Filomena

This week is Washington DC Restaurant Week. I've never been to a restaurant week; basically it's expensive DC restaurants at "normal" prices. For 30 to 35 dollars, you can choose an appetizer, a main meal, and a dessert from a limited menu. Tonight was really fun and my first restaurant week experience at Filomena was a good one. Filomena is an Italian restaurant in Georgetown. Their limited menu was still larger than most restaurant week menus. I went with three other friends from summer school: Matt, Kris, and Miguel. It's been a while since all four of us from our infamous Summer of Sausages '04 have gotten back together as a group. It was nice reminiscing over good eats. Talking about eats, here is a breakdown of what we ate and my review (keep in mind I am not a food connoisseur whatsoever): If you want to skip all this and read the overall review, goto the bottom.

Appetizers

Bruschetta Trio -- Of the appetizers, I think this one my favorite. The smoked salmon with Creme Fraiche was soooo good, a great way to start off the night. It had the flavor of a smoked meat with the sweetness of a cheese. As I write this, I realize I know nothing about technically analyzing food, to me things are either tasty, really awesome, or damn-that-was-good. Anyway, Bruchetta Trio, good job, you are damn-that-was-good. A+

Funghi Alla Fiorentina -- This was stuffed white mushroom caps in a spinach and Italian Cheese. There were comments on the table about the cheese being too sweet but I thought that the bitter taste of the mushroom mixed well with the sweet tasting sauce. B+ Funghi, B+.

Arancini -- This was rice balls with mozzarella, bolognese meat sauce, and Italian rice. If you cut it in half, the cheese and rice oozed out. It was like a heart attack in a ball, and really now, any heart attack in a ball is heart-teriffic. B+.

Calamari Fritters -- I try calamari where ever I go. I love squid and I think there are so many variations of it that it's worth it to find the places that make the best calamari. This place was not one. The calamari was standard at most, they only had the main portion/the body of the squid. The little crispy and squiggly calamari tentacles were non-existent, and that's my favorite part. Calamari's acronym is C. Just like it's grade!

Vongole Oregantana -- This was Jumbo sized clams with a bread stuffing, almost as if they were fried. The garlic and butter were also stuffed in (as opposed to a dip) making this a pre-made present to the tongue. Aside from the Bruschetta, this was probably my second favorate appetizer. With lemon squeezed on the clam, it was Clamtastic. A+!

Entrees

Lasagna Alla Bolgnese -- This was homemade pasta sheets on Ricotta & Mozzarella Cheese. Mixed in with the Bolognese Meat Sauce, this was a great reminder of homemade lasagna. Of the entrees I tried, this was my favorite. In the front of the restaurant was a window showing two ladies hand making all the pasta that (I assume) they are using to serve in the restaurant. Personally, I think that extra touch of homemade pasta makes and breaks a lot of Italian food. Congratulations window cooking mamas, A+.

Dessert

Strawberry Mousse Cake -- This was a very light cake. It makes sense because there was very little yellow cake, most of it was mousse. That in and of itself was a bit of a deterrent, but the strawberry glaze on top really boosted the flavor of this dessert up. Pretty good, not something I'd die for, but I'm not much of a sweets guy anyway. Outside of flavor which was alright, the presentation was really well done. So, Presentation A+, Flavor B-.

After Dinner Drinks

After dessert we were offered free Italian drinks. There were two liquors to choose from. One was called Sambooka, and the other I don't quite remember. The one I tried, not the Sambooka, tasted like a really strong amaretto sour. Each drink cup had three coffee beans in it. Individually, they represented health, wealth, and love. When put together in a cup, soaked in alcohol, toasted and drank... I dunno what they represent, take from it what you may.

Overall

Given the circumstances, its hard for me to judge if Filomena is worth the money. The average entree seems to run about 21 or so dollars, meaning that it isn't too pricey. At the front there is a coat check, and overall the place is pretty classy. One GREAT thing about Filomena is the portions, they are gigantic. I went home with half of my lasagna today, and it was the smallest of the entrees we got as a group. Taste wise, every dish was well thought out. The balances of flavors was really nice. Bottom line, if you are not on a diet, and want to eat like Super Mario, definitely give this place a try. Health, Wealth, and Love-