Restaurant Week Review: Bibiana

After being treated to an amazing lunch at Carmine's the previous day, I ventured out again this time to Bibiana (It's actually called Bibiana Osteria-Enoteca but for brevity I'm sticking with Bibiana). It's located in the heart of downtown about a block away from the Grand Hyatt on H Street.

I arrived about 15 minutes early for the reservation and took the time to observe the beautiful surroundings while I waited for my sorority sister to arrive.  When you enter through the glass entrance you are greeted by an expansive bar.  The restaurant is filled with dark woods, mirrors, black leather and silver accents, it felt very modern and posh.

Once we were seated we continued to check out the scene. The restaurant was packed, not sure if everyone was there for Restaurant Week (RW) or it's usually like that but I took it as a good thing.  We quickly glanced at our menu and decided what we wanted. 

For appetizers, we had the Suppli al Telefono (rice fritter) and Soppresata (Italian-dry cured salami) with pickled vegetables. My rice fritter was a ball of deliciousness.  It was rice (the consistency was more like risotto though) and it was filled with mozzarella, peas, ham, and tomato sauce.  It was sooo good. I could definitely see myself going back for happy hour just to order that with a glass of white wine.

Next was the main course, she ordered the Atlantic skate while I asked for the steak.  When my dish came out I had to admit it wasn't at all what I expected.  It truly looked like a gourmet hamburger (without the bun) and fries.  Truthfully, had I known it was going to be ground steak I'm sure I would've ordered something else.  I'm not really a fan of burgers or ground beef for that matter.  The steak was cooked to perfection and was well-seasoned, the potatoes were enjoyable but I would've preferred they weren't fried.  Needless to say eventhough it was a nicely sized portion I ended up devouring it.

Finally, it was time for the dessert.  I remember as I was waiting a woman walked up to the host stand and proclaimed that their chocolate mousse was the best she'd ever had in her life.  After hearing that glowing comment of course I had to try it.  It come out with some type of nutty wafer on top and was drizzled with a hazelnut syrup.  It was heavenly!  Each bite was savored and I'm sure I even made a few noises to express how happy I was with my choice.

Bibiana definitely did not disappoint.  Although I was satisfied with all of my selections, my favorite was the chocolate mousse hands down. Buon Appetito!

Food A-
Ambiance A
Service B


Bibiana Osteria-Enoteca
1100 New York Ave Washington, DC 20005
(202) 216-9550
http://www.bibianadc.com/