New Italian hotspots from Red Hen's chef opening in Bethesda
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Homemade pastas include Amatriciana and ricotta-stuffed tortellini. Photo courtesy Scott Suchman
Red Hen chef/co-owner Mike Friedman is bringing Romanesque dining to Bethesda with the long-awaited opening of Aventino restaurant and sister AP Pizza Shop on Jan. 31.
Why it matters: Friedman's cooking has always been a smash hit in D.C. between his wood-fired Italian and two All-Purpose pizzerias, and this expansion is a big boon for the 'burbs.
Zoom in: The adjoining Italian spots — one full-service, the other (AP) takeout-friendly and casual — are both personal projects for Friedman. The chef is of Italian American and Jewish descent and grew up in New York and New Jersey. Diners will find nods to all of the above.
- Aventino specializes in classic and riffy Roman food — including dishes that originated in the city's ancient Jewish ghetto — while AP will dish up slices, eggplant parm, garlic knots, and the deck oven pies of Friedman's youth.
What they're saying: "I have this fascination with Italian cuisine and culture and Jewish cuisine and culture, and I always say they're separate rivers that flow down the same route but rarely touch," Friedman tells Axios.
- Take the two quintessential New York foods: "You have to eat a bagel and a slice."
At his restaurants, the two are coming closer together.
On the menu: Aventino, which will open for dinner to start with 130 seats, aims to be the kind of versatile place you can drop in for spritz hour and snack on Roman "pizza rossa" (squares of ultra-tomatoey goodness) and Jewish-style fried artichokes.
- Or! Go all-out with homemade pastas like ricotta-stuffed tortelli with butter and truffles, and shareable secondi like smoked-and-roasted lamb ribs with wildflower honey and pickled fennel that pay homage to the Roman tradition of "big hunks of meat sitting on their own."
- Secondi are all rounded out with seasonal sides like prosciutto-braised beans or puntarelle (a kind of Roman chicory) custom-grown for the restaurant in-season by local farms.
Between the lines: Friedman's cacio e pepe pasta, an indulgent off-menu "secret" at Red Hen for years, finally gets ink at Aventino. It's one of several pastas from the classic Roman canon (e.g. carbonara, amatriciana) on the menu.
For dessert: Pastry chef Anne Specter is making her own gelatos and sorbets for fanciful creations like the "Amalfi lemon float" — a glass filled with vanilla gelato, lots of lemony pops (candied peel, granita) and a homemade juniper-coriander soda poured tableside.
Fun fact: Wondering what all the brand's roses are about? The name Aventino nods to one of Rome's seven hills that was home to a historic Jewish community and cemetery and later transformed into a massive rose garden.
Pizza next door: AP, open for lunch and dinner, is outfitted with booths for 20 diners, a takeout window, and speedy screen ordering (though humans help, too).
- Some of Friedman's hit toppings made the jump — think pepperoni and chili honey — but you'll also find new flavors like a pie that riffs on a meatball sub or a chef-y Hawaiian with pickled jalapeños, roasted pineapple, and prosciutto.
- Diners can grab slices, an Italian cold cut sandwich, and salads at lunch, as well as packaged Italian beer, wine, and Lambrusco any time. Also: zeppole (Italian doughnuts).
Zoom out: There are a bunch of D.C.-born restaurants moving into Bethesda— Chiko, the Salt Line — but Friedman already has roots here.
- He's a MoCo resident and got his start at Mon Ami Gabi, where he met current business partner Michael O'Malley.
The intrigue: There's another project in the works. Friedman tells Axios his team took over the recently closed Buttercream Bakeshop space at Navy Yard and is working on an Italian café.