My dish was great - it was almost like a bouillabaisse with a big piece of rockfish, shrimp, and mussels along with roasted cherry tomatoes and a tomato broth. I had ordered the Branzino and my husband had the snapper. Oops! My first time with stracchino, who knew? I was a bit embarrassed but glad he came to my rescue so I could enjoy the dish properly. Both were great, although I was surprised when my soft cheese came in a little cup! One of the managers, noticing my confusion, let me know to spread the cheese on the bread.
First, our appetizers - I ordered the stracchino salad and my husband had the watermelon salad. The waitress brought our wine over separately but spilled mine while pouring - so she gave me a little more because I know she felt bad. I ordered a glass of Barbera and my husband ordered a glass of Sauvignon Blanc (the other two members of our party didn’t order any wine). I liked that it came with butter, the tomato tapenade, and the olive oil. It took them a few minutes to check but moved us shortly after. The restaurant wasn’t very crowded at this point and we asked to get seated at a table as opposed to our booth. So… I’ll go with 2 stars - my «A-OK» combined with his «Eek! Methinks not.» Here’s why… Our party of 4 arrived at Ancora and were seated at a booth and immediately we felt a bit cramped… and none of us are… well, big. So, I am really happy to have another option for pre-Kennedy Center dining, but I’m struggling with this review because my husband had such a negative opinion of his meal. Also, my aviation drink was a delightful sipper. However, the meal was redeemed by a wonderful pear crostata topped with gelato. This made the dish far more rustic and less delicate than the traditional and not nearly as good. Although like traditional carbonara it did not have any cream in the sauce, it substituted sausage for pancetta or bacon. My spaghetti carbonara di Fabriano main dish, listed as a regional variation, disappointed. I had a frico appetizer – a thin, crisp Parmesan wafer, which was good but not distinguished from others I’ve had before or have made at home myself. Eventually a couple of waiters appeared, but even then the service appeared to be less than optimal.
Our lone barkeep was overwhelmed and our service – as well as others – suffered. After we had spent about ½ hour, the place began to fill – and fill. He gladly offered to play «waiter» for our group of close to ten and was helpful with both the drinks and the food offerings and was even able to provide separate checks for us. The barkeep was there alone with no wait staff to help him! Before we arrived he said that they were considering closing, though it was long before the posted 10: 30 closing time. The place was empty aside from one other small party. I came here with a Meetup group after attending an event at close-by Kennedy Center. Will definitely come here again, either for pre-show dining or just because! I hope this restaurant will encourage other things to open in the Watergate, because the area is generally pretty dead. I enjoyed the cannolis b/c they were authentic and not sickeningly sweet like you see at most places. The gelato was smooth and tasty with almond slices folded in. For dessert, we ordered the mini cannolis (chocolate, pistachio, and blueberry) and a scoop of toasted almond gelato. My boyfriend got the venison, which I am not personally into regardless of the restaurant, but he enjoyed it. For entrees, we had the veal medallions that were served with a delicious sauce and spinach gnocchi - again, AMAZING. The salad was great but the ravioli was AMAZING - they should keep that on the menu year-round! The server also brought a bread basket with a few varieties of fresh bread, along with butter, flavored dipping oil, and a tomato spread. For starters, we ordered a romaine and cabbage salad, and pumpkin/sage brown butter ravioli.
Our server was attentive, and other helpers were always around to fill drinks and clear off the table. My significant other and I went to Ancora before a show at the Kennedy Center because we were fans of Kinkead’s before it closed.
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