Menu Spotlight: Graffiato by Mike Isabella

PENN QUARTER -- When we first got a look at Chef Mike Isabella’s much anticipated new Chinatown restaurant, Graffiato, about a month ago, it was the spotless new building and the man himself that took center stage.

A trio of gourmet meats from Graffiato’s second story ‘ham bar’.
Readers were eager to see the new restaurant location the former Top Chef contestant had laid claim to, as well as learn how Isabella would use his background as the former Executive Chef at Jose Andres’ Zaytinya, to offer his own culinary slant on his favorite childhood dishes.

A bowl of sweet and sour eggplant with garden raisins and pine nuts.
A few weeks later, after many happy visits by local celebrities and foodies alike, we re-visited Graffiato with a specific focus on the food.

Octopus with chickpeas and artichokes.
Indeed, while Chef Isabella would be our gastronomic food guide during this particular stopover (the busy man even graciously stopped-by our table to chat for a bit), it was the menu itself that we were most eager to capture and sample!

A featured basket of breads, including polenta bread, focaccia, and raisin bread – all accompanied by bowls of olive oil jam and fresh ricotta.
Graffiato’s menu can basically be divided into three categories: 1) the regular menu; 2) a rotating selection of featured dishes; and 3) a series of ‘off-menu’ treats that only friends and family (and Isabella’s Twitter followers) are in the know about.

The king crab legs are as much a visual feast as they are a gastromic one.
We’ll let the photographs speak for themselves, but would be remiss if we didn’t at least mention our favorites!

For lucky new patrons, we recommend the signature Chicken Thighs with homemade pepperoni sauce, the Sweet Corn Agnolotti with chanterelles and pine nuts (by far our table's favorite dish), and the Jersey Shore Pizza topped with fried calamari, tomatoes, provolone, and fresh cherry pepper aioli.

A plate of pork ribs with Sicilian oregano and coriander yogurt.
And regulars -- there are many; Graffiato’s reservation book is full until September at this point -- looking to expand their palettes beyond Isabella’s tempting Italian staples, might consider the wood oven cooked Octopus with chickpeas and artichokes, the King Crab Legs with sea urchin and guanciale, or the off-menu Oysters topped with Campari and grenadine-soaked shaved ice.

Graffiato features the city’s only bar with glasses of prosecco on tap.
Desserts are both tasty and memorable as well (we preferred the Carrot Panna Cotta with spiced nuts to the much buzzed about Nutella Cookies, but would have been plenty happy with either), as are the signature cocktails and prosecco on tap.

A bowl of carrot panna cotta is a colorfully savory way of ending a meal.
As far as we’re concerned, you can’t really go wrong with Graffiato’s menu except if you somehow snuck in a snack beforehand! Make your reservation today…