Meat Market
Steak Six Ways on Capitol Hill

You've always liked the country. Especially when you find it in the city.

Like an English garden-style coffeehouse in Georgetown. Or your friend's chalet-inspired apartment. Or that moonshiner operating from a Logan Circle backyard (you know he's out there).

And now, a Tuscan villa on Capitol Hill.

Welcome to Acqua Al 2, opening this Saturday as your new home for steaks, pasta and—given the location—probably a bit of legislative logrolling.

Now, you should know that this is a sister restaurant to a long-standing trattoria in Florence—basically, it's as if they dropped a Tuscan farmhouse amid a row of shops across from Eastern Market. (No Diane Lane, though, sorry.) You'll find red-tin ceilings, antique china cabinets, genuine barn doors and the exact same menu they use in Florence. (An admittedly distant runner-up to Diane, but nice all the same.)

After taking in the surroundings (and a quick belt of limoncello) at the copper bar, you'll want something more intimate. Oh, and steak. Definitely steak. For that, you'll head to one of the heavy hardwood tables in the back and order up some pasta (Cannelloni with Mascarpone and Porcinis, for instance) while you decide between six varieties of red meat, like New York Steak with Parmesan, Arugula and Focaccia, Filet with Balsamic Glaze, or the house specialty, Filet Mignon with Blueberry Sauce.

You love it when fruit comes with a side of red meat.