since it's not on the menu. Sorry! In a nutshell it was duck fried in puff pastry. I am a lover of all things duck, however this duck was much more gamey than I prefer.

Now onto my entree! I ordered the 'risotto of spring pea and fresh herbs with arugula, prosciutto di parma and parmesan cheese' for $15. This was my 1st time having risotto after all those years of hearing that word on the Food Network. It is a rich and creamy traditional rice dish in Italy. It was actually very yummy! Be forewarned, it's very green because of peas, herbs and arugula, therefore it tastes like steamed veggies. It is not a light-flavored dish, but I would get it again.

Also gotta love the cool bowl it came in!


We were so full that we didn't have room for dessert but they do have 9 different options for those with a sweet tooth. The most expensive item on the menu was the '10oz. cayenne espresso filet mignon' for $32. Service was good, not wait either.

I would recomment this place for an easy-going date, and since it's in Georgetown you can walk around town afterwards, and it's cute on the inside. However I did see a table with 3 little kids at it, so it can be a family restaurant since the volume in there was average.

Regular Hours
Sunday:
Kitchen Hours: 10:00am - 11:30pm
• Brunch served from 10:00am - 3:00pm
• Pizzas served until 12:30am
• Bar - last call at 1:30am

Monday - Thursday :
Kitchen Hours: 11:00am - 11:30pm
• Pizzas served until 12:30am
• Bar - last call at 1:30am

Friday:
Kitchen Hours: 11:00am - 12:30pm
• Pizzas served until 1:30am
• Bar - last call at 2:30am

Saturday:
Kitchen Hours: 10:00am - 12:30am
• Brunch served from 10:00am - 3:00pm
• Pizzas served until 1:30am
• Bar - last call at 2:30am

1303 Wisconsin Ave, NW
(202) 333-7353
Website

Paolo's on Urbanspoon

1 comment:

CHEF said...

The duck was probably a little gamey due to the fact that, as chefs, we have been forced to seek out new outlets for our duck purchases. Maple Leaf Farms, the largest producer of duck and duck related items (which produce the best flavored duck around), has been forced in the last 3 months to recall all of their duck products because of a supposed listeria outbreak. (The plant has since reopened and are producing again) suppliers are not as skilled at controlling the gamier components in the flavor profile. Just a little insight.