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Category: American (New) [Edit]
Neighborhood: Cleveland ParkCleveland Park (Red)
"I've had people look at me funny when I say that Houston's is one of my favorite restaurants (the same look people gave me when I said I…" read more »
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I came here for the burger. The space is very nice and would be great for a romantic night out, but I have no comments on the rest of the menu.
Palena's burger has been said by some to be the best in DC. It is a delicious, juicy piece of meat on a great bun. I think many burger enthusiasts would be alarmed by the bare bones approach Palena takes: Just the meat, bun, cheese and some special sauce. No lettuce, tomato, or crazy toppings here. If you can conceptually get past this, you will see that it works because the ingredients (although few in number) are high-quality. If quality meatiness is your goal, one need not bother with excessive toppings.
No sides come with this either, but I would recommend splitting the fry plate, which comes with the normal potato variety, onion rings, and fried lemon slices. Very interesting indeed, and served with a delightful dipping sauce.
Expensive for a burger, but very tasty and worth the price.
People thought this was:
This place now occupies what used to be Kenny Roger's Roasters. No wonder their Roast Chicken is so excellent.
Seriously, it's delicious. And worth the wait. I'm not sure the secret (perhaps they brine it) but the meat is soft and tender with an almost buttery flavor. And the skin is just so crispily, crackily delicious, you almost wish the chicken had recently lost a lot of weight so there would be tons of extra skin.
Now I ordered the burger. Which was also good, but not great. I think it's my preference, which is a big, sloppy burger with lots of toppings and condiments. And I like it so greasy I could practically start a grease fire when I wipe my hands on my napkin. But the Palena Burger is more understated elegance. It's just a simple, well-cooked patty with a toasted bun and a teaspoon of some lightly flavored sauce. It was big enough, and tasted fine, but I did find myself more than once looking over to my girlfriend's roast chicken with envy.
We were seated in the Cafe section, and weren't treated like the red-headed step-children of the people in the Palena Bistro at all. The cafe dining room is casually elegant, good for a date, or meeting friends. We also ordered a few beers and got a yummy dessert (Hazelnet Chocolate Cake) all for $60. All in all, not bad for a place that was Kenny Rogers' sloppy seconds.
People thought this was:
The bottom line: Roasted chicken was tasty, fries were crispy but I won't rush back. 2.5 stars.
After a recommendation from foodie friends, my wife and I decided to try out the Palena cafe.
We didn't venture far into the restaurant as we were seated by the front window (which happened to be letting in glaring sunbeams). So, I can't be too descriptive about decor.
We had heard they have a good bartender so we ordered drinks to start. My drink was very forgettable (and I've forgotten what it was) but my wife had something with Prosecco that she enjoyed.
We both ordered the half chicken and shared a plate of the fries. The chicken (though it took a while, which we knew in advance, and weren't bothered by) was very tasty. I'm guessing it was brined because of its moistness and depth of flavor. The fries were crisp and I enjoyed the deep fried lemon slices while my wife did not.
We each had a glass of wine with dinner.
Overall, the meal was...tasty but uninspired and for the $85 I wouldn't rush back. In fact, Palena is the absolute closest restaurant to home and we haven't been back.
Very disapointed. The swordfish was horrid and comes with nothing. Unless you count a slice of onion. I left starving and not wanting to eat fish again. The folks/staff were friendly.
I did take notice no one came back to ask us, "how are you doing, everything ok?" I think they were afraid to ask. The dining room is nice, unless you look down at the old unclean carpet. If you are hungry, I would not go here. Also, they never served us bread. I kept hoping it would come as I was so hungry. After the expensive check was paid, we left looking for food at other locations in the area.
I Love this place...
Great staff, Old style drinks, best burger in town (it's straight to the point), split the unique fry plate & salted caramel for dessert...perfect meal and you haven't even broke the bank...
I bring everyone from out of town to try the burger and they always want to come back next time around...
Highly recommended...
Love that chicken at Palena! Yes, I stole the song from Popeye's but I don't care. Don't be a chump and get the burger. Don't! Granted, I don't eat burgers but if you end up getting the burger and your date gets the roast chicken, don't be offended if your date smacks your hand with their fork when you try to get another piece after they graciously offer you a taste.
People thought this was:
Met a friend at this intimate bistro. The menu had Swordfish. We ordered the swordfish. A few minutes later our nice waiter informed us it was a typo. No swordfish, but tuna. I'd always wanted to try the famous cheeseburger, so I switched to the cheeseburger. My friend went with the rigatoni. We sipped a nice pinot noir and ate some good, fresh bread and butter. The lighting was fairly low, almost dark, but the candles made it delightful. My cheeseburger was scrumptious. No ketchup, no mustard, no lettuce, no tomato, no onion. Just cheese and butter. The meat melted in my mouth. Juicy. The rigatoni had goat cheese and tomato based sauce. It looked good. For dessert we split the plum tart and cinnamon ice cream. Very delicious. Service impeccable. As we left the hostess went out of her way to thank us and request we return. We'll be back.
My wife and brother in law had dinner here last week. I do not think I have had better food anywhere in DC. Everything frm portion size to presentation was perfect. I would have to say that this is the best food in DC, hands down.
This place has serious problems
1) Location: Unless you live uptown, why would you go there just for this so so restaurant
2) Pretentiousness: Tries to place itself as an exclusive haute cuisine place. Its not.
Service is mediocre, food is ok (just ok) and wine list is horrendous. When I asked the waiter why they had so many sauterns as opposed to dry whites, he said "I'm sure our sommelier knows what he's doing"
-clearly not.
Don't waste your time going to this place. Save the trip and go to a place like The New Heights or Obelisk....or stay home and order food.
People thought this was:
I am rating this on the burger alone. A few years back I went to the restaurant and was completely unmotivated to return. It wasn't until I heard about the great burgers that I went back. Sat at the bar and got a burger and the fries plate. It was very VERY good. I went back a week later and it was good but not great. The best part was watching the hostess stand at her podium staring at her split ends. Dinner and a show.
If President Obama is looking for recommendations on where to take the First Lady for one of their date nights, I'd definitely recommend Palena Cafe.
The food is, without a doubt, some of the best in DC. The cheeseburger, the fry plate, the Caesar salad and the chocolate coconut layer cake all hit the spot and at prices that are manageable, especially given the high quality of ingredients and magnificent execution.
But the service? Woeful. Sure, I'll wait 45 minutes to an hour for a table but once I get that table please send a server immediately to take my order. If only the front of the house could keep up with the magic coming out of the back of the house. Then Palena would be a truly five star establishment.
Still, I admit that despite the service spottiness, I will return. The food's too good to pass up!
People thought this was:
A thirty to forty-five minute wait for a table in the cafe on a Saturday night seemed reasonable,… Read more »
Beautiful food; eat at the bar and a la carte your way through both Cafe (front of the house) and Prix Fixe (back of the house) menus; busy staff seems to not miss a beat; recent din din at the bar was late summer poetry including heirlooms, pinky toe crab, limas, ink pasta, Maine white ale...
SO DISAPPOINTING!
Now, in cursoring back through the reviews, I see a potential reason: A significant majority of the reviews are for the cafe (burgers etc) rather than the restaurant. This review is for the restaurant. And its not very good.
We had three courses each plus dessert. Two courses were inedible, three were mediocre to poor and one was OK. Dessert was truly uninspired and, viewed alone, would not merit 3 stars. Nothing was exceptional, but some was downright awful.
The rabbit with some sort of pickled vegetable was HORRIBLE. It looked like it was not cooked but pickled instead. It was pale white with pockets of red fluid oozing out. It looked like one of those lung sections they use to scare you away from smoking. It didnt taste good, but even if it had, I'm not sure either of us could have eaten much of it because it was so thoroughly gruesome.
The skate with what looked like lentils was so salty it was inedible. I tried a bite and my date tried one and we both passed on the rest of it.
Its pretty hard to screw beet salad up. Theirs was, however, one of the worst beet salads I've ever had. Merely a frisee with it. Edible but lame.
The duck with foie gras tasted of pumpkin spices. Not a good idea. At least we could eat some of it. However, we didnt eat that much of it because it really didnt taste good. Of particular note was some item (lets say vegetable) on the dish that had the flavor, consistency and appearance of a long log of cherry chapstick. Take a nice bite of that and see if you keep eating.
The gnocchi with sausage tasted like a pizza. This was the one passable dish. Obviously, however, it was far from great.
Frankly, I forget what the 6th plate we ordered was. I do, however, remember that the only dish that we ate all of was the gnocchi. Both desserts were extremely pedestrian, focusing on ice cream and flan.
The service (probably 3 stars) bordered on obtrusive. I bought a relatively pricey bottle of wine recommended by the waiter and it was pretty good. This, however, had a big downside. The waiter obviously wanted me to buy another bottle of wine as he interrupted us to ask if we would like another bottle no fewer than 5 times - three times to "we're fine, thanks" and at least once after we said rather directly that we would not like any more. He did ask once why we were passing on our food without hardly touching it, did apologize when I finally remarked that the fish was far too salty and offered to produce another dish. However, by this point, we had already decided to cut our losses and just get out of there.
The place is relatively stuffy. Decorated like someone's gramma's house, but not nearly as homey, completed with a gigantic mirror placed high up in the room in a tacky frame. Nothing cool about it.
Now, with money in mind, the restaurant is completely unacceptable. If someone took me here on an expense account and said they ate there all the time, I'd seriously reconsider whether it was a good idea to do business with that person.
There's no chance in hell I'll give the restaurant another try. Stick with the other reviewers' recommendations and get the burger or the chicken in the cafe. The restaurant isnt worth a go.
People thought this was:
My boyfriend and I recently went here to check out their fine dining. Typically I get in trouble for picking the better dishes, but I lost that game this time. My boyfriend's selections were much better than mine. If I was writing this review based on his meal, it might have another star. That said, a restaurant as pricey as this one should serve all excellent dishes.
We did the 3 course + dessert prix fixe menu. I started with a salad which was good, but nothing exceptional. For the second course I had the Yukon Gold Potato Gnocchi with a Tuscan style sauce of hare and olives. It was a bit undercooked and not as flavorful as I would have hoped. I can't even remember what I had for my third dish. How horrible is that? The service was excellent (to be expected), but the chef has some work to do.
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Yes, the burger is indeed awesome.
I'm still not totally sure how the whole cafe vs. fancy restaurant works out. Alls I know is that if you sit outside, you can get the cafe (ie, cheaper) menu and not feel awkward wearing jeans. $11 gets you a burger and another $11 will you get you a plate of fried goods: potatoes, onions, cheese, and.... lemons?! Yeah, I don't know who decided that frying a lemon was a good idea, but they've done it at Palena!
The burger is probably the juiciest I've ever had, with the truly high-quality tasting meat. There's not much on it, but trust me, you don't need to add a thing.
Is $11 pricey for a burger? Heck yes.
Is this burger at least 2x as good as Five Guys? You bet.
People thought this was:
As far as the dishes I tried this evening are concerned, a perfect ten.
Palena Fry Plate, Gnocchi with salsify and shimeji, and Bordetto.
Every dish was served nice and hot. On top of that, they carry the wine I love - The Ridge Zinfandel. It was a 45 minute wait but we were waiting at the bar studying the menu so it went by quickly. I really liked the service too. The bartender, waiter and other staff were all kind and efficient. Also, the restroom was so clean that I felt like I was in a very fine hotel's restroom. Thank you Palena, I will come back in April to try more of your wonderful dishes!
reading the other reviews I think I'm going to stick to what i know and mention that I only ate at the bar! The bar menu which allowed us to pick and choose a la carte was awesome. The Palena Fries are great, especially the fried lemons. I love foie gras, so l had to have the autumn terrine which was as delicious as foie gras can get. The service wasn't memorable, but not bad. After three courses and two glasses of wine and a martini for both of us, let's just say my wallet was a little light.
Overall, it was great, but not as good as everyone says it can be...keeping in mind, I only experienced the cafe :)
People thought this was:
We have been here several times, both in the bar and the more formal restaurant, and we can definitely say it is one of the few pricier eateries that is actually with the money
Although some say service can be spotty, we have only had 1 bad experience in the bar, and never in the more expensive back room. I would recommend, however, that if you plan on going the bar route, get Ever right when they open... Trust me, the $10 burger is TOTALLY worth it.
As far as the back goes, the food has never been anything less than exceptional, the service flawless, and you can carry on a conversation without having to resort to sign language or bull horns.
P.S. If the deconstructed "BLT" or the goat cheese cheesecake are on the menu, DO NOT pass them up, or you'll be her very,very sorry indeed.
People thought this was:
It was good, but not quite worthy of 4 stars. We heard the burgers here were great. Well, my burger came, and the bun was burnt. Like 1/4 of it! To top that off, the patty was kind of on the rare side, when I asked for a medium. It also didn't have much of a flavor besides the mayo or whatever they put on it. Ick.
I enjoyed the fry plate immensely but you've got to be pretty bad to mess up fried food. The fried lemon slices were interesting, and the onion rings were awesome. I don't understand the zippy mayonnaise though - there's a portion of hot sauce on it so really the mayonnaise is only partially zippy.
My husband got the two course + dessert. We had some sort of tortellini soup thing, which had very little tortellini and wasn't very hot. The slices of fois gras were quite good and we enjoyed the soup, but overall, it was kind of disappointing. He ordered the Muscovy Duck for his entree, and although it tasted fine, it was a letdown after having tasted the awesomeness that is the Muscovy Duck at Eleven Madison Park.
The goat cheese cheesecake was, sadly, crustless but was pretty interesting, since it doesn't taste like goat cheese right away, it's more of an aftertaste.
I don't think our waiter liked us. The service was also quite slow between courses. We sat in one of the in-between booths and would occasionally feel a cold draft. It was quite annoying. And their bread comes with cold, hard butter. Unappetizing.
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I would give 5, but I have never been to the actual restaurant, just the Cafe. Also the Cafe has no reservations, and if you go on a Friday night you'll likely stand for over an hour waiting for a place to sit-- even at the bar. But the burger is worth the wait...
Now my main review here is about the burger. I have been to Palena more times than I can remember and I keep coming back to the burger.
Now my husband and I have made it our personal mission to find the best burger in DC. Central comes close to this one, but Palena wins out on flavor and juiciness. Plus the Palena bun is WAY better. Brioche bun, baked to perfection with a little hint of butter-- absolutely mouth watering. I like that you can get bacon at central, but who needs bacon on a burger if its as good as the burger at Palena?
Add the fries with 'zippy mayonnaise'. The order is large enough to share for 2 people. The cool thing about the fries are they have odd things fried, like lemons and hush puppies! These are interesting, and even if they don't suit your taste buds I would say you ought to try them once!
Great cocktails, though a bit pricey. The Kir (pomegranate juice and champagne) is delicious. I also like the martini they have with pickles and olives, its interesting to try, although I don't think I could have more than one due to complexity of flavor.
The roasted chicken is awesome, but takes 45 minutes to order. Also the burger blows the chicken out of the water in my opinion.
Desserts, never had a bad one there, I specifically remember the caramel and cookie plate. If you like caramel, you will enjoy the salty sweet delicacy that comes with that dessert plate.
Service is good, there is an awesome bartender who is usually there, young guy, used to be in law school, I assume he still is. Good to chat with, also very attentive. The lady who I think is the manager, curly hair always pulled back way to tight, on top of her head in a long ponytail, is always cheerful. (I just wish she would get a more classy hairstyle, it really creeps me out).
If you haven't been, go get the burger, you won't be upset, even though you may wait a little.
People thought this was:
I had the most romantic dinner of my life here. Of course it helped that I was with the man of my dreams, it was my birthday, and he had researched and surprised me with this restaurant from all the way out in LA where he lives.
Still, Palena is a special place. And by special, I mean EXPENSIVE, but also serving delicious food that is as lovingly presented as it is prepared, and a quiet, intimate atmosphere that is Palena's main dining room. The night we went our waiter was perfect -- never hovering but always there the minute I needed something--like he could read my mind. We tried the cold green pea soup which came in a shallow bowl with so many different ingredients placed artistically here and there--it was like a little green carnival in a bowl. My boyfriend said he couldn't taste much pea, but I DEFINITELY tasted pea. A friend of a friend knows the chef--and I want to get that pea soup recipe, in case I ever have an entire weekend to devote to just making one soup. Who am I kidding? But it's a nice dream.
The dining room decor is simple, on the conservative side, with pleasant low lighting and just a very peaceful ambiance.
For dessert, they served me a teeny tiny cupcake with a single candle (next to the dessert I'd ordered off the menu--an incredible chocolate mint sorbet dish). But don't expect to try anything I've mentioned here--the menu changes regularly.
Palena can probably rest on its laurels, but the dining room could use just a little sprucing up. There was candle wax on my seat when I went to sit down, and...let's just say the ladies' room was not very ladylike. There seems to be a subtle message that is "Hey, we KNOW we're great--we don't have to worry about things like that". The thing is, you do, and I hope Palena will.
But that's a minor issue compared to the overall wonderful experience. When you want a lovely evening with someone special who you could see yourself spending the rest of your life with (or anyone else you want to impress or be impressed by)--I think this place is worth the splurge.
People thought this was:
Excellent. Went here for date night and was very impressed. The service was the perfect mix of warm/friendly and professional/efficient. Our waitress gave some great suggestions as to how to best sample from the cafe menu (we split the cesear salad, a butternut squash ravioli, and the roast chicken), all of which were perfectly cooked, creatively flavored, and absolutely delicious. The desert was also top notch, we had a lemon sorbet with cranberry compote, light and sweet.
The prices are fantastic. Really a bargain, especially considering the romantic atmosphere and food quality. I will absolutely be back!
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I dined here in a group of three, lured by the prospect of "the best roast chicken in DC." I've never met a chicken I didn't want to eat, so I was intrigued.
We arrived on the early side -- around 6:30 on a Saturday night. We thought we'd be able to snag a table at the cafe (not the dining room) before the dinner rush. We were mistaken. The place was completely filled when we arrived, and it appeared as though everyone had just been seated. The hostess said we'd wait for about 45 minutes, but we ended up waiting for around an hour and a half before getting a table.
There's not much room in the cafe, so we huddled by the bar and had a drink or two to pass the time. There were no seats available at the bar, so we stood as close to it as possible, being careful to get out of the way whenever a server went by carrying plates of "the best roast chicken in DC." At some point, a nice looking older man, who was taking an excruciatingly long time to finish his meal at a nearby table, made eye contact with one of the women in my party. Now, this woman is pretty, I won't lie, and we assumed this gent would compliment her on her dress or on how her sparkling personality was evident even from afar. But no, this patron took it upon himself to tell us he thought we were in the way of the servers and suggested we move. Move where? How about his table? That would have been nice, oh, say, a half hour ago. Jerk.
We were becoming annoyed. Just then, the bartender presented us with three complimentary glasses of champagne, which took the edge off. Well played, Palena!
We finally sat down and had a very nice server. She was friendly and efficient. We knew exactly what we wanted: "the best roast chicken in DC" and some french fries. As the other Yelpers have noted, the chicken takes 45 minutes to prepare. We had asked if we could put our order in while we were waiting, but we were told that was simply impossible.
While we waited for our food, we enjoyed the spectacle of a man who'd been waiting for a table longer than he thought proper berating the hostess while his wife apologized for him.
At long last, the "best roast chicken in DC" arrived. It was the best roast chicken in DC. The skin: perfect. The chicken: juicy and delicious. I don't know what they do to those chickens for 45 minutes, but whatever it is, it gets the job done.
So, long story short, if you go to the cafe, be prepared for a long wait, both for a table and for your food. Given the wait time, people tend to get cranky as they get hungry, and watching people devour the best chicken in DC while you're waiting doesn't help any. But the food is worth it.
People thought this was:
Started off at the bar with a champaign waiting for friends to arrive. THe bartender was attentive, friendly, and professional. After my friends arrived, the hostess escorted us to the main dining room. All four of us did the three course + dessert... we ended up trying everything on the menu (there were 16 dishes). My favourite item from the menu was the oxtail soup with tomato and corn. It was absolutely delicious--very flavourful, well balanced. The ink pinci, beet ravioli with salmon(???? they didnt really go together, though the beet ravioli was delicious--I prefer Obelisk's beet ravioli), and the charcuterie were my least favourite.
Overall, dinner was good just a bit disappointed... The dishes lacked consistency... some were excellent, some were eh~~ The desserts were not good at all...hence the four stars. Next time, I'll have to try the Cafe menu.
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Blasphemy, I know, but Palena's burger isn't quite so terrific as the hype would suggest.
That said, it's a terrific spot. The burger is indeed good; the wine list and much of the menu is great (as are the prices -- you're getting out of there, with wine and tip, for well under $100). And the pub area really is a pleasant spot for dinner, especially in the warm weather months.
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I have only ever eaten in the cafe, but if my life goes according to plan, I should someday have a job that will allow me to eat in the actual dining room.
The roasted chicken, which takes 45 minutes to make, is the single most divine food to ever pass through my lips. The outside is remarkably crispy, the meat tender, juicy, and flavorful. You can hear the crackle of the chicken as you stick your fork in, and then the juices run out. I cannot adequately describe the chicken. Forget the hamburger, or let the person you are eating with order it. Get the chicken.
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While it's true that nothing is perfect Palena comes pretty close. This doesn't happen by luck or accident, I'm sure. A lot of hard work goes into being consistently good, especially when you're aiming this high.
I've eaten here about 30 times which is certainly enough to know that it's not perfect every night. Even so, I've only seen near misses; nothing has gone totally off target. Sure, I've been frustrated waiting 45 minutes or more for a seat on a Friday night. But that's not unreasonable for a small popular restaurant. Every time I've eaten in the main restaurant (where reservations are accepted) I was seated without delay.
The food is artful, creative and delicious. The artful bit may cause problems. Artists sometimes create something different than what was imagined by the patron. The same is true at Palena. For me, these have always been pleasant surprises but I can see that might not always be the case with everyone. It's important to ask questions about preparation and any ingredients you're unfamiliar with to really enjoy the Palena experience. I've always felt the servers appreciated any questions I asked and that they provided useful advice.
Yes, the chicken and burger are as good as people say but if everyone in your party order these then try something else. There's so much more to experience on both menus.
People thought this was:
Now this 5-star rating is based strictly on the bar menu. I have never sat in their dining room and ordered a meal. Their bar menu, however, is fantastic. They have multiple options for $10 including a fancy hot dog with fancy mustard on a fancy bun, or a fancy hamburger with fancy ketchup on a fancy bun, etc. But what gives this place the 5-star rating is the roasted chicken. They'll tell you that it takes 45 minutes to make this chicken, but it is well worth it. And for $15 is a huge bargain. Just order a glass or 2 of whiskey while you wait and the 45 minutes will breeze by in no time. It truly is the best chicken I've ever tasted. Meat so juicy, skin so crispy, all so delicious in my mouth.
It's a shame it's located next to a gas station.
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Wow. I've been to the cafe and the restaurant, and everything was absolutely great. To echo others, the burger is to die for and the chicken...amaaazing. The less famous menu items change pretty often, but everything I've tried has been fantastic.
Despite how fantastic the food is, on my most recent visit I was most impressed by the service. Last time I was there, I was with a VERY tough crowd (I'll leave out any identifying details). The waiter handled my difficult companions and their borderline irrational pickiness with poise and grace. As a former server, I don't know how our Palena Cafe server handled it so well.
My compliments to the chef...and everyone else at Palena!
People thought this was:
4.5 stars
LOVE Palena -- it does seem silly to go to the dining room when you can eat like that at the bar -- might be the best bar food ever -- but the dining room is a treat. On my short list with places like babbo.
It may sound silly, but the hamburger and fries is one of my all time favorites -- the risotto always hits the mark -- pasta and fish here always are amazing.....
The roast chicken is the best I have ever had and worth the wait.
Went last week and had cod with figs and beets.......OMG good.
Palena is not perfect -- but it is extremely good -- and unique. There often are not enough wait staff in the bistro to provide attentive service. Some of the desserts don't impress me that much. But when something is good here it is very memorable. Fish, risotto and pastas (gnocchi) usually are the strongest items on the menu -- at least in my experience.
Best bar menu in DC.
Finalist, best burger in DC.
People thought this was:
Oh DC snobbery, you never cease to sneak into my life. Palena is located in Cleveland Park, the last stop on the red line i recommend getting off the train..any further past Cleveland Park and you'll have to set aside time to recover from the traumatic expereince of suburbia run a muck.
SO, I'd been hearing about Palena in different circles, but when i recognized its presence in the "Top Ten burgers in DC" list i was motivated to give it a try. I have to say the burger ($10) and plate of fries combination, was a well thought out, beautiful execution of this american food staple. I mean REALLY good. The plate of fries contained various versions of the fried potato including curly, tater tot-esque, and the classic cut...be on the lookout for the fried lemon peices....i got a surprise biting into that one. The burger is cooked to your preference on an amazing roll, some specially sesaoned mayo, and cheddar cheese.
Why I won't return:
Snobbery factor. Plain and simple. When we requested some ketchup to accompany our FRIES, our server gave us a small speech on how they prefer people do not use ketchup on the burgers because it would ruin the chef's work. Which.. as interesting as that is..is not why we wanted the ketchup in the first place.. Also we refused any drinks from the full bar that were not present on the list of martinis on their drinks menu. You dine their way..or no way...because they know better than you..clearly. Also...the decoration/theme is so incredibly uninspiring for a place that takes itself so seriously. 1980s color scheme, meets martha stewarts country stencils?!? Someone help them.
4 stars because the food was delicious..and its worth trying once. I doubt you'll be back though.
People thought this was:
Despite the extremely long wait (the hostess said it would be 40 minutes but in actuality it was an hour and a half), the food was of excellent quality.
I was so hungry I decided to order both the roasted chicken and the tagliatelle (both off of the cafe menu). My partner also ordered the roast chicken and we split the fry plate as well.
1. Fry plate: The fry plate consists of fresh cut fries, onion rings, fried lemons (wasn't a fan but my dining partner loved), and fried whipped potato nuggets. The appetizer was delicious, if extremely unhealthy. It also came with a spicy mayonnaise sauce, which was a great condiment. Very pleased with this choice.
2. Tagliatelle: Multi-colored tagliatelle with ramps and morels. Excellent wine sauce. The portion size was a bit small for the price, but since I only ordered it as an appetizer it was fine. I recommend this dish wholeheartedly.
3. Roast Chicken: The best roast chicken I've ever had. 'nough said.
Overall, the experience, other than the horrendously long wait (I recommend coming early or late on a weekend, but not at 7:30), was superb. Palena is an excellent Cleveland Park restaurant.
J and I go here as often as we can. I'll keep it simple.
Food: AMAZING. I have never had one thing here that wasn't absolutely delicious. Perfect every time. J never has one negative thing to say -- a big deal for a picky chef!
Service: Inconsistent, ranging from poor to mediocre to very good. In any case, we wait for our favorite server as often as possible, and the food always makes up for any slip-ups.
Other: The front windows are drafty, but J and I like to sit in the cafe part so we can mix-and-match with the two menus. Great wine selection, although the last time they were out of both half-bottles we wanted. The manager made up for that by doing course-specific wine pairings, just for us!
Love love love Palena!
People thought this was:
I had dinner in the tasting room at the back of the restaurant and over all I had a good time.
The ambiance was a little formal for my taste but still comfortable. In order to get to the tasting room you first have to walk through the more casual and lively cafe which is located in the front of the restaurant. I think this makes the tasting room seem a little more stuffy than it actually is.
Our server was terrific. He was friendly and attentive, and service was seamless for the most part. My friend ordered a Manhattan and didn't really like it but didn't complain and just sipped on it all night. She still had only drank half of it by the time we got to the dessert course. Before the desserts were brought out our server poured both my friend and I a complementary glass of sparkling wine and apologized that she didn't like the Manhattan. He then proceeded to take the drink off the bill for us. If the service was lacking at this restaurant I would have given it 3 stars instead of 4 because overall the food was good but not outstanding.
We decided to try the 4 course tasting for $67. My first course was a red snapper seviche with yogurt, lime, pishtacios and dried fruit. The snapper was very fresh and the flavors were good but overall the dish lacked pizazz. It was just a little too subtle, especially for a "seviche." The second course was house cured bacon with egg ravioli. I have to say that this dish is one of my favorite dishes of all time. If every course had been as good as the bacon and eggs than I would say that Palena is one of the best restaurants in DC. The thick slab of cured pork belly was seasoned just right, not too salty and a lot of porky flavor. The egg yolk filled ravioli were rich and perfectly cooked. And to bring the whole thing together there were tiny cipollini onions, sauteed spinach, and raisins (I think) in a wonderful sauce (not sure what kind). I could eat this dish for breakfast and dinner every day. Anyway, The final savory course was a little bit of a let down after such a great 2nd course. I had the mixed grill which consisted of poussin (chicken), foie gras over cous cous, and steak medallion. The chicken was very tender buy also very salty. It tasted like it had been brinned a little too long. Both the steak and foie gras were good but nothing special. There was a buttery sauce that went with all of the meats was kind of heavy considering the meats themselves were already quite heavy. Dessert was my second favorite course. It was a sheep's milk ricotta cheese cake with toasted coconut shaving and fruits stewed in red wine. It was creamy but not to heavy, and I liked the textual contrasts between the cake, coconut and fruit.
Like I said before, over all I had a great dinner but I think next time I'm going to try out the cafe.
Attention carnivores:
I HAVE FOUND THE BEST DAMN BURGERS IN THE CITY!!
There is something to be said about down and dirty greasy burgers at a low key burger joint. The burgers at Palena are on the upper mezzanine of burger tastydom. They are the snobs of the burger world. Palena offers a gourmet and somewhat pricey prix fixe menu, I have never tried it. I have only partaken of their glorious bar food line up. While some might scoff at dropping $10 for a burger, and another $7 for the fries, I highly suggest treating yourself at least once to the glory that is high-end bar food.
The burger is heaven on an artisian roll with a dijon mayo slather. The fries are also not your average offering, with a single order being good for two. They come stacked with shoe string fries, onion rings, deep fried mashed potato balls, and get this.... deep fried battered lemon slices that are yummaliscious. The service here is very prompt and very attentive, yet stopping just short of stodginess. Follow up your meal with one of their very imaginative dessert options like the ginger ice cream over sliced mangos topped with an almond sugar crisp or the napolean that consists of a stack layered with puff pastry, vanilla custard and topped with creme fraise and blackberry compote and fresh berries.
This would be a great restaurant to bring a date when all you really want is go get a tasty burger, but don't want to look like cheap jerk for doing so.
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The only thing keeping me from giving this place a 5 is the fact that although I have been pleased with every aspect of this restaurant, it has not taken my breath away.
I went here for the second time tonight and everything was solid. The vegetables were fresh and the pasta well executed. The cheese plate was interesting and the soup was great. The two standouts the two times I visited were the bread and the dessert. Obviously Ms. Amernick is a veritable star and it shows. The bread is as good as any I have had in the states and her desserts are seasonal, relevant, and competent. The show creativity without being science experiments and show an understanding of flavor and texture that I have only seen matched by Kevin Miller at Ixia in Baltimore. Palena is one of the top restaurants I have dined at in DC.
Update:
So I have been here twice since....and I have to say Palena is NOT the victim of diminishing returns! Every time I go here I like it more and more. Apparently Ms. Amernick is gone, but the bread and desserts continue to impress. 3 of us ordered 4 desserts and wiped the plates clean....oh please do yourself a favor and go and order the poached pear with almond custard and macaroon or the prune napoleon. The macaroon kind of makes me swoon in my chair...a lot. This past Tuesday I opted for the cauliflower pot au feu which was so spicy and delicious. My dining companions were all interested in testing the veracity of the claim that Palena has the best burger in DC. They were hard pressed to come up with one they liked better ANYWHERE. I stand by my 4 stars for the same reasons as above but this has quickly cemented itself as my favorite restaurant in DC.
People thought this was:
Enjoyed my evening here at Palena. Didn't do the tasting menu, which might have earned the place that fifth star, but our meal out in the cafe was quite nice.
First, I loved the bread they brought out. So many places serve up crappy bread, but this was very nice and fresh with an extra crispy crust, like it had been baked in a brick oven on the premises. In fact, I bet it had been.
We ordered a plate of the Palena fries -- some of it was way salty, but a lot of it was fine. Uneven salt application I assume :-) I was fascinated by the fried lemon slices.
We also had the cucumber and almond soup (rich and creamy, almost like dessert with the gooseberries on top) and a crab bisque that was also creamy but more savory. Cleaning out the bowls was the perfect job for that great bread.
I couldn't resist the Palena cheeseburger. It really was all that. Very tasty beef patty, nice and thick and juicy. The cheese looked like Provolone, but I can't be certain. The burger doesn't come with anything on it other than the meat and cheese. The homemade sesame bun is to die for. It is served with a side of varied pickles -- pickled string beans, and pickled cucumber were all I could identify. They were acidic and crispy -- great for clearing the palate between meaty bites.
One of my friends ordered a la carte off of the tasting menu -- she got the blini, which seemed to have lots of vegetables. I had a taste -- lots of corn flavor, and it was fluffy.
Also ordered were the cobia, and the pappardelle pasta. I didn't taste those, but all plates were empty at the end.
One thing I will say is that the wine list seemed pretty expensive. No bottles under $36 that I could find, and glasses started at $8, and there were only a few at that price. I know retail wine is overpriced everywhere, but *ouch* -- my glass of wine cost as much as my entree.
In the end -- will I go back? Sure thing. I'd love to go and do the tasting menu, so I can get the full experience of what this place has to offer.
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Someone forgot to tell me.....
That this is a nice restaurant. I've lived in CP for years and always walked right by Palenas, saying I'd stop in some day, but never did till last winter. There was 4-5 inches of snow on the ground, and I was going to Mt Pleasant to check out a Craigslist motorcycle(not to test drive in the snow) and dressed accordingly. My girlfriend came with me, dressed slightly better than me, but still pretty casual.
On the way back, we decided to give Palenas a try. The hostess was nice enough, but informed us the Bistro was full and there was a 45 minute wait for a table on Thursday night at 8:00. She mentioned there were seats in back, but it was a fixed price meal. I checked out the menu, was hungry, so we decided to eat in back.
My hiking boots, jeans, old navy fleece and winter parka were a little below the dress standards of other patrons, but the staff was polite enough, as they took my "coat" to hang it up for me. I sat with my back to the room, but I was told later by my girlfriend that she was uncomfortable because she had to make eye contact with the other patrons who were mostly in coat and tie, and they were looking at us.
The food was very good and the chef was flexible. I changed the menu around since they did not offer exactly what I wanted, and the chef agreed with no issues, which is refreshing, since some who go through the trouble of setting up a prix fixe menu want you to eat their recommended meal.
Was expensive, but good, and the waiter was as good as you would expect for the price range. I'll go back and try the bistro some day. I did not buy the motorcycle, so can make that a traditional test drive meal.
People thought this was:
4.5 stars
We went here on a Saturday night -- tried to get there by 7 to minimize the wait I had heard about. They told us it would be about an hour, took my cell phone number, and we went down the block for drinks. About 40 minutes later, we got the call and were seated. Our table was in a hallway. Now, this may sound miserable but it was actually awesome. There are a few 2 seater booths in the hall that were both extremely cozy and comfortable. Much better than your typical fancy restaurant smashed in, no privacy 2-tops.
I'm not sure if it was because we were literally in the hallway between the main dining room and the cafe, or if this option was open to all, but we received both the cafe and the price fixe dinner menu, and were able to chose things ala carte off the fixe menu. This came in very handy when we wanted an appetizer to snack on while we waited for our famous roast chicken.
So, we got the "Seviche" (sic) and a probably meant for dessert cheese plate. They split the seviche between two plates and it was delicious - very unique. Not your typical Peruvian lime-cured dish, but fresh thinly-sliced diver scallops and oysters with some sort of aioli. Very good. The cheese plate was also delicious. We also ordered martinis, which were very good. We ordered martinis because we couldn't afford the wine. This explains my docking half a star -- there was one bottle of wine on the menu under $40, and most were far beyond that. For a restaurant that has a reasonably priced cafe menu, I wish they had a wine list to go with it.
Then came the chicken. It really was incredible. Served piping hot and juicy, served with a beet salad and horseradish potatoes. It was a lot of food (1/2 a chicken each).
Service was friendly and knowledgeable. At the end, our bill was $82: not bad for 2 entrees, 2 appetizers, and 2 cocktails. I will definitely be going back to try the hamburger.
People thought this was:
I really want to like this place, but after Thursday night's experience, I don't know if I will return. I'll start with the good. My swordfish was particularly juicy and fresh. My mother in law enjoyed her pasta dish. The fry plate was crisp and I liked the extra touch of fried lemon slices. The only disappointing item was the burger. The meat was obviously top notch, however the bun was oversized and too dry. The condiment and cheese also didn't add any moisture to the burger. This burger can't even crack the top five, let alone DC's best. I heard amazing things about Palena burgers, but I have to say Ray's beats Palena by a large margin.
The service on the other hand was terrible. When we arrived around 6:50 PM, there were two empty tables of two, but they weren't adjacent to each other, so they couldn't put the tables together. I was told it was going to be a 40 min wait and they'll probably give us one of the booth since the people sitting there have already received their food. There were no place to stand near the front door, so they had us waiting toward the back, right by the server station. It was just tacky. Yes, I do think its tacky to have a full view of the backstage, like watching the servers prepare cheese plate, take a drink (apparently all staff are required to drink bottled mineral water) , and mop the floor in a restaurant of this caliber. We waited, waited, and waited. Meanwhile we got at least 3 "your table will be ready soon" from various hostesses. Fast forward, we waited for a total of 90 minutes and didn't end up getting a booth. They scooted two tables together and sat us. All the parties from the booth lounged for over an hour after they finished eating (I never lounge and I can really appreciate Ray's put their no lounging rule right by the front door ). It was really a misjudgement on the hostess part. We could have gotten seated immediately if the front desk had some ingenuity or could have gotten seated 40 min sooner if they came up with a backup plan in a timely fashion. We didn't get anything complimentary or an apology from the management.
The server was also unpleasant and oblivious. She spoke with a heavy accent which made it very hard for us to understand. She couldn't make any cocktail recommendations when I told her that I don't want anything too sweet or bitter. When I inquire about getting something not on the cocktail menu, she said "no, we don't make anything else". The worse was when she try to sell us salads after we already ordered. She slipped "would you like to start with some salads?" after we already placed our order. The salad she was refering to was not a starter at all. It was an $11 cafe salad that comes on a large plate, so we declined except for my mother in law who probably thought it was a small salad that couldn't have cost more than $5 or $6. She only finished half of it. The lack of clarity and the effort to up-sell was just tacky.
I am not a picky girl. I enjoyed fancy places like Zaytinya and Brasserie Beck, but I also love hole in the wall places like Hong Kong Palace and Ravi Kabob. I am happy as long as the food is delicious and the service is prompt and efficient. What I can not stand is when any place pretends to be fancy (multiple sets of silverwares, pretty decorations and lighting, geometric plates, or dressed up hostesses) yet treats their customers badly. The food ranged from good to not so good, not enough to make up for the long wait and putting up with the newbie staff members.
updated: Apparently I got some strong reactions from people by posting a negative review of this DC "legend". I was told that the GM was right at the front desk the night I went and was no more than 10 ft from me during my meal. She was either as oblivious as the rest of the front desk staff or just didn't give a crap.
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