San Lorenzo Brings Amazing Italian to Shaw

The Shaw neighborhood in Washington, DC’s Northwest area has recently attracted some of the hottest restaurants in DC. The Michelin starred The Dabney and Kinship, the Jersey inspired Italian spot All Purpose Shaw, modern Mexican cuisine with Espita, a very Unconventional Diner, phenomenal meats at Smoked & Stacked…and the list goes on and on.

Local residents however have often said this area lacks two mainstays: Italian and sushi.

Well the first one is now covered with the opening (Monday, June 25) of San Lorenzo in the old Thally location. Manning the helm at San Lorenzo is Italian born Executive Chef Massimo Fabbri who cut his chops in DC at the legendary Tosca downtown and the now closed Posto on 14th Street. He brought on Andy Clark as well, most recently from Red Hen and All Purpose as their chef de cuisine.

The space is gorgeous inside and transports you to a bustling trattoria in Northern Italy. It doesn’t even feel like Thally was ever there. Bright space, lots of tile work, simply gorgeous.

Okay, the food! The food is simply amazing! Obviously fresh house-made pasta is treated with love and plated just how a Tuscan Grandmother would – no frills, tons of flavor. These pastas can compete against any of the best pastas in DC! However our breath was taken away by the scallops entree and a pork rib entree that might have been the best thing we have eaten in a month. The scallops were cooked to perfection with a gorgeous golden sear along with beautiful Chanterelle mushrooms. The ribs however, wow, the ribs. These are pork rib tips (or riblets), a cut with great marbling and tendons that, when handled properly, break down and further tenderize the meat. These were cooked perfectly! Super moist and tender with a phenomenal bark on the outside, roasted and grilled with Italian herbs – simplistic perfection! They also have a steak on their updated menu, something that you can’t in Shaw outside of the changing options at Convivial.

San Lorenzo is now open at 1316 9th Street NW. Go now, go often, and go hungry. You will certainly leave satisfied!