Acqua Al 2, DC #2

Having just dined at Acqua Al 2 a few months ago, I was hesitant to try them again so soon. But, it's where my friends wanted to go, so why not?! Acqua Al 2 is an Italian restaurant in Capitol Hill and a very busy one at that.

We arrived around 8:20 for an 8:45 p.m. reservation on a Friday night. Little did we know just how packed it would be. There was almost no standing room and we would not be seated early. So, our party of five just stood near the bar, but sort of in the way of everyone else, for quite a while. We ordered some drinks at the bar and in the process, the bartender blew champagne all over Chris' coat while opening the bottle. For that, he was nice enough to give us two complimentary glasses. We were happy.

So we waited...and we waited. Finally about 20 minutes after our reservation time -- around 9:05, we were seated with apologies about the other party taking longer than expected. For that, they supplied the table with two free appetizers. They remarked that they knew vegans and vegetarians were in the party and had prepared a vegan artichoke risotto for us to start. Well, thank you. And it was delicious. This risotto had perfectly baked artichoke hearts wrapped in a creamy sauce that had everyone asking, "Are you sure this is vegan?" They happily confirmed it was. Yum!

For my first course, I started with the same salad I got last time because I loved it. It's the Insalata di Rucola e Pera, a delicious salad of arugula with thinly sliced Bosch pears tossed in a citrus, shallot, and dijon vinaigrette. Just be sure to hold the parmesan.

For my entree, I decided to try something different and I'm glad I did. The Fusilli Lunghi alla Fiaccheraia is a super long corkscrew pasta with layers of spicy tomato sauce and a touch of garlic. It was so fresh and so good.

Everyone was pretty happy with their entrees. We had a bottle of wine as well, but I forgot to note exactly which one we ordered.  The service throughout the night was as good as it could be. They were very busy, but you wouldn't have known it with the attentive service we received. Everything is priced appropriately with my pasta dish being $14. It was a lot of pasta for that price. And the atmosphere is loud, but fun. I especially love the DC-inspired decorative plate I found on the wall. How's that for intermingling traditional and contemporary all in one. So, we had another great experience at Acqua Al 2 who clearly cares about its customers. Can't wait to come back for more.

Previous review
September 18, 2014

Acqua Al 2
212 7th Street SE
Washington, DC 20003
(202) 525-4375