Michael Corleone. Henry Hill. Paulie Walnuts.

They all had one thing in common:

... Okay, they actually had a lot of things in common. But among those things: an appreciation for a good red-sauce joint.

A joint like Alphonse Italian Market & Osteria, the new old-school Italian place from the guys behind the Russia House and Biergarten Haus. It’s open now on U Street. (See the slideshow here.)

Here’s how you might use it...

A casual first date. No pressure here. It’s just that kind of place.

To get your pancetta-and-egg-pizza fix. Because they make exactly that. And because you have oddly specific fixes. (See the whole menu here.)

To eat alfresco... sort of. There’s a big garage door out front, and they open it when it’s nice out. But you still get all the time-tested advantages of a roof over your head.

A casual at-home date. Hit their to-go case for some housemade piquillo pepper pasta, salami and/or hunks of aged provolone.

Breakfast. They open at 6am. Awaiting you at that ungodly hour: donuts, plus bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches slathered with hollandaise.

So by “ungodly,” we also mean “godly.”