Food Club & Special Offers
For more information about the i Ricchi Food Club please click here.
- Food Club: April 20-15
Renaissance Masters and Food
Italy boasts some of the longest living citizens in the world. A crucial reason is the Italian diet with its roots in the past. Much like today, food was the cultural center of life in Renaissance Italy. It played an important role in religious holidays and family celebrations and relied heavily on the use of seasonal ingredients. The Italians had some of the best chefs and cooks in Europe at the time.
This week’s menu is an interpretation using ingredients that Italians most certainly enjoyed in the early 16th century, including many fresh aromatics.
- Celebrate Mother’s Day at i Ricchi
Festa della Mamma
Mother’s Day Sparkling CelebrationSunday, May 9, 2021
Reservations: 202-835-0459Antipasti
(choice of one)Spring Salad
celery hearts, apple, hazelnutsAnise Cured Salmon
tarragon aioli, haricots verts, potato & Castelvetrano olivesCaprese
assorted tomatoes, fior di latte mozzarella, basil, evooAsparagus Fiorentina
eggs mimosa, balsamic vinaigrettePrimi
(choice of one)Fresh pea soup
mint mascarpone, thyme croutonsPasta al forno
baked rigatoni, rosemary ham, zucchini, peas, mozzarella & parmesanCapellini
fresh tomato & basilLobster risotto
prosecco & parmesanSecondi
(choice of one)Eggplant parmesan
Chicken scallopine
lemon & capersPan seared Maine scallops
wild mushrooms, ricotta gnocchi, parsley butterBoccadoro
creamy white polenta, parmesan carrotsDolci
(choice of one)Panna cotta
balsamic strawberries, cracked black pepperTorta della Nonna cream
pine nut tartCream filled chocolate profiteroles
Frutti di bosco sorbetto
with mixed spring berries$79 *exclusive tax & gratuity
*children under 12 yrs a la carte available - Food Club: April 13-18
Lombardia: Where it all Began
Over the past year, many have asked why did Italy, and particularly northern Italy become the epicenter of Coronavirus. There are several theories as to the when and why, but it seemed to have been the perfect storm of coinciding factors.
Despite all this, Italians have a truly unique take on life– maybe because they have suffered so many hardships through time, they have mastered a fundamental understanding of what really matters. It is because of the value Italians place on family and their traditions that it is easy to understand why the art of cooking and then congregating around the table has been fundamental to their survival in this unprecedented difficult time –especially in the hardest hit region of Lombardia. Their comfort food will most certainly be prepared with recipes past down from generations utilizing products that are grown and produced close to home.
This week’s menu showcases some of the most beloved ingredients and recipes from this complex and diverse region.
- Food Club: April 7-11
Waking Up – Springtime in Florence
Isn’t it amazing how just a few notes of an old song can bring you back to a place you haven’t been in years? When thinking about this week’s menu, highlighting the first new vegetables of spring, I kept hearing the lyrics of an old popular Florentine tune – recounting the spectacular beauty of Spring’s awakening in Le Cascine, Florence’s Central Park.
This week’s menu highlights Florentine Spring rituals and ingredients Italian cooks are beginning to find in their local markets and that most likely will be included on their Spring tables.
- Food Club: March 30 – April 4
Happy Florentine New Year, Dante
“Buon Capodanno / Happy New Year” could be heard again in the streets of Florence last week. The traditional Florentine New Year always has been celebrated on March 25, the feast day of the Annunciation.
To add to these festivities, last year, the Italian government announced the establishment of a National Dante Day or “DanteDi” to be observed annually on March 25. Dante Alighieri is considered the father of modern literature and perhaps the greatest poet of all time. He was born in Florence (Tuscany) in 1265 and died in Ravenna (Emilia Romagna) in 1321,making this year the 700th anniversary of his death. This week’s menu takes inspiration from both regions that were home to Dante.
- Easter Dinner at i Ricchi: Sunday, April 4, 2021
Join us for in person dining on the Piazza or at safely distanced tables indoors.
Reservations: 202-835-0459 or on OpenTable.
Serving from 2:00pm – 8:00pm.
$69 exclusive of tax & gratuity.Antipasto
(choice of one)
Smoked zucchini ribbons, burrata, parsley breadcrumbs
Spring salad, Italian greens, watercress, egg mimosa, roasted beets
Fritto misto di mare, shrimp, calamari, zucchini, fried lemonPrimo
(choice of one)
Mushroom ravioli, parmesan cream
Asparagus risotto
Capellini, fresh tomato, basilSecondo
(choice of one)
Roasted lamb chops, mint & lemon gremolata*
Hazelnut thyme crusted salmon*
Prosciutto sage wrapped chicken breast Saltimbocca*
*all served with Florentine Spring peas & prosciutto and Tuscan roasted potatoesDolci
(choice of one)
Chocolate silk Easter pie
Strawberry mousse, vanilla gelato, baked meringue semifreddo
Lemon sorbetto, blueberry coulis, fresh mint, pizzelle - Easter Dinner To-Go: Sunday, April 4th
Easter dinner is available for takeout on Sunday, April 4, 2021.
A beautiful festive spring menu that will invite a true Easter Celebration. Included in each order is a large foil-wrapped Italian chocolate Easter Egg!
4+ Course Menu ($69/person)
Includes a large foil-wrapped Italian chocolate Easter EggBurrata di Bufala
Grilled zucchini ribbons, buffalo burrata, parsley breadcrumbs, balsamic reduction
Ravioli ai Funghi
Mushroom-stuffed homemade ravioli in a parmesan cream sauceChoice of:
Herb-crusted Rack of Lamb with mint gremolata
or Hazelnut thyme crusted salmonPatate al Rosmarino
Roasted rosemary olive oil potatoesPiselli alla Fiorentina
Sweet peas with prosciutto and spring onionsEaster Chocolate Silk Pie
BONUS TREAT! Large foil-wrapped Italian chocolate Easter Egg
- Food Club: March 23-28
Comfort Foods Unite
This week’s menu was inspired by comforting foods – those that only Nonna cooks to make us feel better. When dealing with uncertainties, food connects us with our past and reminds us that we are not alone.
- Food Club: March 16-21
It Matters Not if you are Irish or Italian
It’s official; hell has frozen over, and St. Patrick’s Day has been cancelled in Ireland! They are under a Level 5 alert, shutting down the entire country as the latest British virus strain is spreading. In Italy, most of the regions are Code Red, restricting all travel away from home, leaving Italians scrambling to make virtual plans to celebrate St. Joseph’s Day, their national Father’s Day.
Our menu this week is a playful rendition of Irish and Italian recipes, paying homage to the things both countries have in common.
- Food Club: March 9-14
Umbria: Italy’s Green Heartland
One of Italy’s smallest regions, Umbria tends to get short shrift, overshadowed by its illustrious neighbor, Tuscany. But in Italy it is known as its “cuore verde”, green heart, where it maintains long-standing traditions of agriculture, art, and spirituality. Umbrians believe that because it is in the center of the Italian peninsula, it is the center of the world! It has been muse to writers, poets, and painters throughout the ages with an inherent mystical link noted as far back as the Etruscans.
The cooking is simple in Umbria. It has a relaxed approach and serves whatever happens to be in season. The menu this week highlights its plethora of vegetables, freshwater trout and of course the chocolate from Perugia.
- Food Club: March 2-7
It is a responsibility to carry the torch. Once you have been welcomed into the fold, nurtured, and taught, you feel you must carry on the tradition – you WANT to carry on the tradition. For generations, Italian women have preserved and passed on the recipes, rules, and secrets of their mothers and grandmothers in an ongoing rite of passage. They are the keepers of culinary folklore and memories deeply rooted in family history.
Every year, on International Women’s Day, my thoughts return to my mentors in our trattoria’s kitchen. This week, I revisit recipes handed down from my “Mamme Italiane”.
