Rafagino Ristorante

Please join us on Sunday April 26th at 5:30pm for our monthly wine dinner featuring the food and wine of France, a gastronomic treasure of world-famous dishes as well as some of the world's best and most iconic wines. French cuisine is world-renowned for its its emphasis on high-quality ingredients, meticulous techniques, and regional diversity, often utilizing butter, cream, and complex sauces. It balances refined haute cuisine with rustic, regional, and peasant dishes, making it both elegant and deeply traditional. But it's so much more than that. It is an amalgamation of comfort food, elevated cuisine, special occasion dishes. It is warmth on a winter's night and a cool breeze on a Summer's lunch on some terrace overlooking the Med.

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We will be featuring some of France's most famous dishes with an Italian twist. We might feature some iconic dishes such as Soupe à l'Oignon, Cassoulet, Choucroute, Bouillabaisse, Steak Frites, Beef bourguignon, Coq au Vin, Confit de Canard, Quenelles, Crepes farcie, Tarte Tatin or crème brulée. They will be paired to some great wines representative of all the major wine regions of France such as Bordeaux, Bourgogne, Loire Valley, Rhone Valley, Provence and Languedoc. It seems a lot of our regulars were yearning for an encore appearance of the French wine dinner so here it is.

Can't wait to see you. Ciao or should I say Á bien tôt!

Please join us Sunday, March 29th at 5:30pm for our monthly wine dinner. It will feature the beautiful region of Umbria (the other Tuscany). Italy's green heart, Umbria is a land unto itself. The only Italian region without access to either the sea or international borders, Umbria is a solitary and soulful world apart. Removed from outside influences, it has kept alive many of Italy's old-world traditions. You'll see grandmothers in aprons making pasta by hand and front doors that haven't been locked in a century.
It contrasts wild, in-your-face beauty with the gentle fall and rise of overlapping hills and wildflower-flecked meadows. The Etruscans, Romans and medieval feuding families have left their indelible imprint on its pretty hilltowns, where history seems to creep up on you at every corner. Untouched landscapes in the green of winding valleys make Umbria a region that will never fail to amaze.

The cuisine of Umbria originates from its Etruscan roots, and is characteristically simple, relying heavily on seasonal ingredients that can be found growing in its rich soil, swimming in the region’s lakes, raised on local farms, or discovered in the lush forests that cover much of the region.

Umbria enjoys an abundance of produce like grains, vegetables and fruit thanks to its green and natural environment. In addition, there is also the abundance of forest animals, providing hearty elements to many Umbrian dishes. It's all about freshness, simplicity and good flavor.

Locally grown truffles, lentils (Casteluccio lentils carry the only DOC in the world), cardoons, porcini mushrooms, wild asparagus, chestnuts and some of the best olive oil in Italy are important staple foods in Umbria recipes. It is also known for an abundance of meat dishes, particularly lamb, pork, and game. The region lakes mainly Lake Trasimeno supply a variety of fresh lake fish such as carp, trout, mullet, pike, and perch.
Umbria's largest city Perugia is home to Perugina chocolate Company famous for its "Bacio" chocolate and hazelnut praline and it hosts EuroChocolate the largest chocolate festival held every October.
Umbria’s most famous wines include the white Orvietto (Trebbiano and Grechetto) and the reds Sangiovese, Sagrantino di Montefalco and Torgiano.
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Please call the restaurant for reservations at 703-455-3095