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Palena Coffee Shop - The Original Cafe Serving Breakfast and Lunch in Cleveland Park - Closed


jandres374

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The original cafe is now a "coffee shop" and open for breakfast.

Had just heard this myself and was going to post it.  This is a Big Deal for Palena in two main respects.

First, it's a very good but obvious move to better monetize the much bigger space that came with the expansion two years ago.  I really hope they design the breakfast menu to maybe be a bit (not a ton) better value than the brunch menu, which has always been great but maybe a bit scant on portion size relative to price.  I say this not from any personal dissatisfaction. I have loved Palena for many years and posted as much here repeatedly. Rather, I think this from the standpoint of ensuring the restaurant's continued success and durability.

Second, a bit muddled in the understandable focus on the new breakfast plan is the promotion of Sean Mulligan to the GM position. He has huge shoes to fill with Kelli's departure but I'm very optimistic here.  Over the years, Palena has arguably been the best talent developer of any spot in town as evidenced by the huge Palena diaspora leading, working and filling restaurants all around our area.

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 On the top of his to do list:....making the 13-year-old Palena a more "interactive" experience for diners.

That doesn't sound good.

On a related note, last time I was there, it struck me that you can't really say that Palena offers cafe pricing with a straight face any more.  I thought the food was fine, though I recall leaving hungry.

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Given the apparent trend a Palena [Cafe], I would recommend the new Caffé Aficionado in Rosslyn over the Palena "coffee shop" (though you won't get a "breakfast" per say).  I'd try it if in the area though--certainly not a special trip.

Interesting, I was just thinking of this thread because Palena's burger was featured on WETA's  DC Burgers show. http://www.weta.org/tv/local/burgers The new show seemed dated making hay over Palena's burger.

Ah, well, I wish them well.

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Given the apparent trend a Palena [Cafe], I would recommend the new Caffé Aficionado in Rosslyn over the Palena "coffee shop" (though you won't get a "breakfast" per say).  I'd try it if in the area though--certainly not a special trip.

Interesting, I was just thinking of this thread because Palena's burger was featured on WETA's  DC Burgers show. http://www.weta.org/tv/local/burgers The new show seemed dated making hay over Palena's burger.

Ah, well, I wish them well.

Seems like a very apples and oranges....or apples and pizzas...comparison.  Caffe Afficionado is a very promising, small and focused coffee shop with very little seating and some excellent pastries.  The Cafe is a restaurant and, while not yet clear exactly what the breakfast menu will include, I'd imagine it will have egg and a variety of hot dishes along with whatever baked goods.  Palena has never offered espresso drinks. Maybe they'll be getting an espresso machine now as part of the new breakfast lineup but who knows?  There are a ton of excellent coffee shops between Palena and CA in the District.  And, spots like Tabard Inn, Praline, the better hotels and even Teaism offer good breakfast options.

I'm definitely looking forward to giving the Cafe's breakfast a try.  Some of the upthread concerns about the Cafe's dinner pricing, portion sizes, etc have some merit in my view but will reserve judgment on whether the Palena "coffee shop" is worth a special trip or not until I can try it out a few times.

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So, after the various bits above about Palena's new "breakfast" or "coffee shop" or what have you, it's now officially a "coffee shop" opening tomorrow.

I'm attaching their announcement below.  While I know some others will like the choice, I'm surprised and disappointed with the roaster chosen given all the other (local and otherwise), imho superior, options that might have been chosen. But, after so many years of Palena's coffee (Illy) not measuring up to the cooking and food, even this is a step up from that.  The tone of the quotes in the message is interesting given Palena is one of the most established and best restaurants in the city.

Here's hoping this improves upon the Palena I've loved for nearly 13 years.

post-2258-0-80805000-1384308502_thumb.jp

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Anyone stop by there today?

 

I went this morning.  It is a nice upgrade from the old market - now instead of having to wait till midday for handmade pastries and cakes you can have them for breakfast and throughout the day, plus there are tables to sit at.  They have an array of coffee drinks (sorry I'm not a coffee drinker) and seem to be working out the kinks/details. While enjoying my breakfast, I overheard the staff having what sounded like a very involved conversation on the proper ratios/details for making some of the drinks.  They also have a large selection of cakes, croissants, pastries, bagels, mini-parfait like cold desserts, doughnuts, etc - similar to the offerings before in the market which I generally enjoyed in the past.  Today I had a chai latte and onion bagel.  The bagel was wood-fired and good, but the bottom got a bit burnt whereas the top was scrumptious. It is a bagel with a hole, but it has a topping of super thin onions that is more bialy style. I ate in and they offered me cream cheese at no extra charge - a good value at $1.50.  Also, I'm personally happy to say the bagel is an American style bagel - not Montreal style (no overly sweet honey flavor lacking in salt.  My neighbor recently brought me back some bagels from Montreal and their sweetness was off-puting to my Americanized yiddishe palate expecting only savory flavor).

They still need to work out some small service issues though.  The bagel was provided on a small plate with a knife - so unlike every other place you have to slice it yourself and since the plate is small I proceeded to get crumbs all over the table. No biggie, but pre-sliced and a larger plate would have been nice.  They told me they were working on their own chai mix and it was definitely fresh made because the mini tea pot poured out some of the seed pods, etc.  The flavor was pretty good, could use some fine tuning but they should also have strained it so you don't end up with a seed in your cup.  It also took the staff a bit of asking around to others to get the wifi to work - but it did (you need to ask them for the password). Overall, lots of promise with some small kinks I'm sure they'll work out as this is only day 2.

I will say though that yesterday I got an amazingly good, rich chocolate and large croissant down the street from Firehook for $2.50 which also has wifi and its wonderful garden patio in the back. So we'll see how things go in the neighborhood with these 2 now competing cafes.  Again, I'm not a coffee drinker so I don't know if Palena's small coffee purveyor is really better than Firehook, etc.  I'll probably continue to patronize both places.

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I actually stopped in yesterday morning.  My cappucino was free given it was opening day and enjoyable; nice foam.  I was struck by the wide, wide, wide variety of breads and pastries.  I would be surprised if they continue to have such wide offerings, but would love to be wrong.  I chose a honey popover ($1.50) which was a touch burnt, but that didn't stop me from inhaling the treat.  Look forward to coming back and trying some of the other offerings.

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For those of you who have been here, do they have any savory offerings, or is it all sweets and pastries?

That had a few savories but overwhelmingly it is stuff on the sweet side.  There was a frittata like thing sold in wedges, and an egg biscuit - maybe a ham breakfast sandwich. Sorry I wasn't too focused on the savories - but the answer is yes there are some.

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Mr.B and I were running an errand in Cleveland Park on Saturday morning and stopped into the Coffee Shop.  We left with the feeling that we're going to give it a long time to get its act together before returning.  I want to qualify everything I say here with the acknowledgment that it was only their 4th day of operation and their first Saturday, so it was very early days and I am sure they were much busier that morning than they had been the first 3 days.

All that being said, I feel they need to take a good long look at their procedures and revamp them.  It's a strange hybrid of counter-ordering and table service.  The menu posted above the cashier only lists the drinks.  The food items are displayed on 2 counters.  You order at one counter, but it only contains part of their food offerings; you also have to walk over to the other counter and look to see what's displayed there, then get back in line at the first counter to order.  At some point after you order, the cashier dishes up your choices and then brings them to you, leaving those in line stranded.  Wouldn't it make more sense for the cashier to give you your food while you are at the counter?  When we finally got to order, the very friendly young man behind the counter really didn't seem to have a clue what he was doing.  He had to call for help numerous times.  In fact, during the 45 minutes we were there, every time I looked at the cash register, there was someone new working it.  Both the manager and a woman wearing chef's whites (presumably the pastry chef) were manning the register at times, along with several other employees, but all one-at-a-time.

You also place your drink order along with the food order.  The drinks are made at another counter and are brought to your table by another server.  In our case, we had long-since finished our food when the drinks arrived -- a brewed coffee for him, a pour-over for me.  Honestly, after finishing the food and waiting quite some time, we thought of cancelling our drink orders.  The server who brought them to the table had everything on a tray and his hands were shaking so much we were concerned that hot coffee was going to be spilled on us.  He seemed quite new at the job, so maybe he was especially nervous.

The food options: as KeithA reported above, they are almost exclusively sweets.  There were 2 savories Saturday morning when we were there: a very tiny round spinach quiche (3 inches in diameter), and a Yukon gold frittata sliced into a slim wedge.  I had the frittata and it really could have benefitted from being heated.  It wasn't bad, it just wasn't anything special.  Mr.B had a honey popover that he seemed to enjoy.  He found his brewed coffee to have a sour taste.  My pour-over was fine, but not worth the wait.

We got to chatting with some of the other patrons at tables near ours (they're very close together) and the consensus was the same as ours regarding the procedures: very inefficient.

We have been to Palena's dining room and café many times and we adore both, so we were thrilled to learn of this new addition to the Palena 'family.'  We really hope that over time they can streamline some of their procedures and make it a better experience.

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So, again with the disclosure that I must be as big a Palena bull as there has been over the past decade and have long loved the place nearly since it opened, stopped in today at the new coffee shop.  As always, a hopefully balanced, constructive but unvarnished view follows.

Most importantly, the pastries, donuts and other baked goods (yes, nearly all sweet) on offer here instantly eclipse anywhere else in all the parks (Woodley, Cleveland, AU) and FH, Van Ness and Tenley. Even Dupont and Georgetown.  Some might argue for Patisserie Poupon in N. Georgetown to take the pastry crown but, again focusing only on the baked goods, this works better for me.  Great selection and all just wonderfully executed.  I'd love to think that assortment and quality endure for a long time. Go Aggie!

Moving past the fantastic baked delights, I'm already on record above as being a bit disappointed with the coffee purveyor they've chosen.  Still, others love it and that horse need not be beaten too much more.

The word that comes to mind summarizing everything beyond the baked goods and coffee, thankfully very addressable, is "confusing."

It's called a coffee shop and it does serve coffee and espresso drinks. But, it doesn't feel like a coffee shop.  Rather, it feels like what it is: a place mostly about super baked goods with coffee service set in a fine-dining restaurant space.  That's all fine but other aspects just struck me as a bit wacky and I'm guessing some may change in the near future. To exemplify, here are two such oddities:

- Entrance complexity.  When I arrived around midday, the "market" door was locked but there was a woman inside. She came to unlock it when she saw me peering in and, once open, asked me straightaway if I was looking for the coffee shop. I guess she didn't think it plausible that I was there to do some shopping?  In response, I asked if the market was closed (you know, since the door was locked at noon). She replied that it wasn't. I didn't ask the obvious question there; no point.  So, you enter through the right door from Connecticut (former Magruders entrance) for the small market. You enter through the left door to the "coffee shop" housed in the entire space of the old cafe, tables and booths all as they've always been. And, you go around the building's southern corner to enter in from the Sam's Park 'n Shop side for the now not so new 'new cafe' or for the formal restaurant at the rear.  Alrighty then.

- The savory puzzle.  As posted above, there are a couple (maybe 2?) things that could be termed savory.  A frittata of some kind (they were out by noon) and something else I didn't catch.  I asked if they served lunch. After being told that lunch, or brunch, was only served on weekends (which I knew), the young woman staffing the coffee shop space mentioned something about pizzas.  Correctly sensing I was interested to learn more, she continued. And, after asking her to repeat a few things, I gleaned the following.  They'll will be offering pizza on some days but not others.  Which days depends on which chef or when he or she comes in...or something like that.  And, when pizzas are on offer, they'll be available at 2PM.  Again here, I didn't ask the obvious questions that that might prompt but, suffice to say, if you're looking for a nice pizza lunch, you might be able to have one at the Palena Coffee Shop but, then again, maybe not. It'd depend on the day. And, best to plan for a very late lunch. The new coffee shop part of the Palena website doesn't mention anything about mid-afternoon pizzas so that's either what's behind the curtain mysteriously labeled "savories" or I just got bad information. Whatever the reality on the mystery pizza, I think the meta tag on this thread indicating "sandwiches" may be misinformed.

I'm guessing this will all get worked out or at least made simpler or more intuitive.  It has to.  Opening pains.  Just remember, those baked goods are worth a stop just on their own and don't worry too much about the surrounding conundrums unless they persist too long.

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Darkstar 965 has it right regarding the selection and mystery pizzas. On Monday, the staff person also mentioned that pizzas and maybe other savories would possibly be available later in the day and the breakfast pastries would likely go away.  I haven't been mid-day yet, but will likely try it soon. The key thing told to me was that the menu is still a work in progress and they are testing out different items in terms of recipe and sales.  This is actually very similar to the offerings that used to be sold in the market - a rotating assortment of baked goods, breads, pizzas, etc. that varied each day.

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Keith beat me to it by minutes.

Have to post a follow up to my slightly tongue-in-cheek first observation just above KeithA's upthread.

The loss of Kelli Walbourn was a huge blow to Palena and its customers. She'd been a mainstay for the restaurant for so many years and loved by so many, including me.  She kept Palena running with such an unusually high level of grace and competence.  But, she is remembered fondly with the coffee beverage named for her now on the coffee shop menu.

Despite Kelli's departure, I remain bullish on the future because Palena has always been a treasure trove of restaurant talent.  Managers, chefs, barkeeps, servers--so many went on to do great things at other spots all around town who started with Frank Ruta.  The Palena diaspora is still widespread and visible in and around DC.  And, that means the bench has always been stocked. A bit unlike the 2013 Washington Nationals in that way but I digress.

Right now, Aggie Chin is one of Palena's brightest lights. I actually think her one of the very best pastry chefs in the area.  She's not as heavily promoted as, say NRG's Tiffany MacIsaac or former CityZen pastry chef Matthew Petersen.  In keeping with Chef Ruta's style, Palena has never been as much about marketing and publicists as it has been about great food.  While the space extended next door a few years back, there's never been talk of a Palena 2 elsewhere in the city.  And that extremely unusual focus has to be a big part of the reason why Palena has thrived for so long and been so consistently excellent relative to other spots. Not without mistakes and bumps but truly excellent over time relative to nearly all others. Through busts and booms and with a drastically changed food landscape in DC over the past decade, Palena has persevered and been a bellwether. Palena proves something hotly debated:  a single-location restaurant CAN consistently produce great cuisine and can endure over the longer haul. It's very tough to do but Palena shows it can be done.  I wish it was done more often by more owners.

Aggie was one of three locals nominated for Food & Wine's best new pastry chef competition this past spring.   All three lost out to a speedily-named baker in Cambridge, MA  but, no matter.  Aggie's desserts remind me some of what Ann Amernick was doing at Palena in its earliest days. There was the dark period for Palena pastry following Ann's departure but the sun shines again now.

I stopped in again this morning.  There were a full four or five savory options on the counter.  A Spanish tortilla type option made with egg and thin-sliced potato.  I've lived in Spain, got this and loved it.  There was a spinach quiche.  A rosemary and bacon bun of some kind that both sounded a tad complicated and was very enticing in description and appearance/presentation.  A simple but delicious-looking egg sandwich on house-baked white bread.  And, on the sweet side, two types of coffee cake (both individually sized and round); one made with pear.  Amazing looking cinnamon rolls.  Morning buns.  Chocolate croissants and at least 7-10 more I can't remember.  All expertly produced. There were even some macarons in the case beneath the register. Very curious about those but can't try everything on a single visit.

And, for someone not enamored with the coffee like me, they are offering some great tea options.

The new Palena "Coffee Shop" is as much about highlighting Aggie Chin's talents as it is about anything else.  And, due to that reality, it is so worthwhile to stop here for everything she's putting out on that counter and in the case.

Between Mark Furstenburg's  "BreadFurst" in VanNess (due to open next year) and this more quietly launched Palena Coffee Shop with a couple dozen amazing and rotating pastries and savories, the upper NW Connecticut strip becomes a bit of a bakers' murderers' row.

P.S., I can't help myself. Palena, if you're reading this, please consider at least bringing in a second roaster alongside your primary.  Ceremony, Vigilante or Qualia if local?  Handsome, Heart or Coava (!!) if about doing something unusual in DC and worthy of your cuisine.

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Darkstar 965 has it right regarding the selection and mystery pizzas. On Monday, the staff person also mentioned that pizzas and maybe other savories would possibly be available later in the day and the breakfast pastries would likely go away.  I haven't been mid-day yet, but will likely try it soon. The key thing told to me was that the menu is still a work in progress and they are testing out different items in terms of recipe and sales.  This is actually very similar to the offerings that used to be sold in the market - a rotating assortment of baked goods, breads, pizzas, etc. that varied each day.

So I guess I posted soon before hunger drew me back. A little before two today while I was perusing the offerings which did include several more savories option per Darkstar's post above (also was an intriguing cheese savory croissant hidden among the regular croissants),  I opted for the great sugar donut holes and one of mini-pizzas that the Chef just brought out.  I agree with the comment above, not sure why they wouldn't want to also have these available closer to the typical 12-1 lunch hour - but it was good.   The pizza ($3.50) is a round about the size of bagel with a nice charred, slightly chewy crust.  Today's version was topped lightly with cheese, carmelized onions and hot red peppers. So like most things at Palena's more casual parts - a typical item made better and costs a bit more. (I thinking of this as an expensive but good large pizza slice).  I could eat two of these instead of say tacos and call it a nice little meal.  My recommendation would be to offer these throughout the lunch/afternoon (say 11-4) in 2-3 varieties and I'd be back regularly for lunch since I live/work close by.

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My recommendation would be to offer these throughout the lunch/afternoon (say 11-4) in 2-3 varieties and I'd be back regularly for lunch since I live/work close by.

So the folks at Palena answered this prayer - on my last few visits this week they have had pizzas out closer to 12 and yesterday I saw 2 types: roasted veggies and the before mentioned carmelized onion with hot peppers.  Unfortunately, the communication between the kitchen and the FOH is still not great. When I arrived and saw no pizzas out, I asked if they would have them today and the cashier said she thought so, but really didn't know as the chef just makes whatever he likes and brings it out whenever it is ready So I chose some other items and sat down to eat them. Within 5 minutes, out came the first type of pizza and then 5 minutes later the second type.  This seems to be a problem as you never know what will be on the menu or when it is available.

The upside is that instead I tried and really enjoyed the squash foccaccia which is a really long but only about 1 inch thick slice (probably equivalent to a smallish regular slice of pizza. It was somewhat similar to a pizza and I believe there was some type of cheese on it too.

Also again today, I couldn't resist more of the donut holes. They are usually available and excellent.

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On our fond farewell to Cleveland Park, we spent yesterday night and this morning driving moving trucks to my home.  On our final trip, we decided to get coffee and a bite at the Coffee Shop.

The donuts, while perhaps a tad cakier than I prefer, were probably the best I have ever had {except those consumed while in an altered state of mind at 3am at Randy's Donuts in LA while in college.)  The chive and pecorino scone was quite good.  We had a fried egg, roasted pepper and bacon bagel that was quite good.

The cap and the Machiato were OK, nothing special.

But overall, the total experience was fabulous for the price of a Starbuck's crap breakfast or that of Firehook where nothing would have possessed any heart or love.  While busy, this should have lines out the door.

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The cap and the Machiato were OK, nothing special.

But overall, the total experience was fabulous for the price of a Starbuck's crap breakfast or that of Firehook where nothing would have possessed any heart or love.  While busy, this should have lines out the door.

As a nearby neighbor, I continue to regularly go to Palena coffee shop at least a few times a week and almost all of the pastries/savories have and continue to be delicious. Last week and yesterday, I had really moist and good coffee cakes (one plain and one with some pineapple slices).  The monkey bread continues to be a gooey, rich delight.  The cranberry-pistacio scone had a nice and bit more unusual combo of flavors that you typically find in other coffeeshops.  My one food gripe is that the donuts (both the holes and the full size) have become very oily - so much so that a chocolate glazed tastes like oil-soaked chocolate and it becomes unappetizing.

However, the drink quality and service continues to need improvement to echo Dean's comment above. I personally don't drink coffee but my neighbors regularly complain to me and now to Palena that their capuccinos and other drinks are very inconsistent and it seems to due to lack of proper training of the staff.  Sometimes you get a great drink and often you don't, depending on who is making it that day. They also don't seem to have a consistent idea of how to serve the drinks. My wife has ordered the same green tea that has been on the menu from day 1 at least 3 different times in the past 2 months and each time it is served in a different type of cup/glass with or without a side kettle of water. Each time, I am told this is "the" way it is served there. I have sampled the chai a few different times and it also varies in quality.

So Palena if you are listening, drain the donuts better, more training on the drinks and keep churning out otherwise excellent food.

It has become a very popular spot in the neighborhood as I regularly bump into neighbors there during the week and the weekends and on more than one occassion we have been served or served your treats at people's houses.

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