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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/

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