You’re going to hear a lot of food writers gushing about RPM Italian (601 Massachusetts Avenue NW), and it’s all true. Making its D.C. debut tonight, RPM has been inviting food pros to come visit for a couple of weeks, and it’s actually been a bit of a delight — something which is not always true. The interior is cool, lush, and swanky. The acoustics are so good that the servers don’t have to shout. The perfectly tanned celebrity co-owners, Giuliana and Bill Rancic, are really nice and love to talk about food and family (Giuliana is from the area and her parents still live in Bethesda). And the pasta is, in a word, sublime.
The best part of RPM is possibly what you won’t see: the kitchen, 3,500 square feet (yes, we said 3,500) of gleaming stainless steel, top-of-the-line machinery, and scores of chefs lined up and making pasta by hand in every shape, size, and texture. Also windows. If you’ve ever worked in a kitchen, then you’ll know how rare it is to actually have access to sunlight; take a stroll along the Massachusetts Avenue side of the restaurant and get on your tippy-toes to take a peek inside.
Of course, the part of RPM that diners will see is pretty nice, too. The mirror-ceilinged bar is large and inviting, surrounded by windows and outdoor patios, making it a perfect spot to sneak away for a not-too-sweet bellini made with fresh peach purée on a hot summer afternoon. Across the lobby, you’ll find the first dining room, lined with comfy banquette seating and anchored at one end by the amaro bar. With just six seats, it’s a perfect perch with what feels like your own private bartender, who will be happy to serve up cocktails as designed by Chicago-based beverage director Julian Cox, or school you in amari, from introductory montenegro to more ambitious fernet. An additional dining room in the rear provides additional seating and can also be turned into private space for a wedding reception or other parties.
But, it is really all about the pasta at RPM Italian, which they perfected at their Chicago location before coming to D.C. If you’ve ever been to Italy, and, frankly, even if you haven’t, you’ll immediately taste the care that has gone into crafting every silky-smooth bite. From the hand-cut pappardelle with a rich short rib ragu to the hand-rolled strozzapretti (fun fact: that translates to “priest strangler”) swimming in butter and black truffles, food writers at a preview lunch a few weeks ago were literally squealing with delight. Embarrassing, but true.
Since that preview lunch, food writers went back again on Monday for the crazy crowded crush of the launch party, highlighted by Italian prosciutto that had been aged for 600 days and what seemed like hundreds of RPM’s signature Old Fashioned cocktails, each one topped with a darling little butterfly-shaped orange twist.
If that wasn’t enough, yesterday I was invited to sit at that wonderful little amaro bar while mixologist Cox showed me how to make The National, which he created just for the D.C. restaurant. It’s a riff off a Cuban cocktail called the Hotel Nacional — a perfectly refreshing blend of dry rum, fresh lime juice, and simple syrup, brought together with freshly juiced pineapple for a silky mouthfeel. “I figured we’re in D.C.,” says Cox, “so why not have a little fun?”
Sorry, Gin Rickey, but your days as D.C.’s favorite drink may be numbered. I’ll have The National, with a side of cavatelli.
