One big positive of the restaurant is that its just a couple of blocks away from the 7th Street Metro Center subway stop, so it was quite convenient to get to. The menu offers either a relatively inexpensive tasting menu ($55) with optional wine pairings or an à la carte menu full of options for a starter, salad, pasta, and entree. I wanted to go with the tasting menu, but one of the items was made with gorgonzola and while I like gorgonzola, it does not like me. So instead I was faced with the daunting task of picking my meal.
But first, our waiter asked us what we would like to drink and when I said iced tea, he replied "Black? Green? Or Long Island?" I liked having the options, including the alcoholic option, and selected Green which was frequently refilled with an individual pitcher instead of a large bulky picture dripping with condensation. The waiter was quite helpful with the menu explaining to us which items were the house specialties but also letting us know that many of the dishes could be halved.
Ultimately we decided to go with the burrata appetizer which is a house specialty. I assumed it would come on one plate and placed in the center of our table, so I moved aside the complimentary bread and olive oil. I assumed wrong. The kitchen split the appetizer into two individual servings so that we each had our own beautiful portion. And I mean beautiful. The balsamic was arranged on the plate in a beautiful formation of minute drops. The burrata was creamy and the artichokes were delicate portions from the heart. If I had one criticism it would be that there was not enough crostini as I found myself using the complimentary table bread.
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| La Burrata (burrata, artichokes, tomatoes, balsamic, crostini) |
For our pasta course, my husband and I decided to share the pappardelle, another house specialty, mostly due to our desire to try pheasant. The fresh egg pasta was delicate and full of flavor. It had the nuttiness and creaminess of Parmesan cheese. And the pheasant and sauce complimented the pasta so well that I wished I wasn't sharing with my husband. I should also point out that again the kitchen halved the portion so that my husband and I had our own plates. The downside of the halving is just that - I only had half.
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| Le Pappardelle al Fagiano (pappardelle, roasted pheasant, morel mushrooms) |
For our entrees my husband and I went our separate ways. He decided to go with the halibut which as you can see was the perfect spring/summer course. The plate was gorgeous and according to my husband, the meal was quite tasty. I was too busy chowing down on my entree which I referred to only as "the pig" when I ordered it.
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| L' Ippoglosso (halibut, potato gnocchi, fava beans, corn, pea tendrils) |
As soon as my husband saw "the pig" he was jealous. As much as his dish reminded me of spring, mine made me think of winter. The fennel salad was warm and tasty. A delicate compliment to the luscious pig. The gnocco made me think of beignets from Cafe du Monde that were missing their powdered sugar. And the pig was tender slices of heaven. Initially I shared a bite of pig with my husband and his eyes closed as his mouth smiled when the pig touched his tongue. When I couldn't finish my plate I decided to give the rest of the pig to my husband and he looked as if he was in heaven. He commented that it was definitely the best item on the menu.
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| Il Maialino (suckling pig, fennel salad, gnocco fritto, cherry gastric) |
Since my husband's company was sponsoring our dinner, dessert was definitely in order. My husband does not like chocolate, so he selected what he deemed to be the one item on the dessert menu that does not contain chocolate. He was exaggerating as there were a couple of other items, but they were simply the cheese plate and the madeleines. I'm not going to criticize the restaurant for not having enough non-chocolate options as other diners should not have to suffer for my husband's deficiency. He truly enjoyed his panna cotta while I was busy easy chocolate.
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| La Panna Cotta (vanilla panna cotta, black mission figs, rosemary puff pastry) |
I have to say I was slightly disappointed by the tiramisu. I knew by the description that it was not a traditional tiramisu, but I thought the brownie would be softer. I did love the presentation of the dish and the mascarpone was delish. Overall it was just okay.
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| Il Tiramisu (tiramisu coupe, espresso brownie, amaretto mascarpone) |
I would highly recommend Drago Centro for either a nice night out or a special occasion dinner. The service was great. The ambiance was nice. And the food was delicious. And in the end, we did not lose.
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