a toast to mario

I went to one of my new favorites, Anchovies and Olives (anchovies and olives) with my dear friend DC.  A and O is right off of Madison and 15th on Capital Hill- sort of a quiet spot for a restaurant, but parking isn't much of a hassle.  I've been here once before during restaurant week and loved it.  A last minute decision to grab dinner with DC brought us here.

To our delight A and O had happy hour until 6, so we happily partook in a $5 glass of prosecco and $1 oysters on the half shell.  The oysters were divine, served with a light mignonette that enhanced the briny flavor.  They went down quickly without a hint of grit and we had a lovely toast to DC's dad, Mario, who had been ill.*

Next up was the endive, arugula, ricotta and anchovy salad.  This is similar to what I had during restaurant week last month which I have not stopped fantasizing about.  If you like salt and seafood, this is the salad for you.  The creamy, acidic dressing is like a caesar dressing on steroids.  The endive is sliced in thin circles and the crunch and bitterness hold up nicely to the bold dressing.   I love this salad, which also paired nicely with the prosecco.

On to the course- mussels in a verde broth.  The broth was green as noted in the description- very herby and light (parsley and mint?).  The mussels were outrageously plump and juicy, some almost as big as the oysters.  The flavor was subtle and slightly cleansing- a perfect followup to the powerful salad.

Round two beverages were a glass of wine for DC and an "Annie" for me (A and O's version of a manhattan- yum!).

Up next was the pasta- a nice tagliatelle with clams, bacon and cabbage.  This had a great blend of flavors- the sour from the cabbage, saltiness from the bacon and a pop of the ocean from the clams.  We were starting to slow down a bit and packaged the leftovers.  This is the second pasta dish I've had here and I would say pasta is not the star of the show.  Nothing bad about it, but I prefer the seafood dishes.

One more glass of wine brought us to our final dish, swordfish with farro.  This was DC's favorite.  I love the fish but could have done without the side.  The swordfish had a great sear, simple seasoning and was firm yet flakey.  There was a flavor in the farro that did not jive with my palette.  I think it may have been the fennel...?  Again, great dish.  Great company.

We finished off with an almond cake (they were out of our first choice, some sort of chocolate/caramel concoction).  We were not disappointed.  The cake was moist and flavorful, not too sweet and was served with whipped cream and fruit compote.  Another winner.

You really need to love seafood to love Anchovies and Olives.  There are not really any vegetarian options or chicken, beef, etc.  It's all seafood- GREAT seafood!  I can't wait to go back.

Ciao Chow

*DC's dad Mario, who we had been toasting throughout the evening, passed away later that night.  He was a larger than life man who appreciated great food- I raise my glass to him.