2005 Fall Dining Guide
By Tom Sietsema
Washington Post Magazine
Sunday, October 16, 2005

** and 1/2 (out of four stars)

When people inquire about Galileo, I have to ask which space they're talking about, because chef-owner Roberto Donna now maintains three separate menus under one roof. One is for the main dining room, with its regional Italian focus. Another is for the glamorous Laboratorio, with its gleaming open kitchen and extravagant tasting menu. The third is for diners who sit in his eight-table osteria next to the bar. Here the menu is easy on the wallet and easy to like, for it brings together comforting plates and pleasant service in a simple space that doesn't demand that you dress for the occasion. There are only a few choices per course, but what choices! Vitello tonnato is sublime. So is the baby roast chicken. Pastas taste house-made because they are (ricotta dumplings are a favorite), and the meat dishes seem to be channeled from the kitchen of an Italian grandmother (pork sausages are as lusty as they come). Continue with what's casual for dessert: Tonight's cannoli are worth whatever they'll cost you on the scale tomorrow.