Skip to main content

Palette 22

I had gone to this place for brunch years ago when it first opened.  I didn't care for it.  But I thought I would give it another try.  And so he we were at an early dinner on a Friday night.  There are limited options for veggies.  Although they bill themselves as "New American" most of the options are Tapas or Tex-Mex.  There are five veggie small plates and a couple of salads.  I opted for three of the small plates.  The first was the Patatas Bravas.  I've had better.  A large plate of overcooked, dried potato squares shows up with a paltry amount of aioli and ... oddly ... corn nuts???  Next up was Korean Cheese Corn.  Mostly melted cheese with chunks of corn.  But nothing to eat it with.  No crackers, bread or even crudites.  Just a pot of melted cheese.  I picked at it with my fork but was a bit perplexed.  Not sure what I was supposed to do with it.  Finally, the Hummus.  Which was incredibly salty.  Insanely so.  The cheese had also been salty.  So, here we are, two overly salted dishes and one bland one.  The service wasn't great either.  The waitress was plenty nice but the servers kept kind of "throwing" the dishes at our table and rushing away.  We didn't know what was what and had to keep asking someone over to clarify what was on the table.  The "fresco" drink I had (their version of Mocktails) was excellent.  I had a ginger brew/lemon/basil drink.  It was $5, which is a bargain in the DC area.  I didn't see, or taste, basil but the drink was refreshing and fun nonetheless.  And that's the bottom line.  This isn't a place you go to for the food.  It's a restaurant which survives on its bar business.  Go for the drinks.  If you are a foodie, go somewhere else.

Palette 22 -- a "New American" restaurant and bar with an extensive small plates menu.  
4053 Campbell Ave, Arlington
https://www.palette22.com/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Afghan Bistro

With family members moving to Springfield, it has been a struggle to find good places to eat so far afield.  After flirting with some chain restaurants near the mall, we tried a Pakistani restaurant (there are many, many Pakistani restaurants there), but it fell flat.  Finally, someone suggested this amazing place.  It's a little hole-in-the-wall in a strip mall.  With oilcloth table coverings, the vibe seems questionable.  For about a minute.  Then you are warmly greeted and given menus with a plethora of choices.  My party ordered a great number of items and every dish rose above expectations.  The staff are eager to please and checked in to make sure everything was okay, from food to drink needs.  When a member of my party dropped a piece of silverware on the floor one of the waiters swooped in with a replacement before we could even ask.   But onto the food.  We ordered the Potato and Leek turnovers, the Aushak (leek and sc...
Post a Comment
Read more

Junction Bakery & Bistro

Everything here was good.  My party got a Tofu Stir Fry, Roasted Chicken Breast Sandwich, Crispy Flounder Sando, Sweet Potato Fries and a Chocolate Cream-Filled Croissant.  The food took a while but arrived literally hot off the grill.  The two sandwiches came with a plethora of side salad and a great homemade dressing.  Portions were large and all of us took home enough for a second meal.  The bill, with tax and tip, came to just under $75.  As mentioned, it was good.  Very good -- but not great.  Everything came close to being great it just didn't cross the line.  The cross-cut sweet potato fries were extremely munchable but the "Harissa Sour Cream" had a lot of sour cream and very very little harissa.  The Tofu Stir fry had a nice mix for a cold day but needed a little more oomph (I borrowed salad dressing from my companions).  Everything, including the Tofu and Flounder, were breaded and fried but didn't seem greasy until later....
Post a Comment
Read more

The Bombay Club

An appointment downtown allowed me to do lunch at this ritzy upscale restaurant only a block or two from the White House.  Under the Knightsbridge Restaurant Group umbrella (Rasika, Olivia, Modena, Bindaas, Oval Room, Sababa & Annabelle) this one didn't fail to disappoint.  Food was outstanding as was service.  Prices for lunch were somewhat reasonable -- I got out for under $34 with tax and tip, although I do have some problems with their pricing scheme which I will address later.  It is a quintessential DC style establishment.  There was Mozart playing as I arrived, and an interior which screams elegance from any time period from the 1950s to now.  The seating might be the most comfortable I've ever had in a restaurant.  Yes, there is a dress code, and tables are arranged (with white tablecloths, of course) in such a way to provide a sense of privacy, if not actual privacy.  During my meal a diplomatic meeting was clearly taking place...
Post a Comment
Read more