Claudio's Table Restaurant — Restaurant in Washington

Service was very attentive despite the crowd and time (7pm on Friday). Had to wait for our reserved table but not too long. But the food came out quickly. Good selection of wine by the glass. Bottles of sparkling water are too small for a table. Just use large Pellegrinos. Prices are very fair. I had two specials: fried artichoke and beef cheeks/polenta. Both were * excellent*. My mother snd daughter had pizza. Nice light crust. Maybe a little underflavored? A little salt helped. You could taste that the oven was new. Cacio e pepe was very good. The arancini were not my favorite version. I like saffron but maybe not as much in these. We ate them all, but there was no fighting over the extras. 2 Amy’s Suppli are still my favorite. I wonder if adding a little tomato sauce under the ball in the dish might liven them up a little. I don’t love tiramisu but my daughter got it and it was one of the best I’ve had. The olive oil cake was not as good: tasted like pound cake with olive oil drizzled over, rather than the spongey oily cake I’m used to. The large lump of white chocolate on top was kind of hard and awkward and we didn’t end up eating it. Overall vibe was great but the lighting needs improvement. The globes on the side were dimmed and nice. But the overheads, particularly at the entrance, were way too bright and too cold a color temp. Look into some dim-to-warm narrow/regressed beam overheads to cozy it up and reduce glare, and use dimmers. The other thing is the entrance: they have room to make two sets of doors with a vestibule in between. Do it! We were halfway back in the restaurant and could feel cold air every time someone came in (it was freezing outside). It would help with the waiting crowd at the front, too. Overall, I am very excited this place is here and I’m sure it will only get better. The other great thing about it is that getting a table at Et Voila is now a...

I usually don't leave reviews. However, the experience at Claudio's table was so remarkable that I had to give one. I am originally from Italy and seldom go to Italian restaurants because it is difficult to find authentic Italian cuisine in this area. However, a friend strongly recommended this place, and my wife and I decided to give it a chance. I am glad we went because it was among the best restaurant experiences we have ever had.

As soon as we entered, we were welcomed by the manager, and we were immediately allowed to sit at our reserved table. The environment is refined and casual at the same time. The restaurant has a beautiful open kitchen, allowing guests to see how the personnel prepare the food. It was rush time, and seeing the executive chef multitask and manage several dishes simultaneously was truly fascinating. All personnel were courteous and very accommodating.

Now let's talk about the most important part of the experience: the food. I had polpo as appetizer and spaghetti alle vongole as the main course. They were terrific. The polpo was fresh, cooked to perfection, and had some ingredients I couldn't recognize, making it even more enjoyable. The pasta was al dente and had a wonderful sauce that matched perfectly with the clams. However, what truly blew my mind was what my wife ordered. She had bruschetta as an appetizer and eggplant parmesan as the main course. The bruschetta was made in a wood oven and had a perfect consistency. It came with three sides that reminded me of the tastes of my childhood. Even in Italy, it is hard to find this quality of food. The eggplant parmesan can be a very tricky dish to cook. However, the chef nailed it and was able to cook it perfectly. For dessert, we had tiramisu and cannoli. They were both awesome.

We had a fantastic time at Claudio's table and can't...

Well, a mixed review here. Astounding food. Really good. We had the Gnocchi and the Bucatini. The Gnocchi was amazing . Soft, fluffy, perfectly constructed with a very good marinara, fresh Basil and Mozzarella. The Pork cheek-ragu on the Bucatini, as delicious as it was (and it was really good) was rather salty, and the “pork cheeks” sure seemed like sliced pork belly to me. There were generous portions, but I agree with a prior review it seemed a bit pricey. The service was smothering, the help was everywhere, all the time. Looking for things to do, they cleared the plates within moments after you finished, even before your table mates were finished. We felt rushed. The “open concept” layout may have something to do with it, there was just nowhere for the servers, wait staff, bussers to be that wasn’t right on top of a table somewhere. They all had to keep moving around to not appear to be hovering and it was a bit off-putting. The openness also contributes to the excessive noise. I completely agree with a prior comment… WAY TO NOISY! Perhaps creating a few booths might break up the noise somewhat? This is certainly no place to experience an intimate, relaxing dinner… too many tables! Too crowded! Too noisy! Too hectic! Ah but the food, what you really come here for anyway, right? …really delicious! We’ll eat here again! Growing pains… they just opened, and a prior review complained there was not enough service… now perhaps too much. We know Chef Claudio knows how to do it, I’m sure they’ll find a balance that will help the experience match the...