Siroc Restaurant — Restaurant in Washington

After returning to Washington DC for the second time we decided to eat at our restaurant of choice for a nice dinner.

We made reservations just to be sure we would get a table, as we have found in the past the restaurant gets filled quickly for dinner and of course we arrived right at time of opening.

We were again greeted as we were family and our hosts also remembered us, even after not visiting for quite a while and that is impressive. It was again a very comfortable environment, the music in the background was relaxing and set the perfect ambience.

Our wonderful hosts literally remembered the wine and the beer we ordered prior to dinner the last time we were in. I was extremely impressed and felt right at home. This attention to detail you will only find in the finest of restaurants.

We again enjoyed our wined with the freshly baked bread and olive oil, this bread is very soft, light and has a wonderful salty top to it. We also ordered the cheese plate, I thoroughly enjoy this cheese plate. The four options of cheese combined with the fresh plum and maple butter pairs perfectly with the Rosso De Montalcino.

I decided to order one of the specials being offered, a ravioli filled with braised beef short ribs and red potatoes, if it tasted as good as it sounded I was going to thoroughly enjoy this dinner. Our entrees arrived and I was absolutely taken back by the flavor in the ravioli I ordered. The ravioli appeared to be layered in more of a gravy rather than red sauce and had a nice thick layer of fresh Parmesan sprinkled on top. Cheers!

In my opinion the ravioli was sitting in a wonderful gravy, sauce, that was seasoned to compliment the contents of the pasta perfectly. The flavor of the braised short ribs was phenomenal in this pasta, and definitely not overwhelming whatsoever. This entree was put together perfectly from beginning to end, the ingredients were married together and presented exceptionally. There is no guess work here and that is why I am willing to try new entrees without concern of being disappointed.

Unfortunately due to time constraints we were bot able to sit and enjoy dessert, I guess I will save that for next time and have two! We will return when we are in the area next as it is our restaurant of...

3.5 stars - it felt as if we traveled to a small town in Italy for authentic local pastas. The menu offered half a dozen of seasonal pastas and allowed for half portions if ordering two. Each person in my group selected his/her own combo and as a group sampled the entire pasta menu. I personally went with lamb ragu gnocchi and butternut squash cappallacci while my husband went with their pork belly carbonara and seafood tagliatelle.

While we waited for our pastas, we were given a complimentary arancini to start and also shared an order of their house made eggplant burrata. Both the starters were beyond scrumptious. Along with their complimentary bread basket, I was already stuffed from appetizers + bread alone. Then came the pastas - first impression - the portion was twice the size as we had anticipated; we would had been more than satisfied by one half portion alone - oops. But the pastas were too good to "save" for later, the gnocchi was pillowy soft + melt in my mouth good, the butternut squash cappallacci - although a bit cold and undercooked, I couldn't say no to anything made with butternut squash. I somehow found myself polishing the bowls and plates. Goodbye summer beach body, we'll try again next year.

Even though my friends and I thoroughly enjoyed the food, the service left much to desire. The wait staffs were extremely pushy especially when it came to clearing the table and serving the next course. We had to ask multiple times to please don't take the plate of unfinished food away. It was clear we were still working on our first course. I understand that they didn't want the freshly made pastas to sit and get cold, but I wished they would tone down their aggressive approach/time management. We all felt rushed and uncomfortable.

Overall - a great option for yummy...

One of the best 'under the radar' places for Italian in DC, Hidden in the Business district, Siroc offers very good quality, upscale Italian cuisine that's quite affordable.

Pasta is made in-house here and the Chef shows good imagination in pulling tasty ingredients together cohesively. Another nice touch is that most pastas are available as a 1/2 portion, I often get a 1/2 portion as a starter, them choose a non-pasta as my entree (although I love the burrata and smoked salmon appz here if available). There's really no slouches on the menu. I do heart the Lamb Shank w/ Eggplant (sort of deconstructed version, give it a try) entree, it's never left the menu since they opened. Desserts are quite good as well. I especially love their Warm Almond Cake, that's paired with a seasonal Zabaglione sauce and topping (in winter, it's often a Cinnamon Zabaglione with Blueberry topping -- excellent). All dishes have good plating here (i.e. nice presentation). Nice selection of Italian-emphasized wines, many by-the-glass options in the $9 - 13 range (many right around $10),

Lunch is also good here. More pasta and sandwich-based. Even these dishes have a nice touch and presentation to them.

The front of the house is managed actively by the Owners. Service here is formal yet pleasant, they're trained well.

Give this place a try. In this part of town, Siroc (Italian / Mediterranean) and Mio (Puerto Rican / South American) are the 2 best options for dining by far. But there's a special...