Floriana - Dupont Circle, DC

Recently I was invited by Floriana to stop by and check out their restaurant. I've never heard or noticed the place before but it was a cute neighborhood spot. This Italian restaurant has been in Dupont Circle for 30+ years and all of their pastas are handmade.
There is street parking, and the closest metro stop is Dupont Circle on the red line.

The restaurant is inside of a brick rowhouse, so it feels like you're eating inside someone's home. It's very cozy, but kind of tight. The main dining rooms are on the middle floor. The top floor has another dining room for private parties or normal dining when the patio is closed. The basement is for the bar and kitchen.

We decided to eat outside, and that made for awesome pictures. While waiting for our food we were given bread, bread sticks, and a parsley/almond pesto spread.

The bf was so proud of this picture he took, so I'm posting it =)

We didn't know they were bringing out bread until after we had ordered, so we ordered bread, 'Parmesan Garlic Bread' for $4. The flavor was good, but the crusts were a bit too crunchy for my taste.

I ordered the 'Shrimp & Avocado' for $12. It wasn't a huge portion, and was a bit bland if the ingredients were eaten separately. I enjoyed it better when the avocado, greens, shrimp and sauce were all on my fork at the same time.

For our entrees, the bf ordered the 'Meatballs' for $14. It does not automatically come with a blizzard of cheese, but he likes it that way. The dish orginally comes with spaghetti, but he ordered it with whole grain fettuccine. The dish was ok. The meatballs didn't seem homemade, and the sauce was super acidic. The sauce tasted freshly made, but wow it was tangy.

I ordered the 'La Lasagna' for $17. This is Floriana's 30 year recipe, and it tasted so good! Very warm flavor. What was interesting was how many layers of pasta there were. Usually there's an equal amount of meat, cheese, and pasta, but this was different. The pasta was cooked truly al dente, and felt different from non-homemade pasta.

We were stuffed, but decided to share a 'Coconut Sorbet' for $7. The sorbet tasted like ice cream and was served in a coconut shell. I thought that was so cool.

The bf and I had an enjoyable evening, minus the mosquitoes (5 bites for me, 9 for him). The staff and diners were so friendly and nice. It was a really homey atmosphere, that seems to have frequent regulars. The menu was a bit expensive compared to other Italian restaurants though. Every Sunday and Wednesday night Floriana's offers half-price bottles of wine and every Monday and Tuesday half-pasta nights. Thanks again to Floriana for the invitation and the picking up the tab.

1602 17th St NW
Washington, DC 20009
202-667-5937
http://www.florianarestaurant.com/