According to the Post, Casa Nonna stands for ‘House of the Grandmother’ and will resemble Carmine’s eateries in New York.  Pastas will be available in a multitude of serving sizes to facilitate family style dining, and main courses will include classics like shrimp scampi and chicken saltimbocca.  Prices will average $18 to $20 for entrees. Lunch and dinner will be served daily.

Despite it’s status as a chain restaurant, BLT Steak is one of our favorites here in town.  The service simply cannot be beat – and the preparation of the food is close to perfect as well.  We’re interested to see what they can do for the Italian restaurant niche which has largely been dominated by small pizza places and the likes of Buca di Beppo.  There are of course a few exceptions there (Filmomena and iRicchi, for example, are strong in quality), but we’re optimistic BLT will help revitalize some of the older standbys in town as well.

Opening Soon Downtown

Walking by the new restaurant and bar space for Againn on Wednesday evening, it seemed as though the last of the preparations for the new ‘gastropub”s opening were well underway.

Construction appears to be complete and empty boxes littered a room toward the back, having formerly held numerous bottles of scotch, bourbon and various wines.  Advertised as “a place to gather – your thoughts or with friends – and enjoy traditional British Isles pub cuisine presented in modern ware,” Againn seems like a promising addition to a corner opposite Brasserie Beck.

Not sure of the opening date as of yet, but we’ll provide an update soon.  Againn is at 1099 New York Ave, NW.  Oh, and apparently its not pronounced with an Irish accent, as we’d previously hoped.