At one point in my Washington, D.C. life I lived in Van Ness. Situated basically in-between the National Zoo and American University, it’s a pretty quiet city neighborhood. I had a few local hangout spots and would walk by Sfoglina every day on my way to work.
Sfoglina, pronounced “sfoal-yee-nah,” is an Italian word for women who create pasta by hand, rolling it out in sheets with a rolling pin. You’ll see that when you walk into the restaurant – older machinery used to make the pasta, along with rolling pins and tables. A smaller venue, you instantly feel at home when you walk in.
I love the affordability of Sfoglina. The pasta dishes, appetizers and wine selections are comparable to what you’d find at a very fancy restaurant downtown. The Chef, Fabio Trabocchi, also owns Michelin-starred restaurant Fiola, and Sfoglina seems to be his “neighborhood pasta house,” as he indicates on his website.
I went to Sfoglina for a birthday dinner with family, and they seated us in our own private room near the front. The atmosphere was prime for great conversation, the wine was flowing, and we devoured our pasta by enjoying every bite. And I’m not even a huge pasta eater.
