Thompson Italian — Restaurant in Falls Church

After a long awaited debut, we were excited to get a taste. As far as I could tell, if there were some kinks in the opening week, they have been swiftly fixed as things seemed to be running very smoothly on a busy night. There was a large staff available and each person who we had contact with (including the lovely and gracious Katherine Thompson herself) was sincerely friendly and eager to help. One standout was Alex, a very nice young man who aside from filling our water glasses regularly (something that I really appreciate in busy restaurants) went out of his way to chat with us and my 19 month daughter. Our waitress Ashley was attentive without being intrusive (again, something I greatly appreciate) and took good care of us throughout the meal.

We started with cocktails and wine which were enjoyed by all of us as well as the Heirloom tomato salad and the roasted garlic bread. Both were delicious. I'm all about the 'perfect bite' and I appreciated that the portion in the heirloom tomato salad allowed you to get a taste of each component of the dish in every bite. It really was a masterpiece - simple food, carefully prepared, and well seasoned.

Our mains were the Bucatini, Gemelli with shrimp, Ricotta Gnocchi with lamb ragu, and the penne with marinara for my daughter. We also ordered the spicy corn and summer squash sides. I chose the fresh fruit for my daughter's side and was thrilled to see it included big fresh blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and red grapes. It was the kind of fruit that I would hand select and feed my daughter at home (and I am very picky about fruit quality). The portions were definitely sufficient especially if you want to enjoy other things on the menu as well. All of the dishes were enjoyed and devoured.

The sides are definitely worth exploring, it was hard to choose only two. The spicy corn with fresh and pickled chilis, ricotta salata and espelette was so good, I could have eaten it all. I will need to work up the courage on future visits to inquire about the recipe as I won't be able to figure it out myself. It was extraordinary. My in-laws loved the summer squash (they grow in their garden and wanted to compare). The basil mixed in with tomatoes and green and yellow squash, was a nice addition. The flavors in each of the sides were layered and complex. Delicious.

I knew the olive oil cake was going to be a treat but I was not expecting the divine creme fraiche with maldon salt to be so ridiculously light and rich at the same time. The vanilla gelato was so perfect with a uniquely vanilla flavor; it might just be the best vanilla Gelato I've ever had.

I was pleased that each dish (apps, salad, mains, sides and dessert) arrived at the table perfectly seasoned. To me, this is a sign of a well-run kitchen and exacting chefs.

The service was on point, drinks came quickly, there were no lags between courses, and we were not rushed at all even though we had an early reservation and I'm sure they needed the table.

As with all new restaurants, it takes some time for each team within the FOH and BOH teams, to gel and gain experience regarding restaurant-specific service preferences. I do see a little room to grow for the service staff, in terms of knowledge of the menu (particularly the wines) as well as the way the tables were cleared and/or reset but it's a very nitpicky thing. I have grown up appreciating fine service in restaurants so I do notice every little thing and I can tell they are striving to provide a high level of service.

One last thing: I have a pet peeve when I go to a fine dining restaurant and find a sub-par bathroom. I'm happy to report that The Thompsons have spared no expense in this area. The bathrooms are immaculate and stylish complete with stainless steel 'I'd be happy to change my baby on that' diaper changing tables. Parents who have to change diapers in public restrooms will rejoice along with me!

Thanks to all at Thompson Italian for a lovely evening out. We can't wait to be...

I visited early on a Saturday evening to round out a recent tour of eight of Northern Virginia Magazine’s Top Ten restaurants. Room at the 13-seat bar was plentiful as early as I went with more traffic arriving soon afterwards. The barkeep on duty greeted me promptly and cordially. Over the course of two hours, my experience ended up consisting of their white wine spritzer for an opening drink, the spicy pork meatball appetizer, their octopus appetizer, the squid ink pasta with scallops and pancetta, the pork chop entree, berry tiramisu, and scoops of vanilla gelato, passion fruit and peach sorbets. Timing of my food courses initially was lightning quick for the appetizers and then settled into a more normal rhythm for the others. For whatever reason, I was not offered bread service nor explained any specials (I learned from a pair sitting next to me later in the evening who did receive both as they ordered.)

The drink had a bitter aftertaste, and I probably should have said something rather than hoping the taste would improve. (My rudimentary Spanish told me the barkeep checked with another bar team member for the mixing ratios for my drink before serving.) The plain aperol spritz I subsequently ordered tasted much better. The restrained portion of meatballs were spicy as advertised, texturally pleasing, and well balanced with the herbs and red sauce base — a satisfying start to be sure. The octopus was a highlight and worth an additional splurge. The eggplant purée was wonderfully flavorful on its own, but the farro and vegetables provided both earthiness and brightness against well portioned and cooked octopus. The squid ink pasta arrived thermally hot and predictable cooked perfectly as were the scallops so much so I cannot recall having more than one occasion of having scallops as tender and delightful to eat as these morsels. I found the pancetta adding a touch too much saltiness in this dish, but overall I was more than pleased with selecting this offering. The pork chop was cooked fine enough but for some reason seemed a little over salted for my taste. The polenta had a good consistency. I would like to have exchanged the chorizo element for more peach flavor if I could. In fact I would have liked to have tasted a bowl of the peaches with some vanilla gelato as a mini-dessert. Speaking of dessert, the tiramisu (had a look of a trifle as well to me) had predictably smooth flavors from a layer of cream and mousse. The presentation could be a little more refined seeing the layers drift into each other on the side of the cup (I can hear Mary Berry talking about even layers.) Finally the cookies and the passion fruit sorbets were great ways to end my meal. The vanilla gelato was good too, while the peach sorbet had a more subtle flavor than what I would have liked. In hindsight I think going with the classic olive oil cake offering might have been a better choice for me.

The meal totaled just over $150 without tax and tip which represents what two people might typically consume over two hours here as I did. Clearly pastas reign supreme, so anyone should leave here knowing how pasta and its accompanying proteins can taste at their best. Other pastas would be almost certainly be worth sampling as well as a classic dessert or two. Putting aside some finer points from my perspective one can see why this place has the...

Probably the best homemade Italian outside of Italy. Hyperbole? Maybe. But humor me, and indulge yourself, all the pasta and sauces are made from scratch. Which may not be unique, but the care and thought that went into each dish is most certainly. You can just sense that the chefs spent years thinking about, testing, accepting, rejecting, tweaking, and agonizing over each entree.

I just love it when creative people take their God-given talents and put them to good use.

The corn ravioli was sublime. Who knew they’d make such a great pair? It’s like Rogers and Astaire met on a plate, tangoed in your mouth and made sweet love all the way down your esophagus.

Thompson even figured out how to make standard spaghetti feel fresh. I’ll do it for this gnocchi anytime. Papardella? I have no idea how to spell you, but boy are you good. The garlic bread was inventive, cheesy and garlicky. No cheap bread dishes here. If you’re gonna carb up, folks, do it in style.

Then we tasted the eggplant. OMFG. It seemed like this vegetable spent a summer interning with Willy Wonka and emerged a dessert. How they made this bitter purple veggie taste so sweet, so inviting, so addictive, I’ll never know. As a side dish, it deserves a best supporting Oscar. It gave a perfect performance. Probably right up there with Michelle Pfiefer writhing all over the piano in the Fabulous Baker Boys. Making eggplant this delicious is one of the great wonders of the modern world.

We didn’t have the entrees just a lot of the pastas, which was plenty. We’ll go back another time and get some of the fish and meat. As someone whose mom made lots of homemade Italian, I can’t wait for her to try these dishes.

We were pretty stuffed by the time dessert rolled around. But I can’t resist handrolled cannolis or the other sweets we shared...chocolate mousse, olive oil cake and one of the ice creams. All perfectly sinful. Lucifer, here I come.

We were stuffed, certainly. But more than that, we were inspired and blessed knowing that northern Virginia has a true original in its midst. Not a chain. Not a franchise. Not a lazy pop up. Not an overpriced steakhouse. Not a fast food assembly line bowl restaurant with grain as your base. Just an amazing family restaurant. Oh, and they’ve got kinks to work out, for sure, like staffing, but that’ll come. What’s most important Is the food. It’s superb, and everything else will come along in its due course.

Ciao, and we can’t wait to chow...