Eastern Market -> Acqua al 2

Dearest friend M and I headed out to Eastern Market a few hours back. Neither of us had been, but I'd heard great things about both the food stalls and outdoor vendors so wanted to go. I had in mind a cross between an indoor foodie heaven, a farmers market and a fabulous flea market. I'm sad to tell you that I found none of those impressions true. Apparently, the "flea market" stands only set up during the weekend, so we missed that aspect, and today's outdoor food stalls run from 3-7p so we were too early for those. Left with the interior market, we felt disappointed. An Asian market was selling Aunt Jemima pancake mix, and a Middle Eastern place was selling Cava spreads; Cava stuff is terrific -hummus, harissa, etc- but this was not a Cava stall. We felt very underwhelmed so decided to walk around Capitol Hill instead. As hunger set in, a quick Yelp search reminded me that Acqua al 2 was literally around the corner.

I have long wanted to dine at Acqua, not least because the first is in Florence, Italy, near my sister's home. My parents have raved repeatedly about the filet with blueberry reduction sauce, and I love the look of the place. Secondly, I am lucky to call my friend, one of Acqua's restaurateurs, Ralph Lee (also of Ghibellina renown). Ralph and his wife are two of my favorite people, and I don't get to see them often enough. So I buzzed Ralph, confirmed that Acqua was open for lunch, and M and I headed right over. Ralph popped over to see us just as we were being brought an astoundingly sublime appetizer that I don't recall ordering but am thrilled that someone thought we did.

As this dish was placed in front of us, I asked, "Are those peaches?"

"Yes!"

"And is that burrata?"

"Yes."

"Oh my god, I cannot wait to eat this!!!!!!" I exclaimed, having to restrain myself to not grab a piece and stuff it in my mouth then and there. Ralph, M and I continued happily chatting, and then finally, I could not stand it any longer and slyly dragged a serving onto my plate.

They saw me.

With wild abandon, I cut a bit and placed it delicately in my mouth. Of.the.gods. I am telling you that this is a masterful combination of fresh ingredients and one I will be recreating immediately. M took a bite, shut her eyes and we both just went to town. There are not enough superlatives to describe my time with this plate of food. I could have eaten several more orders. Instead, we opted for the Insalata con Rucola e Pera (arugula and pears with shallots and a dijon vinaigrette), the Fusilli Lunghi alla Contadina (a super-flavorful vegetarian ragu that you would swear included meat) and a side of Spinaci Saltati (sauteed and salted spinach; possibly my favorite Italian side dish). Everything was delicious, fresh and bright. The salad, spinach and peach-burrata crostini are perfect examples of simple food at its best: take great ingredients and let them shine, best done when the chef 'underacts' by not trying too hard. Yes it takes skill but also restraint.

Aah!

Coolest night in a long while = Ghibellina; with kids?

Two moms, three kids 7 and under, meeting up at a hip joint near the witching hour. What could go wrong? As it turns out, nothing- if your destination is Ghibellina.

Since my ragingly good and delicious maiden voyage at 14th St NW's Ghibellina, I've longed to go back. Recently, a foodie pal mentioned that she'd heard the happy hour was kickin' in the best of ways: cocktail specials; half-price pizzas; the same old welcoming and warm ambiance... Sold. We have some terrific friends who live just around the corner from Ghib so decided to meet them there tonight for the figurative ringing bell: the 4:30 happy hour kick-off.

I may have slightly threatened the children regarding good behavior or dessert-loss-for-a-week, but otherwise ushered them into Ghibellina with joy. They exclaimed over the handsome "fleur-de-lis, mommy!" and immediately requested sausage pizza and pesto pasta. Yet before we even reached a table, we were intercepted and greeted by none other than Ralph Lee, one of the creative forces behind this new'ish DC gem as well as Capitol Hill's Acqua al 2. (Full disclosure, the three of us were extremely lucky to have just recently met Ralph who married a very dear friend.)

Ralph graciously gave us a tour of the restaurant -how Angelica so masterfully rolls the perfectly proofed pizza dough into flawless, non-sticky orbs is beyond me- and introduced us to chef Jonathan Copeland; he showed the kids the ice cream maker's master switch, and you just knew gelato was in our future. The kids thought the pizza oven was "SOOOO hot but cool" and belatedly got Ralph's joke about the walk-in fridge being the "coolest spot in the whole place." Everyone was welcoming and enthused, and it was obvious that the atmosphere Ghibellina exudes is pervasive and sincere. Very Danny Meyer really, and I mean that as the cream of compliments!

We finally made our way back to that fabulous U-shaped bar I loved and planted myself at several months ago (and which, I discovered tonight, Ralph and his restaurateur-partner, Ari Gejdenson, designed!); the kids took over a three-top just behind us while my pal, KP, and I happily commandeered two bar stools. A Lagunitas IPA for her, a glass of Fiano for me, pizzas for the kids, and a very good night it was looking to be. J wolfed down four slices, 2 each of the salsicce and Margherita; Oliver refused to speak until he'd wolfed three of the Marg; little Ms agreed that the sausage pie was delicious; and then the gelato did arrive: pistachio and fior di latte. Both were inhaled as if they'd been nothing more than incredible, dairy-dream apparitions. I didn't even get a taste!

Meanwhile, K and I were on round 2, ordered our own pizza and in the meantime went wild over and could hardly speak during the two appetizers we were brought: shaved octopus, pimentón and fried capers with a chickpea-wilted arugula salad; and a ridiculously good green-and wax-bean summer salad dressed in lemon-mint vinaigrette and pickled onions. When Jack tasted the latter, he smacked his forehead and sighed with pleasure. I concurred. Both were spectacular, and we pretty much licked our plates. My only edit, if you will, is that I'd have left the arugula raw or only just-wilted; its naked peppery punch provides such a tremendous yet subtle kick for which both chickpeas and octopus often long.

Oliver had also requested a slice of the olive oil cake (I loved this dessert last time; macerated amarena cherries, mascarpone. Being that he assumes all cakes means some variation on chocolate and vanilla, he was disappointed. I was absolutely thrilled, and K and I ate it all.

I must give a shout-out to my dear hubs who after two hours picked the boys up and took them home whilst K and I (and her little gal) stayed to finish Round 3 and all else. Delightful in every way, and I can't wait to go back.

It's something special when folks create a place that not only provides its customers great food, but also where they can feel comfortable staying a while, enjoying la bella vita; a bit of Italianate culture here in the States. Job well done!