May 24, 201202:33 PMTable Talk
Sneak Peek: Olazzo
Photo by Emma Patti
The kitchen didn’t get any bigger—it’s still a tiny 240 square feet—but an expanded seating area at Bethesda’s Olazzo means that twice as many diners will now be able to chow down on the lasagna, linguine and homemade meatballs that have made the cozy 10-year-old eatery such a go-to place.
Doing much of the work themselves, owners Roberto and Riccardo Pietrobono (with the help of their father, a longtime bricklayer), renovated the defunct art and frame shop next door to their Norfolk Avenue restaurant, creating a doorway between the two spaces.
The new room doubles the square footage of the diminutive restaurant—from 1,000 to 2,000, adding seating for 35 inside and 12 outside.
With lighting from Restoration Hardware, wood-like beams on the ceiling, chiseled concrete walls, dark leather booths and Kentucky whiskey barrels stashed in an overhead alcove, the place has a rustic feel that blends in nicely with the original dining room.
“I like the old, weathered look,” says Roberto Pietrobono.
The focus of the new room is a long and handsome granite bar, where patrons will be able to watch TV, order from the full restaurant menu, and choose from among six beers on tap.
Also in the offing: Sunday brunch, early and late night happy hours, and even better—an outdoor meatball cart.
The new Olazzo space will be open for lunch on Tuesday, May 29.
7917 Norfolk Ave. 301-654-9496. www.olazzo.com
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