If you don't see reservation availability, please call the restaurant directly.   In 2010, chef Frank Ruta took over the next-door space and expanded Palena, greatly increasing the size of the café and the kitchen, to which he added a wood-burning oven and grill. He reduced the seating capacity of the small, square Dining Room in the back of the original space, but upped the ante in terms of luxe appointments. The result was to make the two dining experiences at Palena more distinct. The best approach to a meal in the Dining Room is to begin at its bar. Known for their cocktails since it opened in 2000, Palena is the go-to place for a smashing Maker’s Mark Manhattan (jazzed up with house-preserved amarena cherries)  a Sazerac or a wink to the Negroni called The Bitter End. Once you’re seated in the still Dining Room, the worries of Washington wash away. There are two menu options: the $75 three- (really four-) course Taste of the Season menu offers choices for each course; Tonight’s Proposed menu is a six-course set menu for $90. Every dish seamlessly weaves together the best elements of French and Italian technique and cuisine, incorporating locally sourced products as well as some flown-in ingredients. Ruta’s unyielding commitment is to the best quality rather than the most politically correct, so your King salmon may come from Sitka and your snapper from New Zealand. The smartest strategy is to let Ruta and his staff do their thing. Don’t even look at the menu -- let yourself be surprised by the food and wine pairings but hope that the foie gras terrine, oxtail consommé or truffle-adorned risotto come your way. And the ballotine of Shenandoah rabbit or soft-shell crab in garlic mousseline. Before any of that happens, though, expect a procession of whimsical canapés to hit the table.  Pastry chef Aggie Chin tops things off with the likes of honey ricotta cake with white chocolate crémeux, raspberry sorbet  and lavender honey, plus buttery caramels and an assortment of petits fours.