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Located next to Verizon Center & Regal Theater Gallery Place: 705 7th St., NW

(Continued from Page 27)

six months, Palio is consistently jammed on Saturday nights, and customers often are loath to leave. Even 30 minutes past our 6:30 p.m. reservation, Pino acknowledged that the party ahead of us was lingering at the table. Not that I could blame them for

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wanting to linger. The dining room, with its warm Tuscan gold and sienna walls, and tenor Andrea Bocelli on the sound system, is welcoming. The unusual horse paintings (the restaurant is named after a famous Italian horse race) are intriguing. And the waiters are gracious and charming. On that chaotic Saturday night, we

were so hungry when we finally sat down that we probably would have eaten the tablecloth if the waiter hadn’t quickly brought slices of chewy, crusty bread with tiny dishes of bruschetta toppings and olive oil. After the appetizers, the four of us shared two pasta dishes: eggplant-filled ravioli with smoked mozzarella that was too salty to finish; and delicate, folded crepes filled with sheep’s-milk ricotta in a light tomato sauce that we all loved. From there it was on to the meat

course. The grilled pork chop, with cippolini onions and borlotti bean puree, also suffered from too much salt, as well as too much time on the stove. It was overcooked, as was the veal scaloppini with mushrooms and spinach in a Marsala wine reduction. Much more satisfying was the juicy roast chicken with broccolini. On another (calmer) Saturday,

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my husband and I split linguine with mussels, clams and calamari lightly tossed in a garlicky white wine sauce. The pasta is made in-house, and the menu notes that gluten-free and whole-wheat pasta are available. My husband’s entree of osso bucco was tender, and its saffron risotto was a nice blend of firm yet creamy, yet it needed a hit of salt. And someone in the kitchen forgot the traditional dollop of gremolata that is mentioned on the menu. (Maybe that would have provided the needed salt.) I had an expertly seared piece of tuna with balsamic-glazed vegetables. For dessert, the cannoli and blood

orange cake were fine, though nothing special. To see how the restaurant operates

Palio’s frittata, with onions, red peppers and pancetta, is accompanied by a salad.

at quieter times, we tried both its new Sunday brunch and a weekday lunch. What a difference. Brunch is an undiscovered treat,

evidently, because the restaurant was only a third full. We could hear the birds outside as we sat by a sunny window sipping our complimentary Bellinis and feeling that all was right with the world. Although the brunch menu

has several lunch-y items, such as spaghetti, lasagna and grilled salmon, we stuck to the egg dishes, all of which were terrific. Two eggs any style comes with the marvelous house-made fennel sausage and rosemary-flecked potatoes. For those with lighter appetites, I recommend the frittata with red peppers, onions and bits of pancetta, accompanied by a crisp green salad. And for dessert? We split an order

of Nutella crepes. Warm chocolate- hazelnut Nutella inside supple crepes: Yes, it’s as heavenly as it sounds. Weekday lunch is also slower-paced.

We tried the chicken scaloppini with spinach and mushrooms in Marsala sauce, which, unlike the veal version we had at dinner, was perfectly cooked. But the sandwiches are anemic, and this time the orange cake tasted dry and stale. To his credit, the waiter told us he agreed and not only removed the cake from our check, but also packed up a double portion of tiramisu for us to take home. Now, that’s service.

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