At Palena, White House-quality white-tablecloth dining — chef/owner Frank Ruta cooked in the White House kitchen in the 1980s — and some of the best contemporary food in the city co-exist seamlessly. Rarely will you find a five-course prix fixe meal of cutting-edge cuisine and one of the best burgers in town under the same roof, as is the case at this Cleveland Park hotspot, consisting of a casual Café up front and a more formal dining room in the back. For those without reservations or just in search of a quick bite, the cafe serves an excellent gourmet burger as well as a much-praised roasted half chicken. (Allow the kitchen 45 minutes for this one.) The main dining room offers a changing menu of contemporary American cuisine displaying French and Italian influence. Three-, four- or five-course tasting menus may include pheasant consommé, chestnut soup with braised octopus and celery, or sturgeon wrapped in house-made pancetta. You’ll want to save a few square inches of stomach space for masterful desserts such as banana chocolate cream pie and poppy seed orange gelato.
Full bar. Reservations suggested for the dining room, not accepted for the café. Restaurant hours: Serving dinner Tue–Sat. Closed Sun–Mon; Cafe hours: Serving lunch Tue–Sat, dinner Mon–Sat. Sun brunch 10:30 am–2:30 pm.
"The formerly spotlight-averse Ruta, 53, responded to his restaurant's 10th anniversary by expanding his brand. By taking over the former Magruder's market space next door, Ruta was able to install a wood-fired oven, move his cooks from cramped basement quarters to two adjoining kitchens upstairs and triple the number of seats for patrons of the Cafe. His cozy Dining Room, meanwhile, got a little more refined."
— Tom Sietsema, The Washington Post, Feb. 13, 2011 (three and a half stars)