An American Production West End CafÈ Serves Well-Crafted Contemporary Urban Dishes by Rachel Hunt and Stephen Qualiana Weíve walked by the One Washington Circle Hotel a hundred times without ever realizing there was an attractive restaurant in its lower level. Washington is such a hustling, bustling place that sometimes you have to slow down and smell the clam chowder or youíll miss many of the details that make life pleasant. So we were intrigued when we were invited to dinner by West End CafÈ chef David Chanesman. Chanesman was amiable and knowledgeable about the food, history and clientele of the restaurant. He noted that much of the clientele are theatergoers from the Kennedy Center who want to eat before or after a performance. That would account for the theater memorabilia decorating the modern interior. And to cater to the needs of this crowd, there is a prefix menu that allows them to, letís say, eat appetizers and entrees, go to the theater, then return to the restaurant for dessert. The menu was contemporary urban American with a touch of Mediterranean influence. We sampled a couple of the wines that the chef recommended, an Estancia chardonnay ($31 a bottle, $8 a glass), which was mellow and well-rounded and a nice compl ement to the appetizers. The other, a Chateau Michelle sauvignon blanc ($29 a bottle, $7.25 a glass), was a bit fruitier with a stronger grape taste that also went well with the selections. The restaurant is not quite at basement level and not quite at street level. The designers have made the most of it by employing greenhouse-style windows to give the irregularly shaped dining room a light and airy feeling. The walls are painted beige and a row of black-and-white photos of celebrities is arranged in a perfect line at about eye level. In a separate room is a large bar and lounge, which had live piano music when we were there. The Caesar salad ($6.95), which Chanesman said preceded him, was a fine example of the classic. It was heavy on the garlic and grated parmesan cheese, and light on the anchovy. Croutons were mixed in with the crisp lettuce, and it was topped with a parmesan crisp: simple but good. We were particularly struck with the warm portobello salad ($6.95). The winning combination of roasted tomatoes and red bell peppers, baby spinach, asiago cheese and grilled portobello strips that rested on a bread heel in a mushroom reduction sauce was creative and tasty enough to be recommended on its own. The generous serving of crispy fried calamari ($6.95) was tender, lightly battered and seasoned with dried parsley. What made it particularly fetching was the spicy tomatilla salsa dipping sauce that accompanied it. The Prince Edward Island mussels ($8.95) were served in a chunky sauce of pancetta tomatoes, red wine, chopped parsley and feta cheese. The PEI mussels were tender and meaty, definitely plumper and cleaner than we are used to. The wait staff was friendly and attentive but not obtrusive. As they brought out the entrees, we noticed the dishes were all served on oversized white plates. The three mammoth sea scallops ($20.95) were pan-seared to brown on the tops and bottoms with a fan of brocolini spread over a bed of couscous with a puddle of pureed potato and cilantro on one side. One thing we noticed was that the food seemed to be prepared using fat and oil sparingly. When we asked Chanesman if this was intentional he said it was not, but he has tried to cook using a little more butter and oil recently. The slab of Chilean sea bass ($19.95) was seared slightly brown, perfectly cooked inside and out, and sat in a thin stew of tomato broth with potatoes, quartered tomatoes, and wild mushrooms with a generous sprinkle of dried parsley, which the kitchen is partial to. The dominant seasoning in the broth was saffron, which gave the potatoes a golden hue. The roasted duck breast ($18.95) was some of the leanest we had ever eaten. It was piled into a teepee of duck with a spring medley of vegetables, which included asparagus, green beans and peeled baby carrots over a bed of lentils, surrounded by a ring of slightly spicy raspberry sauce. The duck and the raspberry sauce were an excellent flavor combination. The pureed sweet potato was a nice balance in texture and flavor with the other vegetables. The medallions of pork tenderloins ($17.95) were also in a teepee shape with green beans and baby asparagus near a pool of pureed sweet potato. Mustard seed and mushrooms were cooked with the wild mushroom sauce that topped the juicy grilled pork, also sprinkled with parsley. All the desserts were beautifully presented. The mixed fruit tart ($6.50) was layered with strawberries, boysenberries, pineapple, raspberries and blackberries and accompanied with a raspberry coulis. The white chocolate mousse ($6) was covered in a blueberry sauce with plump blueberries and raspberries. The chocolate hazelnut daqouise ($5.50) was layered with hazelnut buttercream, topped with a chocolate sauce and came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The next time we walk down the busy streets of Washington, weíll keep our eyes and nose ready for any sign of another enticing but tucked-away restaurant. West End CafÈ is at 1 Washington Circle NW, Washington, D.C. The telephone number is (202) 293-5390. The kitchen serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and is open every day. Dress is business casual and theater elegant. All major credit cards are accepted. Breakfast is served Monday to Friday from 7 to 10 a.m. and on Saturday from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday brunch is from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday breakfast brunch is from 8 to 10 a.m. and then a lunch brunch is served from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Lunch is served Monday to Friday from 11:30 p.m. to 2:30. Dinner is served Sunday to Thursday from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. and on Friday and Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to midnight. Rachel Hunt and Stephen Qualiana are the restaurant reviewers for The Washington Diplomat.