Sette Osteria

[JennyUptown]

I stopped by for a bite to eat with a friend who is new to town. We sat outside which was very comfortable - they have nice cushioned chairs out there and the tables are nicely spaced.

For my appetizer, I requested (and received) bufala mozzarella with prosciutto instead of the insalata caprese. Instead of the preparation I expected (some olive oil, maybe fleur de sel, etc.), it came out dry on a cutting board. The waiter (a friendly sort, gregarious but overall not very informed or helpful) didn't seem to notice my confused expression. It took awhile to flag him down to get some olive oil and salt. By then it was too late.

Had the potato cake for my entree which was as good as it was during our group eg dinner.

[Mark Sommelier]

Pizza Marqherita with Pancetta. yummmmmmmmm

[Mrs. P]

Went last Wed to Sette - it was very busy at 10 PM!! We didn't have the time to load up on apps, so we went straight for the pizza. The pizzas selected were :

La Reina

La Reina with Prociutto

Quattro Stagioni

As reported before, the pizzas could have used more time in the oven, but the flavors were good though not amazing. Next time I will ask for well-done, as others have suggested. The quattro stagione came out with all four ingredients mixed together, which was fine but unexpected (usually, in my experience, each flavor is given its own section of the pizza). We were underwhelmed by the overall quality of the pizzas for the price (~50 with 2 cokes and a beer).

Service was a bit slow but amiable. The pizzas came out uncut, and we requested that they be cut (eyes did roll a bit).

I would take a 2 Amy's Norcia to go over what we tried at Sette. But I do hope to return to try other pizzas and the appetizers that have been hailed in this thread.

[wmsmurray]

Went to Sette Osteria last night (been a week of trying new pizza places) with the MIL and wife. I got there early enough to sit at the bar and enjoy a glass of wine. Had something recommended by the bartender that I had not heard of before. It was a sparkling Italian red. It was (I guess) the red equivalent to Prosecco but not as sweet. Interesting. Anyway, for dinner we had the Italian specialty meats for the table and the calamari fritti. The meats were great but I am a sucker for salamis, prosciutto and mortadella. The calamari were mostly good. Crispy, tender and mostly not chewy and I enjoyed the dipping sauce. For dinner I had the Prosciutto e Rucola pizza and enjoyed it a lot. I love fresh greens on a pizza and the lemon vinaigrette worked well with the other flavors. The only other thing I tasted was the pasta my wife got-the Paccherri al Ragu Napoletano. The meat sauce was very good and the pasta the right degree of al dente. I had a glass of the Grotta del Sole bianco which was a good foil for the flavors on the pizza. Overall a good experience and I would like to go back to try some of the other menu items.

[MCJB2]

Tom gives Sette 2 Stars.

[JennyUptown]

I can't believe he didn't mention the doughnuts...love the doughnuts.

[morela]

Tom gives Sette 2 Stars.

Sietsema's review:

"Enter Sette Osteria, which flung open its doors in Dupont Circle in February and immediately packed 'em in with a menu of pizza, pasta and wines that celebrates the goods of southern Italy. By the look of things, you could be forgiven for thinking the place was offering free tickets to the latest Harry Potter movie."

Funny, I actually agree with this. Coincidentally, I went to premier of Harry Potter and Sette on the same night (and that space did used to be the grotty Janus theater). On that note, I usually go to Sette with my friend John W., who looks a lot like Harry.

"(As the waiter with two names noted, after midnight "the tips are good!") Thoughtful little details abound, such as colorful pillows to soften the hard seats and wines poured by the half-glass as well as the standard six ounces. "

And that good tipping would have to be the magic of my friend, Harry Potter W.

[JennyUptown]

Went to Sette on Thursday and was pretty disappointed. IMHO, the thing it has going for it is mostly atmosphere. I think both the food and service have fallen off.

[Minister of Drink]

Always a great place in a great neighborhood to smash out a pizza, then move to BDC before heading back to one's car or metro. I call it triangulation!!!!!

[DCMark]

Went to Sette on Thursday and was pretty disappointed. IMHO, the thing it has going for it is mostly atmosphere. I think both the food and service have fallen off.

Jenny, it has not gotten better since we all visited, that is for sure.

[morela]

What? You guys don't like riff-raff from Milano?

[Minister of Drink]

What? You guys don't like riff-raff from Milano?

Having been to Sette many times now (although a mere piddle in the sea compared to John W.), I don't think I've ever seen the Eurotrash or Persian Mafia types that frequent Milano. The people who frequent Sette seem much more down to earth.

[JennyUptown]

What? You guys don't like riff-raff from Milano?

I like riff-raff. All I was saying is that the service is sucking and the food has gone from good to just OK in my experience. I'll still go there though, I think. For now.

[Minister of Drink]

What? You guys don't like riff-raff from Milano?

I like riff-raff. All I was saying is that the service is sucking and the food has gone from good to just OK in my experience. I'll still go there though, I think. For now.

Maybe the service at the table is shoddy -- although the last time I dined tableside in was too liquored up (in my capacity as Minister of Drink) to remember the quality of service. In any case, I suggest you try sitting at the bar, order a bottle and smash out a pizza. My favourite Serbian bartendress never disappoints!

Cheers!

[halcyongolf]

I dined at Sette last week with some friends after work. The people who organized the event had been to Sette several times, but it was my first experience.

In short, the food was solid, the service (at the table) was OK, the hostess(s) were horrible. There were more then a few people who left without being seated because of the hostess. If the overall service level can improve, the food will bring me back.

[hjshorter]

Had a glass of wine, calamari, and pizza last night with hannnah and Mr hannnah prior to the REM show. The wine was warm , and the calamari was decent and accompanied by a spicy tomato sauce that, ahem, kicked it up a notch. The pizza (arugula and prosciutto) was much better than when last sampled - thinner, crispier and good char on the bottom. Service was unexceptional.

The hostess refused to seat hannnah and the Mr unti I arrived, despite a near empty restaurant.

[Nadya]

Sette's pizza is good, by the way, much closer to the genuIne fare one gets in Italy. But my favorite dish at Sette remains their gnocchi plate - so mommy-comfort-food-like. They also get two opposable thumbs up for staying open so late, because it's not easy to find a place to sit your bottom down after a closing shift.

Edited November 2, 2004 by Nadya (log)

[silentbob]

I thought their pizzas were so-so as well but the buffalo mozzarella? Oh my. As good as any I've tasted.

The nutella-filled doughnuts would have been great if they were straight out of the fryer instead of lukewarm. Oh well. I may try them again someday.

[sweetfreak]

Went to Sette for the first time on Saturday night. Just read a few of the above posts so I have to start by saying we had great service. I wish I knew the name of our waiter because he was great.

Also, we had a party of 6 and when we arrived, they told us it would be an hour wait, but then we were seated almost immediately. No complaints there.

My husband ordered a pizza with sausage and I snuck a few bites. The sausage was nicely spiced and the crust was very good.

I split with a friend the gnocchi and the eggplant parmesan. Although, the gnocchi was great comfort food, with its fresh mozz and basil, the eggplant won out here: I would definitely get this again. The eggplant was perfectly roasted, not breaded and fried, and layered with fresh tomato sauce, and more mozz. I savored every bite.

They did not have the Nutella donuts on the dessert menu. My friend ordered a warm chocolate almond cake, which was fine, but just that.

Anyway, I noticed there had been no talk recently about Sette, so I thought I would provide an update.