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Thompson's Italian

Thompson Italian is less than a month old and is getting rave reviews.  I don't typically go to new restaurants but family members had made multiple visits and couldn't stop talking about it.  On a Wednesday night there was a full parking lot, and yes, by the time we left there were people waiting for tables.  Again -- on a Wednesday, in Falls Church.  Thompson's Italian is the perfect example of how the restaurant scene has changed in the DC Metro.  The couple who run the place were originally from Arlington but made a rather significant splash in NYC before deciding to bring it home.  The result is Zagat level dishes in the suburbs.  The disadvantage of trying out a new restaurant early is a few kinks, in this case wait staff who are still learning the ropes a bit.  What they lack in experience they make up for with friendliness.  Not only was our server super-nice but we were greeted by a maitre 'd who recognized my companions as return customers.  The upside of this restaurant's newness is that every visit made by my friends in the past three weeks has included a free appetizer, as the kitchen is trying out new dishes and working to build loyalty among customers.  All the dishes were excellent.  We started with a moist, chewy pane, served with butter and a slightly peppery olive oil.  For appetizers, I had the smooth, creamy, house-made ricotta which paired perfectly with ripe nectarines, honey, pistachios and arugula.  It was a good mix with the nutty taste of the arugula balancing the sweetness of the ricotta.  A companion ordered the meatballs as they are a favorite.  This is the third time he had them, meaning that they are a clear hit.  He followed this with the Insalata Mista, a good combination of dark greens and tangy dressing.  The other companion ordered the Eggplant Caponata side dish.  This warm homey offering had nicely soft eggplant mixed with pine nuts, capers and sultanas (according to the menu).  I would say that there was also some additional fruit involved -- apple?  The dish had been offered as a gift appetizer on her previous visit and she fell in love.  This time, we were given a free appetizer of the Market Cucumbers.  A nicely piquant dish the cubed cucumbers come stacked with red peppers, mild mint and cashews, on a bed of melted, smoked pecorino cheese.  For the main course I had the Bucatini (with a little extra spice), while my companions had the Gemelli with Shrimp and the Roasted Chicken, respectively.  The chicken was a good size but the the pasta bowls a tad small.  This wasn't an issue as I have been eating out a good deal lately and could use some restaurant-supplied help in moderation, but it would not fill one up if you didn't have appetizers as well.  The companion who had the Gemelli had asked that this spicy dish be toned down a bit.  It was still pretty zippy, as many of the offerings here are (that is a compliment, not a complaint).  I would say that the Bucatini was excellent.  Hand-made pasta with just enough garlic, parmesan, breadcrumbs and peppers to make it interesting.  Every bite was relished.  Dessert was the Chocolate Budino, a rich pudding served in a glass with vanilla flavored whipped cream and dusted with chocolate wafers.  It was outstanding and not, as I often say, overly sweet.  My only criticism is that the glass was smaller at the top than the bottom, making you work to scrape out the yumminess.  Again, we were given a free dessert item, the olive oil cake.  This super-moist cake comes with a dash of creme fraiche and a raisin sauce which balances the dish perfectly.  The restaurant as a whole looks dramatically different than it did when Italian restaurant Argia was there.  Classy and a step up (there was an actual scented candle aflame in the restroom), efforts have been made to deal with the noise level.  There are acoustic tiles in the ceiling but there is also music pumped in which requires conversation to be a bit louder than normal.  As always, I would ask that this be addressed by lowering (or eliminating) the piped-in tunes.  All-in-all I would say this place is a hit.  Does it have room for growth?  Yes, but it has already raised the bar.

Chef-inspired upscale Italian
https://thompsonitalian.com/
124 N. Washington St., Falls Church

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