Palette Restaurant & Bar
Madison Hotel
1177 15th St. NW (M St.) 
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Washington, DC 20005
202-587-2700 | Make Restaurant Reservations
Cuisine
Open
Lunch Mon.-Fri., Dinner Mon.-Sat.Features
- Romantic setting
- Full bar
- Reservations suggested
- Valet parking
- Casual dressy
Wine
Great Wine List* Click here for rating key
| Justifiably, this rather arty---yes, there is for-sale artwork on the walls---and terribly chic restaurant receives more than passing attention from dedicated foodies and the segment of Washington society that turns up at highbrow political functions on a regular basis. Not only is the food fashionably good, it has a broad sense of humor---as in the wisp of watermelon-flavored pink spun sugar that accompanies the dinner check. The rest of the meal is just as artfully conceived: a delicate yellow-tomato soup, which gets poured into the bowl so gently it doesn't upset the crab salad pyramid in the center, is a seasonal treat. You may also find the squash blossom appetizer stuffed with crisped lobster or the cured sugarcane duck, all unique ways to break into the main meal. Although rabbit, rockfish, Summerfield Farm lamb T-bones, and wild mushroom tortellini are entrées worth pursuing, there are also Hereford steaks: New York strip and a garlic-rubbed flatiron. You probably won't find better cuts in this entire steak-mad city---the flatiron steak is paired with a potato-onion galette, pan-roasted until it is dark and crisped. Dessert choices are weighted evenly between chocolate and fruit contrivances. We recommend the persimmon upside-down cake (before plunging into the cotton candy). For cocktails or private drinks, the bar here is the go-to setting. |
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