Ristorante Tosca: A New Chef, New Dishes and a New Look

There are some big changes at Ristorante Tosca that I’m excited to share with you! All the details are below!

Please Note: Tosca will be celebrating Valentine’s Day with a special 4 course Menu for $95pp (wine pairing $60 pp). and there are still a few reservations available!

When Executive Chef Massimo Fabbri decided to leave Ristorante Tosca to run the kitchen of Posto, the 14th St. restaurant that he co-owns with DC restaurateur Paolo Sacco, it didn’t take long for Sacco to determine whom he wanted to become the new Executive Chef at his acclaimed downtown Italian restaurant, Tosca – a gastronomic gem on F St NW for the past 14 years. Sacco turned to Posto’s former Chef de Cuisine, Matteo Venini, who had actually started his culinary career in the US as a Sous Chef to Massimo Fabbri at Tosca. Venini had left Posto last year to pursue an Executive Chef position at a restaurant in National Harbor, but he didn’t find it fulfilling, as he couldn’t be as creative in the kitchen as he really wanted to be.
A NEW CHEF
As the new Executive Chef of Ristorante Tosca, Matteo Venini is bringing a new “edge” and creative style to Tosca, which has long been recognized for its outstanding Italian cuisine. Sacco has given Venini full reign on updating the Italian menu to reflect Venini’s roots in the north of Italy where he was born in Lake Como, and grew up as the son of a Butcher, living above the butcher shop, and working alongside his father – learning how to butcher all kinds of animals at a very young age.
Venini’s love of cooking, fresh vegetables & herbs, fish, and meat is reflected in the tattoos that adorn his arms, and which he proudly displays while wearing his short-sleeved chef coat in the kitchen.
Those same ingredients are emblematic in the new menu that Venini has created at Tosca. Game and Fish, staples of his upbringing on Lake Como play prominent roles in the menu. Once a week, Venini uses the butchering skills that he learned as a child from his father to break down a whole lamb and other small animals for the various dishes and four different kinds of ragu (meat sauces) that you’ll regularly find at Tosca: lamb, veal, venison and rabbit.
FEGATO : pan seared foie gras, butternut squash, toasted piemontese hazelnuts, black truffle
NEW DISHES
Though some of Tosca’s favorite dishes still remain on the menu, they are now tweaked and presented in a little different way. For example, Chef Fabbri’s Rabbit Ragu with Carrot Pappardelle pasta has now become Chef Venini’s Scialatielli (a long square-sided spaghetti) with hickory farm rabbit ragu, white wine sauce, and thyme.
This creative culinary style translates to a delicious mix of flavors that are exquisitely plated, making his dishes as delicious to eat as they are to admire with the eye.
The new menu features an array of: Salad, Appetizer, Soup, Pasta, Risotto, Main Course and Sides, which are all available ala carte or by a tasting menu.

Tasting Menu: 4 courses $85, 6 courses $105
Wine Pairing: 4 courses $65, 6 courses $85

Tosca also offers a special $38 Three-Course “Dine at Dusk” Menu*, available from 5:30-6:30pm.
*Tosca does not offer our pre-theater menu on Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, Valentine's Day or other special occasions. Available for parties of 8 or fewer.

Menu Highlights include:

RAVIOLI DEL PLIN

braised short rib ravioli, brasato sauce, aromatic oil

COSTOLETTA DI VITELLO
free range veal chop, semolino fritto, braised kale, winter black truffle sauce
(One pound chop!)

SALMONE Cured verlasso salmon, winter citrus, burrata crema, black garlic, dill

A NEW LOOK 
Tosca has also undergone its own design transformation. Its mellow, spa-like interior has become a little more modern and contemporary with glass and stainless steel wine coolers showcasing the restaurant’s superior wine list as soon as you walk in the front door.
The interior has been brightened with pops of Tuscan orange and modern Italian light fixtures.
Tosca’s main dining room accommodates 120 guests for lunch and dinner. A private room off the dining room can host 15 people, and the Chef’s Table in the kitchen can serve 4-8 people with a bird’s eye view of Chef Venini as he prepares their dinner. Guests can also enjoy premium cocktails and wine at the 12 seat bar, where they are also welcome to dine if they desire.

Ristorante Tosca
1112 F St. NW
Washington, DC 20004
Tel.: (202) 367-1990
www.ToscaDC.com
www.Facebook.com/RistoranteTOSCA
Twitter: @RistoranteTOSCA

Lunch:
Dinner:
Monday – Friday: 11:30 am - 2:30 pm
Monday – Thursday: 5:30 pm - 10:30 pm
Friday & Saturday: 5:30 am - 11:00 pm
Valet parking is available for dinner starting at 5:30 pm
Attire is business casual

Closed Sundays and on major holidays

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