After I hung up the phone I put Mother’s Day out of my mind and agreed with my lovely wife that we should go out for lunch. I had made the requisite call to my mother this morning. She told me last week, “The only thing I want for Mother’s Day is for my son to call me now and then.” So, full of guilt, I called her. I guess that makes me a good son.
When my wife and I got to Clarendon, we found that Whitlow’s on Wilson had people spilling out the door, waiting for a table. The next place we tried was full as well. Then we got to Faccia Luna on Wilson Blvd. and found that it was nearly empty. Good news for us, I suppose, but I wondered what it meant that a restaurant was almost empty on the biggest restaurant day of the year, with surrounding venues full of mothers and people who love them.
Faccia Luna was as good a place as I have been to recently. Its gourmet-style offerings sounded good on the menu. Elise had the Agnolotti con Mozzarella. I had no idea what agnolotti meant. It turned out to be a type of pasta that looked suspiciously like ravioli. I don’t know what the difference might be. It came with a creamy pesto sauce that looked really delicious. I was too busy with my pizza to get a taste.
I went for the Pomodoro pizza, which was a nice pairing of fresh tomatoes and garlic. Before ordering, I had to get something cleared up. Faccia Luna had the appearance of the type of trendy place that made wimpy sauceless pizzas. I can’t abide by that. Sure enough, they do have some sauceless pizzas labeled “white” but the lion’s share of the pies come with a sauce, just the way God intended. It was delicious. Great toppings, tasty sauce and a wonderful hand-tossed crust.
If you are in Clarendon, be sure to check out Faccia Luna. It has excellent food. The mystery remains – why weren’t there more people there today? My mother lives in Raleigh, NC, so I couldn’t have taken her there. What’s your excuse for denying your Mom such a wonderful dining experience?
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
