DESCRIPTION: The new menu at the restaurant is fantastic. The ambiance is great, not very noisy and has great music. Definitely a worthwhile trip to Capitol Hill!
DATE: 2004-02-20
FOODRATING : 10
SERVICERATING : 10
AMBIANCERATING : 8
OVERALLRATING : 10

Romantic
DESCRIPTION: The new menu and chef makes Park Cafe one of the finest dining experiences in Washington. The food and presentation rivals the best Washington has to offer at a fraction of the price. Also, easy parking.
DATE: 2004-03-06
FOODRATING : 8
SERVICERATING : 8
AMBIANCERATING : 8
OVERALLRATING : 8
RECOMMENDED DISHES : Chef's special

Nice to treat yourself once in a while
DESCRIPTION: Unfortunately they can't seem to hold on to waitstaff for too long, but the service is always good, given the turnaround. The owner is very welcoming, the art work is a great topic of conversation, and if only there were more cafes and people around the park you could truly make belive you were in Europe. The one thing that is not left to the imagination is the food, seems to be reliable and worth exploring this hidden gem of the District!
DATE: 2005-03-25
FOODRATING : 8
SERVICERATING : 8
AMBIANCERATING : 8
OVERALLRATING : 8
RECOMMENDED DISHES : all

Good food but overpriced
DESCRIPTION: The cafe has a nice ambience and the service is good, but the menu is overpriced for what you get. We ordered the green salad for $10 and got merely a small pile of mixed greens with palm and artichoke hearts. A mussels appetizer was $14 for a healthy portion of mussels but nothing special with the broth. Unfortunately, that was a reoccurring theme throughout the dinner. There was nothing special to make it worth the inflated price. The entrees, while tasty, was not entirely well prepared. I asked for medium for duck breast and it came medium rare (some parts just downright rare) while my husband's tuna steak (the special) were thin cuts of tuna. It seemd that a tuna steak had been butterflied to cut costs. I felt that for the price, everything should have been perfect but ultimately, the ambience did not make it worth the price.
DATE: 2005-08-26
FOODRATING : 6
SERVICERATING : 8
AMBIANCERATING : 8
OVERALLRATING : 4

Taste - Spectacular!
DESCRIPTION: Baked crab cake appetizer with no fillers - savored the aroma of crab and herbs, no sauce needed - very juicy. Finally a REAL crabcake in DC. The hangar steak special is a MUST try - tender enough to cut with a fork - I could have sworn the cut of meat was a filet, not a hangar steak. As I sat there savoring every bite, I could not help but wonder "who is this chef and where did she come from?". I am from New Orleans and finally found a fabulous restaurant to bring guests.
DATE: 2006-01-27
FOODRATING : 10
SERVICERATING : 10
AMBIANCERATING : 10
OVERALLRATING : 10
RECOMMENDED DISHES : Tiger Shrimp, Hangar Steak.

Horrible
DESCRIPTION: Don't go. It is a beautiful little spot on the Park, but maybe if enough people don't go, it will have to change hands. Only house wine by the glass. Waiter told us their wasn't any Pinot Noir, then we heard owner say he had a brand new one and gave next table tastings. We had to ask about our salads after they were not delivered twenty minutes after ordering. (Our waiter was no where in sight, so we had to flag down one of the other servers and this is a tiny place!!) Salads were very average. Not enough pears on pear/gorgonzola salad. After another long wait our Paella for two was served in a smallish cast iron skillet. It was not good. We each ate several very dry mussels, some very dry chicken, very dry sausage, very dry rice, you get the message. It was very dry. The shrimp were okay but not good enough to cover for the rest of the dish. The dish is $46. It should be spectacular for that price. One of the mussels was still shut. This should never happen. We told the waiter clearing the dishes (still not our waiter)that it wasn't very good. He said we should have quit eating it. Nice. We paid our bill and got as quickly as possible. Nothing like a bad expensive meal to ruin a Saturday nights.
DATE: 2006-04-24
FOODRATING : 2
SERVICERATING : 2
AMBIANCERATING : 6
OVERALLRATING : 2
RECOMMENDED DISHES : Do not order the paella.