Dining Room shines at enhanced Palena
Enlarged Cafe loses a pinch of luster

By Tom Sietsema
February 13, 2011

"We moved from Logan Circle to Cleveland Park to be closer to Palena."

If the stranger had invoked the name of just about any other restaurant in Washington, I would have smiled and quietly dismissed the statement as hyperbole. But there he and I were, sitting just a table away from each other at the newly expanded establishment in question, our significant others in tow and some uncommonly beautiful plates of food in front of us.

Yes, I found myself saying to the stranger and his wife, I could see myself relocating for more dates with chef Frank Ruta's cooking, too.

If the names don't register, either you just landed in town or you haven't been able to indulge in the Washington food scene. For a decade now, under the conscientious watch of the former White House chef, Palena has been the go-to destination for food that marries Italy with France and relies heavily on things the master makes himself, from the vinegars for the salads to the grissini in the bread basket. Since 2003 and the addition of a cafe menu in the front of the restaurant, Palena has also won hearts and stomachs with first-rate versions of comfort food. Many have tried, but no one grills a better burger than Ruta, who prefers the role of chef's chef to "Top Chef."

The formerly spotlight-averse Ruta, 53, responded to his restaurant's 10th anniversary by expanding his brand. By taking over the former Magruder's market space next door, Ruta was able to install a wood-fired oven, move his cooks from cramped basement quarters to two adjoining kitchens upstairs and triple the number of seats for patrons of the Cafe. His cozy Dining Room, meanwhile, got a little more refined.

Remember the spots on the carpet and the service that didn't always match the sophistication of the food? They're gone. The tables in the refreshed Dining Room have also been upgraded with luxe linens and arty plates.

As for the service, it now hovers right up there with that of the esteemed Komi, which is where Ruta found maitre d' Sean Alves, the suave and entertaining overseer of Palena's fine-dining concept. His staff moves through the room with the easy grace of dancers to a backdrop of classical music. One delightful amuse bouche is followed by another. A snack of grilled artichoke decked out with prosciutto and strewn with toasted sourdough crumbs is so sumptuous, I could have made a meal of more of them.

There are two ways to explore the Dining Room. One is to opt for the four-course "Taste of the Season," in which there typically are three choices per course. The other approach, "Tonight's Proposed Meal," is six courses, with everything decided for you by the chef. Eager to sample a variety of dishes with my guests, I prefer the first path.

The rewards are rich. Ruta serves food that a lot of other chefs do, but why does his foie gras terrine taste so much finer? Maybe it's a core of veal heart. Perhaps it's the thinly sliced veal tongue that borders the plate. Then again, mustard-laced fingerling potatoes and cushions of brioche elevate the first course, too.

The chef's consomme inspires another question: Why don't more chefs offer it? His golden broth, drawn from oxtails, is decorated with thin coins of carrot and tidbits of cauliflower, but also tender twists of pasta and just-warmed-through sweetbreads. Divine.

Sauternes and butter are a liquid canvas for tiny, delicate-tasting oysters that get pricks of flavor from grapefruit and ginger. Squab is lapped with an intense, subtly sweet sauce made with the game bird's liver and some port. The entree comes with an emulsion of the same sauce that disappears into the dish but surfaces in every bite. Loup de mer is a perfect piece of fish bedded on beadlike Sardinian pasta swollen with hints of saffron, tomato and vinegar. The centerpiece needs no embellishment, but if you squeeze onto the fish the accompanying slice of lightly cured lemon bonded to a bay leaf, you add a Mediterranean breeze to the scene.

Agnes Chin, 26, is the talent behind the dazzling chocolate torte set off with tiny chocolate tiles and a glorious malted caramel parfait made with dacquoise. Working from the original downstairs kitchen, the July graduate of L'Academie de Cuisine bakes with a finesse that complements her boss's savory contributions. As always, there are sweets bringing up the rear of the fixed-price menu, including buttery caramels bound in wax paper. "For your pocket," suggests Alves, the maitre d'.

They never make it that far.

Read Tom Sietsema's accompanying review of Palena Cafe.