Restaurant Finder

Teatro Goldoni

Cuisine: Italian Neighborhood: Downtown

Based on 9 reviews.

Address	1909 K St., Washington, DC 20006
Phone	(202) 955-9494
Fax	(202) 955-5584

Rater Comments

These comments express the opinions of individual Restaurant Raters, not those of Washington City Paper.

Review by capitolfoodies on August 28, 2009

In 2009, Teatro Goldoni won the prestigious RAMMYS Award for Favorite Restaurant and after dining there last night, Parry and I understand why. Chef Enzo Fargione isn’t just a chef to watch, he is a chef to experience – over and over again.

We started our culinary journey with seared potato-leeks-pancetta and crab cakes over cream of basil and a chickpea powder texture. The savory cakes were moist and flavorful and Parry felt the chickpea powder added a welcomed crunch to the dish.
Next, we dug into roasted cauliflowers dressed with bread crumbs, capers, roasted garlic, basil and Ligurian black olives over a carpaccio of roasted red and yellow peppers with polenta crackers and red beet chips. We expected this dish to be less savory and blander than the first because it is comprised solely of vegetables. We couldn’t have been more mistaken. The dish sang with flavor and as a self-confessed hater of beets I must acknowledge that the even the beet chips warranted a thumbs up.

As good as the appetizer experience was we were unprepared for the delicacy and scrumptiousness of our main course. Parry’s dish of roasted monkfish wrapped in pancetta and served over a reduction of Merlot red wine and oven baked artichoke hearts was awe-worthy. The monkfish was succulent, the artichokes delightfully seasoned and the reduction made Parry want to lick the plate.

After sampling Parry’s dinner and swooning I eyed my own plate of Teatro lithograph saffron pasta sheet cannellone filled with smoked and buffalo mozzarella, porcini mushrooms and served with arucola pesto and parmesan cheese foam. I commented that branding pasta can be deemed pretentious unless it is truly the most phenomenal pasta in existence. The first mouthful of the cannellone convinced me. Chef Fargione has every right to place his mark on this dish. The stuffing was culinary genius. The cheese was rich, creamy and smoky, the mushrooms delicate and the pesto intensely flavorful.

Parry and I wondered if a kitchen skilled in creating and producing savory dishes could deliver a sweet ending to an almost perfect meal. Fortunately for us, Teatro Goldoni ends the way they begin – with a bang.

The orange chocolate torte was a dreamy mix of quality dark chocolate and cocoa, zesty orange caramel and fresh pistachios. Parry, who normally rejects anything that combines orange and chocolate scraped the plate clean.

My dish of chilled strawberries and sweet rhubarb macerated minestrone with basil sorbet, poppy seeds and crunchy meringue was a refreshing surprise. The minestrone was sweet but not syrupy and the strawberries soft and tangy. The basil ice cream however, stole the show. The flavor was delicate and opulent and I must admit that I desperately wanted another scoop.

At this point, you get that Chef Fargione and his culinary team delivers innovative menus comprised of award-worthy dishes. But there is more to this story. From the second Parry and I walked in to our final moments in the restaurant, we were treated to exemplarity service. The Manager took the time to greet us personally, the bartender provided helpful suggestions regarding the wine list and our server Sayid was warm, skilled and attentive. It was obvious to Parry and I that everyone employed at Teatro Goldoni take pride in their job and their place of employment.

If the purpose of Restaurant Week is to introduce the masses to the finest food Washington has to offer, then Teatro Goldoni succeeded. Without question, Parry and I will return – over and over again.

Review by babs999 on August 7, 2007

What a disappointment. We go out to a nice restaurant in DC every week, and decided to try Teatro Goldoni for DC Restaurant Week. The food was just horrible. The salmon entree was cooked beyond a comparison with canned salmon: dry and tasteless. The tortellini was basically Chef Boyardee, with a meat sauce out of a can. Why not try to impress people trying your eatery during Restaurant week, instead of putting out cheap schlock because you are charging less? I'll never return, that's for sure.

Review by Good Eats on November 29, 2005

TG's has one of the best, if not the best, lunch specials in town. IF you sit at the bar you are able to choose from their bar/lunch menu which has a very nice selection of entrees all for the same great price and accompanied by a heavy pour from a nice house red. The first indicator for me of a good restaraunt is the bread, and it is very good here, served with a great olive oil. Today we went with calamari and the chicken stuffed cannelloni. Very tasty. The calamari was good for DC, served with an exceptional red sauce as well as a tartar of some sort. The cannelloni was stuffed with a mushroom-chicken concoction over a creamy red sauce and a delicious bright green pesto drizzled over top. The pork scallopini was pretty good as well from my last trip, the sauce being a very nice cremeni marsala, the cut of meat prepared to perfection even if the cut wasn't the best. The euro-modern ambience of Teatro alone will sell alot of DC folks that eat up the scenery at places like Rosa Mexicana, but the food speaks for itself.

Review by foody on May 25, 2004

Great ambience. Live jazz music on Saturday night. We made reservations one hour before going - no problem! I had a perfect tuna steak with caramelized onions. Yummy. My guest had the risotto which unfortunately was so-so. Good wine list. Desserts pretty good, but not a wide selection.

Review by laxchik07 on May 7, 2004

My three girlfriends and I went to Teatro to celebrate two birthdays. Once the Chef found out our special occasion, he stopped by our table and welcomed us warmly. We felt like stars at the restaurant. Needless to say, the meal and the service were impeccable.

Review by dcjaz on May 5, 2004

Excellent food but the indifferent service and mediocre execution place this restaurant low on my list. If the prices were more inline with the quality of service and style, I'd reconsider. After 3 disappointing experiences (2 lunches and 1 dinner), I've determined this is a low value equation.

Review by lahomx on April 5, 2004

Everyone I went with ordered pasta - some were average but the gnocchi was the best. The wine is generally very good.

Review by pretty-p on January 24, 2004

Review by Rhino on December 9, 2003

Chef's Table... arguably the best in the city.