The food: Always great…it’s about the pizza, fresh ingredients, subtlety and restraint. Think salami, prosciutto, hearty little pepperoni disks, sea salt, arugula, etc.

The service: I’ve had mostly good, one bad and a couple of flat experiences. It’s Capitol Hill, you’re bound to get cool hipster ‘service’. My boyfriend and I try to sit at the bar, if it’s just the two of us, as the bartenders have all been really cool and there’s a big olive tray up there.

The environ: This place stays hoppin’ so go early or expect to wait a little. I think it’s pretty romantic…dimly lit and intimate. The music is of Dean Martin variety, however one time we were seated right under the speaker blaring the Italian equivalent of bad pop music (booth adjoining the server-station), never again!!

Of the dozen or more times I’ve eaten here, everyone we’ve taken has loved it and I’ve only ever had the one bad service night (The hipster boy who is too cool to wait tables should really get another job).

A couple of tips: The menu is entirely in Italian (I love that they haven’t given in to translating it yet!), not all the salads have greens so ask! The espresso/gelato dessert is amazing!!