In the days of yore, back when we were living in the Cleveland Park neighborhood of DC, one of the weekend highlights was getting a freshly made donut from Amernick bakery. The bakery was run by Ann Amernick, the pastry chef at Palena and a former White House pastry chef. Every Saturday around 11am, someone would carry over a tray of donuts. They were fresh out of the fryers at Palena and still hot. In that 3 block jounry, these lemony scented morsels would attract a literal following. Unfortunately, Amernicks closed in 2004 and Ann moved back to Baltimore.

Luckily however, Palena recently expanded, taking over the store front next door and turning into a market and expanding their cafe. The Market portion just opened and they are serving donuts again. I was in the neighborhood after a visit to the zoo with Elena and perhaps got a donut from what may have been one of the first batches to be sold, right as they were bringing it out.

Now it may seem obsessive that I have spent two paragraphs talking about donuts, but they are really good. They are yeast donuts, so they are nice and fluffy, coated with a lemony glaze. Although it has been 7 years, I can definitely say they are competitive with the ones that they used to serve at Amernicks and well worth the trip. I originally only got one, but finished before going only half a block, so I had to go back for a second.

The Market also sells baked goods and treats, all favorites of Frank Ruta.

Palena | 3529 Connecticut Avenue NW Washington, D.C. 20008 | P 202 537 9250