Dinner at Mezzanotte

 

A fresh plate of Cacio e Pepe from Mezzanotte in Georgetown. 

My family and I dined at Mezzanotte, an Italian spot serving pasta and cocktails. Their outdoor area looked really warm and cozy and I had been seeing so many great reviews online. I made a reservation, which I'd recommend doing for any of this type of outdoor dining right now. I started with a Amara Arancia. It had rum, Campari, peach liqueur, blood orange, and lime. I'd heard wonderful things about the Focaccia Bread so we got three orders of it. It was really soft and full of flavor, and served with extra virgin olive oil. I could have just eaten that bread and would have been satisfied. 

My husband and I ordered a plate of pasta. Their pasta is made with local flour and cage-free organic eggs. I chose the Cacio e Pepe with Rigatoni Pasta. And he ordered the Pasta Di Stagione which had Porcini Mushrooms, garlic cream, and herbs. Cacio e Pepe means cheese and pepper. I found the pepper to be pretty spicy, but it wasn't overly spicy. It did have a nice flavor, but both my pasta and his was cooked al dente so it was pretty firm. After a quick Google search, I discovered that's how Italians prefer their pasta cooked. For dessert, we all shared the Panna Cotta which was nice and jiggly. My favorite part of it was the amaro poached figs and the candied hazelnuts.