Charlie Palmer DC: Restaurant Week 2008

My evening at Charlie Palmer’s was everything and more than I expected, and I’ve never read a bad review. While Bryan Vottaglio’s food shines, the desserts excel and it’s the service and personal touches that star. And Charlie really wants you to get to know his family. Three gracious hosts wait at the host stand to greet us and send us to two more young women to take our coats. But just like the rest of the involved dinner service, the staff involvement is more welcoming than intrusive. A maitre’d apologizes for our [short] wait, escorts us past the rectangular pond upon which the massive wine cube sits, and switches out the white napkins on our table for black ones—the better to match our outfits. There’s the water girl. The bread guy. The woman who seems to be our waitress but maybe is just the silverware person? The waiter and the busser. There’s sommelier Nadine Brown who chats us up about the wine list and offers us special pours of a grassy, vibrant sparkling wine from New Mexico (to honor Bill Richardson who just dropped out of the presidential race) along with a full bodied, earthy, complex Syrah from Idaho. The wine list is all American and features selections from 47 states. Pacing is impeccable. Yes, there are a lot of people waiting on us. But when the busser clears the dinner plates, there’s no one following on his heels to lay dessert upon us. We’re allowed to linger for a few minutes, enjoying what we ate and anticipating for the next course. No one’s rushing us through our meal and out the door.

A spoonful of salmon tartar, full of flavor, starts things off on the right note. I start with
a marinated grilled octopus salad which includes four of the little guys. There’s no resistance or rubbery texture to the cephalopods; they're cooked perfectly. The strip loin is a restaurant week cut, so I’m not expecting the kitchen’s best. Ordered medium rare, it arrives looking like a seared tuna…the outside is the only part that looks cooked. Just as well for me—I’m okay with rare— though my knife has a little trouble coming through. Either the meat could have been more tender or the knife sharper. The mashed potatoes are smooth, though most noteworthy because they’re purple. On the side, shredded haricots verts add a great crunch and color contrast to the straw mushrooms they’re sautéed with.

Cheesecake is perhaps the silkiest I’ve ever had; the fork glides through it almost like it’s a cheese mouse. The Chocolate and Hazelnut Pave appears so small. It ends up being more than enough; it’s one of the richest and most delicious 1”x4” inch rectangles you’ll ever encounter. And you need not wait for restaurant week to have a value meal at CP. The choices offered during the week are offered year round for lunch only at $20.08 for three courses.

We were thoroughly impressed at this point. I'm not sure if we got the VIP treatment or if CP is this hospitable to all guests. But our bill arrives with a set of 4 complementary confections! A raspberry gelle candy takes the cake. The lemon merengue cookies, dense chocolate truffles, and homemade marshmellow make the plate an embarassment of riches.

The restaurant’s view of the Capitol is what clinches the place as a top flight dining experience. I knew the sommelier, but many reviews mention how eager the staff is to share their grand view with diners. Ask and ye shall be whisked to the top of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiner’s home to one of the most exquisite rooftop views of the city. Blocks from the Capitol, the view of the dome is unbeatable, a point blank birds eye view, level with the rotunda. It’s a cold January night, but one can imagine the power receptions held up here every night of the spring and summer.

Charlie Palmer Steak
101 Constitution Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20001

http://www.charliepalmer.com/steak_dc/intro.html