How Aventino Has Brought the Eternal City to D.C.’s Doorstep
Is it us? Or does Bethesda seem a bit more like the Eternal City these days?
Yes, it’s one of Washington’s inner suburbs, and yes, it’s exactly 4,481 miles away from Rome, but thanks to chef Mike Friedman (of The Red Hen and All-Purpose Pizza fame), it feels a whole heck of a lot closer.
Friedman’s Aventino, which debuted in January, channels a modern look but serves traditional Roman dishes — pastas, pizzas, and some desserts that might be hard to come by, unless you book a flight to Italy.
“Rome is one of my favorite cities because it has an incredibly rich and complicated history that you can physically walk by, experience, and learn from,” Friedman says. “This history is also pushing against the modern world. It’s a juxtaposition on various levels. We’ve tried to touch on that excitement.”
He and his team have channeled this sensibility into a restaurant that is easily one of the most exciting new additions to Maryland’s dining scene in the past year. It can function as a swanky date-night option, or the locale for what feels like a small dinner party with friends, or a spot for a proper spritz when out on the town in Bethesda.
We wanted to learn more about Aventino, some of Friedman’s favorite dishes, and how to score a seat on short notice. (We promise there’s a way.)
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1. Aventino’s menu reads like a love letter to Italy. Bonus: No jet lag.
The restaurant is named after one of Rome’s seven major hills, but it also tilts toward Maryland in showcasing local purveyors and Mid-Atlantic produce, including Chesapeake seafood.
Friedman’s favorites right now? “I gravitate toward the pizza rossa and the pappardelle al stracotto. Both are simple but elegant,” he says. “They pull on my heart strings for sure.”
His pizza rossa is an ode to those you might find at stalls along the winding cobblestone roads of Rome’s Trastevere or Prati neighborhoods.
Meanwhile, the pappardelle is a time intensive, full-on homage to Italian slow cooking. Each pasta dish is made fresh in-house and in this case, Friedman cooks down his slow-braised short rib and oxtail ragu over many hours, then tops it with sofrito and rosemary, and last but not least, a healthy heap of Parmigiano Reggiano.
Meanwhile, fried artichokes are served up in the Roman Jewish style with mint and salsa verde as you might find in Rome’s Jewish Quarter.
2. These dishes are meant for sharing.
The menu format should feel pretty classic to Italophiles — and the dishes are built for the table to enjoy. (Although you may not want to share.)
Antipasti include risotto fritters (suppli alla Romana) and a bright and fresh chicory salad. Friedman creates this dish with shaved fennel and frisée and topped with a tangy anchovy dressing.
Further down, you will find a section dedicated to fresh, housemade pastas. In addition to the pappardelle, it includes a tonnarelli cacio e pepe with Pecorino Romano, parm, and black pepper. And a decadent tortellini dish with luscious whipped ricotta, autumn squash, toasted hazelnuts, brown butter, and, you guessed it, more parm.
If — and that’s a big if — you make it to secondi, you will find main courses dishes like orata — a whole-roasted dorade with braised greens, toasted pine nuts, currants, and charred lemon. Or next level, porchetta-spiced lamb ribs, topped with toasted sesame and herbs and served in a wildflower honey vinegar to soak up with any extra bread.
3. Cocktails and wine also have an Italian accent.
Chelsey Cantanucci, a Red Hen vet, is behind the beverage menu — similarly designed to pay homage to Italy’s classic cocktails. That includes spritzes and Negronis along with a vibrant Italian-leaning wine list from wine director Joe Quinn.
While Friedman will try anything on the cocktail or wine lists, he steers toward the espresso martini or “wines derived from volcanic soil. They have a great mineralogy and fruit-forward character that goes well with all the food we serve.”
Another personal favorite from the cocktail menu is the Pink Lotus, with Aperol, gin, lemon, egg white, and orange bitters — an especially aromatic and citrus forward cocktail.
Beyond that, you will find a variety of spritzes, including blood orange, Lambrusco, and pomegranate options, plus a selection of non-alcoholic cocktails including the aptly named Phony Negroni, with fig, thyme, panela, and ginger beer.
Pro Tip: How to score a seat in a pinch?
Aim for Sunday supper. (Or a bar seat.)
Aventino’s reservations have started to fill up quickly. No surprise: Fridays and Saturdays book up fastest, according to Friedman. He suggests doing as the Italians would and booking a Sunday supper, one of the slower days of the week for the restaurant.
Or plan ahead. Reservations open one month in advance. You can also use the Resy Notify feature for shorter notice seats that open up.
If all else fails, Friedman suggests nabbing a seat at the expansive bar, which really is the best look at your meal being prepread in action. Already, several regulars have found their way to the bar to sample the dinner menu. This is part of an effort to keep the restaurant accessible to locals.
“Our bar seating is first-come first-serve, which makes it a great last-minute snag,” Friedman says.
4. Live la dolce vita … with dolci.
Whatever you do, make sure you save room for dessert.
Pastry chef Anne Specker, previously with CityZen and Kinship, brings several popular Italian desserts to the menu.
Her menu includes affogatos that pay homage to those you might enjoy in Florence. It comes with a choice of housemade gelato and animal crackers on the side for extra dipping and noshing.
Then, there’s the show-stopper. “I absolutely love the Amalfi lemon float,” Friedman says. His favorite part is the theatrics of the dish. It calls for a tableside pour of homemade juniper-coriander soda atop Madagascar vanilla gelato and layers of kiwi, coconut, and candied citrus.
5. The details are in the design.
Aventino’s bi-level space contains a robust 130 seats, with a décor that tilts Old World but brings in just enough modern touches.
Bold and bright pastels, along with planted greenery and statues, add a bit of Eternal City flair. But the art and vintage furniture are sourced from all over Maryland.
As you enter, you’ll descend into the restaurant’s main level, which is anchored by a large, emerald-colored, marble-clad bar. Those are some of Friedman’s favorite seats.
“I love bar dining in general, and ours is an amazing one,” he says. “You can really feel the vibe of the restaurant and see the bartenders at work.”
Groups may want to opt for one of the green velvet banquettes with marble-topped tables — large enough so you can order the entire menu to share.
Bonus: A Pizza Shop Next Door!
Did we mention the smell of fresh pizza hanging in the air?
Friedman has also opened AP Pizza Shop, a smaller version of his All Purpose pizzeries, next door. And here’s a little secret: You can access the pizza shop through a back entrance before you reach Aventino’s bathroom should you need a pie to go.
AP includes a counter for grab-and-go service, or dine-ins, and there are pies similar to those you might find on the All-Purpose menus, as well as their essential dish — roasted garlic knots with an effortlessly light whipped garlic butter.
If you leave Aventino without leftovers — and that’s a real possibility given the crave factor of Friedman’s cooking — you might consider grabbing a pie for when midnight munchies strike.
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