Find dishes from across Italy in a space that looks like it was ripped from the Tuscan countryside.
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I've been to this place several times. Nice bar with plenty of space. Beyond that, it pretty much stinks. Food is bland and uninspired. Service is simply dreadful. But the folks posting for this restaurant--well, I just don't believe they're all legitimate. I think Potenza is having some of its own people post a different version of the truth here. Anyone who gives the restaurant four stars simply cannot be a serious third-party reviewer. I can see an occassional three star review, but I would expect most to be one or two. So, that has me wondering if Potenza is singing its own praises. Read on with that thought in mind.
Would not recommend at all...service was horrible (slow - just getting water and bread took forever which was frustrating during a business lunch, server didn't know specials, and appetizer, salad, and entree all came within less than 5 minutes of each other so we waited forever and then had a table full of food). Service was not particularly friendly. Food was fine but for this style of rich Italian cooking I would save my money and go somewhere like Maggiano's (really!) instead. Food was heavy and rich. Would hope for some enlightened, lighter dishes appropriate for lunch in hot and humid DC. Big thumbs down unless maybe you're a tourist downtown looking for a heavy Italian dinner.
We visited DC in June and ate lunch & dinner at Potenza. We had a different picture than that painted by the Post Critic. He missed the vitality, immagination & excitement in this terrific new restaurant. Waiters were informed, helpful and anxious to please. It was hard to choose menu items, as there were so many of our favorites- and there were no disappointments in our choices. Sietsema describes the 'food court' which is the grand hall of a historic building-does he undertand the restoration rules of such a building? Read the Washingtonian Magazine review, Their critic 'got it'. Visit Potenza; we will every time we're in town!
Had dinner and the food was average at best. The service was horrible. I'll never eat there again.
I'm quite surprised by some of the negative reviews that that are posted here. I ate there a couple of weeks ago w/ a friend, and we very much enjoyed it, especially given the reasonable prices, which can be hard to find in DC Italian restaurants. We shared the arancini and bruschetta to start, both of which were delicious. I had the orrechiette w/ broccoli rabe and fennel sausage as my entree, and it too was very good (can't remember which pasta my friend had, but she liked it). The bread that came w/ the meal was also quite good. Unfortunately we were too full for dessert, but I look forward to returning. Also, our waiter was very solicitous. Potenza seems to fill a void in downtown DC for good, reasonably priced Italian food.
Its a new restaurant, give the service a break before bching about it. Like any new business, it will take time work out the kinks. As for the food, well, if you haven't noticed, this is DC, not New York. What do you expect?
Had dinner with a friend in the bar area last night. Service was horrendous. One bartender was serving the entire bar. Customers sitting at a table in the bar area had to walk up and order food from the bar. Not a huge deal as long as the bartender could remember who his customers were. Our food was "given away" because the bartender couldn't locate us. A simple dinner of wine and pizza took nearly 3 hours with all the waiting and mishaps. It was a very disappointing experience.
Potenza has style but it's lacking a little in the substance department. The pizzas are quite good: light, tasty, and the crust is excellent. The charcuterie plate selections are also very good. But I was unimpressed when I ordered an entree, in this case the pasta vongolese (pasta w/ baby clams in a white/light sauce). The dish went way overboard (and I mean WAY) on the garlic and I usually love a lot of garlic. There was also too much butter and oil, and again, I usually love butter and oil. The pasta itself was average at best. Considering this is not a complicated dish, it left me feeling hesitant to try anything else off the menu. But the pizzas are good and the setting is not bad.
I was surprised how much I did not enjoy my meal at Potenza. The service was terrible. Waiters hovered and rushed our table. We had three courses and drinks and they were pushing us out within an hour. They weren't even that busy. The waitstaff didn't even do the things that TGIFriday's staff can do - ask about how the meal was, offer refills on coffee etc. I would almost ignore the rough service if the food wasn't so dang mediocre. Everything was soaked in salt and fat that it was difficult to taste. The Bruschetta appetizer is so bizarre. Stale garlic bread with a tiny smattering of tomatoes and soaked in a CREAM SAUCE. Tiramisu was good. I've definitely been to worse restaurants, but I can't think of a single reason to go back.
I like the fact that Potenza offers a range of Italian dishes. All are executed with high quality at reasonable prices. Faves include the rabbit & truffle tortelloni and the sauteed shrimp, but friends all seemed to enjoy their dishes, too. Service is prompt and professional.
Potenza is a great restaurant, went there last night. The decor is very nice, the food is delicious, and the service is friendly and professional. We had to wait 10 minutes for our table, no problem. You can wait in their lounge/bar area. Had the arancini as appetizer (will order again, delicious, $9) and the pork milanese with arugula and arugula pesto for entree (good portion, delicious, $18). My friend had a pasta dish, also very good. Food is authentic Italian, bread and pasta made in house. The place is cheaper than you would think given the quality of food, service, and ambience. Maybe it's because they just opened in March and are trying to attracts customers. I hope the prices stay where they are! Go to Potenza, it's great.
The bruschetta appetizer is amazing- but make sure to split it with at least two other people because it is so big. I had the wild board pasta and it was also fantastic. I would highly recommend this restaurant- it is very reasonably priced.
I too enjoyed the veal scallopine with polenta, but I did not think that it lacked "something," as did the previous reviewer. I make veal saltimboca (very similar to this sans polenta) at least monthly at home. The veal was very tender, the sauce light and subtly flavorful, the polenta superb (my Italian grandmother could not have made it better). My cousin is a big pasta man, so he found the rigatoni very much to his liking, with real Old World style sauce, much as our grandmother used to make, with a very geneous, tender, and flavorful, sauce-soaked three-meat accompaniment of sausage, meatballs, and spare ribs. We will return here. The entre prices are very reasonable for downtown, and the service very professional.
The food was wonderful and I think very reasonably priced. The spinach gnocci was perfectly light and pillowy with a cream sauce that was not too dense. My dining partner had the veal with polenta. The sauce had an interesting flavor and the veal was tender, but it seemed to lack something. Our cocktails and wine -- just perfect. Although the restaurant is fun and bustling, the layout seemed confusing. Except for two large velvet cloth booths, there was little intimacy. Our small two-top table was open to a main thoroughfare to one side and big windows into the cafe on the other. Servers were friendly but seemed overwhelmed and there were few runners clearing items. Will check out the bar next time.
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