Domaso: Not a Bar

Guest review by Joseph Raffetto


ON its website, Domaso is claimed to be “evocative of a modernized Italian castle.” While it is true, of course, that in German, Domaso means Italy, the bar at Domaso bears little relation to the country of my fathers, or, for that matter, a castle-esque bar (or perhaps even a bar).

Domaso sits in Rosslyn, on the 4th floor of the Hotel Palomar (as do many restaurants in the D.C. area). The elevator from the ground floor of hotel only goes to the 4th floor, so there's not much room for confusion, although one patron informed me that once before she had been unable to locate the bar once inside the hotel and simply left.

The bar itself is small, spanning only 10 to 12 feet. Despite this lack of space on the bar itself, there is plenty of seating in the surrounding area, including a 15-foot long table with benches of equivalent length. (This might be the catalyst for the “castle” label; the table admittedly does make me think of Prince John and his migratory mole.)

The most appealing aspect of Domaso is the spacious deck. From the deck, there are views of Georgetown, the Potomac, and Teddy Roosevelt Island. Unfortunately for us, lingering aspects of winter kept us from staying out there for too long.

Finally, I have it on good authority from several sources who opted to dine in Domaso's restaurant that the food is overrated and over priced. One even said he'd had better Italian at Olive Garden. Ouch.

In sum, Domaso isn’t likely worth the trip (unless you’re unfortunate enough to live in the Commonwealth). While the deck is nice, the views it offers aren’t enough to overcome the bar’s lack of character.

Average A-to-Z-er Rating: 2 out of 5 Chuck Norris roundhouse kicks.

All-star of the evening: Ian McKendry, who moved to DC from Chicago on Tuesday, met Tom Perez-Lopez through a friend's friend on Wednesday afternoon, then agreed to attend Domaso 2 hours later despite knowing nary a soul in DC and not having unpacked or started apartment-hunting yet. His commitment to A to Z is an inspiration to us all.