827 Slaters Ln
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 224-5051
www.rusticorestaurant.com
Situated just outside old towne Alexandria, VA Rustico is known for their fresh, seasonal menus and their incredible beer selection. This particular outing, I found myself drinking at lunch, and sharing food with my companions (two things that I assure you do not happen often)…and yes, I am aware that often is a relative term.
One thing that I will decry immediately was the service. Generally speaking, I have found Rustico’s service to be somewhat unpleasant. The wait staff is usually very slow, not very attentive, and sometimes isnt even friendly. I realize that lunch doesnt exactly bring out all of the star players, but I felt rather short-changed given the experience not counting the service. Our waitress took forever to even acknowledge our existence (despite the fact that she had all of two tables situated outside), and when she brought out our plates and utensils, she merely plopped them in the middle of the table for me to distribute accordingly. To cap things off, when she was gathering our food at the end of the meal, she tipped a bowl filled with muscle remnants & sauce such that it spilled on my shirt. Oh, and I SWEAR that she gave me the evil eye when I ordered and English beer that came in a can. Forgive me!
Anyway, on to the food. Rustico is known for their wood fired pizzas, so we ordered the Basil and Fresh Mozzarella. As is usually the case in the D.C. metro area, it hardly lived up to a ‘real’ Italian pizza (something I practically grew up eating & making myself). The crust was paper thin, barely cooked to a palatable crispiness and the basil was sparse. However, the sauce itself was not your garden variety canned creation — it was actually pretty good. We also decided to share a salad (whos ingredients were forgettable but was topped with a dressing to die for) and muscles. The muscles were bathed in a light, tangy (if not a bit too garlic-y) sauce that was the highlight of the meal. They were also quite large, and there were plenty of them.
Perhaps it was the fact that I was forced to eat outside (against my will) with all of the strange flying annoyances that accompany the changing of the seasons, possibly the fact that my food was invaded by the hands and utensils of my partners in crime (most likely a combination of the two), but Rustico failed to live up to its usually glowing standards. The sub-par service certainly did little brighten my demeanor, and neither will the dry cleaning bill for my favorite green shirt.
