Domaso (DC)
Domaso
(4th floor of the Hotel Palomar)
1121 North 19th St.
Arlington, VA 22209
(703) 351-1211
Website
Menus: Dinner, Lunch, Wine list
Mon.-Fri. 7:00am-10:30am,
11:30am - 2:30pm, 5:30pm - 9:00 pm
Sat.-Sun. 7:00am-11:30am,
5:30pm - 9:00 pm
Cuisine: Italian
Appetizers $6-$12, pastas $13-$23, entrees $19-$38
Domaso, a sparkling new Italian joint in Rosslyn’s Hotel Palomar, is a great-looking space. The low-lit bar opens onto a terrace with stunning views of Georgetown and downtown D.C.— sure to be a serious hot spot when it opens next spring.
Don’t be put off by the hotel’s half-done appearance. Some parts are still under construction, but the restaurant is complete and firing on all cylinders, with a wait staff that couldn’t be nicer and cuisine that slides Domaso right on to the (very) short list of solid upscale Italian restaurants in our nation’s capital.
To start, try the a torta ambros (cheese) fondue with truffles and baked polenta or a great, fried twist on a caprese salad with breaded mozzarella, oven-dried plum tomatoes, roasted peppers, and crispy leeks. The Caesar salad, contrastingly, is good but unremarkable.
My companions and I opted for pastas in lieu of main courses on a recent visit. We were rewarded with spaghettini, a skinny version of spaghetti sauteed with tomatoes, fresh basil, mozzarella, and delightful fried strips of zucchini. Gnocchetti, or little ricotta dumplings, were prepared with sauteed langoustines — a shrimp cousin — and a rich sauce made from garlic, olive oil, white wine, and probably half a pound of butter.
Giant tortelloni with potatoes, goat milk butter, and shaved pecorino were a bit of a disappointment only because the promised crispy pancetta made an appearance only as a garnish, not a main ingredient.
Domaso’s fun wine list, which is mainly Italian and broken down by region, encompasses 17 wines by the glass and several dozen bottles well under $50. Our waiter steered us to a 2005 Buondonno Chianti Classico ($49), which was extra smooth and almost chocolate-y.
If you find yourself needing a hearty pasta dish this winter — or a new, swank spot to sip, see, and be seen — give this newcomer a try.
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By Alison L. McConnell
Alison L. McConnell is a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and writer. A native of New Jersey and upstate New York, she attended Bowdoin College in Maine and the London School of Economics before settling in Washington, where she works as a financial reporter, food freelancer, and studies at L’Academie de Cuisine. Some of her favorite things to make are risottos, roast chickens, and cakes. She abides by a long-standing family motto: McConnells always finish their desserts.
About The Humble Gourmand
The Humble Gourmand is published the first Friday of each month, edited by Alison L. McConnell, a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and writer. It is designed to offer straightforward lessons and advice to aspiring cooks, oenophiles, and all other eaters and drinkers.
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