A seasoned hospitality veteran has chosen Woodley Park as the site of his next great endeavor. Mehdi Zorgani is opening a new concept called Pastiamo Osteria in the neighborhood this fall, bringing a traditional Italian dining experience to the region, reports the Washington Business Journal.
Pastiamo Osteria will be greeting guests at 2614 Connecticut Avenue NW in the 2,614 square foot space that most recently housed Elsa Ethiopian Kitchen and Mediterra before that. The restaurant will be able to accommodate about 110 customers.
Zorgani is committed to making Pastiamo Osteria as accessible a restaurant as it is delicious. He hopes to see it become a neighborhood staple; he states: “I want to earn the neighborhood’s trust, because, a year from now, I want people to refer to Pastiamo as our neighborhood restaurant.”
Zorgani does not intend for Pastiamo Osteria’s quality Italian cuisine, featuring house-made pastas, brick-oven pizzas, and signature dishes like cacio e pepe alla ruota, to be prohibitively expensive. He explains that he wants the restaurant to become a go-to for locals, saying: “I want it to become part of their routine, and that’s the difference, between building a restaurant in the neighborhood, and building a restaurant for the neighborhood.”
Pastiamo Osteria does not yet have an opening date, however the restaurant is on deck to begin greeting customers in November-news certain to delight local foodies. Press materials provided to What Now DC offer this glimpse of what future regulars can look forward to: “handmade pasta and wood-fired pizza with seasonal dishes, classic cocktails, and a curated wine selection with indoor-outdoor seating available. Designed for everything from casual weeknight meals with shared bottles of wine to leisurely weekend brunches, Pastiamo will offer a convivial approach to traditional Italian dining.”
