Mother’s Day in Clarendon

After I hung up the phone I put Mother’s Day out of my mind and agreed with my lovely wife that we should go out for lunch. I had made the requisite call to my mother this morning. She told me last week, “The only thing I want for Mother’s Day is for my son to call me now and then.” So, full of guilt, I called her. I guess that makes me a good son.

When my wife and I got to Clarendon, we found that Whitlow’s on Wilson had people spilling out the door, waiting for a table. The next place we tried was full as well. Then we got to Faccia Luna on Wilson Blvd. and found that it was nearly empty. Good news for us, I suppose, but I wondered what it meant that a restaurant was almost empty on the biggest restaurant day of the year, with surrounding venues full of mothers and people who love them.

Faccia Luna was as good a place as I have been to recently. Its gourmet-style offerings sounded good on the menu. Elise had the Agnolotti con Mozzarella. I had no idea what agnolotti meant. It turned out to be a type of pasta that looked suspiciously like ravioli. I don’t know what the difference might be. It came with a creamy pesto sauce that looked really delicious. I was too busy with my pizza to get a taste.

I went for the Pomodoro pizza, which was a nice pairing of fresh tomatoes and garlic. Before ordering, I had to get something cleared up. Faccia Luna had the appearance of the type of trendy place that made wimpy sauceless pizzas. I can’t abide by that. Sure enough, they do have some sauceless pizzas labeled “white” but the lion’s share of the pies come with a sauce, just the way God intended. It was delicious. Great toppings, tasty sauce and a wonderful hand-tossed crust.

If you are in Clarendon, be sure to check out Faccia Luna. It has excellent food. The mystery remains – why weren’t there more people there today? My mother lives in Raleigh, NC, so I couldn’t have taken her there. What’s your excuse for denying your Mom such a wonderful dining experience?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Carl Weaver is a writer and brewer for RealHomebrew.com and has been making beer and wine for more than 20 years. He is also an avid photographer and writer and just finished his first book, about a trip he took to Thailand to live in Buddhist monasteries. He considers himself the last of the Renaissance men and the luckiest darned guy in the world. Follow him on Twitter.

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