Fabbrica has been getting a lot of flak from foodies regarding its prices. While not the cheapest card on the block, it is, however, one of the few Italian restaurants of note in the area. Though the decor tries a little too hard to be rustic-yet-cool, it’s still a nice space to loiter in. Just get someone else to foot the bill.

Stracciatella alla romana is a classic with chicken broth, egg, and reggiano. This is the first time I’ve had this dish, and though quite nice, it’s not as transcendent as others have made it to be. Or maybe I was expecting too much.

Cherry peppers, anchovy, olives, capers, and bocconcini. Peperoni della nonna was both tasty and beautiful.

The linguine. Clams, white wine, and garlic. Really quite good. I didn’t order this, but I would consider it for next time!

Pappardelle with crab, guanciale, cream, and soft-poached egg. Delicious, but expensive at $27. Also, to nit-pick, the egg white was a bit tasteless, especially in contrast with the delicious yolk mixed in with the pasta.

The bistecca was a small and anemic portion of skirt steak that tasted okay. The salad of wild arugula, smoked tomato, pickled onion, reggiano, and balsamic vinegar was good, if a tad over-dressed, but that’s down to personal taste.

The canolo is well-priced and decent. It’s no Mike’s Modern Pastry in Boston, but it’s also not 800+ kilometres away. I also enjoyed their sorbets. The pear was especially nice.

All in all, Fabbrica isn’t somewhere I would go often, but I would still return. I found the pastas to be better than at Scarpetta, and to me, the prices are pretty equivalent. You just don’t get the same fancy wrapper as you do at Scarpetta, which is a blessing sometimes. If Fabbrica could tweak and lower their prices, it would certainly make it on to my roster of regular restaurants.

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