TODAY

After yesterday’s Red Hen menu debate, Jenna and Willie got to see just how good the mezzi rigatoni is.

BETHESDA MAGAZINE

Forty percent of the flour in Friedman’s dough is whole wheat, which gives it a nuttier flavor and chewier texture than most New York-style doughs.

WASHINGTONIAN MAGAZINE

Just a shot of espresso poured over (usually) vanilla gelato–as elegant and simple as an Armani pantsuit.

WASHINGTON POST

Rome drops in on Bethesda at the latest attraction from chef Mike Friedman, the talent behind Washington’s popular Red Hen and All-Purpose restaurants.

WASHINGTONIAN MAGAZINE

Mike Friedman and the team from DC’s beloved Red Hen are behind Bethesda’s first smash-hit destination restaurant in years.

WASHINGTONIAN MAGAZINE

Red Hen and All-Purpose chef/co-owner Mike Friedman is opening Roman restaurant Aventino in Bethesdaion goes here

WASHINGTON POST

Personally, I could just order among the appetizers and call it a giorno. Yet the pastas include reasons to stray from the starters.

WASHINGTON POST

Where and what presidents eat is an enduring fascination.

CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER

Not many decade-old restaurants are still booked up weeks in advance, which tells you something about how beloved The Red Hen is for Washingtonians.

WASHINGTON POST

Boundary Stone’s fish and chips are pretty good, but you probably don’t think of the homey Bloomingdale tavern as a destination for fresh seafood. That could change, though, with its new oyster deal, billed as “the cheapest oysters in town.”

WASHINGTONIAN MAGAZINE

#15 THE RED HEN

This decade-old Bloomingdale Italian spot exudes warmth and congeniality, nailing that mix of precision and laid-backness you hope for from a neighborhood restaurant.

EATER

All-Purpose (Multiple locations)

This waterfront pizzeria in Navy Yard and Shaw draws large crowds for its egg-topped pies on weekends.

FATHERLY

As a restaurant owner and parent, Friedman, who is also co-owner of D.C.’s All-Purpose as well as of the forthcoming concepts, Aventino and AP Pizza Shop in Bethesda, Maryland, is no stranger to contending with the particular tastes and habits of diners.

EATER

All-Purpose (Multiple locations)

Flavors from chef Mike Friedman’s New Jersey childhood take on new life on deck oven-baked crusts topped with ingredients spanning from hen-of-the-woods mushrooms to ‘nduja and capicola bacon.

EATER

Aventino Cucina

One of the newest spots from Italian hitmaker Mike Friedman, known for Red Hen and All-Purpose, landed in Bethesda in January 2024 with dishes that evoke the longstanding culinary traditions of Rome and Italy’s Lazio region.

WASHINGTONIAN MAGAZINE

#69 ALL-PURPOSE

The centerpiece of the menu at these hopping Italian spots in Shaw and Navy Yard is the Jersey-style pizza, with its crunchy, flavorful crust (good enough to eat on its own, especially with a feta-ranch “dippie”).

WASHINGTONIAN MAGAZINE

The team behind All-Purpose Pizza in Shaw is taking over the space next door—previously occupied by Buttercream Bakeshop—for a more casual sandwich shop and market.

WETA ‘SIGNATURE DISH’

Italian classics – D.C. style – abound in this episode, which begins with the mezzi rigatoni from the Bloomingdale favorite, Red Hen.

WASHINGTONIAN MAGAZINE

#50 AVENTINO

The centerpiece of this downtown Bethesda dining room is its emerald-green bar, which sends out lovely spritzes, Negronis, and dirty martinis with Parm-stuffed olives.

WASHINGTON POST

Sietsema has settled on a new favorite: All-Purpose in Shaw. Yes, a restaurant that specializes in pizza.

NBC WASHINGTON

Award-winning Chef Michael Friedman brings his latest venture, Aventino, to Maryland, where he creates Italian favorites with a Roman flare, like the cacio e pepe he prepares in this Food Fare.

BETHESDA MAGAZINE

If ventures from savvy restaurant groups and after the pandemic are any indication, there’s gold to be found in Montgomery County.

FOX5 DC

In The Kitchen with Chef Mike Friedman Aventino Cucina and AP Pizza Shop!

AXIOS

Boundary Stone in Bloomingdale launches free bottomless drinks starting this weekend.

TASTING TABLE

"I believe that there needs to be a ratio," says chef Michael Friedman. "Because you want to be able to balance the salty, funky nature of pecorino Romano with Parmesan, something that's a little sweeter, a little bit nuttier."