There’s been a lot of talk about the house-made salami at Etto, the new Italian eatery on 14th Street NW from the owners of Standard and 2Amys. And while the cured meat is indeed one of the highlights, they have another type of salami that I can’t get out of my head: chocolate salami.

You could be forgiven for thinking it’s the real deal at first glance. The salami is wrapped in twine and covered with powdered sugar that mimics the white mold found on sausage casings. Even its dense texture might fool you. But slice through it, and you’ll find a rich chocolate (cocoa powder is the key ingredient) dotted with house-made amaretti cookies, pistachios, and hazelnuts. An etto—100 grams—of chocolate salami goes for $11.

The menu item was inspired by a chocolate salami that co-owner Peter Pastan brought back from Italy. “I was like ‘Look how neat this is,'” co-owner Tad Curtz says. “‘Let’s figure out how to make one.'”

Etto, 1541 14th St. NW; ettodc.com

Photos by Jessica Sidman