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Palette Bistro
A neighborhood spot goes just far enough to make the locals happy. But maybe not anybody else.
Slipping a layer of cool, pureed avocado into the bottom of a glass of cocktail sauce is an inspired move, and on Palette Bistro’s plate of “chilled shrimp” it was badly needed. The shrimp were not so much chilled as they were lukewarm, and without that avocado the dish could have been at a medical-convention cocktail hour, on a room-service tray or even in the refrigerated case at Jewel.
So, big ups to that avocado. And here’s a shout-out to whoever cured the salmon here, giving it a pleasant, acidic edge that saved this dish from mediocrity, too. One might ask why ubiquitous dishes like this would be ordered in the first place, but there’s not a lot of choice here. After the satisfyingly cheesy eggplant rollatine and the (sort of sandy) bacon-wrapped scallops, house-cured salmon is about as adventurous as you’re going to get.
Of course, standards become standards for a reason, and the short ribs here leave no question as to why they’re in the canon: They’re rich and sumptuous and they cry out for malbec, which is perhaps the only wine that can cut through it all. The dry ahi tuna, on the other hand, will find you remembering Starkist—fondly.
That’s not to say Palette is a wash—it’s a great room, with huge windows, local art on the walls and a vibe that is both neighborly yet decidedly white tablecloth (a combination that shouldn’t be so rare). For locals it’s a good option—there’s an enormous pork chop encased in a buttery, salty, mushroom-studded breading, and the carrot cake, though not housemade, is as good as can be asked for in a place like this. But anybody who goes out of their way to eat dinner here will probably ask for something more.
