Have you ever taken something for granted? Maybe a loved one, your good fortune, a sunny day, your favorite restaurant? Sometimes we take things that are reliable, dependable, consistent and “always there” for granted. Over the past year and a half I’ve had the pleasurable opportunity of visiting many restaurants for the Dining Out article for the Old Town Crier, usually finding newly opened restaurants such as Overwood’s, Jackson 20, The Carlyle Club, or finding restaurants at get-away locations such as Town Dock in St. Michael’s, Harris Crab House at Kent Narrows or Tuscarora Mill in Leesburg. But I found I was stumped in finding a choice for the May issue.

A few days ago I found myself and my dining companions at Faccia Luna, having dinner lamenting the fact I couldn’t decide on the subject for my article, when I had one of those “V-8” slaps to the head moment. I was sitting in a restaurant where I have been a loyal customer since it opened in 1996. I go with my family after church on Sunday, I meet friends to sit at the bar and watch baseball games, and I now take my fiancee to dinner. Problem solved.

Faccia Luna is away from the bustle of lower King Street on South Washington Street, and is the last restaurant in Alexandria before heading over the Route 495 overpass down Route 1. Now that the construction of the apartments behind it is complete the parking is easy and for local residents it’s a short walk.

It’s a one room operation with a bar in front as you enter and ends with the open kitchen. In between are blonde-wood booths and tables, tile floor, and walls decorated with black and white photos. The owners advertise it as a neighborhood pizzeria that’s not a chain and well above the numerous mom-and-pop pizza shops that abound. The fact that they play lots of Frank Sinatra is a plus with me.

Although there is a fully stocked bar and several cocktails are recommended such as cosmopolitans, appletinis and manhattans, we started with a round of their house beer, Old Dominion Victory. For appetizers we chose Tomato Brushcetta, traditionally served with crusty bread and topped with olive oil, garlic, balsamic vinegar and fresh basil, the House Salad, a fresh mixture of chopped field greens, mushrooms, cheese, tomatoes and peppercorn dressing, the Misto Salad, with chopped field greens, carrots, red onions, tomatoes, feta, pecans, dates, and olives with champagne vinaigrette and also a special appetizer, shrimp stuffed with crab meat and baked in the oven.

Other salads that could also serve as entrees are the Trattoria Salads with either Feta cheese or Gorgonzola cheese and the Grilled Caesars that add steak, chicken, salmon or portobellos.

Transitioning into entrees we ordered wine. Faccia Luna has a brief wine list, mainly from Italy and all served by the glass. By the bottle, prices range from $19.75 for Fossi Blanco, a Garganega Trebbiano, to $28.95 for either De Bortoli Merlot or Tenuta Mazzolino, a blend of Cabernet, Pinot Noir and native Bonards from Italy. The reasonable wine prices are further displayed on Tuesday nights when half priced wines are featured.

For entrees we ordered Luna Cheesesteak, Chicken Cheesesteak and the Faccia Luna pizza with sausage, fresh mushrooms and roasted red peppers. There are sixteen listed pizzas and a seemingly endless list of toppings that can be added to customize your pizza such as Woolwich dairy goat cheese, Vermont farm fresh ricotta, toasted pine nuts, LaJo’s sweet Italian sausage or grilled eggplant. It’s obvious from the line of folks picking up their carry-out pizzas that Faccia Luna fulfills its boast of being the neighborhood pizzeria.

Owner, Joe Corey, warned me to be leery of restaurants listing “Steak and Cheese” sandwiches rather than “Cheesesteak” and I’ve never had any qualms about ordering the Luna Cheesesteak. I’ve not found its match in Old Town. It’s top sirloin, grilled onions and green peppers and American cheese on a toasty sub roll. The Chicken Cheesesteak is a good alternative.

Pasta offerings include homemade Agnolotti, fettucini, and angel hair, you choose your pasta and sauce. There is also Gnocchi di Piselli, an Italian potato dumpling in a spicy vodka sauce with sweet peas, tomato and spicy red pepper.

For the beer lovers Faccia Luna offers on tap; Pilsner Urquell, Leinenkuguel Sunset Wheat, Magic Hat Number 9, Miller Lite and a seasonal tap. In bottles, you’ll find Amstel Light, Hakke Beck, Heineken, Stella Artois, Budweiser, Anchor Steam, Sierra Nevada, White Hawk IPA and Old Scratch. Draft beers are priced from $3.65 to $5.50 and the costliest bottle beer is $3.95.

We tried to decline desert, but Joe suggested we try Chocolate Mousse, a rich “gritty” mouse made with bittersweet chocolate, egg whites, milk and whipped cream. A good suggestion and a nice taste to finish the flavors of the meal.

Our tab for three beers, two glasses of wine, two salads, two appetizers, a Cheesesteak, and a medium pizza was $77 before tip. A great deal, and I’ll try not to take Faccia Luna for granted again.

During warm weather, Faccia Luna opens its street-front patio, allowing diners to enjoy the outdoor scene.

Currently, Monday night specials are 2 people for $24.24, including two salads, one pizza and 2 glasses of house wine.

Faccia Luna Trattoria
823 South Washington Street
Alexandria
703-838-5998
www.faccialuna.com

< Prev		Next >