Citronelle, 2007 National James Beard Award-Winning Chef Michel Richard's Flagship - Chef Patrick Robinson Replaces David Deshaies - Closed

[giant shrimp]

My wife and I were at the Citronelle Bar on Saturday night specifically to try this drink. I only have one complaint, it should have come with instructions. The one that my wife ordered came garnished with slices of cucumber. My wife who loves cucumber, did not like it at first because the smell of the cucumber overpowered the rest of the drink. The bartender told her to take a bite of cucumber then take a drink, and suddenly the artistry of this drink became apparent.

This is interesting to hear, because a couple of weeks ago downstairs my wife requested hendrick's gin in a martini and was told they didn't have it. maybe they were out. the place was packed. the dessert menu listed something from afton mountain vineyards which i found heartening since virginia vineyards sometimes get totally slammed on this board, and i know you can find some good wine in that state, even if it isn't spectacularly good or up to the highest standards. a waiter came over to our table to display a bottle of something else. that's not what i ordered, i said. i know, he said, that's what i'm trying to tell you. so i guess they were out of that as well.

[treznor]

That was possibly the Sweet Afton. I tried the Afton wines for the first time this weekend at the Vintage Virginia festival. Overall they were okay, with the Gewurztraminer being one of the first (if not the first) that I've tried from Virginia. Wasn't quite up to the Gewurtz I'm used to, but it's a start. Another winery (that I can't remember right now since I don't have my notes in front of me) had a Traminer that was quite tasty as well and unusual for a Virginian winery.

Personally, I'm a big fan of Virginia wines and have 5-6 cases of it at home (which is a good 80% of my collection :-) ) and go out to the wineries as often as possible (6-7 times a year or so I guess) and get a monthly delivery from my favorite winery (Rappahannock). No, it's not up to the standard of the big boys, but it's reasonably priced and shows potential, plus I like to support the local wineries.

The problem I had this year with the wines I tried at Vintage Virginia was that everything seemed to run together. I've heard that comment from a couple of friends of mine that enjoy wine and have tried Virginian wines but previously had put it up to them just looking down on VA wine. I'm not sure if it was this vintage wasn't all that great, or if I was just having an off-weeked (the partying the night before didn't help... to the extent that two people that were supposed to be going with me and my GF couldn't be roused to go :-) ), but I noticed something along those lines. All the Cab Francs (a popular grape for VA wineries) tasted so similar, similar for the Chambourcin (another grape used a decent bit in VA). The same couldn't be said for the Chardonnay's and the Reisling's and such, so I'm chalking it up me being hungover from the night before. Still walked away with a case of wine total from 4-5 wineries. I find that probably what VA wineries do best is the nice, simple picnic-style wines that are fairly cheap but very tasty. There are certainly wineries that are starting to produce (or have produced for a couple years) good, more serious wine so the state is starting to come along...

Sorry for the tangent to the thread. It did tie in with the previous post a bit :-)

That was possibly the Sweet Afton. I tried the Afton wines for the first time this weekend at the Vintage Virginia festival. Overall they were okay, with the Gewurztraminer being one of the first (if not the first) that I've tried from Virginia. Wasn't quite up to the Gewurtz I'm used to, but it's a start. Another winery (that I can't remember right now since I don't have my notes in front of me) had a Traminer that was quite tasty as well and unusual for a Virginian winery.

Personally, I'm a big fan of Virginia wines and have 5-6 cases of it at home (which is a good 80% of my collection :-) ) and go out to the wineries as often as possible (6-7 times a year or so I guess) and get a monthly delivery from my favorite winery (Rappahannock). No, it's not up to the standard of the big boys, but it's reasonably priced and shows potential, plus I like to support the local wineries.

The problem I had this year with the wines I tried at Vintage Virginia was that everything seemed to run together. I've heard that comment from a couple of friends of mine that enjoy wine and have tried Virginian wines but previously had put it up to them just looking down on VA wine. I'm not sure if it was this vintage wasn't all that great, or if I was just having an off-weeked (the partying the night before didn't help... to the extent that two people that were supposed to be going with me and my GF couldn't be roused to go :-) ), but I noticed something along those lines. All the Cab Francs (a popular grape for VA wineries) tasted so similar, similar for the Chambourcin (another grape used a decent bit in VA). The same couldn't be said for the Chardonnay's and the Reisling's and such, so I'm chalking it up me being hungover from the night before. Still walked away with a case of wine total from 4-5 wineries. I find that probably what VA wineries do best is the nice, simple picnic-style wines that are fairly cheap but very tasty. There are certainly wineries that are starting to produce (or have produced for a couple years) good, more serious wine so the state is starting to come along...

Sorry for the tangent to the thread. It did tie in with the previous post a bit :-)

[Mark Slater]

The sweet wine was this:

Veritas Vineyard and Winery, "Kenmar", Afton Mountain Traminette 2003.

I had a glitch in the supply and the wine will be replaced with one of the tasty rieslings from Linden.

[treznor]

Interesting. I've tried some of the Veritas wines, but I don't believe I've tried the Traminette. I guess I forgot to consider that a winery could end up with a wine the same name as a winery in the region :-)

[DLB]

Ok, we are going to be celebrating our 2nd year of marriage here in mid July. I have heard some mixed reviews, but I am going to give it a try. This will complete our tour of the best of the best in DC. Any suggestions? Is it better to go with the tasting menu or the 3 courses? Is it on Par with Maestro which I loved, or Citizen which my wife thought was better, or Eve which we both loved? I noticed that the tasting menu is $155 which puts it on par with the French Laundry as far as pricing, is the food just as good?

[Keithstg]

Ok, we are going to be celebrating our 2nd year of marriage here in mid July. I have heard some mixed reviews, but I am going to give it a try. This will complete our tour of the best of the best in DC. Any suggestions? Is it better to go with the tasting menu or the 3 courses? Is it on Par with Maestro which I loved, or Citizen which my wife thought was better, or Eve which we both loved? I noticed that the tasting menu is $155 which puts it on par with the French Laundry as far as pricing, is the food just as good?

If you decide to try the three course menu, the spring pea/lobster bisque is fantastic, and breakfast at citronelle is an incredibly tasty and fun dessert. I've had the tasting and the ala carte menu and loved both - I don't think you can go wrong either way. Seeing as most less-than glowing reports about Citronelle come from four years ago (or so), and are vague, I don't think you have anything to worry about.

My wife and I had a fabulous meal there over Memorial Day weekend, and I'm sure you will too - Citronelle is certainly on par with all of the others you mention. Happy Anniversary!

[mdt]

Ok, we are going to be celebrating our 2nd year of marriage here in mid July. I have heard some mixed reviews, but I am going to give it a try. This will complete our tour of the best of the best in DC. Any suggestions? Is it better to go with the tasting menu or the 3 courses? Is it on Par with Maestro which I loved, or Citizen which my wife thought was better, or Eve which we both loved? I noticed that the tasting menu is $155 which puts it on par with the French Laundry as far as pricing, is the food just as good?

The tasting menu does not allow you to make your selections, so if you see things that you rather have on the regular menu go that route. IIRC you can order extra courses a la carte if you wish. I say go.

[agm]

NotQuickDraw and I will be going to Citronelle for the first time this Thursday (celebrating a wedding anniversary - yeah, I know, how original). We're planning to try the tasting menu, but the question is, just how generous is the wine pairing? NQD is still upset at having to leave a fair amount of wine in the glasses at Maestro in order to get us home safely. Should we plan on a taxi?

[starfish]

NotQuickDraw and I will be going to Citronelle for the first time this Thursday (celebrating a wedding anniversary - yeah, I know, how original). We're planning to try the tasting menu, but the question is, just how generous is the wine pairing? NQD is still upset at having to leave a fair amount of wine in the glasses at Maestro in order to get us home safely. Should we plan on a taxi?

plan on a cab - deny yourself nothing.

[agm]

OK, so, NQD and I just got back from Citronelle. And yes, we took a taxi, otherwise we would have just begun a long sobering-up process.

I'd like to give a detailed report on the tasting menu, but that may be beyond me at this point (basic keyboard skills are questionable right now). But I'll give it a shot. The amuse bouche - egg surprise, mushroom cigar, haricots verts tartar: NQD ate the egg surprise slowly, in pieces, and was blown away by it - she claims the fake egg components (cheese, tomatoes) would have fooled her in a blindfold test. I ate it slowly and found it delicious, but not as effective an imitation as she did. The mushroom cigar was excellent (and I don't eat fungus normally). The haricots verts had a flavor that was both extremely familiar - the taste of dozens of summertime salads (tuna, etc.) - done with vastly superior ingredients and infinitely superior technique. Possibly my second favorite dish of the evening.

Eggplant gazpacho followed, also wonderful, the other contender for second best. Lighter than expected, not nearly as earthy as expected. Once again, I don't eat eggplant. (As I have mentioned after other tastings, I'll eat almost any style of preparation other than raw protein, but in ingredients, my palate is extremely limited. I'm currently exploring such things at the highest level I can find - nearly all of tonight's menu was foods I normally don't eat - and finding that I love them. Enjoying them in the hands of a more ordinary cook is still questionable).

Soft shell crab followed, served as a tempura, stuffed with blue crab. Amazingly good, light beyond expectation. Neither of us care for soft shell crab, but this again pushed my boundaries (and NQD's). NQD adored the blue crab filling, I wasn't as thrilled, but that's because of the ingredient, not the preparation. Perfectly fried, excellent.

Neither of us is fond of halibut, so the next dish was the only forgettable item of the night.

Lobster medallion - perfectly cooked, although I often find lobster tail chewy and prefer the claws (yeah, I know, most people have that reversed). The japanese eggplant was yet another example of the kitchen attempting to convince me that I adore foods I normally won't eat (and succeeding). Light, subtle flavor, absolutely delicious.

Medium rare duck breast followed - wonderful, of course. Also duck leg confit, and this was simply perfect, and the most exquisite taste of the evening for both of us. If I were forced to eat this again every night for the rest of my life, I'd be quite happy.

A selection of cheeses followed, and we had a long discussion on the various flavors and textures and other aspects of these selections, but by this point I was too drunk to remember, so I can't make any intelligible comments here. Oh, did I mention that we had the wine pairings, which were simply flawless, and extremely generous pours?

Rasberry vacherin followed, and chocolate three ways, and each were exceptional, but again I can't really begin to do them justice, since, well, I'm drunk. If you haven't tried them, you'll just have to head over to Georgetown yourself.

Oh, yeah, the wine. Did I mention I'm drunk, quite a long time after I left? (We took a taxi). The pairings - well, it's certainly possible to have better wines on their own, but better pairings with the food would be difficult to imagine. I assume they're posted on the website, but it's not loading right now so I can't be sure. The Riesling paired with the crab was the only wine we wouldn't order again; the rest - well, read the website or go to Georgetown yourself. Nine glasses, all generous pours, I can barely remember my own name, never mind the wine.

Service was flawless, and it was great to meet Mark and put a face to the name, and to enjoy his hospitality. We talked for a while about food, wine, and the kitchen (and maybe other things I can't recall). Sometime this fall NQD and I want to try the chef's table in the kitchen - we'll need six other people to join us, so if you want to give it a try let me know.

Total cost for two just under $700 with tip. Expensive as hell, but I'd gladly do it again, given sufficient time to save up.

And yeah, we had wonderfully profound thoughts about the food and Michel Richard's approach while riding home in the taxi. If I remember them tomorrow I may post them. Did I mention the generous pours?

Oh, God, do I really have to get up for work in the morning?

[agm]

As you're about an hour into your sleep, there's one thing you may not yet realize: Citronelle's meals are specially designed to flow together in harmony, not just course-after-course, but also the next day, in sort of a reverse, everything-at-once, blast of umami. This unforgettable gastronomic experience will be experienced by you in approximately six hours - here is the culinary journey that awaits:

Raspberry Vacherin

Amuse bouche (egg surprise)

Lobster medallion

Pairings of wine

Halibut

Advance condolences,

Rocks.

That's a taste I have not sampled in a bit over 13 years - I'm in no hurry to repeat that experience. No ill effects this morning other than a mouth in severe need of a sandblasting. Well, that and the scale, which after giving us both good news each morning for the past month, has turned into a cruel and heartless bastard today. Perhaps Notti Bianche and Citronelle on consecutive nights was not consistent with a solid weight-loss strategy. Who would have guessed?

[crackers]

There are some interesting stirrings going on over on eG . Someone asked about recent trends in the DC restaurant scene, and got this response from Slater:

Fine dining: Who can hire the sommelier with the weirdest hair.

Is this weird enough? ---->

[holalola]

I am about to enter the legally-drinking adult world, and plan on celebrating my 21st birthday at Citronelle. (With parental unit(s), lest you think my or my friend's poor pockets could foot this bill). Does anyone have suggestions for:

1. wine (now that i can have it),

2. location (as in, is there prime table real estate that i can request within the restaurant?)

3. price-to-food ratio: i do not wish to abuse my mother's generosity, but i do wnat to get the most out of the experience i can. So, what is the public's opinon about the 3-course vs. 5-course menus?

And, finally: One of the few but definite benefits to having divorced and non-interactive parents is that i get to have TWO separate birthday celebrations. Does anyone have recommendations to where else i can go?

last year i was fortunate enough to go to MiniBar, and the year before i went to the Laboratorio at Galileo. (I'm not spoiled, i promise. These are my very special once a year breaks from my largely gourmet-free student life)

Thank you!

Mariana

[brr]

2. location (as in, is there prime table real estate that i can request within the restaurant?)

Happy birthday Mariana! When we ate there a few months back we had a very nice table for 4 in an alcove that still managed to have a great view of the kitchen....so you had a great view of all the action while being somewhat removed from the hustle and bustle of the dining room....

[mdt]

1. wine (now that i can have it)

Have you tasted much wine? Just ask the sommelier (Mark Slater) for recommendations and you will not go wrong.

3. price-to-food ratio: i do not wish to abuse my mother's generosity, but i do wnat to get the most out of the experience i can. So, what is the public's opinon about the 3-course vs. 5-course menus?

The 3-course meal will provide you with a decent meal and you can always opt for the additional cheese course ($15 IIRC). I personally like the 3-course meal as I can decide what to eat for each course.

Happy Birthday!

[porcupine]

And, finally: One of the few but definite benefits to having divorced and non-interactive parents is that i get to have TWO separate birthday celebrations. Does anyone have recommendations to where else i can go?

Maestro or Komi.

[Jacques Gastreaux]

Maestro or Komi.

Or Eve, tasting room.

[JPW]

Mariana,

Please inform your parents that my birthday is September 7th.

[Heather]

We'll be moving the weekend before our anniversary, so we'll be celebrating early in a couple of weeks. Any menu updates?

[holalola]

Have you tasted much wine? Just ask the sommelier (Mark Slater) for recommendations and you will not go wrong.

I know a little bit about wine, but i think my mom will get a kick out of the fact that i "know" the sommelier. And, considering all i've heard about him, i'm pretty excited to put my birthday fest in his hands. (sidenote: isn't it kind of cool to serve a 21 year old her first legal drink of wine on her birthday?)

[hillvalley]

I am about to enter the legally-drinking adult world, and plan on celebrating my 21st birthday at Citronelle.

Thank you!

Mariana

I celebrated my 21st there as well, albeit before the Slater era. You have made an excellent choice. Be sure to enjoy an after dinner drink.

[crackers]

Congratulations Derek! ..... .... ....

[zoramargolis]

Derek's first day! Just by happy coincidence, I stopped in for a light meal at the bar before going to a movie. Derek seems very happy to be at Citronelle, and Mark, who I finally had the great privilege to meet, is happy to have him there. The eggplant gazpacho, which Michel Richard called "my baba ghannouj soup," was garlicy velvet, with the sweetness of roasted eggplant, a subtext of earthy nutty tahini and a hint of chile heat. The soup was garnished with cucumber and beet crisps, some basil oil and a few coriander seeds. The bowl was set into another bowl filled with ice, to make certain it would be cold to the very last spoonful. Very refreshing. By coincidence, I roasted an eggplant on the bbq last night, so I am going to attempt an amateur version. Michel is such an inspiration.

[jdl]

Post magazine piece on Chef Richard.

[youngfood]

Post magazine piece on Chef Richard.

... is a really great read and will inspire me to make a reservation for my next occassion.

[zoramargolis]

Post magazine piece on Chef Richard.

A true testament to the resilience and indomitability of the human spirit that some possess. Michel Richard had a truly horrific childhood--family violence and alcoholism, abandonment and loss, psychological and physical abuse and neglect, and yet he has succeeded and prospered as an artist whose medium is food. I don't know that he ever spent any time in therapy to explore and work through the painful experiences of his past, but if the article is accurate, he has a deep ongoing need to prove his worth and seek the approval of his clients that would seem to have roots in his early life. One of my acting teachers, Uta Hagen, was very much against her students going into therapy, because she felt that great artists transmogrify their personal suffering, and that if one had successful psychotherapy, one wouldn't want to make art anymore. I don't agree--but in any case, the art that emerges from the soul kitchen of Michel Richard, ephemeral as it may be, lives forever in the sense memory of everyone who has experienced it, despite his apparent belief that he is only as good as his next dish. As my therapist used to say: "That's a feeling. Not a fact."

[Barbara]

Post magazine piece on Chef Richard.

I just read this and am still digesting it. Having read "The Perfectionist" this summer, and several other "food" books recently, I may be suffering from sensory overload. I can state emphatically, however, that my first introduction to Michel was through the first series (and book) of Julia Child's "Cooking with Master Chefs." There was Jean-Louis Palladin cooking with foie gras and Michel Richard making a domed cake which was cooked in a metal bowl. Who knew? I bought a whole, frozen duck liver ($55 per pound ) from the late, lamented French Market in Georgetown. It was forgettable. However, I had the appropriate size metal bowl and the ingredients weren't hard to come by for Richard's cake. I decided early on that trying to make a perfect round of melted chocolate wasn't in the cards and simply made a chocolate ganache, which I piped around the dome--making it look like a beehive. It worked. And so did the recipe. The partakers of the cake thought I was brilliant! If they only knew.

[Joe H]

A true testament to the resilience and indomitability of the human spirit that some possess. Michel Richard had a truly horrific childhood--family violence and alcoholism, abandonment and loss, psychological and physical abuse and neglect, and yet he has succeeded and prospered as an artist whose medium is food. I don't know that he ever spent any time in therapy to explore and work through the painful experiences of his past, but if the article is accurate, he has a deep ongoing need to prove his worth and seek the approval of his clients that would seem to have roots in his early life. One of my acting teachers, Uta Hagen, was very much against her students going into therapy, because she felt that great artists transmogrify their personal suffering, and that if one had successful psychotherapy, one wouldn't want to make art anymore. I don't agree--but in any case, the art that emerges from the soul kitchen of Michel Richard, ephemeral as it may be, lives forever in the sense memory of everyone who has experienced it, despite his apparent belief that he is only as good as his next dish. As my therapist used to say: "That's a feeling. Not a fact."

Zora, I thought this was one of the best, most insightful and well written pieces of any that I have seen in the Post Sunday magazine. Perhaps of any Sunday magazine. Disturbingly honest and revealing, this was a portrait of the checkered evolution of genius in an artform that we love. There were also elements that some of us (including myself) reluctantly relate to more than we want to admit...

[bookluvingbabe]

We were at Citronelle on Friday night and the staff was very happy with how well the profile had turned out.

We were celebrating the new home purchase and it was exactly the right choice and the right place after a week of craziness, lying, cheating title companies and general stress. (First timers...) Citronelle is an oasis of calm even on their busiest nights.

Unfortunately, it wasn't one of their busy nights as RW reared its ugly head and several parties left in huff when they learned Citronelle wasn't participating. Note to self: make plans to go to during RW!

Derek is settling in nicely and we chatted briefly before Mark took over and shared his warmth and wisdom. Mr. BLB asked me to note that above and beyond the perfection of the food, it is the wonderful way the staff takes care of you that has turned Citronelle into our destination dining choice.

On to the food:

Mr. BLB started with the scallop and I had the eggplant gazpacho. The scallop was nice but the gazpacho had terrific rich flavor and a wondeful melange of veggies at the bottom of the plate. And it had beet chips.

We then had the cuttlefish "virtual fettucini" carbonara style--this was my favorite of the evening. The flavor was perfect, it was fun and we are still talking about it two days later.

We both ordered the chateaubriand--we had it June for our anniversery and we have been thinking about it sense then. Perfectly tender, incredible rich flavor and the most amazing potatoes.

For dessert I had the ice creams--chocolate, vanilla and caramel. Simple and perfect. Mr. BLB had the napolean which I stole a taste of the caramel maple sauce. Very nice.

A wonderful evening and one I look forward to repeating soon!

Thanks to Mark, Derek and Michel for their great establishment!

Jennifer

[pidgey]

Unfortunately, it wasn't one of their busy nights as RW reared its ugly head and several parties left in huff when they learned Citronelle wasn't participating. Note to self: make plans to go to during RW!

That is really crazy. I can't believe some people, but at least you didn't have to deal with their inane chatter for the rest of the evening.

We were at Citronelle last Tuesday, celebrating my birthday. My favorite dish was the cuttlefish virtual fettuccine. Once again, my husband got the begula caviar, and we laughed that I was eating seafood that impersonated pasta and he was eating pasta that impersonated seafood. I followed that with the chateaubriand, which was had the consistency of butter in my mouth (that's good), and the potatoes was both crunchy outside and soft on the inside. Husband had the duck tutti frutti, which I could tell was good, even though I'm not crazy about duck. I urged my husband to go for the Breakfast at Citronelle dessert, which was delightful, on all counts.

I think what really makes Citronelle stand out is not only the quality of the food, but the whimsy that Michel brings to the menu. Too many times, restaurants are too serious about their food, which is fine, but sometimes, I want more than that.

Mark's wine recommendation was really great, even though we didn't want to spend too much money on wine. I appreciated his professionalism and his advice.

[JPW]

Zora, I thought this was one of the best, most insightful and well written pieces of any that I have seen in the Post Sunday magazine. Perhaps of any Sunday magazine. Disturbingly honest and revealing, this was a portrait of the checkered evolution of genius in an artform that we love. There were also elements that some of us (including myself) reluctantly relate to more than we want to admit...

I agree with Joe. This is one of the finest articles I've ever seen in the Post magazine, in which I rarely find more to read than the Sietsema review and Dilbert. Congrats to the author and editors.

[dinwiddie]

I thought it was a fantastic article and a joy to read. One question however, Mark, why did they cut off the top of your head in the picture of you?

[hans]

Does anyone know if the lounge menu on the website is current, and if its not which entrees are available?

I've never had the pleasure of eating at Citronelle but will be in the area soon - unfortunately by myself. How is the lounge set up for dining? Am I ordering at the bar or are there small tables available? What can I expect?

Much thanks

[crazeegirl]

Last Friday I had the honor of meeting Mark. Although somewhat a regular at the bar, I never had an opportunity to speak to him...as in his "costume" he is a tad bit intimaditing. Boy was I wrong...his explanation of the wines, sherry and scotch we had were truly inspirational. He is the epitome of professionalism. Now I have another excuse to treat myself at the bar...I am going for an educational experience.

[mdt]

I've never had the pleasure of eating at Citronelle but will be in area soon - unfortunately by myself. How is the lounge set up for dining? Am I ordering at the bar or are there small tables available? What can I expect?

Much thanks

They have tables that seat 2 or 4 people in addition to the standard bar. I believe that they still have some tables setup outside if you so desire.

[ScotteeM]

Channel 9 news this morning reported that Citronelle is going to get a $5m makeover as part of a renovation of the hotel into a luxury resort.

[mdt]

Channel 9 news this morning reported that Citronelle is going to get a $5m makeover as part of a renovation of the hotel into a luxury resort.

Any info on what that means to us, the dining public?

[Erik Ox]

Any info on what that means to us, the dining public?

According to an article in yesterday's Washington Business Journal (and reported on WTOP's business report) there would be renovations to the dining room and an additional 40 seats.

Blackstone has 48 luxury resorts around the world -- these will be the first two in D.C. The New York-based real estate company will spend $15 million at the Georgetown Inn and $20 million at the Latham. Renovations should be complete by the end of the summer 2007. Renovations to the Latham include spending $5 million to add 40 seats to Citronelle restaurant, bringing its seating capacity to 130.

"Our desire is to have Michel Richard stay," says John Carns, general manager of both hotels, about the famous chef/owner of Citronelle. "We're in negotiations."

[Waitman]

Lobster Burgers.

[Robert Rymarz]

Oh my... I am at a lost for words. Just read on another food board about a diner who felt the caviar in the begula caviar dish was very bland. Someone already informed him that it was not caviar but pasta.

Edited for: Someone just assured me that it is OK to post a link. I was hesitant at first as I did not wish to break any rules I may have been unaware of.

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/327104

[bilrus]

Oh my... I am at a lost for words. Just read on another food board about a diner who felt the caviar in the begula caviar dish was very bland. Someone already informed him that it was not caviar but pasta.

Edited for: Someone just assured me that it is OK to post a link. I was hesitant at first as I did not wish to break any rules I may have been unaware of.

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/327104

And some people wonder how all critical posts are not created equally.

[Robert Rymarz]

What truely is sad even though it was jaw dropping fall out the chair hilarious there are still those who read it and take it seriously.

[apicius]

Last night I went for dinner at Citronnelle where I did not go for at least 2 years!

I always loved the restaurant and I always admired Michel Richard but yesterday I saw that Michel reached the pinnacle of the profession.

It relatively easy to be very good but it is very difficult to be great and it needs a lot of talent,work and passion to reach this level.

It was a perfection of cooking and seasoning!

I would say after having eaten in all the 3 michelin stars in the last 20 years that this dinner will be among the top ten best dinners I ever had.

The brillance of the innovations using fundamental techniques makes me think of Picasso!

The quality and efficiency of the service makes Citronnelle as good as any great restaurants in the world.

Thank you Michel to give us so much pleasure!!!!

Gerard Pangaud

(Still a chef but no longer a restaurateur.)

[MeMc]

LA Times writer: The Maestro in my Kitchen, on Michel Richard.

[mdt]

They're back...I wonder if they are available for dessert in the lounge?

The Snowman

Starting December 1, 2006.

$12. ($4 is donated to St Jude Children's Research Hospital)

The Perfect Hostess Gift - Snowman package includes: component parts, photo, and instruction sheet for home assembly. For To Go orders call: 202 625-2150. Available for pick-up only.

[Sthitch]

Lobster Burgers.

On Saturday night the Lobster Mini Burger was part of the tasting menu. I guess now Citronelle has become "Trite".

[mdt]

Sweet Hope at Citronelle

Desserts, Champagne and Eggnog, with Music by The Georgetown Visitation "Madrigals", and more...

Drop off a toy for the benefit of children at St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital and grab some nog.

Attached is a list of suggested toys.

SuggestedToyList.pdf

[Mark Slater]

Sweet Hope:

Lots of seating!

Bring your kids!

Tons of dessert!

Bubbly, hot chocolate and eggnog!

All for the cost of a toy!

See you there!

[wolverine]

They're back...I wonder if they are available for dessert in the lounge?

I had one in the lounge the other night along with a Chocolate Three Ways. So, yes, they are. Enjoy.

[Keithstg]

I had one in the lounge the other night along with a Chocolate Three Ways. So, yes, they are. Enjoy.

They sure are. Although we were too full to eat one after dinner in the lounge, you may also purchase one for home assembly. FYI - the Fried Chicken is the best in the city (and goes pretty well with Morey - St. Denis...)