Facci Ristorante In Laurel (Truly South Columbia)

I can't applaud Facci Ristorante enough, but I'm worried that I won't get to eat there again now that people have discovered this new treasure off Rte 29.

In January, Facci replaced a Pasta Blitz on Johns Hopkins Road.  The practical differences were obvious -- a wood-fired oven, new design, and a menu titled towards house-made pastas and pizzas aspiring to live by the rules of Naples.

In several months of meals, Facci has never disappointed.  Like Bon Fresco or Victoria Gastropub, this is a casual place that pays close attention to ingredients.  So you just order what you prefer, and it makes for fun meals, whether you're blowing out with wine and three courses or you're splitting three pizzas among four adults just to escape your snow-bound homes for an afternoon.

Facci fills a valuable niche -- interesting food, affordable prices, and a decor that feels more like a date night than a shopping center restaurant.  That makes it a restaurant that I want to visit again and again -- a weeknight with Mrs. HowChow, a "snow day" afternoon with neighbors, the Saturday night when my parents drive up from Virginia.

The problem is that I can't get inside.  Facci is packed, and they take no reservations.  Last night, we waited 20 minutes.  The Saturday night when my parents were here, my father and I circled the parking lot for 15 minutes just to find a space, and the wait was still 75-90 minutes once we got to the hostess.  We ended up eating southern Indian food instead of southern Italian that night.

When I get my parents back, we'll probably start with the "Italian boat" antipasta.  As I wrote in my first thoughts on the soft open, you get a platter of meats, cheese, toasted bread, grilled zucchini and roasted peppers. It's an auspicious start because each piece was delicious, and each offered a distinct flavor -- charred zucchini, sweet peppers, salty cheeses. The zucchini was tender with a vinegar bite. The bread was perfectly brushed with oil, then toasted. Five minutes into our first meal, we were talking about summer nights on Facci's patio with that antipasta and a drink.

Then, we have grazed the pasta and pizza.  The pasta highlights are ravioli and gnocchi made in the kitchen.  They come drenched in sauces -- maybe even too much sauce for Mrs. HowChow -- and they have the firm consistency and the flavor that stand out from Italian places.  Normally, I'd rather make pasta at home and order something else in a restaurant, but Facci's pastas are the exception to that rule.  But don't leave without a pizza.  Again, this is about personal taste.  All the pies come with the charred crust of the brick oven.  Personally, I'm infatuated with the "mamma lina" with gorgonzola, mozzerella and speck and the monteso topped with arugula, but I will work through the entire list.

On some visits, the service has been inconsistent, but it always come with a casual energy that makes Facci feel friendly even while we're waiting too long for food or the check.  I'm hopeful that energy will carry Facci into the future.  To me, it's a pleasure to pay $12-14 an entree for something unusual and delicious, but I recognize that Facci is taking the road less travelled between "reservation restaurants" like Iron Bridge Wine Co. and the casual joints like Kloby's a few doors down.

If you have the choice, consider asking to sit in the dining room so that you avoid the televisions that overlook the entire bar.  And, if you have the self-control, save a little space for dessert.  We had canoli the first night, and Mrs. HowChow thought it rivaled the best in Baltimore.  So far, we have stuffed ourselves at every other visit and been too full to want a sweet.  Next time, I'm planning ahead.

In all seriousness, the hostess told us last night that the way to avoid waiting at Facci is to come before 6 or after 8.  They're so packed at dinner time that they haven't offered takeout.  They literally don't have enough people to stand around.  If I can get this Wegmans open, I might bring my cordless drive to Facci and help them expand into the empty store next to them!

There have been a string of comments with detailed reviews on my initial post by Cathy and others and on my post about the opening by Stacy Lyn, Jason and others.  They're a fine source for reviews of specific dishes, and you should read the Pizzablogger's comment about how Neapolitan pizza can be "wet" in the center.  The PB talks about "tip sag" and suggests how to eat it.

In addition, the Hungry Wanderers blog has a bunch of photos and a detailed review, and Facci has had quick pieces written by both the Sun and the WPost.

Facci Ristorante
7530 Montpelier Road
Laurel, MD 20723
301-604-5555

NEAR:  The key fact is that Facci isn't in Laurel.  It's in a shopping center on Johns Hopkins Road just west of Rte 29.  This is the same shopping center as Kloby's for BBQ or La Palapa Too for Mexican, so expect the lot to be full at prime dining times. This sliver of land is south of Columbia and north of Fulton and Scaggsville, but it certainly isn't Laurel.