Etto

Etto is a modest restaurant in the Logan Circle neighborhood of DC specializing in small plates, house-cured meats, and brick oven pizzas.  Amy Morgan and Peter Pastan teamed up with David Rosner and Tad Curtz of the Garden District to open what already feels like a long-time staple of the neighborhood.  Closest Metro is U Street.

Keith's brother, Andrew, was in town for the weekend, so we headed out to Etto for an early dinner.  The restaurant itself is fairly small on the inside, but there is extra seating outside on the patio.  We chose to sit inside in the nice cool AC.  The front bar area had the daily salads on display.  The descriptions were tempting, but I was a little weirded out by them being all out in the open by the front door like that.

Our server was very knowledgeable about each of the shared plates, and allowed us time to look over the selections.  First, we ordered drinks.  I started with an $11 glass of Grillo "Zagra" Vale dell'Acate white wine that was crisp with slight hints of citrus and white flowers.  It was very light, and later switched to a brighter white that was much more aromatic called Zibbibo "Lighea" Donnafugata for $12.

We decided to shared the Salumi All'etto & Burrata.  The three meats for $18 we picked were a semi-gamey and peppery capicola, mild maialino, and smoky and spicy chorizo.  The burrata was an additional $11, and was very creamy and drizzled with olive oil that added to the richness, and paired well with the meats and homemade bread.  This simple starter was almost satisfying enough for me, especially with my glass of wine.  But of course, we needed to order more.

Keith wanted to try a hot baked item, so he picked the Eggplant Parmesan.  This classic rendition was great in all aspects, and a nice size for $9.  I especially enjoyed the tomato sauce and fresh basil.  The guys could have used more bread to soak up the remaining sauce, but refrained knowing we had other food coming.

Next, we ordered two pizzas at $17 each to share.  Sticking to the classics, we got a Margherita.  The crust was fluffy and chewy with slight char.  Though thin, the crust was not soggy in the middle as other places often mistakenly prepare their pizzas, which we appreciated very much.  The stellar tomato sauce was the perfect medium to marry everything together.

We also tried the Sausage and "Friarelli" loaded with bitter greens, sweet sausage and fresh mozzarella. This white pizza was also good, but the rapini was a bit overpowering to me and Andrew, and maybe would be better on a red-sauced pizza.  Keith loved it, as he is a big fan of bitter greens.

Overall, we enjoyed our meal, and we ordered the perfect amount for the three of us to share.  The interior was bright and soon filled up with more patrons.  The prices were a bit high, yet Etto definitely has a more casual neighborhood vibe and is a great place to catch up with old friends over some charcuterie, pizza, and wine.

Total Rating: 3.8
Food: 4, Price: 3, Service: 4, Ambience: 3.5, Accessibility: 5

What I ate:

Salumi All'etto & Burrata

capicola, maialino, chorizo

Eggplant Parmesan

Margherita

Sausage and "Friarelli"

Rapini, Mozzarella