I returned to the Cafe Milano in Georgetown today. This is significant, because it's something I vowed never to do after my first visit a few years ago. My experience then was so unpleasant that I wrote off the place as being just another glitz-palace for the Eurotrash (sorry if this term offends anyone, but in Georgetown, I am afraid it is apt) and avoided it entirely. An eye appointment a block away gave me cause to head over to Prospect Street for another look. What did I find?

The Building

There is not too much to look at here. The building is on Prospect Street, a quiet side street a couple of blocks up from M Street, just off busy Wisconsin Avenue. The restaurant is easily found by its enclosed and trellised garden in front. Surely a harbinger of good things to come, or one would think.

The Rooms

While there are several rooms here, most of the hoi polloi will be directed to the main room with its noisy bar. The room is attractive enough, with warm ochre walls and rush-seated chairs at the tables. Crisp white linen is on the tables at any hour you may go. All in all, it is a good looking room, even if the decorative scheme depends too much upon wine posters and champagne buckets. From all of the wine buckets and champagne bottles around, one would think it runs from the taps here. It probably does run from the taps in the private dining rooms upstairs!

The Menu

First Course

I began with a simple lobster bisque ($8.00). While the presentation was attractive, with a huge white bowl and good bread on the side (good olive oil too!), there was scant evidence of lobster here. I detected a couple of small shreds, and that was about all. Flavor? Well, at least the dish looked pretty, because there was very little flavor to this bisque. In fact, the bisque tasted as though the chef had overturned a flowerpot into a blender and rendered the pot and all into a clay-colored bisque. Aside from having almost no flavor at all, the bisque had a wonderful consistency....

There are other options (and thank God for that). I won't go into a long description of the menu here, but your options are varied. A number of salads, soups, sandwiches and so forth are offered at lunch. The dinner menu is even more varied, but stays close to its northern Italian base. The food here is usually good, so you may not have too many problems.

Pasta

I tried the Risotto con Tartufo Nero di Norcine di Vitello ($20.00). Risotto can often be a minefield for most restaurants, and I am pleased to say that they came through with this one. The consistency was nearly perfect, and the flavor was subtle, helped along by the black pepper and parmesan the waiter brought by (I still loathe huge pepper mills!). While many of the portions here are on the small side, I could not finish this dish. No matter how good it is, risotto tends to solidify into a sludge before long.

There are any number of offerings here that may be worth consideration. the spaghetti with lobster and broccoli sounded interesting, as did the ravioli with veal and saffron. What you must remember here is that the cooking, while competent (mostly) is not the main attraction. Star-gazing seems to be the order of the day (or night).

Wine

If you want to, you can really outdo yourself on their wine list. There are wines for every budget, as long as your'e not on one. The wines here go into the ionosphere as far as prices are concerned. There are a few bottles in the under $50.00 range, but they are scarce. I had a glass of chardonnay vin ordinaire, and it was $10.00! Fortunately, I only had one.

Service

This time, I found the service attentive and helpful. The waiter never left me for long, and was always quick to whisk plates away (but not too quick!) and he seemed to know his job well. On my previous visit, I was seated near the entrance and midway through my first course, the maitre'd asked (essentially commanded) me to move. "We are so sorry (not really)...this is Mrs. So-and-So's table"....where I had been seated by their staff! Before I had the chance to realize what was happening, I soon found myself at a forlorn spot next to the kitchen door with nary an apology or an amendment to my bill. I was appalled and vowed never to return. Fortunately, I can say that the service today was friendly all around, from the staff at the door to the efficient waiter. Only the water pushing irritated me. If I want to waste $8.00 on a stupid bottle of water, I will do so upon my own volition! Don't push expensive water on me.....

Clientele

This place is stylish, or fancies itself to be so. Expect to see the latest faces from the pages of the Washingtonian magazine here out in force. I did not see Marlena Cooke (or whatever her last name is now). It was here that her famous ride down M Street, straddling the hood of her Ferrari began.....If you don't know whom I am referring to, this was the last wife of the late Jack Kent Cooke, multi-billionaire owner of the Redskins and a cable/multimedia empire. This place attracts celebrities, or celebrity-spotters and hangers-on like flies. As Rene Lecler said about Palm Beach, if you are feeling at all common, stay away. You will be eyed up and down as surely as if you were at the door of the Metropolitan Club. Dress the part.

Dress Code

This is a place to see and be seen. While dress at lunch is permissive, dinner is another matter entirely. If you show up in anything less than the style of the moment, you will be shunted off to Siberia. Dress carefully here at night. At lunch, the fashion mavens are asleep (or more likely hung over from all of that champagne).

Cost

My simple lunch cost about $55.00. This is not a place to go for a bargain lunch. Was it worth it? Not really. There are better places in town for Italian cooking like Roberto Donna's Galileo, for one, but it's not in Georgetown. This is a Georgetown institution of sorts. it is best to go with an open mind and an open wallet.

Parking

This is Georgetown, so forget parking, right? Well, they have thought of that one here. Validated parking is available at Georgetown Park, about a block away on M Street.

Reservations and Miscellany

You will likely need a reservation here at night. At lunch, you can probably just slide on in as I did today. They happily take all credit cards and will gladly run them up to the maximum limit, if desired. The restaurant is open as follows:

Lunch:

Monday-Sunday 11:30 AM-4:00 PM
Sunday Brunch 11:00 AM-3:00 PM

Dinner:

Sunday-Tuesday 4:00 PM-11:00 PM
Wednesday-Saturday 4:00 PM-12:00 AM

Late Night Menu

Monday-Tuesday 11:00 PM- 1:00 AM
Wednesday-Saturday 12:00 AM- 2:00 AM



Cafe Milano

3251 Prospect Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20007

Tel. 202-333-6183
Fax 202-965-7119








Recommended: Yes

Kid Friendliness: No
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Risotto, pastas, Do get a reservation at night-you will need one on weekends especially
Best Suited For: Trendy Crowd