According to WTOP.com, “With all the hype surrounding Mike Isabella’s new restaurant Graffiato, you would expect the former “Top Chef” contestant to show signs of stress.”

“You’d never know it at first glance. ‘Inside it’s not relaxing,’ Isabella says. ‘Last night (during a soft open), I had a ton of knots in my stomach throughout service, but you just have to hold your composure.’ A very composed Isabella talked with WTOP hours before the door opened on his new casual Italian restaurant steps from the doors of the Verizon Center in Chinatown. The two-story restaurant features a wood-burning stove that will cook pizzas ranging from traditional tomato, oregano and garlic, to pies with melted leeks, farmhouse cheddar and bacon that will be prepared by Isabella himself.”