PRICE:
Frommer's Exceptional

One Metro stop past the Woodley Park-Zoo station takes you to the residential neighborhood of Cleveland Park, which is exploding with good restaurants. Palena is one that's worth the trip. Palena is the creation of two former White House chefs, Executive Chef Frank Ruta and Pastry Chef Ann Amernick, who worked together at the White House in the 1980s. Ruta turns out French- and Italian-inspired dishes, such as Portuguese sardines in puff pastry, cod roasted in lavender-infused olive oil, and Dover sole filet stuffed with porcini and pan-roasted with artichokes and endive. Amernick's contributions range from complimentary caramels at dinner's conclusion, to the fresh sorbets, cheesecake, bread pudding, and other offerings on the dessert menu. This is an elegant restaurant with an old-world feel. Because of its immediate and sustained success, it's sometimes hard to get a reservation, but worth trying for. Or you can dine in the cafe/bar. Palena's Café, which is the name for the front of the house, is open Tuesday through Saturday and sometimes on Monday nights, serving the bar/cafe menu (diners can also choose from the main menu). Reservations are not accepted, and the place is standing room only.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Washington, D.C. 2009, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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