Palette restaurant at the Madison Loews Hotel, Washington, D.C., is known for attracting clientele the likes of congressmen, Washington Post journalists, and assorted power brokers. But no matter how sophisticated the personas seated at the table, they turn into kids at a carnival when a server places a vibrant swirl of cotton candy in front of them.

Ellen Gale, regional director of public relations, says the complimentary cotton candy is served in place of a traditional dinner mint and has become a signature surprise touch.

NOSTALGIC TREAT
“Guests gasp when they see it, and our servers overhear them saying things like, ‘I haven’t had this since I was 10 years old!’” says Gale. “The whole table gets into picking it apart, and it’s just a whimsical, nostalgic experience for everyone.”

Palette has fun with the surprise too, changing the cotton candy colors and flavors to reflect seasons and holidays. Springtime renders a cherry flavor reflective of D.C.’s famous cherry blossoms; Halloween conjures up orange hues; and at Christmastime, the candy has tints of red or green. Servers whip up each batch on a made-to-order basis, spinning it right out of an old-time cotton candy machine in the kitchen.

“Even though serving it takes a little extra time, the servers don’t mind because the guest reaction is fun for them too,” Gale says. “The expense isn’t great either [ten cents per table] and is insignificant considering the volume of repeat and word-of-mouth business it yields. Even if we ever wanted to take it away, our guests wouldn’t let us!”