A new Woodley Park destination for wood-fired pies, house-made pastas, spritzes, and happy hour is coming this month. Pastiamo Osteria debuts on Thursday, November 19 (2614 Connecticut Avenue NW).
“It’s designed to be part of the neighborhood and everyday
life — not just a special occasion,” Mehdi Zorgani, a hospitality veteran and the first-time owner of Pastiamo Osteria, tells Eater.
Pastiamo Osteria’s Neapolitan-style pies with a crispy crust ($17 to $24) include a classic Margherita; Pera e Gorgonzola with caramelized walnuts and honey; or the Diavola with Calabrian chile. Cacio e pepe is finished tableside in an aged cheese wheel — a popular restaurant trick. Other pastas include pumpkin-and-amaretti ravioli in a butter-sage sauce; squid ink linguine with shrimp, calamari, and clams; and spinach pappardelle with slow-braised lamb ragu. Italian entrees include a crispy veal cutlet with melted mozzarella and spicy vodka sauce, which is also finished tableside. For starters, there are burrata and arancini.
Most of its Italian wine bottles are in the $55-to-$65 sweet spot. During daily happy hour (3 to 7 p.m.), many are discounted to $27; glasses start at $12.
Zorgani wants Pastiamo to stay true to the osteria in its name. Typically, osterias are considered the most casual on the Italian restaurant scale, followed by trattoria and, the fanciest of all, ristorante. Over his 16-year managerial tenure at Sette Osteria, which has locations in Dupont and Logan Circle, the recently remodeled restaurants adopted more of a fine dining approach in look and price. “That’s not what an osteria is about,” he says.
He did some research and development this year with travels to Milano and the Emilia-Romagna region. Of the latter, he says: “My favorite, where you get a true idea of the osteria.”
“Nowadays diners are looking for more than good food — a great experience and great value,” he says. “The number one customer complaint is how expensive it is to eat out frequently. You don’t want to drop $20 for a cocktail.”
That’s why the pastas average around $20 and up, cocktails are $14, happy hour runs daily (and all day on Sunday), and weekend bottomless brunch includes $20 unlimited cocktails with an entree, which is a pretty sweet deal.
At the bar, cocktails include the Lil-Koi (chile-infused mezcal, passionfruit, and a Tajín rim); a vibrant purple Italiana (St. Germain, lychee, and butterfly pea syrup-infused vodka); Moraxpres (reposado tequila-infused Nespresso and Kahlua); and a mule made with fig-infused vodka. There’s also a mezcal Negroni, Aperol spritz, fresh-pressed juices, and a full espresso program.
The upper Northwest corridor is seeing more new restaurant traction as of late, from Highlands Tavern to Cork, and he thinks he knows why. “They’re tired of the traffic and traveling across the city to have a good meal,” he says.
“I didn’t want a cold space,” he says, of the complete gut renovation he performed. An open kitchen, striking bathrooms covered in blue-and-white swirls, and playful art like the Mona Lisa eating a pizza surround the glossy space lined with booths, standalone tables, and a 16-seat bar with an attractive green tiled backsplash. The 110-person dining room will be joined by patios in the front and back with room for 60.
“My goal is for people to come here without thinking. Their home away from home,” he says.
