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Girasole Italian Cuisine - The Plains, VA

Girasole

Authentic Regional Italian Cusine

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Cooking Demonstration with Chef Lou and Domenica Marchetti

Sunday, April 21st, 4:00pm
$155 per person, price includes the demonstration, dinner, and wine pairings by the famed Tiberio winery.

Due to the popularity of our recent cooking demonstrations, we have added one final class to our series! On Sunday, April 21st, our encore demonstration will be hosted by author Domenica Marchetti and Chef Lou, and will feature rustic dishes and wines from Domenica’s native region of Abruzzo. Each class will follow the same format as before the pandemic, a cooking demonstration in our dining room followed by dinner with wine pairings. Find the menu and discover more about Domenica below.

Call to reserve, 540-253-5501. Or give the gift of our cooking demonstration by purchasing a gift certificate. Perfect for the avid cook, the avid eater, or the Italophile!

MENU
Orange and Leek Salad
Ricotta Gnocchi in a Classic Abruzzese Tomato Sauce
Short Rib Bollito with a Salsa Verde
Honey Roasted Carrots with Balsamic Vinegar
Dessert

Photograph of author Domenica Marchetti
Bio provided by Domenica Marchetti

About the Author and Host

Domenica Marchetti


Domenica Marchetti is the author of eight books on Italian home cooking, including The Glorious Pasta of Italy; Preserving Italy: Canning, Curing, Infusing, and Bottling Italian Flavors and Traditions; and, most recently, Williams-Sonoma Everyday Italian. She is a former newspaper reporter whose articles and recipes have appeared in The Washington Post, Eating Well, Fine Cooking, Food and Wine, and other publications. She is a professional recipe developer and cooking class instructor, and she leads occasional culinary tours and workshops in Italy. She also writes the popular weekly Substack recipe newsletter Buona Domenica, about Italian home cooking.

Domenica grew up in New Jersey, but her roots are 100% Italian. Her mother, Gabriella, was from Chieti, in Abruzzo, and, growing up, she spent her summers in Rome and on Abruzzo’s Adriatic Coast. She travels to Italy often for work and inspiration, and lives part-time in Penne.

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Jan 28

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Soup for you, and you, and you, AND YOU! Soup with lentils, soup with Tuscan beans and pasta, soup with little tiny tortellini, and soup with whisked egg and parmigiano! These are the soups of Girasole, welcoming you back from a frigid and snow-filled week.

We are open for our regular dinner service tonight and throughout the rest of the week. We hope to see you!
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Jan 14

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Our persimmon tiramisu is really something to talk about. 

At first bite a bit odd, like you're not really understanding what your tasting. The texture is smooth with complex flavors of honey and spice, rich but at the same time delicate. By the end of the first bite, you are in love. 

Available on our dessert tray for only a little while longer as the season for persimmons is finally coming to an end.
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Jan 7

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Rolling into 2026 like...

From cooking classes to our monthly wine tastings to weekly featured cocktail and mocktail specials, 2026 has just arrived and we are not slowing down! Find all the details in our monthly newsletter linked in our story.

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#girasoleva #theplainsva #smallbusiness #familyownedandoperated #22yearsandcounting
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Dec 27

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A taste of what's to come this New Year's Eve on our fixed-price, four course menu! Find the full menu at the link in our bio. Call to reserve your table with us to ring in the New Year, 540-253-5501!
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📸: Swordfish with a puttanesca sauce

📸: Local veal tenderloin pan sautéed with shallots, capers, and white wine

📸: Celery root ravioli served in a sage butter drizzled with aged balsamic from Modena, roasted walnuts
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Dec 18

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From the hills of western Pennsylvania to our village of The Plains, VA! Lydia has outdone herself with this year's 18 ft tree glowing bright on our patio. 

Just one of many trees decorated throughout the restaurant, spreading joy and cheer and that warm holiday feeling to accompany Chef Lou's inspired, seasonal dishes!
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Dec 2

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IT'S ALL HAPPENING THIS SUNDAY! 

A Holiday Wine Tasting featuring champagnes & rare & exceptional bottles from France, our Annual Holiday Art, Wine, & Gift Sale featuring works by internationally renowned printmaker, draftsman and painter (and Chef Lou’s brother) @robert_patierno, and the restaurant will be decorated from head to toe with great big bows, twinkling lights, gorgeous garlands, singing cherubs, and a towering tree on our patio!

Discover more at the links in our bio.
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Nov 13

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Preserving Summer!

Risotto with tomato passata, a concentrated tomato paste or puree made from the last of Chef Lou's heirloom tomatoes from his garden. On our featured specials tonight.
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Oct 30

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Ghosts of truffle dinners past! Some favorite shots from the past 21 years of our annual white truffle dinner. What new memories, stories, and spectacular dishes and wines will this year bring?! 

Join us this Sunday, November 2nd at 6:30 for our Annual White Truffle Dinner hosted by Giuseppe Vaira of @gdvajra_barolo of Barolo, Italy. Call to reserve, 540-253-5501. Link in bio!
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Oct 29

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Carote in agrodolce! 

Delightfully sweet and tangy, we roast local carrots and marinate them with golden raisins, onion, vinegar, and honey. Served with burrata and crushed pistachios, and on our featured specials tonight!
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Oct 22

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Cheers to 21 yrs of celebrating the 'diamonds of the kitchen', the white Alba truffle, and the captivating wines of GD Vajra of Barolo! Have you reserved your table yet for our Annual White Truffle Dinner on Sunday, November 2nd?

Click the link in our bio to discover more about the famed white Alba truffle, our host Giuseppe Vaira and his family's wines, and about why this is the event we look forward to most year after year. Call to reserve, 540-253-5501.
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Oct 16

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Matsutake mushroom risotto looking extra dramatic on these moody fall days. On our featured specials tonight, stop by or call to reserve, 540-253-5501.
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Sep 13

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Old and new world techniques, a blend of international grapes (most notably Nebbiolo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Tempranillo, Chardonnay, and Chenin Blanc), rich clay and sand soils, a blend of coastal and higher altitude climates, and a history as the birthplace of winemaking in North America make Mexico possibly the most exciting wine making region in the world, and we are delighted to share some of the country’s best wines for the first time at our patio wine tasting tomorrow, Sunday, at 2:30! 

Hosted by @malcolmriddle of @salvetoimports. Only a few seats remain, call to reserve, 540-253-5501. Find out more in our story.
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Girasole Italian Cuisine - The Plains, VA

(540) 253-5501
4244 Loudoun Avenue
The Plains, VA 20198
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Hours

Monday & Tuesday: Closed

Wednesday – Sunday: 4:30pm with the last seating at 8:30pm

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