Way Too Beautiful: Hotel Palomar & Domaso Trattoria Moderna

After working through Saturday afternoon, a good hard run was needed to de-stress and to prepare for my reservation at Domaso Trattoria Moderna at 6:30pm. In hopes of catching the end of the "guest only" wine tasting, I made sure to arrive at Hotel Palomar around 5:40pm. The valet took my car and another stunningly/amusingly dressed doorman opened all doors for me to lead me upstairs. (I say 'stunningly/amusingly' because both African-American men have been fantastically dressed in what I consider to be 20's mobster suits. This gentleman, however, was topped with a gorgeous Fedora - it fit him and his character perfectly. He was quite charismatic, and told me the secret to getting free valet - "he only tells one lady a night" ... riiiight. I made sure to get my receipt validated after dinner.)

I thanked him for offering to bring me upstairs, but explained that I wanted to stop in Domasoteca before dinner. I made my way to the store's counter where my goals were 1) to pick up another 70% cocoa bar, because I had eaten the other one before opening the wine I intended to eat it with (ahaha, SO typical), and 2) to ask if the store, as the gourmet shop of the Italian restaurant upstairs, carried any wines like the 3 sparkling ones I had tried earlier in the week at Dino. They did not, but as a new shop looking for their customers' input, the sommelier agreed that they should start to carry some.

When I got up to the 4th floor living room, my heart kinda fluttered. The previously quiet serene place had been transformed into a chic, chill lounge. There were about 50 people in the large space ... lounging on the beautifully curves couches in front of the two-sided fireplaces, all sipping glasses of wine! How wonderful! The wine tasting was still in progress ... and by 'wine tasting', I mean that there was a man from some VA winery giving out full glasses of wine to anyone who walked up to him. While standing on the short line for a pre-dinner glass, I talked with a guy who had been downstairs in Domasoteca. He asked if I had seen the deck around back and commented how 'this' (the wine, the restaurant, the hotel, the 'space') was exactly what the area needed. He tried a red Meritage which he enjoyed, I tried a chardonnay, which I didn't. But I was too distracted to really care.

Distracted? Yeah. (No, not by the guy - he had just met up with his girlfriend.) As I sat down on one of the couches facing the entire room, I almost blushed at how 'successful' the space seemed. I was happy for the room ... or for its designer, or something. Everyone here was impacted by the space: The micro-suede chairs were turned towards the fire as if their occupants were in their own living rooms, couples leaned intimately towards each other on the couches - smiling, giggling, accepting newly-filled glasses of wine from the staff circling the tables. There were well-dressed "Upper West Side" (NYC) late-20s, kids-out-of-the-house late-40s/early-50s (reminding me of my parents), 30-somethings. Even I, sitting next to a giggling couple on one of the couches, felt like the space was my own. It is one I will always remember - and hope to visit a few more times before the hotel's prices skyrocket (they are currently hosting opening room specials for about 1/2 the price they will be.)

I started to really feel like a snob when I ask the hostess if I can be seated at the wall of windows in Domaso. (I have to be careful that my passion for tasty things doesn't turn me into some rude, spoiled brat, heh ... someone hit me, please.) All I know is that I'm awestruck walking through the bar lounge, past the bakery and open kitchen. Of all the beautiful things to tell about, the most dramatic is the curved wall of 17'-or-so-tall windows that were dark accept for the lights on the river beyond. Just outside was a patio, the size of the restaurant itself, above the river. Someone is going to have a beautiful, beautiful wedding. (And in the summer, the patio is open for dining.)


The restaurant met the living room in 'chill-ness' (quantity of 'chill'?), and surpassed it in beauty. It was especially beautiful to me, because everything was a different texture. Exotic, 'hand-cut', stone tiling on the walls, deep-grained wood tiling on the floor, suede seating, warm and dark wood furniture with subtle, metallic, embroidery. The fabrics were sheer and bronzed, separating some tables, casting a metallic sheen on the windows. The low furniture made the arched ceilings, chandeliers and windows soar. How the lighting bounced off of the fabrics and walls made the entire restaurant seem candle-lit. It was stunning.

Oh right ... the food. Well it was nice that there were a total of 19 wines by-the-glass (red, white and sparkling - ranging from only $7-13). A Valentine's Day 4-course menu was being offered (a steal at $50 for the food, $20 for the wine paring!); I opted for the standard menu after eating-out so much this week and because there was nothing particularly stunning about the 4-course listing (a soup, a filet, a raspberry gelato heart) except for the baby diver's scallop w/ a ravioli of arugula, sheep's milk ricotta, a quail egg and goat milk butter.

I started with the Pomodoro soup (a tomato/bread soup) and asked my waiter for a wine recommendation. It was good - the fresh, pureed tomato gave it the taste of a warm gazpacho. The pinot noir (from the Russian River valley!) and some pepper gave it a nice richness. While nothing outstanding, for $6, it was very good (and I ended up getting it for free because I had a card for a free appetizer from the wine tasting.) Of the "fresh-baked-breads", the "Rustic Potato" was my favorite - it had a cornmeal-like texture.

It was my main course that stole the show. I decided against the terrific-sounding risotto-of-the-day (with prosciutto, reggiano, etc.) in favor of the Gnocchetti. (Come on, everyone knows you can always tell the quality of an Italian Restaurant by it's homemade gnocchi!) The menu read: "GNOCCHETTI: ricotta dumplings with sauteed wild mushrooms and a fontina cheese sauce". I'm not usually a fan of cheese sauces - and was gambling with a potentially overly-heavy dish - but the fontina and mushrooms won me over. The taste was spot on, the texture, perfect. The mushrooms (enoki, cremini, trumpet) were perfectly firm, and very 'woodsy but not overpowering. The fontina was extremely flavorful: nutty and light. The dumplings had a slight chew, but were not at all 'chewy' or heavy. They weren't too dense and their silkiness contrasted perfectly with the plumped mushrooms. Black pepper made it all pop. The Pinot Grigio wasn't outstanding.

As they were out of the "Spuma di Castagne" (a chestnut and chocolate mousse with quince and moscato compote), my dessert was simply another glass of Moscato di'Asti in a beautiful, tulip-shaped glass.

I'm hesitant to talk about the obvious negatives of Domaso, because there was so much good. But, as my title implies, the beauty definitely did distract me from faults that I would have been truly unhappy about elsewhere. I'll keep it short: The service. It is a new restaurant, so I know it will get better, but my waiter had yet to be trained on the offered dishes and wine. He chewed gum the whole time and made it clear that he was getting impatient that I was taking my time ordering. (He had mentioned that he had been late to work, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt that he had something personal going on and was extra friendly, encouraging him on his efforts after making numerous mistakes with my requests.) Also, my two glasses of wine were more like 1/2 glasses and the bread had been out much too long (not usually a complaint I'd care to write about, but Domaso does pride itself on its on-premises baked breads.)

Overall, $60 (w/ tips) got me 5 glasses of wine (2 from the free tasting), an appetizer (free with coupon), a main course (I took 1/2 of the Gnocchetii home), and parking (I was able to bypass the $25 valet fee). The atmospheres of the Hotel Palomar and Domaso Trattoria Moderna were worth every penny. Someday I'll have pictures that justify how smitten I am with these places!

DINO Wine Wednesday: Dry Fizzy Reds!

While mid-week splurges on tasty meals cannot be the norm (I have to save some room for the weekends!), a little bit of wine and foods that make me swoon-ey were much-needed after a rough 1/2 week back at work. In the past 3 days I've logged 41 hours . While I wish I had more to show [my bosses] for the effort, instead I now have a new experience to share! (A more delicious one, at that.)

After my first experience with a sparkling red this past weekend at Domasoteca, I was very excited to hear about this week's Wine Wednesday event at Dino: a sampling of 3 'local' Italian sparkling reds, each with a small antipasto pairing - for $25. (Dino hosts a different wine-themed event every Wednesday.) The little event menu that my waitress offered me to keep explains: "Italians have a totally different outlook towards wine than Americans. They drink what's local. And in several great growing regions, the local wines include dry fizzy reds. [...] These are uncomplicated wines designated to go with simple rustic starters and cured meats. You quaff them: they are not serious wines for contemplative drinking. And they are just plain fun!" Hah ... "quaff". Excuse the immaturity, but the meal has left me in a better mood.

Let me start with the restaurant itself. Beautifully Tuscan in color, the walls were perfectly warm and orange after a day of sleet and rain. On the corner opposite the Cleveland Park Metro, the building seems square from the exterior, but the inside leads you around bends from hidden area to area. Some are ceilinged with stone, like a rustic hearth, others have large windows, but the hidden upstairs (visible past the small bar through a wrought iron railing in the upper back corner) was so cozy - I wished, later, that I had chosen to sit up there. When I go back with a friend, we'll have to find ourselves a corner upstairs to enjoy some small rustic plates and a handpicked wine. (If you check out Dino's website, you'll find that the owner has spent a lot of time visiting small wineries in Italy.)

I ordered the wine special and was brought out three small glasses filled with wines that not only varied in color (from watermelon-hued to a glossy burgundy) but in "fizziness" (is that the correct wine-verbage?). The bearded, casually dressed owner, Dean, came over and told me a bit about the wines and said I should definitely drink the last one with the prosciutto. This Lambrusco can be found all over Modena, a region located between Parma and the region that produces parmigiana reggiano. Let me tell you, the tart and dry wine tasted almost watered-down on it's own ... but the meaty-ness of the prosciutto, and the sweetness of the aged balsamic combined with the light dryness left the most delicious taste lingering.

The second wine was the "flattest" of the three. On its own, the fruit wasn't at all balanced by a necessary depth. Thank you again, chef, for such a wonderful pairing. The smaller bubbles were enhanced by the most delicious crunch on the outside of the potato/prosciutto/cheese croquette. I'm not a big fan of fried foods, but this 2"-long golden log of goodness has the taste and crunch of well-toasted French fry bits, but absolutely no hint of excess oil. You could taste the fresh potato, and the shreds of prosciutto gave the filling a slight chewiness - amazing!

It was the last pairing that I decided was my favorite of the three. A braised veal and pork meatball (Saltimboca, a traditional Venetian snack) with one of the purist marinara sauces dolloped on top. Not soft enough to cut with my fork, the texture was perfect - for me, at least. I'm a fan of a firmer meatball but don't get me wrong, it wasn't at all dry. The veal gave it a wonderfully meaty flavor. The word "umami" came to mind. As for the wine, it was my favorite of the three. Not as bubbly as the first, and a bit fruitier, the "Gragnano" 2006 Campania held up on its own. It brought out the rich (but light) tomato taste of the sauce, the fresh basil and helped the meatiness last and last - subtly.

Once my plate was cleared, I decided I wanted to enjoy a bit more and asked for a dessert menu and a coffee. I quickly decided that the scoop of homemade vanilla gelato with a 25yr aged balsamic poured over the top. And why not add a $5 glass of Moscato di' Asti?? I thought I'd try some Prosecco or something a little outside my [very] comfortable box that is the lovely, crisp, sweet goodness of Moscato di' Asti, so I asked my waitress. She actually recommended the Moscato with the Gelato Balsamico. While I wasn't so sure that the wine and balsamic wouldn't clash, I went with her recommendation.

Gloriousness. I almost wept. The balsamic over the creamy, yellow, speckled gelato produced a tart/sweet/creamy heaven. H-E-A-V-E-N. (Yes, I am that girl who will sip aged balsamic from the bottle (don't yell, Dad) ... but, still. Heaven. Trust me.) Ok, it was time to possibly ruin the heaven with a sip of Moscato. Instead? I wept some more. Glorious Moscato! Sweet and crisp even over the balsamic! And when I tasted the gelato again? The rich balsamic was transformed into a buttery caramel or butterscotch! It was like a completely different taste, not acidic like I had anticipated - and just as wonderful! As a side note, the coffee was very very good - the dessert was just better.

Overall? A fantastic experience. A little pricey for the small amount of food, but I did appreciate that the servings were the size they should be and the quality definitely compensated. I would have been more willing to spend the money on a weekend dinner.

SIDE NOTE: Italian sparkling reds are different than the Australian variety that is gaining exposure in America (according to Dean.) I agree. The Italian reds are more subtle and much lighter in taste and body. The sparkling Shiraz I bought at Domasoteca is very bold and - unlike the three I tasted tonight - should be served well chilled. It also was noticeably more "sparkling".