It’s that time of year again. The tourists are here, the locals are here. All for a few pink trees.

We went out to dinner last night and ended up in a nightmare traffic jam. Where did all those people come from? We inched along Constitution Avenue like it was rush hour. The good thing was that we had already eaten so we weren’t rushed to get to the table.

We went to a restaurant owned by a “celebrity” chef. That means he was on TV. He was on Top Chef. But what we discovered was he really can cook. The menu was made up of “small” plates so we able to order several things and not leave stuffed. There were four of us. We started with two different salads which was enough for everybody and flatbread with pepperoni sauce (one of his Top Chef successes). The Caesar Salad had little cubes of fried cheese in it.

From there we split up and ordered

Charred Octopus, tomato mostarda, romaine, mint

Ravioli, ricotta, sausage, peppers

Potato Gnocchi, pork ragu, whipped ricotta, crispy rosemary

Pappardelle, wild mushroom, eggplant, fennel

The pappardelle was just what it says, no heavy sauce, just mushrooms, eggplant and fennel. Simple and delicious.

There were some interesting pizzas on the menu as well featuring things like brussels sprouts, lamb, and black truffles.

For dessert we opted for the Pumpkin Break Pudding with caramel sauce. What can I say? Doesn’t get any better than that.

If you are ever in town, probably for the cherry blossoms, stop by Graffiato on 6th street It’s worth the trip.