There’s a glammy new addition to 14th Street from the Lahlou Restaurant Group, which already owns Italian focused Lupo Verde and Lupo Pizzeria on the busy dining corridor. Taking over the address that was once home to Ghibellina, Dolce Vita brings together Italian, Moroccan, Spanish, Greek, and French influences, an extension of owner Med Lahlou’s own roots in the region. “I see how you can mix the Greek with the Spanish and the Spanish with the Italian and the Italian with the Moroccan,” he says.
His culinary vision was brought to life by the restaurant group’s corporate chef, Juan Olivera, and Dolce Vita’s executive chef, Elier Rodriguez, who previously worked at Del Mar, as well as Las Vegas’ 2-star Michelin Picasso and 1-star Michelin Le Cirque.
“During the pandemic, this is what we worked on – the fusion,” says Olivera, who points to the chicken roulade as a prime example. Spiced with Moroccan ras el hanout seasoning and accompanied by harissa yogurt, the classic French preparation includes a Greek phyllo dough-wrapped fried goat cheese cigar on the side.
Other times, dishes taste classic, but don’t look like they would normally, such as burrata and confit tomatoes speckled with balsamic pearls and olive oil pearls. “We tried to play and be adventurous in the presentation, but keep the flavors traditional,” says Olivera.
Beef carpaccio, usually served flat as a meaty mosaic, comes draped on veal chicharrón. The idea is to eat each “chip” by hand after dragging it through the sweet black garlic reduction on the side. Named for the Greek city renowned for its fish markets, the Piraeus Market Pick features an array of oven-roasted seafood: prawns, calamari, octopus, sardines, mussels, and clams. The oceanic bounty arrives on a platter made from sea salt and egg whites shaped to look like a cresting wave. Another showstopper is demiglace-lacquered lamb shank topped with a smoke-filled dome that’s whisked away tableside. For further pomp and circumstance, guests can order high-end iberico ham, which is thinly sliced as they watch.
Meals are accompanied by a memorable (and complimentary!) bread basket from pastry chef Flor Argueta. As wide ranging as the restaurant’s concept, it brims with rosemary focaccia, tomato focaccia, za’atar dusted pita, pan de cristal, and brioche buns studded with sesame seeds and raisins. For dipping, there’s hummus, muhammara, and black zaalouk.
The Medi-minded cocktail menu is overseen by bar manager Daniel Omana, who worked as a bartender at Rossyln’s Salt and was bar manager at Liberty Barbecue in Falls Church. Memorable sips include the limoncello-powered Peppino Sorrentino, which gets its effervescence from prosecco and bite courtesy of a few dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters. The radiantly orange-hued Moroccan Spritzer is a blend of freshly squeezed mandarin juice, gin, Aperol, and arak, a Lebanese spirit adding an aniseed flavor.
Lahlou had a heavy hand in the design of the two-story space with seating for 230 guests. In the main ground floor dining room, dark wood floors and dusky lighting is contrasted by striking cobalt blue accents and flashes of white. A giant communal table by the front door features sunken wells to be filled with ice to keep bottles and seafood towers chilled. Across from the stretch bar, intimate booths are decorated with murals of Italian comedian Totò and actress Sophia Loren by Spanish artist Michael Pacheco. An open kitchen with a wood fired Marra Forni oven rules the back.
On the second floor, an eight-seat chef’s table is positioned alongside the glass-walled wine cellar holding 500 bottles spanning selections from Morocco, Lebanon, Italy, Spain, Greece, and America. The rest of the room is dotted with tables, its walls decorated with collages of Mediterranean actors.
The upstairs dining room will soon begin offering a tasting menu with an optional wine pairing. Starting New Year’s Day, the restaurant will start serving brunch. In the spring, they will open a to-be-named basement speakeasy in collaboration with Mike Bramson, co-founder of Social Restaurant Group (La Vie, Provision No. 14). Accessible through a separate entrance, the underground boîte will have a standalone bar with its own beverage and food menus, a small stage for live music, and approximately 100 seats.
Lahlou is already working on his next project, a new concept near Union Market tentatively set to open next fall. He’s tight-lipped about the particulars but says he will “stay in his lane” when it comes to the cuisine. “Then I move to Miami to retire,” he jokes.
Dolce Vita is located 1610 14th St NW. Open Sunday-Thursday 5 p.m.-11 p.m., Friday and Saturday 5 p.m.-12 a.m.
