Always Prospering Media

Nestled in Washington DC’s Navy Yard, Osteria Morini is a well regarded Italian restaurant and according to Zagat, Thrillist, and Washingtonian Magazine, it is one of the city’s best Italian offerings. Originally from the SoHo neighborhood in Manhattan, New York, Morini brings Northern Italian fare to the nation’s capital. 

Upon entry to the establishment, one is welcomed by a vibrant, bright dining room that features an open kitchen design to allow patrons to watch on with anticipation as the chefs prepare the dishes. I found the ambiance to be rather nice, it was welcoming and cozy rather than elegant or uptight. We were seated behind the hostess stand, generally in the middle of the dining room with the bar behind us and the kitchen to our left. The restaurant also offers outdoor seating positioned with a view of the Potomac River. The first thing we ordered was the Calamari Fritti as an appetizer. Unfortunately, despite the calamari being mediocre, this was the lowlight of the meal as the squid was fried rather heavy, resulting in a greasy product. Additionally, it came accompanied by their garlic aioli which was good but left me unsatisfied. In my opinion, it is an Italian restaurant and I wish the calamari would have been served with a side of red sauce and a slice of lemon. The acidity of the lemon and tomatoes would cut through the density of the fry and work better than the mayo-based alternative they went with.  Overall, not a bad rendition of the classic Italian-American appetizer but nothing that stood out or was memorable. 

That being said, the rest of the meal was quite the opposite. For our main courses, we wanted to sample the house made pastas so we opted for their famous “Cappelletti” which featured truffled ricotta ravioli served in a buttery, garlicky pan sauce with freshly shaved prosciutto di Parma over the top. It was nothing short of excellent. I genuinely was surprised I loved it as much as I did as I generally am turned away from butter based sauces on pasta. That being said, the quality and freshness of the raviolis were immediately apparent and the prosciutto added a salty finish to a spectacular dish. I thought that the portion size was fair as the dish was rather rich and filling. We also ordered their “Rigatoni” which was served with a wild mushroom ragu as well as rosemary and fresh parmigiana cheese grated over the top. As someone who generally isn’t the biggest fan of mushrooms, this was another hit and the herbaceous, earthy freshness of this dish was the perfect counter to the richness of the Cappelletti. This certainly was more of an aromatic dish with the rosemary and mushroom combination but I found myself thoroughly enjoying it from start to finish. We finished our meal trying two of the restaurant’s desert options: the Tiramisu and Ciocollatta. The tiramisu featured great notes of espresso flavor with a mildly sweet finish. The ciocolatta I enjoyed less, despite it being a good option for desert. I still liked it but found it to be extremely rich and dense, too much so for my preference. Nonetheless, it’s a great option, I would just recommend ordering that one to share if interested in trying it. Lastly, before I conclude, I want to mention that the service and attentiveness we received throughout our entire meal was tremendous. The waiting staff worked in harmony keeping their tables happy and often checked in on each other’s tables to ensure patrons the best overall experience. 

My dinner experience at Osteria Morini was extremely impressive from start to finish with high quality, well executed pastas and deserts. The dishes coupled with outstanding hospitality and a charming ambiance left me excited for my next opportunity to visit. I would highly recommend to anyone looking to impress an out of towner, enjoy a date night, or just experience an elevated dining experience. I look forward to visiting the other highly renowned Italian restaurants in DC as I make my way through the city but Osteria Morini, you have set the bar high.  (Apologies for the poor camera quality on photos, will be improved in the next article)

8.8/10. 

written by Andrew Petrino.

works cited: photo of Morini exterior – https://dc.eater.com/2019/6/4/18652020/osteria-morini-fire-navy-yard