Food: Mediocre minus The paparadelle had visible meat grease, and had a tiny amount of meat, not enough to contribute any protein to your diet. Unnecessary amount of meat fat. The gnocchi were soft pillows, but just ok. I kid you not, it was served in a Corning Ware casserole from 1970’s. It was like eating microwaved leftovers at your grandma’s house. So uninviting. The Caesar salad: they served 2 baby heads of romaine. It would be nice if they bothered to cut off the core, but no, I had to do it as well cut the lettuce up. 2 halves of soft cooked eggs on each side. Absolutely revolting. Hello! Eggs do not go on Caesar. Anchovy in the Caesar dressing is what gives it the familiar piquant taste. I could taste no anchovy in the dressing and would describe it s bland. Bread: $8 for 3 finger sized pieces of “Rosemary Bread” Barely a hint of Rosemary. I make my own rosemary bread and it wasn’t even as good as mine. Did they serve butter? No. Olive oil? Well you had to ask for it. The stuff they served it with tasted like a mix of Greek yoghurt and cream cheese with dill maybe? Shouldn’t it been served with rosemary butter? My guess is the spread they served with it is CHEAPER than butter or olive oil. Arctic Char: Very good. Good as in Iceland where it is plentiful and fresh. Cocktails: Not very good. I had a Manhattan and the bill said Makers Mark bourbon. It tasted harsh and rough compared to the Manhattan I had the night before. Then I had the Amalfi-Rita made with limoncello. OK, not great. Dessert: chocolate cake ganache - excellent. I would guess it was purchased from a dessert vendor, not made on site, as many restaurants do. Service: Irritating. A very nice man first took my order. Then a blond-ish younger lady served us thereafter. Loud voice, constantly interrupting our conversation. For ex: To present a check, it only requires it being silently placed on the table.. This woman interrupted our conversation yet again to say loudly “Well, I will leave you with this check now.” Then when I paid the bill, I was expected to do it 10 seconds. I finally had to say, I need more than 10 seconds. I would describe her response as annoyed. Decor: Very lovely in the inner enclave and it warm and cozy in there. Sitting on the enclosed patio was cold, especially with May evening temperatures in the 50’s. Would I go back? No.
After 5 weeks in the states , I was so happy to have diner in this Italian gastro restaurant and enjoy a bit more the real Mediterranean tastes. Even they mainly serve pasta, they were of a gastronomic level. We tried the 3 different pasta’s and all of them were just like we loved them in Europe and Italy. Try the piémontais chocolate cake and their ice cream. Just a great treat to repeat.
DO NOT GO HERE IF YOU HAVE ALLERGIES!! I attended sfoglina van ness this weekend and had a traumatic allergic reaction. I am severely allergic to all nuts among other things, and on my trip to sfoglina I was unwittingly exposed to Pistachios. Another guest in my party ordered the grilled calamari dish for the table, when it came around to my turn to order I made my server aware of the extent and severity of my allergies. The calamari dish did not list pistachios as an ingredient, only "romesco sauce" which coincidentally has nuts (not that anyone who is not a chef knows what romesco sauce is) . When it came to the table from a runner, the nuts in the dish were not obvious, and I ate some. Another one of the guests in my party noticed that there were nuts in the sauce. I immediately called over the server and asked if the dish contained nuts. He pulled out a cheat sheet with all the dishes that contain allergens from his pocket and confirmed that there were in fact pistachios in the dish. He followed the statement with a worried "What do we do now?". After that, in order to get ahead of the allergic reaction that was coming, I took 50mg of Benadryl on the spot and was able to control the extent of the allergic reaction while I was still in the restaurant. And after it became clear that because I had taken the Benadryl it was likely I would not have to use the set of EpiPens I had in my bag, the server did not ask if I was okay or bring the management to the table to apologize. I left the restaurant with a tightening throat and a severely unsettled stomach. After leaving the restaurant, I was occupied for the rest of the evening due to the sickness that my allergic reaction brought on. The next day after I had recovered, I called the restaurant to inform them of the situation (because I was too busy having an allergic reaction to talk to management the night before). I have had allergic reactions at restaurants before and I understand that things can sometimes slip through the cracks. However, I believe that it is a restaurant's DUTY to inform customers through the menu or a special allergen menu about what foods could potentially have very popular allergens. Listed on the website is sole "romesco sauce" with no indication that it has nuts inside. When I called the restaurant, the hostess redirected me to a management line, at which no one picked up. I left a message to them to change their menu to indicate all dishes containing nuts, and have not heard back. I hope this review will either open their eyes and identify that they have a potential legal risk if they don't change their menu, or inform another customer who could also be allergic to nuts and followed the same steps I did but wasn't as well prepared with allergy drugs in their bag.
Excellent pasta selection. Flavors, textures are all perfect. The portion size is not too big.
It was absolutely wonderful!!!The first C-19 is "kinda" over..restaurant visit,; without a limited menu or unhappy, snappy staff.In fact, the Manger made the rounds, checking on us..while praising and complimenting his staff.Everyone working there was smiling and happy to help.The service was only rivaled by the delicious full menu.The pasta was homemade, as was the Ricotta Cheese. Blanched Asparagus? pow!! PoW!! :)Here's a look a the decor.Talk later, my beautiful multicultural peoples ❤
I rarely review restaurants on Google but just had to share my wonderful experience at Sfoglina in Van Ness. From the atmosphere to the staff to the food, Sfoglina has it all. My party of 5 all adored our entrees, it really does seem that they do not have a bad item on the menu! The dessert is out of this world (TRY THE CHOCOLATE CAKE!!). The Restaurant Manager Eddie Huasasquiche and our Server went above and beyond any moment they could, they truly made it a wonderful dining experience. We especially enjoyed our servers willingness to offer recommendations of both food and drinks, they were all great choices.I look forward to returning back frequently and bringing other family and friends to enjoy this wonderful spot.
Fabio, what’s with the Top Chef sized tasting portions?! Your food is good, but most dishes are not entrée sized portions. Your food would easily rate 5 stars if there was enough of it to actually taste, eat and enjoy. But, as they say in the industry, if you can’t taste it, you can’t judge it. I know times are tough. But, the neighborhood is holding up the Van Ness location. So do better. We have lots more choices my friend.
I honestly can't tell you much about the ambience or the service, however I can tell you that I had the best pasta of my life. Really. Truly. I had the carbonara which is already a win with bacon, cheese and pasta, right? However, the pasta was delicious wide loops, the cheese sauce was creamy and complex and the bacon maintained its crunch. How sway?! I was delighted. This was the perfect place to catch up with a good, good friend.
Wonderful service. Delicious food.
Spectacular dinner. Visiting daughter in DC and ran across this place. 4 stars. Excellent service. Impressed.