Urbana, the subterranean restaurant and lounge in Dupont Circle’s Hotel Palomar, has a fresh talent manning the wood-burning oven: Alex Bollinger, who was previously sous-chef at Charlie Palmer Steak. So will the restaurant and wine spot become known for more than its slick bar scene? And will the kitchen’s revolving door quit spinning?
Let’s hope. Bollinger takes over from chef Claudio Urciuoli, who was at the restaurant about six months. Opening chef Richard Brandenburg stayed on less than a year.
Bollinger will debut his new Mediterranean-focused menu in early October. It’ll include house-made charcuterie; mussels with chorizo, roasted peppers, and cream; roasted scallops with oxtail-and-lentil ragoût, and a burger gone Italian, wrapped in prosciutto and topped with fontina cheese.
Urbana, Hotel Palomar, 2121 P St., NW; 202-956-6650; urbanadc.com.
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Buzzed: Autumn Harvest at Urbana
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Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
