Restaurant Review: The Palm

I went to The Palm for DC Restaurant Week on a Friday evening.  Let me begin by saying The Palm is located in the heart of Dupont Circle and I was dreading having to find a parking space.  I had already accepted the fact that I was going to have to pay for parking because trying to find a spot in that area on a Friday evening would be hellish at best.  Fortunately, when I pulled up to the valet they told they only operate on tips. That's how it should be.

So my Aunt and I arrived a little early for our reservation but they seated immediately. The first thing I noticed was the restaurant was very loud. My Aunt and I had to scream across the table to hear one another.


Our waiter was an older gentleman.  He seemed nice at first until he asked us if we wanted water.  I'm very finicky but drinking tap water in DC is nothing because DC actually has some of the best tap water I've ever had.  As the waiter left the table he loudly confirmed, "Two tap waters." I was like ok really.  He comes back to take our order and I admit my Aunt asked a few questions about the choices available on the Restaurant Week menu, but he acted as if he didn't want to be bothered.  I couldn't tell if he was just old and tired or if he was just being rude.

I ordered a Caesar Salad (sans anchovies), Filet Mignon and Key Lime Pie for dessert. It's kind of hard to mess up a caesar salad so I have no comment about that.  The filet mignon was a generous portion, 8oz, which was twice the size I'm used to.  I asked for it to be cooked medium, and they did a good job of preparing it, but it could have used more seasoning.  I was planning on asking for some type of sauce like worcheshire but our waiter never came back, so I just settled for salt and pepper.  The dessert was definitely the best part of the meal.  The key lime pie was light and creamy and not bitter unlike how some can be.

Overall, The Palm in DC was okay.  I admit I was disappointed because I've been to other locations and I remember having both excellent service and food.  Sadly, the DC location left a bad taste in my mouth.

Food: C
Service: C
Atmosphere: B-

Inside the restaurant, the walls are covered with drawing of various political figures and and other DC VIPs, many of whom I'd never heard of.   I did appreciate the lovely photos of Michelle & Barack Obama that were on the wall behind where we were seated.  See the photo to the left.