Fluffy White Cloud Dupont Circle Restaurant Offers Modern Eclectic Dishes, Atmosphere by Rachel Hunt and Stephen Qualiana Cloud, at 1 Dupont Circle, is in such a busy area that you can easily miss it. Fortunately the cloud-blue awning points the way in with the round retro bar setting the circular theme for the chilled-out and cozy corner restaurant. Even during the pre-grand opening, whatís known as a soft opening, the place was nearly full, but that could simply have been from the lure of the new and chic. When we first arrived, Cloud was moderately noisy with talking and Latino pop over the speakers. One of the owners, Savino Recine, compiles the music for the restaurant from his personal collection. Later, the music became more laid-backóas did the crowdóswitching to world beat, which is befitting a tapas kitchen, with an eclectic selection of cuisine serving an international young crowd, many of whom were at the low-lit bar, smoking like there was no tomorrow. Other than the retro-looking furniture and paint job, there are few adornments. The walls are bare and huge round columns separate the bar from the dining area. Formerly Savinoís CafÈ, Cloud ís dÈcor is of course all white with accents of black. The walls are white, the faux-leather seats are white, the gauzy curtains are white, the barstools and booths are white. Even the wait staff is clad in white. With all this white in the dÈcor, you would expect the place to be as bright as the kitchen, but the subdued lightingóa few hanging lamps in the ceiling, candles and backlightsómade it seem like twilight, tinting everything blue. Although a large private party was occupying it on the night of our visit, there is a luxurious dining area called Cloud 9 on the side. One of the noted features of Cloud 9 is a full-size canopy bunk bed for guests to, well, relax. There are three sectional beds also in pleated white faux leather for further lounging. In the middle of the room is a multi-tiered stand to hold food and drink. The bar serves the requisite martini as well as other high-end cocktails. Cloudís extensive drink menu includes a variety of specialty champagne cocktails such as the Bling! Bling! martini ($8)óa potent combination of pomegranate juice, citron vodka, Cointreau, and a squeeze of limeówas complex and refreshing. We were disappointed that the retro Sidecar turned out to be just a screwdriver ($8). The drink list (including a martini menu) is long and it is better to order from the list than to ask for something the bar is unsure about. Savino Recine and John Tsiaoushis are the restaurateurs behind Cloud. Recine, who also owns Primi Piatti and Finemondo, offers a diverse menu of hot and cold tapas from around the world, including Europe, Asia, Mexico and the Middle East. In charge of the kitchen is chef Vincent Torres, who was stopping by tables making sure the customers were satisfied. Our waitress, who had a light Romanian accent, was familiar with all the dishes and made excellent recommendations. She strongly suggested one of the specialties, the marinated tuna ($6.50), which was a standout. Although it was a small portion, it was exceptional, with the three square chunks of dark tuna marinated in a soy and oil sauce with sesame seeds. It had a dark, rich taste with a velvety texture. The Honduran tuna ceviche ($9.95) was served in a coconut shell accompanied by smoked salmon potato cakes with green olive vinaigrette. Roasted peppers ($4.95) stuffed with goat cheese, raisins and pine nuts were simple but fetching. The fried calamari ($5.50) with lemon-caper aioli and Asian dipping sauce was good but not as distinctive as the twice-fried plantains ($3.50) with garlic-cilantro dipping sauce. However, the grilled beef skewers ($7.95) marinated with honey, sherry vinegar, garlic, rosemary and molasses, served with ginger-fig puree, was luscious and creative. Right behind it was the hanger steak ($6.95) in salmorejo sauce with Mexican chiles, cumin seeds, garlic, thyme and red wine vinegar, as well as the Merquez sausage ($4.75) with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. Another heavy but rich meat dish was the Moroccan braised lamb ($6.75) served on two skewers and accompanied by a thick, dark-brown savory sauce that was salty and sweet with tomato, garbanzo beans, ginger and dried apricots, served with couscous and flavored with almonds, lemon peel and fresh mint. Mashed Jerusalem artichokes ($3.75) was surprisingly unusual and compelling, but the menus needs to describe it in more detail. The same can be said for the understated shrimp ($6.50) sautÈed in butter with feta corn, basil and chopped scallions. Sea-bass chermoula ($6.50) with braised fennel and complicated chermoula seasoning was our favorite fish dish. And Andalucian-style spinach ($3.95) with chickpeas was the best combination of ingredients we had ever seen togetheróa natural but overlooked combination. With April showers here, the ultra-chic and fluffy Cloud might be in the forecast for spring. Cloud Dining Lounge is located at 1 Dupont Circle, NW. The phone number is (202) 872-1122. The kitchen is open daily from 5 to 11 p.m., Monday and Tuesday, from 5 p.m. to midnight Wednesday and Thursday, and from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Dress is urban casual. Valet parking is available. Rachel Hunt and Stephen Qualiana are the restaurant reviewers for The Washington Diplomat.