Hidden Gems: Arlington Hotel Bars and Restaurants

Looking for a different twist on a happy hour or a unique dining experience?  Look harder, and find the cool spots that Arlington hotels have to offer.  As out-of-town visitors pour out of DC into Virginia, the number of hotels in Arlington is growing too.  Whether it’s mom and dad coming for a visit, or you’re craving a different way to discover good eats in your ‘hood, it’s worth checking into hotel restaurants, even if you’re not checking into a room.  In Rosslyn alone, there are two great places to wander into: Domaso Trattoria Moderna at the Hotel Palomar and cityhouse inside the Hyatt hotel.

Hotel Palomar, situated at the bottom Rosslyn, boasts a great restaurant called Domaso Trattoria Moderna.  Domaso has a delicious menu for a full seating at dinner, but you don’t need to get as far as the restaurant to have a great dining experience.  The bar at the entrance of the restaurant offers a nightly happy hour from 4 until 7 with great drinks and food specials.  A generous portion of olives or spiced nuts come for only $4 each, Kobe beef sliders are served for $12, pay $10 for a three-cheese flatbread, and a big glass of wine goes for $5.  Check out the truffle fries – they’re to die for. 

Regardless of the menu item you choose, it’s worth hanging out on their big outdoor terrace with sweeping views of Georgetown and overlooking the Key Bridge. Now that the weather permits, they have a springtime terrace menu to match this ideal setting. When it’s colder outside, enjoy their cozy lounge with fireside seating or belly up to the bar, where warm, friendly bartenders quickly get you what you crave. Domaso makes a great way to start a meal, or to make a complete meal of small plates and try various items from the menu.

Domaso Trattoria Moderna at the Hotel Palomar, Rosslyn, 1121 North 19th Street.  The bar is open from 4 to 10 p.m., and the restaurant from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.

http://www.domasotrattoria.com/index.php

In the belly of Rosslyn lays the Hyatt hotel and its signature restaurant, cityhouse, overlooking Wilson Boulevard. You can enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner at cityhouse; I enjoyed dinner there with my husband.  The meal started off with focaccia bread and phenomenal salty butter. Once the food showed up, we enjoyed every bite. We started with a great version of a caprese salad: fresh burrata cheese and heirloom tomatoes with huge basil leaves and a drizzle of nutty olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  It was beautifully served and perfect for two people. For an entree, I ordered a bistro strip steak, reasonably priced at $19.  It came with a side of a kind of succotash of butternut squash, crimini mushrooms, and asparagus with a hint of rosemary mixed in. There was a good flavor – although the gravy was a little strange, I thought – and the portion of steak was generous.  My husband ordered the organic Pennsylvania chicken breast (flavored with thyme and garlic and baked well in the skin) for $23, sided with Swiss chard and wheat berry risotto that added a lot of great texture and bulk to the chicken.  While the food was fantastic, the service was horribly slow and it felt like an igloo. We needed the food to come more quickly to put fat on our bones to be able to brave the arctic temperatures. The meal was worth the trip, but the restaurant temperature and lackluster service need some work.

If it’s just drinks you’re looking for, visit the hotel’s bar, Key Bridge Terrace, open from 4-11 p.m. nightly.  Here, you’ll get a chill, swanky atmosphere, and on Thursdays, live music plays from 5:30-7:30.

cityhouse at the Hyatt hotel, Rosslyn, 1325 Wilson Boulevard. Dinner is served Monday through Sunday, 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

http://arlington.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/entertainment/restaurants/index.jsp

Arlington’s hotel scene of restaurants, bars, and lounges is extensive. Some locations you wouldn’t know exist until you look around. So get hungry, then start searching!