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Alejandra

The reputation of the homemade pastas and lavish cakes at the Italian eatery, Filomena, proceeds itself. After hearing rave reviews about the restaurant in Georgetown from a friend, I decided to check it out. I walked by the restaurant a few times and opted for a less pricey menu elsewhere, but my curiosity did not diminish. I knew I couldn’t leave Washington without trying the authentic taste of this establishment.
Before my roommate left to return home to Los Angeles, I had my first opportunity to eat at Filomena. After what seemed like an eternal 30-minute wait on a Monday night, my three roommates and I were seated. The waiter, dressed from head to toe in a black suit and bowtie, promptly greeted us and took our orders as we pondered over the lengthy menu, with a cover boasting of the countless, loyal, celebrity guests, including U2’s Bono and former President Bill Clinton.

After deliberating between the Mushroom ravioli, lasagna, lobster linguine and bowtie pasta with shrimp and vodka sauce, I went for the vodka sauce, which I knew would be a winner. Minutes later, a basket bearing three delicious types of bread appeared, and we quickly devoured it.

It hadn’t even been 15 minutes when our main courses arrived. Four gigantic plates, overflowing with every imaginable shape of pasta, were placed in front of us and, like at any good Italian restaurant, we were offered a traditional dusting of fresh parmesan cheese. The rich aroma of the creamy tomato sauce lit my appetite and I dove into the most glorious and satisfying meal I’ve had since I’ve been in D.C.

After making a small dent in my portion, I was full and excited to take the remains of my meal home to enjoy for the rest of the week. When our plates were cleared, the waiter presented us with yet another long awaited menu — dessert. After a quick glance, the decadent Chocolate Truffle cake screamed our names.
The waiter promptly brought us the dark chocolate layered cake, iced in a rich mousse aside a pool of white chocolate cream. It was the perfect end to a meal that was well worth the wait.

Don’t let the cute little Italian lady making pasta in the window fool you into thinking it’s a tourist trap. Everything is from scratch and the prices are well worth it. If you are looking for a traditional, elegant and intimate Italian restaurant with world-class food, Filomena is the place to be. It’s no wonder it has earned AOL’s “City’s Best” Italian food three years running.

By Nicole Runningen, Digital Media Consumer Products

Bluntly said, Sushi Go Round leaves much to be desired. You walk in and the main attraction is the promise of Japanese food on a conveyor belt — gee, golly!

It’s an established feature in Japan that is a relatively new trend in the U.S., or at least on the not-West Coast. However, once you’re seated, you realize too late that the food — all placed on color-coded plates indicating their (over) prices — does not appear as succulent or as varied as you’d like. And some plates only have one small roll, which always inexplicably costs $3.50.
Going to this joint makes you want to take a trip down memory lane. This is not because the food reminds you of what you got in past restaurants, though, it’s because you’ll be longing for better meals after you pop that first piece in your mouth. You also have to have a memory in order to know what you are eating; there are no labels identifying the dishes.

Moving down the conveyor belt: The slightly rubbery consistency of the sashimi suggested time spent in the freezer. The rolls are less than beautiful and usually don’t contain more than two ingredients, caviar not included. Imitation crab is abundant. The cheapest plate you can get is $2 and only has a couple of dryish, unsatisfying rolls. And, a personal no-no to someone who frequents Chinese places, the hot tea is not free — it costs $1.50. For three tiny plates of about eight pieces of sushi, I paid $8.80, left, and don’t plan to ever go back.

On the bright side, after leaving my bag in the restaurant and asking for it at the bar, the bartender wouldn’t give it back to me until I had described the contents in detail. Which means that even if they aren’t into serving great sushi, they’re at least responsible.

By Allison Chang, Development

The North China Restaurant has some of the best, <em>authentic</em> Chinese food I’ve had in a while — and this is saying a lot, considering I eat Chinese food at restaurants countless times per year, and enjoy it 90 + percent of the time I’m at home.

To be granted, there are plenty of other restaurants in the area of quality, but on this night, my taste buds received a refreshing punch of flavors that merit recommendation.

If you’re looking for crispy, juicy and not-too-fat Peking (aka Beijing) duck at reasonable prices, head here. It’s about $15 for half a duck and $28 for a whole (keep in mind that half a duck can serve multiple people). A traditional meal, the duck is carved into sections and wrapped into a Chinese-style burrito with savory sauce and spring onions as accompaniment. Soup made from the bones and leftover meat, as well as a combination of delicious spices and tender Chinese cabbage is complimentary with each order and wows the palate — who knew leftovers could be so good?
But it’s not just the duck that’s great — venturing food enthusiasts should also check out the beef, the chicken, and, for you vegetarians, the exotic “stinky” tofu with chili sauce.

To be brief, the menu is large and varied, and there’s sure to be something to please most everyone and every tongue.

The service when I went consisted of most of the family — two sisters and the mother. Friendly and efficient, there are no complaints but rather one bonus: both sisters were raised here and speak fluent English! Feel free to ask them about the intricacies of any dish. So head on over to Bethesda Metro and treat your mouth to a culinary adventure, a flavor rollercoaster, or whichever other cliché you prefer.

By Allison Chang, Development