A CASA with Franco Nuschese

Cafe Milano meets Forest Hills

BY DEBORAH K . DIETSCH PHOTOS BY JONAH KOCH

Café Milano has been called Washington's version of Rick's Cafe, the hang-out in the movie Casablanca. The popular Georgetown restaurant, which celebrates its 14th anniversary this month, is similarly frequented by politicians, diplomats, celebrities - and those who like watching them.

Behind Café Milano's longevity and success is its very own Rick, Italian-born owner Franco Nuschese, who looks more like Napoleon Bonaparte than Humphrey Bogart. Nuschese's welcoming charm, applied equally to celebrities and less famous guests alike, is part of what keeps people coming back to the crowded eatery night after night.

His people skills are well honed from years of working in the hospitality industry. He got his start at Drones in London, a restaurant started by David Niven, Jr., son of the British actor, and then worked for 10 years at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. In 1991, Nuschese moved to Washington to run the now defunct restaurant Bice at Sixth St. and Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., then opened Café Milano the following year.

HANGING IN THE HALLWAY is a signed photo of Sophia Loren with Elvis Presley. "I like to mix the old and the new worlds," says Nuschese. "I'm not a big contemporary design guy."

"I really learned the art of entertaining from those experiences, to make people feel special no matter who they are," he says. "We live in such a stressful world. It's important that there is a time in the day to leave that world, to have a decent meal and some fun."

So how does the 45-year-old bachelor make himself feel special? "Staying home," he says. "I like to be able to recharge my batteries, to have a massage or listen to music. I don't need to go anywhere on my days off." A recent tour of his spacious stone house near Rock Creek Park makes it clear why Nuschese prefers to cocoon rather than travel.

Sited on 3.5 acres with lush gardens and a swimming pool, the 1904 home has the atmosphere of a villa in the Tuscan countryside. "It's in the middle of Washington but it doesn't feel like Washington," he says. That is, until you look out the window where views of the U.S. Capitol and other familiar landmarks on the skyline are clearly visible in the distance.

Before purchasing the six-bedroom home in 2002, Nuschese had been living off Reservoir Road, N.W., in a smaller house. "A lot of my friends wondered why I wanted to buy such a big property," he says. "I was close friends with the previous owners so I knew the house for many years. It was always special to me. I love the beautiful gardens where at night I can see the moon and stars. It gave me an opportunity to entertain more."

Since moving in, the restaurateur has done little to change the rooms except to fill them with comfortable furniture and personal mementoes. His interests are evident to guests as soon as they walk in the front door. Displayed in glass cases in the vestibule are Venetian masks and old playing cards, emblematic of his roots in Italy and Vegas casinos. A gold carved starburst on the staircase wall turns out to be a centuriesold halo once belonging to an Italian statue of a saint. Hanging in the hallway is a signed photo of Sophia Loren with Elvis Presley. "I like to mix the old and the new worlds," says Nuschese. "I'm not a big contemporary design guy."

The most frequently used space - and the coziest - is a sitting room nestled into a curved, windowed bay overlooking the garden at the rear. Cushy, canvas-covered armchairs are arranged for conversation next to an English desk and Italian oak armoire, which conceals stereo equipment and CDs. Library shelves are filled with books by Mario Puzo, Bill Clinton, Ben Bradlee and other Café Milano regulars, all inscribed with personal messages by their authors.

"IT'S IN THE MIDDLE OF WASHINGTON but it doesn't feel like Washington," says Nuschese. That is, until you look out the window where views of the U.S. Capitol and other familiar landmarks on the skyline are clearly visible in the distance.

From his desk, Nuschese often fields the inevitable business calls during his off-hours. As president of the Georgetown Entertainment Group LLC, he not only manages Café Milano, but also the Dupont Circle pizzeria Sette Osteria, started in 2004, and the Clarendon restaurant Sette Bello, opened last year. Today, the entrepreneur is on the phone making sure actors Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith are well attended during their late lunch at Café Milano.

When Nuschese entertains "anywhere from four to 20 people for sit-down dinners" at home, he invites guests into the living room, a long, yellowpainted space that nearly stretches from the front of the house to the back. Here, tables fitted with removable tops are pulled up to the sofas lining the perimeter for cocktails. A baby grand piano nestled into a corner is at the ready for a few tunes.

The conversation piece in the room isn't the impressive 18th century Italian painting on the wall, but a gilded cherub resplendent in green feathers that hangs from the ceiling. "It's from a Nativity scene," the owner explains. "It's like a blessing - it keeps the energy clean."

From the living room, guests cross the hallway into the dining room. Painted a bright emerald green, a holdover from the previous owners, the room centers on a mahogany table and Queen Anne-style chairs. Biedermeier, Italian and Gothic-style chests around the perimeter hold linens and glassware. Behind the dining room, a breakfast room offers a more informal setting for casual meals. Furnishings include Austrian chairs, a mirrored French armoire and vintage posters from La Scala, reflecting Nuschese's eclectic tastes.

Upstairs on the second floor, the master bedroom centers on a pediment-topped, French Empire-style bed. A walk-in closet is neatly lined with Nuschese's impeccably tailored suits and Italian shoes. "People kept asking me, ‘Franco, where do you buy your clothes,' so I decided to create my own line of menswear," says the restaurateur, who recently unveiled some of his designs this fall under the name ManFacto. Next door to the bedrooms on the third floor, an exercise room includes a drum set for son Gianfranco, 15, when he comes to visit.

More important than all the space inside, Nuschese says, are the plantings that envelop the house. "To be surrounded by all this green is so wonderful," he says, stepping onto the curved, flagstone terrace behind the house. "Coming through the front door, you don't realize all this is here. It's a secret." In addition to a pool and tennis courts, the back of the property incorporates a vegetable garden filled with lettuces, tomatoes, peppers and other crops harvested for his restaurants.

To better connect house to garden, Nuschese is planning to add another terrace to the side of the house and move the master bedroom to take in the view. Blueprints for the ambitious renovation have already been drawn up.

Sitting on the built-in bench encircling the elevated terrace, next to round teak tables and potted lemon trees, Nuschese recalls how he often uses the outdoor space to host large parties and fundraisers for the various civic and charitable organizations that he supports. Underneath the terrace is a storage room that can be used as a service area for caterers.

Looking up at the rounded bay at the back of the house, Nuschese notes with an impish grin that the architecture of his abode makes his high-powered guests feel important. "It's the same shape as the [south portico of the] White House."

Topped by a slate roof, the 1904 stone house is entered from a circular driveway.	The backyard terrace provides a place for parties overlooking the lawn and swimming pool. Set below its stone wall, the arched doorway leads to a storage room that doubles as a staging area for caterers.

This fall Franco Nuschese and Michele Contrini launched the Manfacto bespoke tailoring line

	White sofas set against yellow walls set a light mood in the living room where a baby grand piano and movable tables accommodate cocktail parties.

Displayed in the foyer, a Venetian mask set with playing cards symbolizes Nuschese's roots in Italy and Las Vegas.	The dining room, painted bright green by the previous owners, centers on a long table and Queen Anne-style chairs.

Comfortable armchairs pulled up to a round table provide a place for conversation and a casual meal in the window-enclosed 1 bay at the back of the house.