remleduff "I'd be a foodie if I didn't like everything I ate"

Not your typical American Indian restaurant, don’t go expecting na’an and tandoori chicken. First, Nirvana is entirely vegetarian and second the menu focuses on areas of India much less familiar. The lunch buffet is excellent and every day focuses on a different region, with platefuls of amazing vegetables that I may never know the names of.

A great mix of Italian and French cuisine, Palena is my current favorite restaurant in DC. The back room is booked two weeks in advance but seating is available in the cafe area where you can order either from the cafe menu or any course from the Prix Fixe menu. The roast chicken is amazing, it takes 45 minutes to prepare and is the moistest, most delicious chicken I’ve ever had. Also check out the great “fries” which are a variety of unconventional fry-like foods including fried lemon!

There’s seriously nothing like a roast beef sandwich piled higher than my head. Sometimes you just want meat piled on a bun.

Today I drove half an hour to the only Arby’s remotely nearby because of my ridiculous craving for a Reuben. I think that might have been my first Whitecastle moment.

What a pleasure!

The creative menu almost defies classification, “American” is about as close as you can get.

The appetizer menu really shines, the tuna tartare mini-burgers almost melted in my mouth, for a odd-ball but enjoyable change of pace the watermelon soup really caught my attention.

The menu skewed a little towards sea-food, but fortunately it was all excellent. My King Salmon was perfectly prepared and went excellently with the balled melons. I also tried and was very pleased with the White Trout and Scallops. The veal was not for me (though the accompanying sweetbread was excellent).

Service was excellent, even though we showed up during quite a hectic Restaurant Week rush. Alcohol prices were perhaps slightly undeservedly at the high end for DC though.

Overall highly recommended.