VIRGINIA: Alexandria Restaurant Partners’ Newest Concept Palette 22 Opening Soon in Shirlington, VA

Alexandria Restaurant Partners (ARP)’s founding partners David Clapp and Dave Nicholas anticipate Palette 22, their newest dining concept, located in the heart of The Village at Shirlington at 4053 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, VA, 22206, will open in the final week of February.  Palette 22 will encourage guests to engage their visual senses and culinary palate, through experiencing worldly cuisine and fine art in new and exciting ways.  The 206-seat restaurant has been designed as a contemporary showcase for food and art, with a raw and industrial feel.  Exhibition areas will display local artists’ work, while some artists will create artwork on-site.  Additionally, guests will be able to watch as skilled chefs cook in an open theater kitchen, creating enticing dishes from around the globe.  Palette 22 will serve lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch, with a weekday happy hour.  The seasonally driven menu consists of more than thirty small plate offerings inspired by street food, culinary traditions, key ingredients, and flavor profiles with diverse cultural influences.

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Guests will enjoy exploring ARP’s Corporate Executive Chef Graham Duncan’s modern interpretation of ‘street’ and popular foods from notable international lands.  Palette 22’s menu is divided into Bites, Street Eats, Brick Oven, Each and Sweets.  Highlights off the Bites section of the menu include Ceviche de Verduras, a vegan ceviche with cauliflower, carrot, avocado, lime, onion and root chips, and Pan-Fried Watermelon & Halloumi with harissa spice, pomegranate, molasses and mint.  Standout Street Eats include Peking Duck & Moo-Shu Pancakes with hoisin, scallions and ginger-cucumber pickle; Argentine Empanadas, roasted lamb, beef, pork plantains, raisins, capers and hardboiled egg, as well as Peruvian Style Grilled Octopus, olive oil, garlic, lemon, paprika, thyme and gold potatoes.  Brick Oven offerings include Moroccan Spiced Lamb Spareribs with mint-lemon sauce; Vietnamese-Style Sugarcane Shrimp with lemongrass slaw, ginger-lime sauce, butter lettuce, and Fried Eggplant Flatbread with roasted garlic, mozzarella, tomato and olives.  Works of art on the Each section of the menu include Pork Belly Char Siu Bao, pork belly, char siu sauce, steamed buns and cucumber pickle; Tacos Vampiros, skirt steak, Serrano rajas, avocado, chipotle salsa and queso cotija, and the Aja Fish Tacos with crisp mahi, cabbage-jalapeno-cilantro slaw.

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For the perfect ending, guests can enjoy a variety of desserts from the Sweets section of the menu. Highlights include Churros with Mexican chocolate sauce, strawberries, and Apple Empanadas with wildflower honey ice cream.  Prices range from $4 to $12 for all the small plate offerings.

During lunch service, guests can select any two small plates from a pre-selected menu, or enjoy a choice of two sliders, tacos, or empanadas along with a choice of street corn, fries, or green salad; either option is $12.  Standout dishes include Mussels, charred tomato, chipotle chile, dark beer; Bulgogi Beef, Gochujang marinated short rib with ssamjang and butter lettuce; Vietnamese-Style Sugarcane Shrimp with lemongrass slaw, ginger-lime sauce and butter lettuce; Grilled Street Corn citrus kewpie mayonnaise, queso cotija, chile piquin; Cuban Sliders, pulled pork, sweet ham, pickle and Swiss cheese, as well as Tacos Al Pastor, achiote marinated pork, charred onion and pineapple salsa.

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To complement the dining experience, Palette 22 will feature a full bar, as well as signature red and white sangria by the glass or pitcher.  Bartenders will also create unique, original cocktails inspired by art and artists, (including one on draft).  Palette 22 will also have an extensive wine list of international varietals by the glass and bottle; and a minimum of 10 draught beer lines featuring seasonally rotating beers from local, regional, and nationally popular craft and small brewers.

The interior of Palette 22, designed by Beckmann Architects, features two main studio areas.  A full wall of windows illuminates the western side of the restaurant, which has a 34-seat island bar with surrounding seating for another 48 guests.  The eastern side of the interior offers an 88-seat dining room with a combination of booth and stand-alone tables, as well as six and eight-seat large tables adjacent to the open kitchen.  Patrons may also choose to dine al fresco along Campbell Avenue, on the 36-seat outdoor patio, weather permitting.

Simple materials such as raw steel and plywood were used throughout the interior space, to mimic a mid-century artist’s studio.  Vibrantly painted surfaces and polished concrete floors set the stage for the culinary experience and display of artists’ works.  Large storefront windows are part of the original art deco base building design, and offer guests wide views to The Village at Shirlington.

Local art and artists are integrated into the whole dining experience at Palette 22, with painters, mosaicists, photographers and others, working during operating hours in dedicated artist workstations located near the front entrance.  Art Director Cara Leepson carefully vetted local artists for the Artist In Residence program.  Artwork will be prominently displayed throughout the restaurant, allowing guests to peruse the different works available for purchase, engage with artists working on site, and to experience the creative process while they dine.

Palette 22 is located within The Village at Shirlington at 4053 Campbell Avenue, Arlington.

Lunch is served Monday through Friday, from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
Dinner is served Sunday through Thursday, from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m., Friday and Saturday, from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. 
Happy Hour is served Monday through Friday, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. 
Brunch will be served Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

For reservations or additional information, call (703) 469-9007or visit Palette22.com.