Casa Luca Downtown Will Become Its Upscale Sister Restaurant Sfoglina

Power couple Fabio and Maria Trabocchi’s wallet-friendly Italian mainstay Casa Luca closed over the weekend and will reopen soon as a new downtown branch of their two-year-old Van Ness pasta destination Sfoglina.

The prolific restaurateurs announced the Saturday, August 4 shutter on Twitter, detailing plans to reopen as Sfoglina on Thursday, August 9 following a few edits to the space.

The 130-seat tavern-style eatery, named after Trabocchi’s teenage son, opened five years ago inside the former Againn space. Inspired by Italy’s Le Marche region, Casa Luca served cheese and charcuterie, flatbreads, homemade pastas, and grilled meats and fish, as well as rotating daily specials and lower-priced wines.

It’s unclear whether existing artistic touches —including include hand-blown glass lamps and hand-printed textiles — will stay put. Sfoglina serves $16 small plates and $26 seasonal pastas, and a tagliatelle designed for date night ($44 for two) comes with heirloom tomatoes, garlic, chilies, and summer basil.

Until the rebranded downtown restaurant officially opens in early September, guests can get 10 percent off their bill, reports Washingtonian.

The restaurateurs behind Michelin-starred Fiola, seafood-centric Fiola Mare, and Spanish-style Del Mar plan to open a third Sfoglina in Rosslyn later this year or early 2019. The original Sfoglina debuted in Van Ness in 2016, bringing gourmet pastas and grilled calamari to a somewhat desolate eating neighborhood.

Casa Luca isn’t the only D.C. Italian restaurant that called it quits over the weekend. Union Station’s 10-year-old Toscana Cafe also closed Friday, August 3 and plans to reopen next month as a TBA venture.

• Chef Fabio and Maria Trabocchi Have Closed Casa Luca [Washingtonian]
• Union Station’s Toscana Cafe Will Serve Its Last Sangria Tonight [EDC]
• Chef Fabio Trabocchi Is Opening His Next Italian Restaurant in Virginia [WBJ]
• Fabio Trabocchi’s Sfoglina Is Now Open [EDC]
• Maestro Chef Fabio Trabocchi Leaving Tysons for New York [Washington Post]
• Casa Luca Will Serve Daily Specials, Charcuterie [EDC]