Change of Seasonings New Chef, Menu Offer Culinary Thrills at CafÈ Lombardy by Rachel Hunt and Stephen Qualiana Perhaps it was the rather sterile and pedestrian, and now defunct, Howard Johnson chain with their easily identifiable but garish orange roofs that first stigmatized hotel restaurants. Whatever it was, a restaurant located in a hotel has often been considered subpar, usually a step up from a cafeteria. Itís easy for even a high-quality hotel to be lackadaisical about the caliber of its restaurant because management knows that weary hotel guests are often held hostage there because of convenience. But times have changed and so have hotels and the restaurants located in hotels. One cold spring day we arrived at CafÈ Lombardy and the Venetian Room located in Hotel Lombardy. The main dining room is small with about 10 tables, but the seats along the wall with windows have a terrific view of Pennsylvania Avenue. It is cozy and comfortable with wicker chairs, ceramic tile floor and walls painted in a golden-maize color. Itís decorated nicely and eclectically with some art deco ornaments, s ome Persian accents. The Venetian Room is down a hallway and is also very comfortable, with an elegant bar constructed from an antique Chinese wedding alter and a plush lounge decorated in velvets and silks and it seemed inviting but it was entirely reserved by the Harvard Club that night. Chef Laurent Hollaenderó spent two years as sous chef at La Colline on North Capitol Streetóhas introduced a new French-inspired menu befitting spring and the warmer season in CafÈ Lombardy and the Venetian Room. First to arrive was the morel and asparagus risotto ($9). It was in a tasty reduction with fresh asparagus and morels. The smoked salmon and smoked tuna ($12) were an inspired duo. It was served with tiny buckwheat blinis and large salmon caviar and sour cream. But when you put them all together is where you find the magic. It was a great idea to combine two smoked fishes into one dish. The salmon and tuna played off one another with the tunaís richer firmer texture and the salmonís more delicate flesh and taste. The slightly unusual and vaguely Mediterranean Lombardy salad ($7) was a fresh concoction of baby garden greens, kalamata olives, tender steamed string beans and marinated sun-dried tomatoes dressed in a balsamic vinaigrette. Our waiter was very courteous, attentive, professional and seasoned. Apparently he had been working in some version of the restaurant here since before the building was a hotel, when it was an apartment building, so he gave us some sense of history of the place, and the recommendations for dishes he gave us were on the mark. The seafood ravioli ($21) was an interesting interpretation of a seafood combination dish. Although it called ravioli, it was more of a ravioli by concept. The dish consisted of sheets of thin square pasta draped over a medley of lobster, shrimp, scallops and squid to make one giant ravioli, which was in a light, sweet, creamy white wine sauce with thinly sliced onions. The presentation was simple but appetizing for all the dishes. Basically, the food was neatly arranged on large white plates. It should also be noted that this style of presentation often goes with small portions, this was not the case at CafÈ Lombardy, where the kitchen was generous with its servings. The tournedos of beef ($25) was a single inch-and-a-half-thick slab of beef that was seared on the outside and rare in the middle, so that it was soft, juicy and delicious but still aromatically enticing the way cooked meat should be. It was served on a bed of sautÈed spinach and covered in a porcini mushroom sauce. With the accompanying roasted potatoes and shallot confit, it made a hearty, satisfying dish. The classic opera torte ($7) was reminiscent of a napoleon. It was moist and creamy dessert with layers of mocha-chocolate cake alternating with ganache and ringed with raspberry coulis. The thin crispy apple tart ($6.50) was wonderfully delicious, served hot with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream with a raspberry on top. The thinly sliced apples were arranged in a circle over puff pastry. Whether youíre a guest at the hotel or just want a satisfying reasonably priced meal, CafÈ Lombardy is worth checking out. CafÈ Lombardy is at 2019 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. The telephone number is (202)828-2600. Dress is business casual. All major credit cards are accepted. Complimentary valet parking is offered to dinner guests. Both the CafÈ and the Venetian Room are open Monday through Friday for 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch. The Venetian room is open 4:30 to midnight seven days a week and the CafÈ is open from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The Web site is www.hotellombardy.com. Rachel Hunt and Stephen Qualiana are the restaurant reviewers for The Washington Diplomat. CORRECTION: In the March issue of The Washington Diplomat, the address and phone number for Red Sage Restaurant were incorrect. The correct address and phone number are 605 14 St., NW, and (202) 638-4444.