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With a lineage and training like Christiana Ricchi's one could only be successful. Born in New York and graduating in Fine Arts from the Universita Internazionale D'Arte of Florence, she stayed back in Italy to continue her studies in visual as well as culinary arts. She was part of the Trattoria i Ricchi outside Florence for eighteen years and true to family tradition she opened Ristorante i Ricchi in Washington DC in 1989. And there has been no looking back since.

Christiana Ricchi believes that traditional recipes, passed down through the ages are worth their weight in gold, so her restaurant recreates the ambience of a large family kitchen in the Tuscan village of Cercina. The focal point of the restaurant is the wood burning hearth, its warmth complemented by the terracotta floors and gold tinted walls decorated by rustic Della Robbia style murals.

The restaurant brings the satisfaction of a traditional dining experience with signature family recipes like tortellini al burro e salvia, thinly rolled pasta that is handmade each day, enclosing generous amounts of ricotta and spinach dressed with butter and fresh sage sauce that finds a pride of place in the menu. Using just a few basic ingredients like olive oil, vegetables, fish and meat, the cuisine of the region helps create exceptional dishes typical of the Mediterranean diet.

The menu is woven around prime aged beef grilled over live embers, pasta, grilled sea food, fowl and risottos. The highlights are their freshly baked bread and range of homemade desserts. The well trained staff look after the guests' every need whether it is helping them order a family meal or customizing the menu for a private party, and reflect the Ricchi commitment to be known as a premier Italian dining establishment; their Website will provide even more details and menus.

For 20 years, Lavandou has been serving Southern French cuisine at its current location in the Historical Cleveland Park neighborhood. The cuisine is reminiscent of Provence with fragrant herbs, tomato, bell pepper, eggplant, olives and garlic being the main ingredients. The menu includes an array of seafood; vegetable and meat dishes prepared using only the freshest produce and are mostly involved with olive oil for a healthy meal. The decor is typical of Provence with the atmosphere as laid back as an afternoon or evening in the South of France.

Expect to find options such as herbed chicken breast served with fingerling potatoes and ratatouille, a combination of grilled hanger steak and pommes frites with a shallot and red wine reduction, or lamb chops grilled with thyme and garlic, served with haricot vert and white bean stew.