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Palena Cafe, the old "Front Room" expands in Cleveland Park with Two Dining Rooms and Bars, and a Separate Kitchen - Closed


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Had an excellent brunch here this past Sunday morning. I started with the Roasted and Raw Heirloom Beets (in a salad with horseradish, cumin and lime) and then moved on to the Bacon and Egg (grilled house cured pork belly, coddled egg, spring onion, rosti and salsa verde). Grilled pork belly, runny egg and rosti, what really needs to be said? Simply a delicious dish. My wife had the Whole Wheat Sourdough Pancakes(with blueberries, maple syrup and crème fraiche). This dish made me realize that I need to make sourdough pancakes more often.

And because we can never pass up a good doughnut, had the chocolate covered one. Simply the best doughnut around.

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Dinner tonight. The Cafe was really packed. Odd on a Monday but after way too many days at 100+ degrees maybe the dip into lthe 80s did it and brought everyone out.

Just a few thoughts on some of the dishes we had tonight:

- Lime scented ceviche: made with a striped bass. I tend to always order whatever ceviche is on the menu in summer and this one didn't disappoint. Good sized portion served on a creme fraiche.

- Saffron pici. My no-longer-very-new favorite Palena pasta (except maybe those gnocchi but they're potatoe...never mind). With the crab, this is great.

- Stuffed lamb breast. I'd had this once before and my SO got it tonight. It's fine but not as enjoyable as virtually every other lamb dish I've ever had at Palena. Somewhat dense in texture; probably more an issue with the cut. This isn't commonly on menus but maybe that's because it's just tougher to work with to good ends.

- Lamb shoulder puttanesca w/ garbanzos and capers. Very good. Though I shared, my SO with the stuffed lamb breast realized the error of her ways when she tried this and was envious. :mellow:

- We also tried a newer Aggie dessert called the "Uptowner" and inspired by Cleveland Park's iconic Uptown Theater. A dense chocolate cake/torte (rich/sweet) with nuts on a caramel sauce and served with popcorn ice cream. The ice cream was interesting and, sure enough, did taste just like sweet popcorn. Evidently that process starts with actual popcorn steeping int cream for an extended period...or something like that. I think the cake was sort of a nod to the kind of snickers bar one might buy at concessions at the Uptown but we couldn't get confirmation on that theory.

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Rabbit pizzaiola ($20) was on the menu this week: a single rabbit leg, braised with tomatoes and oregano, then topped with a thin layer of pancetta. Served over fork-smashed potatoes with carrots and cippolini onions.

I could try and clumsily explain how good this was, but what more can be said about perfectly cooked rabbit, bacon and vegetables? Hearty but not heavy, this was an excellent transition from late August into September.

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Looks like Palena Cafe is no longer serving weekday lunch. We found out the hard way after planning a lunch there so wanted to spread the word for others. Big bummer--the other lunch options in the area are a definite step down from what they were doing.

While this is definitely a bummer, I had never been in there for lunch when there was more than 10 or so customers during a weekday so I can't really fault them.

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I could make this a really long story about the true roots of the Palena burger,(and the hot dog for that matter). About how even before Palena opened, my wife and I had would have an on and off need to find the best local burger, but I'll stick to the Palena burger.

There seem to be two main issues...the size of the bun, and the juicieness.

First the bun..before putting the burger on the Cafe menu we tried several variations on ratio of meat to bun. I ultimately decided that me being a "sopper", I wanted enough bread in my hand first to handle the meat, and second, to sopp up any juices that might, and does, drip on to the plate. Even to sopp the oil that we drizzle on the pickles. A good quality bun is the key here..(by the way, the bun is more of a Parker House roll dough and not the brioche bun of which it is routinely referred. Brioche seems to have lost all of it's noble distinction..but that is another issue), fresh baked daily, lightly grilled then topped with the garlic scented mayonnaise.

The meat: We started off a little smaller than we have now (the bun has stayed the same size) and after much Q&A and customer feedback, we opted to go a little heavier. We are not trying to be cheap here, it is just that we are trying to make a really good burger. Too much meat could be bad as well. We make every effort to control what we can..Bun-recipe, mayo-recipe, same ingredients to make them, same cheese, we have been buying the same meat now for months(we grind it ourselves every day)..but lately there does seem to be some difference, not only of the burger meat, but even the Kobe style beef we buy and the veal..could be a seasonal thing. another factor that comes into play is who shaped the burgers that day..everyone tries doing it the same, but making it a bit too compact does offer some variation.Although we all pay just as much attention to building the burger and with the same passion as we do say, the boudin blanc, some variation does seem to occur.

Hey, hey, hey, Mr. Ruta ... we're going on 6.5 years since your last post here. What if I didn't come to your restaurant for 6.5 years? Then what would you do? Hmmm?

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Hey, hey, hey, Mr. Ruta ... we're going on 6.5 years since your last post here. What if I didn't come to your restaurant for 6.5 years? Then what would you do? Hmmm?

I will say that the one time I had the Palena burger years ago that it was not too thick, and in fact had wonderful greasy crust.

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I will say that the one time I had the Palena burger years ago that it was not too thick, and in fact had wonderful greasy crust.

I love the Palena burger. The bread is perfect at sopping the juice from the meat. I wish I lived closer to Palena, but it is probably better for my waistline that I don't.

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A friend had given us a gift card to Palena for our wedding back in January, and since we are dogless this week and therefore have less responsibility (i.e going home after work to let her out), we decided on a spur of the moment after work dinner at Palena Cafe.

We got there right as they opened at 5:30 and were one of the first tables seated. By the time we left around 7pm I would say it was maybe half full? The online menu still reflects summer dishes, and although some dishes are the same on the current fall menu, a lot have been changed.

We started with the House baked breads with Trickling Springs butter ($3), which was a very good-sized basket of 4 different types of bread (some grissini, a brown bread, and two different types of white that we weren't sure of the difference). We also requested some olive oil for dipping and the oil was so fruity and flavorful. Some of the bread was warm, and some wasn't, but it was all pretty tasty.

For an appetizer we split Yukon Gold Potato Gnocchi – with sweet potatoes, beech mushrooms, creamy and crumbled goat cheese and a drizzle of balsamico ($15) and I always really appreciate when restaurants bring out a split app in two bowls. The half serving was a great size for a starter. The gnocchi was incredibly soft and smooth and the whole dish came together well. The +1 ordered a Grill Frites, which came with a salad of Boston bibb lettuce, Pt. Reyes blue cheese, croutons and sherry vinegar. It was about a half head of lettuce with a few croutons and some cheese that was slightly overdressed, but the dressing was really tangy and had a good flavor. I could have used a bit more cheese as well, but again, it all tasted very good.

Although I had been to the Palena Cafe twice before (once about 6 years ago and once perhaps 2 years ago), I ordered the burger on both trips. I had always heard superlative reviews of the chicken though, so this time I made sure to get the Palena Chicken – lemon braised greens ($17). It was certainly juicy and well-seasoned, if not a little salty (did I taste 5 Spice? What was that?), but in the end I think I will continue to shy away from most restaurant chicken dishes. Again, there was absolutely nothing wrong with it and it was quite delicious, but I tend to want something a little more "interesting" (for lack of a better word).

The +1 had the Angus Beef Grill Frites (with shoestrings and a warm balsamico/anchovy vinaigrette- $27), which he declared one of the best steaks he's had in a while. The couple bites I had were perfectly medium rare and the sauce or rub had a wonderful flavor. The sweet balsamic on the fries was a nice and different taste and the fries were thin and crispy and flavorful.

For a side we also split Squash with farro and golden raisins ($8). The only issue with service came in regards to the side as we had to ask for it after our entrees were delivered and it wasn't presented until we were halfway through our main dishes. It was also served cold (not room temperature, but cold). I assume this was on purpose, but it was a little bit surprising. All that said, it was really delicious and I would certainly recommended as a great accompaniment to any of the entrees.

We were quite full at this point but decided to split a dessert of the Autumn Sundae (apple ice cream, Kabocha squash sorbet, toasted pumpkin seeds, bourbon caramel - $9) that was pretty much fall in a bowl. The squash sorbet tasted like pumpkin pie, and although not every bite of the ice cream had apple, the ones that did were great. There was also a dehydrated slice of apple on top and a brittle of some sort that offered a nice, crunchy contrast.

It's unfortunate that we live across town because last night was really a treat. I look forward to coming back before long and trying a soup and more of the pastas.

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Nice later dinner at Palena Cafe tonight after catching one of the Oscar Best Pic nominees. Wouldn't normally post to say just that but will here to highlight two newer things tried and enjoyed.

Most in our group were delighted with well-known and loved Palena standbys like the burger, ceviche and the simple but delicious rigatoni dish.

I ordered a corned angus beef dish since I hadn't noticed it on menu before. Our waiter told us it had just been introduced earlier this week. If you like corned beef, this is a dish to get. It's a generous portion and a classic Palena interpretation: something very familiar but reinvented (without any cuteness) and executed to be much better; clearly not the same as what's piled on rye at delis good and bad. Thick cuts of house-corned and clearly high-quality beef that had the familiar flavor but more nuanced and sophisticated. Served with some potatoes and pearl-like onions, this was delicious.

For dessert, two of us ordered the "meyer lemon posset" which was excellent. Yeah, I know. I had no idea what a "posset" was either but evidently English inspired and historic.* This was a very nice lemony pudding/curd served in a round bowl and topped with a scoop of meyer lemon gelato and a few dabs of meringue. Very light, refreshing and not overly sweet. I thought it a great example of the creative but delicious desserts that Palena has been doing since Aggie Chin was hired.

* Note the reference to "syllabub" if you clickthrough to the wikipedia link. Interesting if that kind of food history interests you. Reminded me of the WaPo piece last weekend about the history of English cuisine

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Had dinner there last weekend. I had a lovely braised rabbit with fennel, Caesar salad to start and cookie plate. Hubby had the tagliatelle. Everything was as usual really good. Mine was sophisticated, with homey flavors, and a nice acidic balance. Hubby's was just pure comfort in a wonderfully rich but balanced way. The cookie plate had an excellent selection of little goodies- caramel, nougat, cookies, very reminiscent of the little chest of pastries you get at the end of your meal at the French Laundry. Executed perfectly. I was starving as I hadn't eaten any lunch and wolfed everything down including really good bread from the bread basket. All while enjoying watching people's behavior in that odd little parking lot out front. I really like that they have a good selection of wine available by carafe, when a bottle is too much, glass not enough.

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I suspect many people write off Sunday night at Palena, with its abbreviated menu of salads, pizzas and pastas, but doing so is a HUGE mistake. Last night neither Chef Ruta nor the ever present Kelley were in the house, but whomever was cooking should be awfully proud as the wife and I had one of our best dinners of the year. She had a simply amazing brodetto, some super fresh sardines, baby clams and a slice of what has to be the best garlic bread on the planet adorning the exquisitely flavored soup. She followed that with a bowl of spelt pasta w/ramps, goat cheese and smoked salmon. She declared it her favorite pasta dish of the year. In my mind it took second place last night behind the perfectly executed and wildly delicious linguine with rock shrimp. Add in the city's best Caesar and side dishes of the Northern Neck greens and roasted artichokes w/farro and you've got yourself a killer dinner that we were still talking about at breakfast. Bravo!

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I suspect many people write off Sunday night at Palena, with its abbreviated menu of salads, pizzas and pastas, but doing so is a HUGE mistake. Last night neither Chef Ruta nor the ever present Kelley were in the house, but whomever was cooking should be awfully proud as the wife and I had one of our best dinners of the year. She had a simply amazing brodetto, some super fresh sardines, baby clams and a slice of what has to be the best garlic bread on the planet adorning the exquisitely flavored soup. She followed that with a bowl of spelt pasta w/ramps, goat cheese and smoked salmon. She declared it her favorite pasta dish of the year. In my mind it took second place last night behind the perfectly executed and wildly delicious linguine with rock shrimp. Add in the city's best Caesar and side dishes of the Northern Neck greens and roasted artichokes w/farro and you've got yourself a killer dinner that we were still talking about at breakfast. Bravo!

The thing is you could have ordered an entirely different meal last night and still had one of the best dinners of the year. The asparagus salad is one of the most satisfying around, with the spears -- a vibrant Merrie Melodies green -- meticulously shaved up to their tips, elevated by a pillow of well-seasoned, silken burrata and rounded out by baby lettuce dressed with a few shocks of anchovy saltiness. Soft-shelled crab sprinkled with hazlenuts and a few fava beans also shows off the kitchen well. The meats are primarily what's missing on Sunday -- such as the great, walloped-flat Wiener schnitzel I encountered here the week before last. This classic dish shouldn't really work; it sounds like a prescription for pounding juicy veal into cardboard, but the frying and the breading turn it into something immensely satisfying, especially when there is a giant-yolked hen's egg beside it. If you are going to Palena on Sunday night to satisfy your jones for the Palena burger or the half chicken then you are definitely in for a disappointment. While I like both of those dishes, which put the cafe on the map in the first place, and I do order them, and I actually wish I was eating them now, it's easy to be distracted by other items on the menu. It's also worth remembering that there are a few things that pop up on Sunday night, such as the pizzas, which are medium-sized, cut into four pieces and enough for two if you are exploring other parts of the menu, which you should. There are also slices of rustic cake, larger portions for a lower price than available other nights. It would be hard to equal the assortment of smaller desserts available every other night, such as a plate of perfect small red strawberries sparkling like gems in a spring blizzard of cream and meringue. Even so, a chocolate meringue cake -- and I believe there has been lemon -- is on the unusual side, with the egg white adding some chewiness. I like the rhubarb cake too, though maybe it's too dry and its rhubarb flavor is elusive. However, the torte is served with a dollop of cream at least as good as the cream at Buck's just up the road to smooth over any slight imperfections.

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We did the "Beef Feast" dinner at Palena last night and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Our server juggled the slew of wines we threw at him, the pacing was perfect (7 course, 3.5 hours) and the food, well, that was the best part.

For those among you who struggle to introduce less adventurous eaters to the wonders of offal, last night's heart and tongue preparations converted two skeptics. I've never had a more accessible, crowd-pleasing dish starring those two ingredients, especially considering their simplicity -- both were sliced and relatively bare, not minced or wrapped or oversauced or otherwise disguised.

It's hard for me to pick nits with this meal -- the quality of the ingredients, especially the beef, just came blaring through in every course, and the supporting elements -- the oxtail broth in the brodo, the horseradish cream for the steak, the salsa verde for the heart -- made each dish sing.

I got to appreciate the texture and the flavor of a whole laundry list of cuts and I can't wait to do it again.

Find five (or more) friends, call Palena and make a reservation.

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Was poking around the Palena Cafe website today and noticed they are now taking reservations for the Cafe. They also mention that they will soon be taking reservation through City Eats. This may be old news but was first time I noticed it.

Interesting. I just used City Eats for the first time and it was just as easy as using Open Table. That said, I find City Eats's site cluttered and visually annoying, but at least it is functional.

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We had a really great brunch this morning at Palena Cafe. We used to go to the 'old' cafe, but a move to MD and a dog meant that we haven't been down to the Cafe in its new configuration.

We started with two donuts--one chocolate and one lemon glaze. They are a bit doughier than the 2 Amys donuts, up the hill, but donuts like these help me understand what donuts can be, versus what they usually are (Dunkin Donuts and Krispy Kreme, I'm looking at you).

We split the Palena Caesar, with just enough accoutrements to keep the Romaine interesting and a house-made caesar dressing that seemed richer but healthier than any other caesar dressing I've had. I could have sopped this dressing up with bread, had I ordered some.

For brunch mains we had the bacon & egg and the pork loin--nicely sized but not heaping portions. The 'bacon' was a richly flavored pork belly, the 'egg' coddled and just perfectly finished. The plate of food almost had an English breakfast appearance, but the difference in flavor, and the fact that this was properly (and not over) cooked made all of the difference. The pork loin was good, but overshadowed by the salty fried egg, which was exactly what I wanted but probably not for everybody.

It was pretty quiet when we went in, and slowly filled throughout our brunch. Service was a bit awkward at first, and the server struggled a bit with the drink menu, but other than that no complaints at all. There are so many interesting things on this brunch menu that I'd be happy to go back on a regular basis.

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I'd only previously been to the back room, as they didn't take reservations for the front room until recently and we don't live all that nearby. After I read here (thank you!) about the new reservation policy, we made plans to meet friends at the cafe for my husband's birthday. We all thought the food was outstanding. We shared fritto misto, an order of fries and the bread basket to start. The bread was worth the $3, and I thought the butter was quite good as well, salted just the right amount. Since I hadn't had the previous fritto misto, I didn't find the halibut and shrimp components out of place. I also enjoyed the panisse but most especially loved the lemon. I could eat a plate just of the lemon slices.

On the online menu, it appeared as though some of the restaurant dishes would be available in the cafe, but the print menu noted the exception that the option isn't available on weekends. I was a little disappointed, but there were enough other things to try that it wasn't a big problem. I can see that someone who comes here frequently might feel differently. Given that the online menu differs from the print one, I'm not completely clear on all the details of all the dishes we had.

For main courses, one of our friends had the chicken. He couldn't quite finish the chicken but raved about it. He also got more fries :lol: . His wife ordered the rabbit leg. She wasn't sure she wanted the rabbit but wanted the vegetables that came with it, so that made her decision She ended up being quite pleased with the whole dish. My husband wanted the swordfish involtini, and it seemed that it would be a fairly small portion (it was), so he also got the Linguini Ligurian style. He finished everything and was happy with his meal. Since I'd never had it, I got the burger. It was cooked more than the medium rare I requested, but it was still juicy and seasoned really well. There was enough salt that I could identify it as a seasoning but not so much that I found it salty. That's a hard trick to pull off. Now I understand why people rave about the burger. There's an umami component to it (for lack of a better word) that is quite impressive.

For dessert, we all split an Uptowner (and I can't find a dessert menu to give the details). It was a layered brick/terrine with dark chocolate, marshmallow, and other things, in a caramel sauce with toasted popcorn. I ate more than my share of the popcorn in caramel. I wonder if I could go in there and order a plate of fried lemon and popcorn in caramel sauce :wub: .

Anyway, I'm kind of late to the party here, but I'm glad I finally got to try the cafe.

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We had dinner here last night. What we ate (a burger, the chicken, and a shared fish soup "Provencal") was fine. But have the prices on certain menu items gone up dramatically?

Not the burger ($14) or the chicken ($21) which seemed to be in line with what they used to be. But all of the starters/salads/soups were between $15 - $20 (I think the cafe salad was $12). The puntarella was $16. A side of fries (as were all sides) was $8.

Is this the new norm?

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Yes, I also was there last night and was fairly shocked by the inflation. The chicken started at $10 in the cafe, as did the burger. $14 seems quite reasonable for the burger -- but $21 for the chicken? And $17 for the consomme? When it began the Cafe was a virtually perfect neighborhood restaurant that I loved to visit on a whim. But now I'm afraid it'll have to be reserved for special occasions (albeit not as special as the main restaurant).

It's unfair to single out Palena for this -- seems as if it's been happening everywhere (no more so than at Fiola, where prices have probably doubled since opening). Are food and labor coats sky-rocketing, or is this simply a matter of testing what the market will bear, in an era when folks regularly spend $10 for glass of juice and $15 for a cocktail?

We had dinner here last night. What we ate (a burger, the chicken, and a shared fish soup "Provencal") was fine. But have the prices on certain menu items gone up dramatically?

Not the burger ($14) or the chicken ($21) which seemed to be in line with what they used to be. But all of the starters/salads/soups were between $15 - $20 (I think the cafe salad was $12). The puntarella was $16. A side of fries (as were all sides) was $8.

Is this the new norm?

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I had dinner here Friday night with my daughter. As usual, I ordered the chicken but instead of my typical caesar salad starter I opted for the goose egg ravioli. I believe Chef Ruta has been serving this dish now and then over the years but this was my first experience. Bathed in a butter sauce with pieces of morels and ramps floating in it, this is the best dish I have had in 2013. The kind of dish that elicits moans with every bite. Go now.

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Wow. What is going on at Palena Cafe? I have eaten in the restaurant (vs Cafe) many times, but not recently, and we had a very so-so experience there...

Went to dinner there following Star Trek Into Darkness at the Uptown, last Saturday (very good!). We told the waitress it had been a while since we'd been there so she gave us the whole schtick, pointing out the Chicken, Caesar Salad and burger as high points. We ordered the Cesar to share, Rabbit and the Burger, with a side of Rapini.

After a bit of a wait, we were presented with the beet salad (split) and the admission that they had run out of the Chef-made Caesar dressing. No apology or disclaimer, just "here it is." Neither of us like beets, so I'm thinking WFT? You just recommended it (and we knew to order it anyway)! And did I mention it was 6:30 on a Saturday night? The burger was good, but not something I'd rave about. The rabbit was good but not exceptional. Our desert was a delicious ricotta tart with rhubarb gelato (delicious).

Oh, but the wine! My lovely wife ordered a glass of Coté du Rhone. It arrived with several pieces of cork floating in it and in a dirty glass with lint on the inside (dirty AND poorly wiped). The replacement glass was almost not clean, but tasty.

It was a pretty disappointing $100. I can get better for 3/4, if not 2/3, the price. I cannot recommend the Cafe.

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^Interesting. I definitely think that the Café is not what it used to be. I've been to the Café many times over the last few years and always loved it. Recently, not so much. Sometime in the last couple of months my grown daughter and I went with the express purpose of ordering the burger because we'd never had it and knew that it was supposed to be one of the best in DC. We were both very disappointed -- it was overcooked and dry. We were left scratching our heads. Frankly, I've had a better burger at the Burger Joint in Gaithersburg.

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It was a pretty disappointing $100. I can get better for 3/4, if not 2/3, the price. I cannot recommend the Cafe.

I hate to say it, but I've been approaching this view recently. I've dined in the cafe only since the expansion. The first 1/2 dozen or so times blew my socks off. The pastas, seafood, pig (oh my, the shoat I had one night!) were all excellent. The past few times we've dined there the experience has been underwhelming, to the point that we haven't been back for 2-3 months after averaging a monthly visit. I can't quite put my finger on it. Nothing has been bad, just not as impressive as in the past. Note that I've never ordered the standards that folks rave about (burger, chicken), alternating between fish and pig for main, soup or salad for starter. I haven't had as bad an experience (dirty wine glasses, e.g.) as jondagle, but 3 out of 3 previous dinners at prime time (8/8:30) they've been our of my first-choice entree. I don't rule out a return visit, but I'm not hurrying back -- more inclined to dine in the restaurant for a special dinner than in the cafe.

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I had a nice dinner here with my husband and his mother this last weekend. She ordered a seasonal spring pasta that was really great: spelt pasta with ramps, oyster mushrooms, nettles and mint. The rhubarb dessert was really good too, as was the caesar salad, which had more mustard in the dressing this time but still had its usual brightness. Chris and I were in the mood for the burgers, so we got that with some fries, which were as good as usual (to the previous poster who's never ordered the chicken or burger, I would really encourage trying them; there's a reason they've become so notable). Started the night with interesting cocktails and the service was friendly and efficient.

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Wow. What is going on at Palena Cafe? I have eaten in the restaurant (vs Cafe) many times, but not recently, and we had a very so-so experience there...

...

It was a pretty disappointing $100.  I can get better for 3/4, if not 2/3, the price. I cannot recommend the Cafe.

^Interesting.  I definitely think that the Café is not what it used to be.  I've been to the Café many times over the last few years and always loved it.  Recently, not so much.  Sometime in the last couple of months my grown daughter and I went with the express purpose of ordering the burger because we'd never had it and knew that it was supposed to be one of the best in DC.  We were both very disappointed -- it was overcooked and dry.  We were left scratching our heads.  Frankly, I've had a better burger at the Burger Joint in Gaithersburg.

I hate to say it, but I've been approaching this view recently. I've dined in the cafe only since the expansion. The first 1/2 dozen or so times blew my socks off. The pastas, seafood, pig (oh my, the shoat I had one night!) were all excellent. The past few times we've dined there the experience has been underwhelming, to the point that we haven't been back for 2-3 months after averaging a monthly visit. I can't quite put my finger on it. Nothing has been bad, just not as impressive as in the past. Note that I've never ordered the standards that folks rave about (burger, chicken), alternating between fish and pig for main, soup or salad for starter. I haven't had as bad an experience (dirty wine glasses, e.g.) as jondagle, but 3 out of 3 previous dinners at prime time (8/8:30) they've been our of my first-choice entree. I don't rule out a return visit, but I'm not hurrying back -- more inclined to dine in the restaurant for a special dinner than in the cafe.

Any recent (summer/early fall) views on the Cafe?  The above three from May deserve real consideration but I'm wondering if that was a temporary phenomenon in May brought on by who knows what?

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I have been to the Cafe a few times and found the food to be very good.  Its a nice place to eat at the bar before or after a movie at the Uptown, but I do agree that the pricing isn't really "cafe" pricing.

I'm headed to try the Dining Room tonight.  Its appearance in the Fall Dining Guide reminded me that I had been meaning to go, so I made a reservation on Open Table two weeks ago.  I wonder if the Fall Dining Guide had a similar effect on others, because I have now had four phone conversations with the reservationist to confirm my Open Table reservation and a request for a credit card to hold the reservation.  The calls started a few days ago and culminated this morning with the reservationist explaining that my reservation could only be confirmed if I gave a credit card to hold it, because they "are overbooked in the Dining Room tonight."

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As things seem to be shifting eastward, from Cleveland Park towards 14UP, Palena and Palena Cafe become ever-more valuable to the suburban diner. There is parking, there is seating, and there is Frank Ruta - everything is, as it was.

An early diner, I was the first at the bar, and ordered a Gin & Tonic ($9), requesting Plymouth, and assuming I'd get Fever Tree; unfortunately, it was made with Schweppes (which uses corn syrup). Still, a decent drink made by a very courteous, professional bartender (a girl, perhaps of middle-eastern ethnicity, wearing glasses, with a few subtle tattoos).

Can someone name me another restaurant in town serving Cacciucco? ($13) Striped bass and cod in a rustic Tuscan-style fish stew, it had a refreshing lemony component in the nose, and needed to be woken up by some fresh-ground pepper and a couple pinches of salt - once these were added, the stew became irresistible. There were two slices of grilled bread on top which immediately got cut, mangled, mashed, torn, and distributed throughout the soup, underneath the surface, where they acted as a thickening agent for the broth. It was imperative that this soup was served piping hot (I realize I've used "piping hot" three times recently, and I need to think of a more original descriptor - I write all these reviews on the fly) because it takes some time for the broth to thicken, and it was still hot after it did - a wonderful stew that was both satisfying on the palate, and perfectly healthy to boot.

To finish the soup, a carafe of 2007 Cantina Sociale Cooperativa del Copertino Riserva ($17) from Puglia, a light-to-medium bodied red that indeed went perfectly with this tomato-based stew. My friendly bartender was also experimenting with cocktails, and I was treated to a taste of the Bivona (gratis), a thick, apricot-based cocktail made with Bourbon, and a delightful palate cleanser in between courses - I sipped it for a period of about 15 minutes, despite there being about one ounce in my glass (this was a thick drink that you want to sip, not gulp).

I'd also ordered what every diner at Palena Cafe must order: Bread ($3), and got a basket with about 8 slices in it, along with a ramekin of creamy, nicely salted butter - I only need 1/2 slice to swab up what was left of my soup, but it came in very handy with my next course: Polpettini con Polenta ($18), lamb meatballs in an Abruzzese-style sauce (also tomato-based, and thank you to my bartender for alerting me to this, fearing I was double-ordering a somewhat similar sauce), served with Pecorino Romano and a fried hen egg - the white, well-griddled; the yolk, hot and runny. Like the Cacciucco, this dish needed (and got) some fresh-ground black pepper and a few pinches of salt - Palena was a bit mild on the seasoning on this evening, but salt and pepper were all that was needed to enliven the dishes. I knew I would order this as my second course, and that had greatly influenced my wine strategy - the wine (which, by law, must consist of at least 70% Negroamaro grapes - MS and MW candidates, are you paying attention?) was a fine match for this dish which was heavy on the polpettini and somewhat light on the polenta. Palena would benefit, both financially, and qualitatively, by amping up the polenta and reducing the number of meatballs in this hearty, pleasurable, winter dish, although I suspect I'd be in a very small minority in saying that - I suppose at $18, it needs to have a fair amount of meat in it (I certainly wasn't complaining). And, as before, my order of bread meant that not one drop of sauce remained on the plate which had been wiped clean.

This dinner was on the eve of our (hopefully) final snow of this particularly cruel winter, and knowing that I had no food in the house, I ordered my lunch for the following day as well - items that I knew would be just as good tomorrow.

The Cafe Salad ($9) was a non-decision for this situation. Consisting of local greens and lettuces, roasted beets, and a hazelnut vinaigrette, my plastic tub of hazelnut vinaigrette unfortunately did not survive the trip from my car to my front door, (during which I was carrying about four things) and popped its lid - I saved a bit of it, but not much. Fortunately, the quality of the salad's ingredients were such that they were still perfectly enjoyable with but a few drops of dressing.

Lancaster County Rabbit "En Porchetta" ($18) has become one of Palena Cafe's signature dishes, the boneless saddle stuffed with chard and herbs, and served with a spot of coarse, grainy, brown mustard, glazed beets, house made cornichons, Mostarda (always excellent here), and celeriac remoulade. This dish typifies Frank Ruta: many ingredients combining to form the simplest of dishes - a casual diner would never realize the labor and effort that went into this deceptive treat.

With plenty of leftover bread (which also went with my morning coffee), and some Kerrygold butter (just about the only foodstuff in my entire house), these two items were left out overnight, remoulade be damned, and made for the perfect lunch, both in terms of quality and quantity.

I'd also ordered a slice of Pineapple Upside-Down Cake ($7 - Aggie, was this you?) which I enjoyed with my coffee two mornings later. It had begun to dry out by then, of course, but it was easy to see the quality and love that went into this, and I'd love to try a fresh order one day.

A good showing for Palena Cafe - on Frank Ruta's night off - which serves as further evidence of the decline of Washington, DC as a "great food town." No, it isn't "Palena Cafe" itself that's the evidence; it's the lack of diners in it, the customers and their money being herded to the "latest and greatest," as annointed by the marketing experts who don't know the first thing about cuisine. Make no mistake about it: Greatness is to be found at Palena Cafe, and so are empty seats, and so is parking. And so should you. See you there?

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Don. Well said. Palena is a DC treasure. Frank should shave his head get some tatoos. The guy is there day im and day out cooking up a storm and touching each dish himself.. A great chef. A true chef. He's not runnig around filming tv shows , or doing PR stunts. He's grinding It out. Be true to your chefs or they will be false to you......

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The following course was oven roasted sea bass with coriander and lime that was the best piece of fish I've eaten in years. A crispy buttery salty crust atop a moist, perfectly done thick filet, with some roasted vegetables alongside. 

After picking up some wines at Weygandt Wines on Friday, I stopped into Palena Cafe for dinner, grabbing the last seat at the bar just as a trio of people got up to get their table. I opted not to pay the $25 corkage fee, despite having a trunkful of wine, and order of Palena's list. Note: I was parked in Sam's parking lot (the one right there), and both Weygandt and Palena stamped my ticket, giving me 1-hour of free parking each, and allowing me to park for free for the 2-hour duration I was there (it would normally have been $4/hour).

I started off my meal perusing the menu and sipping a really well-proportioned, nicely stirred Campari and Soda ($8). It was then I decided to order of the "main dining room" menu, and mimic a dinner from The Real Thing, instead of "just" the cafe (there are always about three items available from the main dining room's menu on the cafe's menu).

For an appetizer: Crudo ($16) of Tasmanian Sea Trout, served with blood orange sabayon, ginger, and pumpkin seed. Man, this was a wonderful, elegant plate of crudo, taking the Tasmanian Sea Trout sashimi, and one-upping it by adding the very restrained amount of sabayon (sweetness), and the "pumpkin seed" which was, yes, a few seeds, but also a few slices of unimaginably flavorful roast baby pumpkin (saltiness). This is the kind of dish I would eat every single day of my life if I was a multi-millionaire with a personal chef.

For the second part of the Crudo, I would have normally switched to a white wine, but I was sitting in front of the the Haus Alpenz-imported Dolin White Vermouth, and knew that it would go perfectly with what I was eating. An aperitif-sized glass with two rocks, and I had the perfect food-wine pairing. Don't forget Dolin (instead of that IPA) when you're starting off a meal.

And for my entree, I got the Striped Bass ($26) that weezy had. Slow-roasted with cardamom, bay leaf, and lime, and served with kumquats (!), glazed carrots, and baby bok choy, I am in full agreement with weezy about how great this piece of fish was. An unimaginably delicious rub, accompanied by the most elegant sauce imaginable - it was spice on silk, and one of the best fish presentations I've had in a long time.

This dish called for a glass of wine, and I went with a carafe (at least 1 1/2 glasses) of 2012 Paolo Scavino "Sorisso" ($15) from Langhe, a perfect blend of 40% Chardonnay (heft), 40% Sauvignon Blanc (tang), and 20% Viognier (aromatics) that sang a duet with my kumquats (stop laughing).

The food portion of this meal (the crudo and the striped bass), while reasonably ample, contained what I would bet is less than 1,000 calories. Not only was it perfect, it was also the epitome of health food.

So of course I got a carryout order of Cookies, Nougat, and Caramel ($10), and let me tell you that Pastry Chef Aggie Chin has rewritten the definition of nougat. I wasn't sure if the top-and-bottom "lining" of the nougat was paper to pull off, but it wasn't; it was edible film, encasing the best nougat I've ever eaten in my life. And thanks to the lord, there were about four pieces of it in the dessert plate. Do not overlook this great plate of treats when you order dessert here!

And yet another mind-blowing showing from Palena Cafe, technically, the main dining room. It is more important to document every single time Frank Ruta scratches his shoulder, than it is trying to run around and hit every strip-mall ethnic dive in town. Thank you to Palena Cafe for yet another magical evening.

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