Alta Strada Embassy Row — Restaurant in Washington

So I went here this week for restaurant week and I can say it’s some of the best pasta I have had in the city! I was so thrilled to go here and even more satisfied with the experience! I started off with some kind of alcoholic punch or something- the waiter recommended it and it was delicious! Followed by the RW grilled broccolini. The broccolini was very well seasoned and had an amazing taste! I crushed it fairly quickly. My friends got the burrata and the calamari which they also enjoyed. Next course I got the ricotta agnolotti. Can you say amazing?! Like the taste was sooo spectacular! I actually just reheated the rest and it was still amazing. There’s so much flavor in the dish and I was just so happy with every bite! My friends got the pizza and the chicken parm which they also loved. But I can go on and on about my entrée because it was just so good! Lastly I got the tiramisu which was also on point. My friends got the bombolini and the vanilla bean cheesecake which also was a hit. We have zero complaints about the food! The servers were extremely nice, great with suggestions and were making sure our expedites was a great one so we are thankful for that. The host was super nice as well. We say outside because it was an amazing night and the seating is on the sidewalk but it’s well set up. However because it’s DC please beware of vermin :(. We saw a rat come from the grassy areas not far from the tables and run under a few tables- and you know DC rats are fearless. A few of us cried out but that was the only one I saw within the 90 mins or so of us sitting outside. Limited parking because it’s street parking. Most streets in this area it’s pay to park until 630p but there’s also a lot nearby. The inside is cute as well. I love bathrooms with a good mirror and bright lighting and this one was kinda small- but that’s not like an actual issue lol. Just my preference lol. Overall I’m extremely satisfied with my visit here and would love...

I am so sad I didn’t have my phone to take pictures BUT it was a good experience. My friend and I both tried the same thing. I can’t remember the name but it was the pasta with Italian sausage. So so good. Portion sizes are generous. I had enough for breakfast the next morning. We also ordered the garlic bread appetizer to share. It was really good. The server said they cook their garlic in the butter first before adding to the bread. My friend and I shared it but it could have easily been shared with 4 people we were being greedy. Generous with the marinara sauce as well. We commented on how the servers shared additional information like the butter comment and just about the dishes or having different water options and many people around to wait on us. We appreciate that kind of attention to us during dining experiences. Like you don’t just drop the food and run. It’s a reasonable sized place. We got same day reservations for 8:30 they weren’t full at all for a Saturday. I hope that doesn’t mean they are losing business because they are great. I only had 2 cons but not enough to knock off a star. I felt like my pasta was lukewarm? The bread was fresh and hot but my main dish was not. I also feel like they had a small selection of red wine which is surprising given wine’s contribution to Italian culture. To be clear they had a long wine list, but only 4 wines were available by the glass and my friend doesn’t drink wine so I wasn’t going to get a 48 $ bottle myself. I just ordered the cheapest one I didn’t know many of them by name to be honest I also saw two people at a table with expresso martinis and I thought about getting that instead but didn’t see them on the menu and didn’t want to be shocked by the price (since the cheapest glass of...

We enjoyed our dinner at Alta-Strada because of the service. Israel was warm, inviting and courteous. The other wait staff attentively kept our waters topped off.

The food however was just ok. My 12 hour braised short rib was very good but the sides did not pair well. The bitter greens were too bitter and the rosemary in the polenta cubes was overwhelming. It lent to a disjointed dish. Likewise my wife's rockfish piccata did not pair well with the same bitter greens that were on my plate. My usually hungry 14 year old ordered a portion of spaghetti with his chicken Parm but didn't eat much of it. I tried the side dish of spaghetti and agreed that it tasted weird. The tomato sauce had a strange metallic taste that was unpleasant. Finally my 10 year old really enjoyed his Penne a la vodka but his meatballs were mush. Supposedly beef and veal and ricotta, there was no bite to it and left an unpleasant mouth feel. The exceptions were the "world's best" garlic bread we started with - Crusty, buttery and served with a side of hearty marinara and one of our desserts, the chocolate cake - sweet, creamy, chocolatey and crunchy Choco crunch pearls made for a good post meal finish. The other dessert was a scoop of concord sorbet which, if you like sweet, would be a good recommendation as it was a slightly grapey sugar bomb.

All in all, we had a good experience but subpar food. I think most of it is easily fixable.

$240 for 4 mains, an appetizer and 2...