Acqua Al 2

The average visitor to Acqua al 2 might never know that the classic Italian restaurant is actually a chain of sorts. The first Acqua al 2 opened in Florence, Italy, in 1978. This was followed 20 years later by another in San Diego; the D.C. outpost opened in 2010. The menu here is the exact same one used at the original outlet and is meant to conjure up images of sitting along Florence's Piazza della Signoria. Acqua al 2 is famous for its tasting menus – you can get various "assaggio" (aka "chef's choice sampler") – that allow you to try as many as three different salads, five pastas, three steaks and four desserts. Come hungry, leave happy.