A Pleasant Surprise
Located in the beautiful Shenandoah
Valley, the northern Virginia city of Winchester is known for a lot
of things. It was the first city south of the Potomac River to
install electric light. It's home to Shenandoah University and to the
Museum of the Shenandoah Valley. Since 1924, the city has hosted the
annual Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival. George Washington slept there – many times. The
founding father spent much of his young life in and around
Winchester, working as a surveyor. The city has a deep Revolutionary
War connection and an even richer Civil War history. And country
music icon Patsy Cline called Winchester home and is buried there in
the city's Shenandoah Memorial Park.
Add one more thing to the list: one of
the finest authentic family owned and operated Italian restaurants in
which I have ever enjoyed an outstanding meal.
We were in town for business and, at
the end of a long day, were looking for a good Italian place for a
late dinner. Not knowing much about the area, we just Googled. It
seems there are lots of Italian places in Winchester, including a few
that delivered to our hotel. But my wife was adamant: she wanted a
“nice” place. So we picked one that looked especially “nice.”
It turned out to be a pleasant surprise.
Violino Ristorante Italiano is located
on North Loudoun Street near the intersection with East Piccadilly
Street on the northern end of the quaint pedestrian mall that spans
several blocks of historic Old Town Winchester. It is one of several
“Italian” places dotting the mall landscape but the only one that
is un ristorante italiano vero. The
others are probably very nice places, but like the mall on which they
are located, they are pedestrian; typical Italian-American pizza
and/or pasta joints. Violino Ristorante Italiano is much
different.
Friuli-born Franco
Stocco attended culinary school in Venice in the late 1960s. He and
his wife, Marcella and their children moved to Washington, DC in 1985
where Franco continued to hone his craft in DC-area Italian eateries.
While visiting Winchester, they spotted the building on the mall,
found that it was available, and in 1995 fulfilled their dream of
opening a place of their own.
But
unlike your typical red-sauce joint, Franco kept his focus on his
northern Italian roots and specialized in dishes not normally found
in “Italian” restaurants. For instance, there's Portobello
D’Autunno, Franco’s creation
of baked portobello mushroom topped with a wild mushroom puree, goat
cheese, and rosemary. Or Coniglio di San Remo,
a Liguria-style braised rabbit, prepared with fresh herbs, white
wine, and Taggiasche olives and served over soft polenta. Or perhaps
a Galletto al Limone,
a grilled boneless cornish hen marinated and pressed with rosemary,
garlic and lemon and served with roasted potatoes. How's that stack
up against the usual offerings of chicken parm and spaghetti and
meatballs? See why I was thrilled when I walked through the door?
The
décor and ambiance are delightfully authentic. There's outdoor
seating available on the mall, but my wife and I opted for an
intimate tavola per due inside
the small but tastefully and artistically laid out dining room.
Functional but comfortable wooden chairs and tables covered with gold
linen tablecloths populate a room painted a rich Tuscan gold and
accented with aesthetically pleasing artwork, much of which reflects
the dominant musical motif one might expect of a place called
“Violino.”
Service was
unfailingly friendly and impressively professional. The staff was the
perfect blend of attentive and invisible, just the way they should
be. Specials were described, orders were taken, and food was
delivered promptly and efficiently. Water glasses were kept full and,
although never seeming to hover, servers were available exactly when
you needed them. We came in about an hour before closing and, even
though we were aware of the fact that time was marching on, in
typical Italian fashion, we were never made to feel that way. Being
in the business ourselves, we're savvy enough to know not to linger,
but nobody gave the slightest indication of the, “Hey, don't you
dummies know it's almost closing time?” you sometimes get at some
places.
The
food was indescribable. My wife, a sucker for seafood, was almost set
on the Lobster Pansotti Gondoliera,
lobster ravioli in a lemon Parmesan cream sauce crowned with a whole
cold water lobster tail. But when the server described a
delectable-sounding duck dish with orange sauce and house-made
gnocchi as one of the specials, she went there instead and was so
glad she did. She savored every morsel of the perfectly prepared
anatra, a dish that's
easy to screw up, and thoroughly enjoyed the fresh, tender gnocchi.
My fatta in casa linguine
aglio e olio was superb; a simple dish executed exceedingly well.
To my unrestrained
delight, they featured my favorite Birra Moretti, a traditional
golden lager with nice aromas of malt and hops and with a slightly
bitter finish. I much prefer it to the more commonly served Peroni,
which was also available on the extensive wine and beer list. My wife
was very pleased with her selection of a house moscato.
We deliberately
saved room for dolce. Our choice was a decadent molten lava chocolate
cake topped with a wonderful vanilla and honey gelato and garnished
with an appropriate little chocolate treble clef.
Not only was it a
delicious evening, it was a fun one as well. Somebody was having a
birthday and instead of having the waitstaff come out and clap while
singing “Happy Birthday,” the chef/owner himself, Franco Stocco,
went to the table and sang a traditional Italian folk song. And while
in the midst of our postprandial torpor, my wife and I had a very
pleasant conversation with chef/son Riccardo Stocco.
Is Violino a little
pricier than the run-of-the-mill “Italian” joint? Yep. Is it
worth it? Oh, yeah, emphatically so. Violino Ristorante Italiano is
now at the very top of our “must stop whenever we're within a
hundred miles or so” list and we would highly recommend it to
anyone seeking an authentic Italian dining experience.
Violino Ristorante Italiano is located
at 181 North Loudoun Street in Winchester, Virginia. They are open
for lunch Tuesday through Friday from 11:30am to 2:00 pm and
Saturday from noon to 2:00 pm. Dinner service is Tuesday through
Saturday from 5:00pm to 9:00 pm. Violino is closed on Sundays and
Mondays. Outdoor dining is available, weather permitting.
Reservations are accepted but not required and attire is business
casual. The street directly in front of the restaurant is part of the
pedestrian-only mall, but parking is available on Piccadilly Street
and in nearby parking areas. Call them at 540-667-8006 or visit the
website at violinoristorante.com.
We may have found Violino to be a
pleasant surprise, but don't be surprised to find us there whenever
we're in the area.
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