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Rambler Review: Tosca

Food:  First, you have to be impressed by Tosca's restaurant week menu.  They provide you with a full size menu (none of this select one from two crap) divided into starters, pasta, entrees, and desserts.  You may select a half order of pasta as your first course, or you may select a full order of pasta as your main course in lieu of one of the entrees.  Or you could have pasta for both courses.  For the first course, I had the roasted veal and spinach ravioli with red wine reduction, butter and parmesan cheese, and J had the organic squash gnocchi dumplings with brown butter and truffled imported fontina cheese sauce.  Let me just say that the veal ravioli was phenom.  It was swimming in a delicate butter sauce that made the ravioli melt in your mouth.  The veal, despite being ground up baby cow, was superb and had a rich, complex flavor.  Shavings of fresh parmigiana reggiano added the necessary "cheese element" that I look for in everything I eat.  I also had a taste of the squash gnocchi, which had a surprisingly full-bodied flavor.  I think it's safe to say from these two dishes that Tosca has mastered pasta.

For the second course I had the grilled pork T-bone steak, with roasted potatoes sautéed Swiss chard and rosemary sauce , and J had sautéed swordfish 'puttanesca' (literally: whorish) style, with tomato mashed potatoes and baked endive wrapped with imported speck (which is prosciutto-ish).  The pork chop was huge, and cooked absolutely perfectly.  Despite being rather thick, the meat was cooked consistently all the way through, and was as moist as a... well, it was moist.  I believe this was my first experience with swiss chard, which to me seemed like bitter spinach.  The rosemary sauce was also surprisingly bitter, so the bitter chard and bitter rosemary sauce really just exacerbated each other.  Admittedly, I expect a sweeter sauce with pork.  There's something about pork and fructose - they just go well together.  All in all, the dish was a little boring - not that you could have made it terribly exciting.  J liked her swordfish, and the tomato mashed potatoes are definitely something to try. 

For the third course, I had the roasted butternut squash and apple strudel "Tosca" with dried fruit compote and vanilla ice cream, and J had the warm chocolate cake with hazelnut ice cream, passion fruit sauce and spicy salted hazelnuts.  Both were absolutely delicious, and you couldn't go wrong with either.  Definitely save room for one of these desserts.

Service: Our waiter was very outgoing, knowledgeable of the menu, and prompt.  Despite a packed RW house, he was extremely attentive.  No complaints in the service department.

Ambiance:  Here's where we had some criticisms.  The ruffled beige curtains covering the windows really created a sterile banquet hall feel.  The curtains need to go.  There also wasn't any music, at all, which can definitely be a good thing, but I would have liked a little Vivaldi playing softly in the background.  Basically, the room is boring, and you really wouldn't know it from any other restaurant.  Or cruise ship.

Price:  The menu is on the pricier side, which is why this restaurant is a must-do during RW.  We saved over $40 on our bill because of RW.  Of course, we made up for it in booze.  Despite the pricey main course entrees, you could easily do a salad and a full-size pasta entree for under $30 a plate.

All in all, I think Tosca is a great restaurant with delicious food, despite my beef with the rosemary sauce.  The atmosphere belies the liveliness of the food.  The pasta is so good that I don't think I'll ever order a non-pasta dish again.  If you haven't yet, I would suggest that you add Tosca to your list of places to try.

Posted on Friday, January 13, 2006 by Registered CommenterRCR | Comments10 Comments | References5 References

References (5)

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    Periodically, we will publish This Week in DC Reviews, a roundup of reviews of DC-area restaurants, with quick links to DC-area restaurant reviews and mentions from the previous seven days in blogs, magazines, and newspapers. For a roundup of New...
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Reader Comments (10)

I just swooned a little when you pointed out that you knew what puttanesca meant.
Jan 13, 2006 at 04:14PM | Unregistered CommenterJordanBaker
Done. I'm going.

(critiquing the curtains? really?)
Jan 13, 2006 at 04:15PM | Unregistered CommenterKathryn
JB - Most of my knowledge of italian food comes from dating an italian girl. It's like a crash course.

K - you'll see. The curtains are cheesy.
Jan 13, 2006 at 04:35PM | Registered CommenterRCR
This is boring. You're boring RCR. What a stupid boring post. I don't know why I keep coming back here.
Jan 13, 2006 at 07:55PM | Unregistered CommenterWalter
Did you forget to bring Walter his doggie bag?
Jan 13, 2006 at 09:04PM | Unregistered CommenterWashingtonCube
Um, because you're a boozehound who lives in Seattle and this blog is the last thing in your life with any connection to coolness.

Tune in for my next post where I get in touch with my feminine side.
Jan 13, 2006 at 09:52PM | Registered CommenterRCR
Hmmmm...I have also found the decor wanting in Tosca, but my food wasn't nearly as good as yours either. Perhaps I shall have to return. (And as far as puttenesca, I spent most of a dinner once wondering how whores factored into my pasta and why I'd want them to. Cheap and easy, I realized. So why am I paying other people to whore up my food? More wine, please.)
Jan 14, 2006 at 09:43AM | Unregistered CommenterMegarita
With this review, you could be reviewer and a hooker for H&B--this offer is based on your metaphors and knowledge of whoredom's connection to the culinary arts.

Jan 15, 2006 at 04:24PM | Unregistered CommenterM.A.
when are you going to give up law and pursue a career related to dining?
Jan 16, 2006 at 11:35AM | Unregistered Commentere
As soon as it pays the same.
Jan 16, 2006 at 04:38PM | Registered CommenterRCR

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