Don Angie

Enter into a relationship with someone, and after a period of time between four months and four years, you’ll be asked to take part in a double date. You might all genuinely be friends, but the double date is often a slightly forced affair—dinner with your coworker and her never-before-seen spouse, or with your boyfriend’s high school friends who you’ve never met and have been a couple since they were 16. You need somewhere that has interesting and impressive food, and which will make you look like you’re cool and in-the-know. But you also need somewhere that everyone - even the picky half of that high school couple - will enjoy.

You need Don Angie.

Don Angie definitely ticks all of those boxes, but there’s also a very practical reason to come here with four people: many of the dishes are large and you’re going to want to order a lot of them. Take the stuffed garlic flatbread, which comes with eight cheesy, highly enjoyable pieces, or even the impressively-sized chrysanthemum salad. After that, you’ll want at least two of the pastas (we strongly endorse the gnocchi and the garganelli) and you might also want to try the $64 lasagna “for two,” which is both expensive and filling for two people if you want to order anything else. And you will want to order something else - the entrees, which range from a great piece of grilled fish or steak to a veal cutlet topped with cured meat, are excellent as well. If you eat here with just one other person, you might leave with a sense of existential dread about what you didn’t get to try, and probably also some unfinished dishes. We can tell you that from experience.

Don Angie will also do you right for this hypothetical daunting double date night because the food is equal parts exciting and accessible - anyone you think at least qualifies as a mid-tier enjoyer of food will like it. Take the gnocchi, for example. It’s covered in poppy seeds, but is also basically just a bunch of cheese-filled dough balls. The best approach to ordering is to get some of the pastas and entrees to share, but if that coworker’s mystery spouse decides they just want a piece of chicken to themselves, Don Angie works for that too. Although much of the menu isn’t particularly healthy, a lot of the dishes are covered in salad, if that’s any consolation.

The restaurant is also dimly lit and sleek, with lots of leather and shiny things that feel like they could be on a fancy sailboat or luxury condo bathroom. In other words, it definitely has the date night feel. The space is pretty small though, meaning it’s not really a big group kind of place either.

So gather a few people, one of whom may by the significant other of someone you kind of know, and take them to Don Angie.

Food Rundown

Chrysanthemum Salad

I had previously been under the impression that chrysanthemum was a kind of crystal or birthstone of a random month, but it turns out to be a flower with greens that look like a more opulent arugula. This salad full of chrysanthemum is delicious, possibly because it’s covered in a mound of grated cheese.

Stuffed Garlic Flatbread

This is a cracker filled with garlic and cheese, served pizza-style. Salty, crispy, cheesy, garlicky, and a little oily in a mostly good way, you definitely want one of these on your table.

Sea Bass Crudo

If you’re the people who always say, “Should we get the crudo to start?” then by all means, get the crudo to start.

Stracchino Gnocchi

Covered in a poppy seed sauce and filled with cheese, this is an excellent plate of food and one of the best pastas on the menu. Also covered in salad, like many dishes here.

Garganelli Giganti

The other best pasta on the menu. It’s a fairly straightforward ragu with a tangy tomato sauce and some cured pork thrown in for good measure.

Buffalo Milk Caramelle

This pasta looks like old-fashioned candy, and fittingly, it’s pretty sweet. While it’s good, this dish gets a few more points in the looks department than in the taste department.

Lasagna For Two

First things first: this is best enjoyed as lasagna for four, or maybe even six - not two. It costs $64, looks incredible, tastes good, and generally feels exciting. If you’re with a group, aren’t too concerned about the bill, and have someone who really likes to Instagram their food, go for it. But also know you can have a fantastic (and maybe even better) meal here by ordering the gnocchi and garganelli along with some of the entrees.

Veal “Da Pepi”

This is a veal schnitzel topped with a kind of special sauce, horseradish, and a thin layer of prosciutto. Somehow, it tastes a bit like an amazing Italian deli sandwich. Order it and see if you agree.

Orata Alla Griglia

Don Angie doesn’t just do huge vessels of pasta and dishes topped with cured meat and cheese - you can get a great piece of grilled fish here too. And you should.