Tracking Truffles During This Year's Season

Truffle season is back. It tends to be quick — and pricey — but fans of the rich delicacy are willing to shell out up to three figures to get a taste. D.C. restaurants are getting in on the truffle game by making truffle-specific dishes or allowing diners to shave the fancy fungi all over their food.

Bourbon Steak’s truffle service, which just kicked off last year, is back and the presentation is pristine: White Alba and Black Périgord truffles, which can be added to certain dishes, lay on hay in a custom box next to hen eggs (for moisture control) and are plucked and shaved tableside by a server in white gloves.

While dishes with truffle oil are much more easy (and inexpensive) to find around town, this guide only focuses on the rare whole or shaved truffle sightings.

Eater will be updating this guide regularly throughout the season. Send any truffle sightings to dc@eater.com.

Proof

775 G St. NW

Customers can add black truffle to Proof's celery root agnolotti dish for $10, bringing the total to $32.

The Bird

1337 11th St. NW

The Bird is incorporating white truffles into several dishes including scrambled eggs ($25) and squash soup ($20) at brunch, and guinea fowl wings ($22) and a 63 degree egg with potato puree, truffle, and chicken skin ($26).

Kinship

1015 7th St. NW

Try the Carnaroli risotto at Kinship with five grams of white truffles for $60.

Kingbird/Backroom at Kingbird

2650 Virginia Ave. NW

A chestnut risotto dish here is $48 with three grams of truflfe, or $90 for six grams, available a la carte at Kingbird and as a separate course for their new Backroom tasting menu offering.

Dino's Grotto

1914 9th St. NW

There are white and black truffles available at Dino, shaved tableside (and they're pretty affordable). The white truffle fettucine and risotto options are $35 with three grahams of truffle. Diners can add white or black truffle to any dish for $10 a gram. They're also serving a duck, celery and truffle salad for $15 with one gram of black truffle or $20 with three grams.

RPM Italian

650 K St. NW

Diners can add truffles to anything from risotto to gnocchi through December. It's $65 for five grams.

Via Umbria

1525 Wisconsin Ave. NW

An entire dinner will be dedicated to the fancy fungi on Oct. 22, showing off the decadent flavor of truffles shipped in from Italy. Each course will highlight truffles in some way, and each plate will be paired with a chosen wine to enhance flavors. Tickets are $110 per guest.

Equinox

818 Connecticut Ave. NW

Fresh shipments of white truffles means lots of new options at the high-end eatery. Think shaved white truffles over appetizers like warm quail eggs cooked in brioche on a truffled fonduta or Agnolotti of Kambocha Squash ($45 each). For entrees, there's a $65 white truffle risotto with duck confit. Additionally, any dishes on the menu can be truffled for a $35 supplement.

Minibar

855 E St. NW

From Oct. 25 to Nov. 12, the restaurant will have a special truffle-focused menu featuring dishes made with Burgundy Truffles, Spanish Winter Truffles, Alba Truffles, and more. Nab a reservation at the twelve-seat Penn Quarter spot for the pricey $565-per-person menu.

Bourbon Steak

2800 Pennsylvania Ave. NW

At The Four Seasons restaurant, the Alaska King Crab from Dutch Harbor features generous white truffle shavings for $120. Chef Joe Palma takes three-four golf-ball sized crab clusters and warms them in butter, then a gratiné is made for the top with parmesan, boursin, fresh parsley, and lemon zest.

Masseria

1340 F St. NE

Masseria celebrates the season of the "Tartufi Bianchi" (white truffles harvested in Alba) from the start of truffle season through December. Chef Nick Stefanelli will present a tasting menu of the aromatic, earthy pleasures through a five-course Truffle & Game chef's menu that can be experienced with or without wine pairings. Dishes range from Carne Crudo with veal and black truffles to the pasta dish with squash tortellini, butter, sage, parmigiano and white truffles.

Marcel's

2401 Pennsylvania Ave. NW

Chef Robert Wiedmaier celebrates the season with various dishes on his tasting menu that incorporate truffles. This time of year, the signature "Classic Boudin Blanc" at Marcel's features black truffle mushroom purée along with caramelized onions and lardons of bacon. The menu also showcases truffle scrambled hen egg in the shell with walnut crusted pate on brioche. Guests may order truffle supplement for certain items, which will be shaved tableside.

Official

1789

1226 36th St. NW

For an extra $60 add white truffles to any dish at this Georgetown haunt, which just switched over to a prix fixe menu only. Also nosh on burgundy truffles, which come shaved on its gnocchi with white truffle oil and parmesan cheese.

Fiola

678 Indiana Ave. NW

Here, white Alba truffles are $50 for three grams and $90 for six and can spruce up breakfast atop a sunny-side up farm egg, among other options.

Tosca

1112 F St. NW

White truffles just arrived today, so no word yet on their integration on its menu, but for now get the $30 black truffle risotto with aquerello rice, raschera cheese, and barbaresco wine.

Plume

1200 16th St. NW

Plume is serving a truffle arborio risotto flavored with an onsen egg and parmigiano reggiano. Add white truffle for $48.

Truffle risotto at Plume [Photo: Official]

Bibiana

1100 New York Ave. NW

Bibiana has a rotating list of truffle specials, which kicked off in early October. Menu items included a truffled potato bombolini, truffled duck egg ravioli, and more. Dishes will be priced from $45 to $65 for black truffles and $85 to $100 for white truffles.

Casa Luca

1099 New York Ave. NW

Try their truffle risotto with three grams of truffles for $50 and six grams for $90. Or add a touch of truffle (one oz) to any dish for an $18 supplement. Truffle shavings are served tableside.