As a Jewish chef cooking Italian food, Red Hen and All-Purpose co-owner Michael Friedman says he’s been chasing the idea of a Roman restaurant his whole career. “I always find that Jewish culture and Italian culture, they’re so tightly knit,” he says. “They kind of traveled down two rivers in the same way, but those rivers never actually meet—except in Rome, where Jews really have a strong footing in the culture of Roman cuisine.”

Enter Aventino, a Roman-Italian restaurant opening in Bethesda on Wednesday, January 31. The name refers to one of the seven hills of Rome, home to many Jewish workers before they were forced into Rome’s Jewish Ghetto in the 1500s. AP Pizza Shop, a small 20-seat version of All-Purpose that will also sell slices, will open next door.