MANGIA, DC!

The Capital City is quickly becoming a veritable "foodie" city. However, one thing about the DC dining landscape is that there aren't any specific pockets of ethnic food enclaves. For instance, in NYC you definitely know where to find a plethora of Chinese restaurants, and even the trailings of a once-abundant Little Italy. Baltimore, too, boasts its own Little Italy, while San Fran is home to a quaint Japantown, China town, and North Beach (Italian). Then there's sprawling Los Angeles, with its many pockets of places specializing in Viet, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, and even Indian cuisine.

DC, on the other hand, is a little more integrated with its food communities. Not that it's a bad thing, but you definitely have to venture outside the city limits in order to find a thriving ethnic food community like Annandale (Korean) or Falls Church/Eden Center (Vietnamese). And while I love that my Asian cousins are representin', I really wish there was an area that is more Italian-centric.

Nonetheless, DC has it's own spattering of Italian dining spots. They range from the chainey, to the hole-in-the-wall, to the "mom & pop's," to the high-brow. Recently, I was able to visit a relative new-comer to the DC-area's Italian dining scene: Potenza.

Conveniently at the corner of H and 15th Streets NW, Potenza sits comfortably on a large corner that is easily accessible to city dwellers, area employees, and visitors alike. As the latest addition to the Stir Food Group family (Zola is also theirs), Potenza is somewhat of a triple threat, serving as a trattoria, a bakery, and a wine bar.

I had the pleasure of dining at Potenza with two of my friends during this past restaurant week. For a Tuesday night, the place was bustling and packed. I presumed that the crowd was a mixture of restaurant week patrons and happy hour celebrants, but wouldn't be surprised if this is the norm for a fairly new-ish addition to the city's dining roster. As the DC palate continues to evolve to amazing levels of sophistication, Potenza fits in like a glove.

While the dining area could potentially seem a bit stuffy, it is pretty vast with a conglomeration of stand alone tables, against-the-wall seating, and large comfy booths. The wait staff is quick, and all casually sport their Italian "soccer" jerseys. When the place is packed, conversation nicely bounces off the walls, but not to the point of annoyance; it adds to the charm, and gives off a lively air.

A view of the bar

The food itself was very good, with dishes ranging from being on-point to being ridiculously excellent. This isn't The Olive Garden, that's for sure. And it's miles away from Maggiano's. Potenza is possibly the epitome of "mangia."

My dinner party enjoyed the following appetizers: Arancini alla Salsiccia di Cinghiale (fried risotto balls stuffed with wild boar sausage and provolone), Frittelle di Baccala (salt cod fritters, parsley aioli), and the Insalata Mista e Antipasti (Romaine, treviso, provolone, salami, roasted peppers, red onions, tomatoes, oil cured olives in a red wine vinaigrette). Together, the three would've easily passed as a full meal encompassing the strong, delicious flavors of the risotto balls, the perfectly seasoned cod, and the smart taste of the salad.

Our main course followed: Mezzelune di Ricotta (half moon pasta stuffed with ricotta, spinach, preserved tomato and fontina sauce), Coda di Rospo con Limone Olio' Oliva (lemon olive oil poached monkfish, pancetta, artichokes, olives), and Cotoletta di Maiale alla Milanese (Milanese style pork, arugula, charred lemon, parmesan and arugula pesto). The pork was nicely cooked as good as a Milanese can get, but was just a tad bit salty. But coupled with the mezzelune pasta, and it was a hit. The monkfish also shined with the infusion of the lemon, pancetta, and olives.

To end the night - we partook in three of their delectable choices of desserts: Bombolini (oven baked Italian doughnuts morello cherry confettura), Chocolate-Hazelnut Semi Freddo (milk chocolate and hazelnut mousse with an espresso sauce), and Tiramisú (Espresso soaked lady fingers layered with marsala whipped mascarpone, chocolate-cinnamon sauce). The Italian doughnuts would've been perfect with a cappuccino, and the tiramisú was pleasantly not-too-sweet. I've had instances where the tiramisú just wouldn't cut it: either too sweet, or not sweet enough. Potenza has the formula down. The clear winner of this round, however, went to the Semi Freddo... the hazelnut mousse being the clear stand-out.

Potenza might come off as a bit high-end, but with reasonable prices, and good food to match, the whole experience turns out to be more comfortable than anything else. And despite the fast-pace of restaurant week, no one seemed to rush us out of there. What we got was a perfectly quaint, and tasteful, dinner... which is really all you can ask for early on in the week. It is definitely worth a visit.
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Potenza, 1430 H St. NW, 1430 H St. NW, (202) 638-4444

(Photos courtesy of the restaurant's website.)