Have you heard about Corso Italian, the new Italian-inspired restaurant in the Village at Shirlington? Good friend Jill Erber - of Cheesetique fame - has teamed up with another good friend, James Beard nominee/Food & Wine magazine’s 10 Best New Chefs 2006/Best Chef Award Winner by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington DC, Chef Cathal Armstrong. Jill and Cathal have known each other since before she opened the original Del Ray Cheesetique in 2004, and he quickly began shopping there for his then-new Restaurant Eve in Old Town. The pair’s decades-long friendship has been transformed into a delicious creative partnership in Corso Italian. Think hand-made pastas and a modern takes on Italy’s classic dishes inspired by seasonal ingredients and homemade pantry staples. The beverage program highlights an all-Italian wine list, and features Negronis, Spritzes, and an Amaro bar. And you know if you want to bring something home, pastas, sauces, cheeses, and wine are all in the restaurant’s market. We are so excited about this union and the incredible union and how the “Cheese Lady” aka Jill Erber and Chef Cathal brought Corso Italian to fruition. The restaurant is named after the Via del Corso in Rome — the heart of the city and a communal gathering place — and that is where this all begins How did the alliance come about?Cathal — Jill and I got to know each other back in 2001 when I was at Bistro Bis in DC. When I opened Restaurant Eve in 2004, she was opening the original Cheesetique and I would visit weekly to make selections for the cheeseboard at Restaurant Eve. We’ve had a friendly, collaborative relationship ever since.Jill — My husband and I were exploring new concepts and set up conversations with several industry friends we had known over twenty plus years in the business. Naturally, we asked Cathal for his feedback and advice. The conversation was dynamic and inspiring — and almost immediately, “what do you think of this idea?” turned into a collaboration. Why do something new in Shirlington?Jill — We are coming up on the 20th anniversary for Cheesetique. The Del Ray location is thriving — it had its highest sales ever in 2023 — and it continues to be a social and cultural hub in our community. In Shirlington, which first opened in 2011, we unveiled a brand-new space in late 2019 — and just a few months later, the pandemic hit. A few years later, we had this beautiful space and we knew it could be more dynamic. We’ve toyed with ideas for some time and it occurred to us that Shirlington is the perfect spot for the “Corso Italian” concept. The crowd is worldly and food-curious, but unpretentious. We believed an exciting, modern take on Italian is perfect for the Village. Why Italian?Cathal — My first kitchen job was at an Italian restaurant where I learned formative lessons about the restaurant business, so it feels like coming home. I’ve professionally cooked food and designed menus across numerous global cuisines and I’m excited to apply the elevated yet comfortable style I brought to the Restaurant Eve experience to an Italian-inspired menu.In Italy, there are twenty culinary regions. Over 600 pasta shapes. The cuisine is globally influenced, so the breadth of Italian cuisine is almost never-ending and infinitely inspiring.Jill — My mission is to make people feel welcome — I’m a host. Italian food is some of the most comforting and hospitable food in the world. Everyone loves Italian and it’s also incredibly diverse, so we have a wonderful palate to explore. Plus, Italian cheeses and wines have always been a sweet spot for us.You describe Corso as “neo-retro.” What does that mean?Jill — Everything, from the cocktails to the decor to the music to the vintage Italian films at the bar, is about the juxtaposition of modern and classic. We want guests to feel comfortable, but also surprised and delighted.Cathal — We’re blending the classic and the modern with the food, too. Take the Veal Chop. Our version is bone in, plate engulfing, and we have a variety of sauces adorning it like a Jackson Pollack painting. Our new, light-as-air Gnocchi is filled with fresh morels and spring garlic to celebrate the season.Everything we can, we make in-house: cheeses, sauces, Italian sausage, guanciale, pancetta, bresaola. We even grow our own micro-greens and herbs. And every day, guests can watch our pastas being made in the front of the shop. It’s hypnotic! 

Read Brianna Crane & Sami Sparber's interview with Nycci, and get all the deets on hosting trends in 2024~Find out more here. Photo: A tablescape by North Carolina-based dinner party wares rental company Canary. Photo: Emily Bennett, courtesy of Beth Nash 

St Patrick's Day is here, and there are so many ways to celebrate! Listen in to Nycci's suggestions, pt 3:

Thanks for joining us again on Industry Night with me — Nycci Nellis. It is patio season in DC and I am so so excited because this month’s show is being taped at Tony & Joe’s right down on the water in Georgetown. If you live in the DMV or have ever visited this city chances are you’ve been here. They have one of the best patios – it looks out on the Potomac with views of the Kennedy Center.Seriously, on a gorgeous day, you want to sit out on that patio with a tray of fresh shucked oysters and a glass of rose and watch the boats go by. Thanks as always to Greg Casten and his whole team for always being such a tremendous supporter of me, this show, and the work that I do.Today, I’ll be chatting with Hugo Mogollon, the Executive Director of Fresh Farm Markets here in the DMV. Before launching The List in 2003, I was already a Fresh Farm supporter. I would schlep all five kids down to Dupont Circle on Sundays, not long after that first market opened in 1997, and we would leave with bags and bags of vegetables, eggs, and fruit. Once in the Industry, I became friendly with the FreshFarm founders, Bernie Prince and Ann Yonkers. They were some of the first guests on Foodie & the Beast. Over the years, FreshFarm Markets have expanded with more than 20 markets, and have created incredible outreach programs that bring fresh food to so many people. AND, FreshFarm has launched many businesses in this area as well. Giving makers an opportunity to R&D, grow and create brick & mortars — Call Your Mother, Red Apron and Gordy’s Pickles comes to mind.But first a little on where I’ve been:- I emceed the Embassy Chefs Challenge and it was amazing- I ate all the things at the Regarding Her Women’s History Month Dinner at Centrolina with Tiffany MacIssac, Amy Brandwein, Ellen Yin, Kimberly Prince and Rochelle Cooper- I also judged a pisco competition at Causa — cause that’s what I do- And, not food but a lil’ culture, took in the Star Power exhibit at the Portrait Gallery. I am a huge George Hurrell fan. As I mentioned, I am a FreshFarm fan and a shopper. In 2019 Hugo Mogollon joined FreshFarm as executive director. Fresfarm merged with Community Foodworks, which Hugo had led for five years, and now FreshFarm is the largest farmers market organization in the Mid-Atlantic. What Freshfarm can now offer as a regional food system is immense, as is their reach and impact. I am ready to get all updated – aren’t you?Listen to the full episode here, and watch it all, here.