Mike Isabella said he wanted to put his heart and soul into Graffiato – so he took a simple restaurant concept with Italian-inspired fare and gave it life with personal, thoughtful and bold touches. He built the wooden tables that line the restaurant with the help of his father-in-law; he used seasonal ingredients from nearby farms, he took flavors from his childhood and re-invented them to share with us. The heart and soul he poured into Graffiato emanate from the kitchen and come to life in your mouth. Many of the dishes I tasted are unforgettable: Sweet corn agnolotti with chanterelles and pine nuts – the sweetness of the corn was explosively concentrated inside the soft pillowy pasta, it tasted like summer - I could have eaten 10 plates. Another unique dish surprised me with its subtlety: Polenta with spicy pork meatballs and a soft egg. The surprise ingredient was the lemon peel sprinkled with snow-flake-lightness over the meatballs, a thoughtful touch that elevated the dish. During my first visit, I sat at the pizza counter and watched with amazement as the 670F wood-fired oven turned the carefully dressed pizzas into exquisitely crusty yet subtly yeasty pies. My dining companion pointed out after the first bite of pizza “when the crust is this good, it’s easy to find a favorite.” With toppings like black truffles and duck eggs or fried calamari and cherry pepper aioli there is surely a favorite for everyone. I can’t wait to go back and try countless items on the menu: the wonderful selection of house-cured hams from nearby farms (a rare gem in any city and especially here in DC); the local cheese offerings, the gnocchi with braised pork shank that Tom Colicchio sang praises, the bone marrow, the wood-grilled octopus, everything really. Luckily, Graffiato is the kind of place one could visit every week – the main floor is reserved for walk-ins, the rustic welcoming interiors beckon the diner to return often and the small plates of food give an opportunity to experience many flavors in one visit. Which is just what I plan to do – I’m lucky that I live 2 short blocks away.
