NVM Review

By Warren Rojas

A true pasta lover’s paradise, the stage is always set with all-you-can-eat spaghetti ($6.50). For an encore-worthy performance, bask in the glory of the ragu di agnello ($4.50 per 8-ounce serving)—a sumptuous blend of lamb, rosemary, pancetta and white wine.

By Warren Rojas

Diner’s remorse: The gnawing self-doubt incurred by selecting one meal and later spying another you wished you’d ordered instead. Though there is no known cure (yet), the folks at Il Radicchio in Arlington have taken the sting out of this alimentary ailment by serving premium sauces and specialty dishes at bargain prices.

For a flat fee of $6.50 per person, customers are entitled to all-you-can-eat spaghetti (al dente pasta is delivered to each table by the steaming bowlful). The real draw, however, is the slate of signature sauces—the 20 (and counting) daring mixtures range from $2 to $4 per serving, with lots of different meats, herbs and textures to choose from—with which to douse your noodles. A carbonara sauce (creamy, with huge pancetta bits and plenty of cracked black pepper) is extra-eggy and delicious. The radicchio sauce (tomato base, loaded with ground Italian sausage and herbs) comes charged with red wine. A sumptuous ragu di agnello (tender lamb, pancetta, white wine, hints of rosemary and garlic) is simply breathtaking. The hot peppers at the heart of the amatriciana sauce are non-lethal, but still exciting. And a pistachio blend is nutty, with trails of pungent Gorgonzola.

Hand-tossed pizzas can come out plain (sans even sauce) or be decorated with everything from fresh fontina and Gorgonzola to squid and mussels. A football-sized calzone (plenty big enough to share) comes laden with generous helpings of crumbled sausage, garden-fresh spinach, and ropey strands of melted mozzarella intertwined with ricotta, and is served with a zesty pomodoro sauce. The restaurant also features a number of daily veal, fish and ravioli dishes.

For a pre-pasta nibble, try the carpaccio with fresh arugula and shaved Parmesan (solid, but more cured beef would be greatly appreciated) or the spinach, mushroom and mozzarella bruschetta (mushrooms are tender, the spinach quite leafy).

One drawback is the lack of tables (fewer than 20 in the entire restaurant), which often makes it tough to find a seat at this suburban spagheterria. But once you’re in, confidence is high you’ll be back to try another sauce, and then return to try another.