DanCole42

The one thing I don't get about this place why it's always empty. Don't get me wrong... I LOVE the fact that it's empty. It means I can always get a table (reservations? who needs reservations?) at what I think is a fabulous and underrated restaurant. The service is always friendly and the waitstaff attentive. The whole place oozes with pretension, but it's the sort of pretension that's laughably forgiveable (I once had a waiter who kept saying "Is it delicious?" instead of "How is everything?") and adds to Palette's charm. The atmosphere (while also pretentious) is thought provoking. They rotate the artwork they present and, while I don't know much about art, I know what I like. The food is always charmingly original. The foie gras grits are flavorful and perfectly cooked (not that I know anything about grits, being from Philly). If you're hungry, be sure to get a side of the pulled duckling mashed potatoes. Their soups are some of the best in the area. Their pan seared venison tenderloin with acorn squash, candied pecans, thyme juslee and peppercorn butter is one of the most comforting comfort foods I've ever had. Just a warning for anyone watching their ticker - some of their food can be a little on the salty side. If you're still hungry for dessert, and it's the right season, their hot chocolate is some of the richest I've ever had. At the end of the meal they bring you some kind of oddly flavored cotton candy, like keyline or boisenberry - it's a nice touch. Their selection of original cocktails is varied and refreshing. My personal favorite is Diego Rivera's Dark & Stormy. If you're just there for happy hour, the lounge serves up a mean smoked chicken spread on grilled sweet potato bread. And for all you oenephiles, Tuesdays are half off every bottle. And yes, that means you can get the $1,500.00 '97 Château Petrus Pomerol for only $750. Check out their menu here: http://www.palettedc.com/index.htm It's definetely one of my favorite venues in town - I just hope my gushing doesn't make it harder to get a table.

Try Washington Deli. They specialize in office catering. In my fiancee's (who's from the New York part of New Jersey and knows a thing or two about pizza) opinion, it's the best REAL pizza available in the city. http://www.washingtondeli.com/ Be warned, you may want to order a few days in advance! Try the "Fancy White Pizza; Olive Oil, fresh garlic, spinach, feta cheese, mushrooms!"

Maybe he should set up a "floating" restaurant. Every night it appears in a different location and is gone the next day. Or maybe he should board up the windows and put up a big "condemned" sign. That way only the right local, neighborhood people would come. The old reservation system was a bit rough. Certainly something like OpenTable would make things easier for you, Michael. But they'd ALSO make things easier for the kind of people you want to avoid. I think based on your whole philosophy keeping with walk-ins rather than reservations is probably your best bet. Or maybe get a trap door that you can toss your unsavory customers into to do battle with the Rancor would help.

Mark- I was warned that you posted here and that my response might ruffle some feathers. I realize that what I said basically cuts to the core of your life's passion and your reaction is completely understandable. It would be like going up to Paul McCartney and telling him that his guitar is way out of tune. I've read your posts elsewhere on this board. That's part of what attracted me here in the first place - the opportunity to see what the local culinary celebs are REALLY like - and that's really important to me. I believe that the pleasure a chef's cooking (or a sommelier's wine selection) brings to a patron is as much a function of that person's PASSION for what they're doing as their technical know-how or experience. I can tell from your other posts that you ARE someone who has passion for what he does - you genuinely enjoy it. If you didn't, you probably wouldn't have been as bothered by my comments. When someone asks me about dining at Citronelle, I tell them what I think. I will, however, qualify my statement with the fact that I have not been there in several years, and I do encourage them to, if they so desire, form their own judgments. I see now my mistake in not including this fact in my initial post. It is entirely possible that the sommelier(s) I dealt with were NOT you, and judging from what I've seen of you they were not. So on a personal level, I completely and humbly apologize for the offense you took to my statements. It was in no way meant to be a direct "character assassination" and I'm sorry you took it as such. I suppose insulting your restaurant and performance, regardless of whether or not it was an assualt on your character, would be taken as such, and I apologize for that particular error in my judgment. My intention was not to criticize Citronelle, but merely to find out whether others had shared my experiences - because maybe I was crazy and should give you guys a second (fourth) chance. Please accept my apologies, and I hope we can turn this into water (wine) under the bridge. I look forward to participating on these forums for a while on down the road, and like I said one of the things I'm most excited about is the opportunity to talk to and learn from passionate culinary professionals such as yourself. So please, as I'm sure I don't have to tell anyone, take my review of Citronelle with a grain of salt - it was, after all, five years ago. And Mark, hopefully, no hard feelings.

I agree on both counts. Only problem is when I put on my patent-pending "See the World Through the Eyes of A Patronizing Asshole Customer" glasses, all I can see is a big blank space in your post. I'm currently working on a polarizing filter you can put over the sign so the people it's actually aimed at can see it.

Unfortunately, this was about four or five years ago, so I don't recall what I had.

Since I've only ever been on weekdays (twice back during the Reservation Era and once during the Modern Walk-In Period), when do you think I should get to Ray's to ensure a table for four at six on a Saturday?

Clearly I'm part of a very small minority here (or else the world's quitest silent majority), but my meals at Citronelle place it towards the top of my list of worst dining experiences - especially considering it should be at the top of my list of best restaurants. I've been there for dinner three times because I kept hoping that my previous times were flukes. I really wanted to see why people were calling it the best restaurant in town, and one of the top in the country. I found the food, while somewhat original, to be relatively bland. And one thing I'm well known for is ordering the best items off a menu, so I know I wasn't making bad choices. I just found everything to be lacking the depth and richness of flavor I usually associate with a place like Citronelle. Especially at the prices I was paying. And yes, Monsieur Richard WAS in the kitchen for two of my three nights there, not that it should matter. The food was nothing compared to the service. My first time there I wore pressed slacks and a sport coat with tie. The next two times I upgraded to one of my better suits - with no effect. I don't know if it was because I looked young or what - I certainly didn't look like someone of modest means - but all three waiters I had treated me as if they were disgusted to be waiting on me. When they weren't aloof and inattentive they were downright rude, scowling at me when I told them I'd be declining dessert for one of the evenings. One night I had to ask three times before my water glass was refilled. Hell, last night at Outback I didn't even have to ASK to get my water refilled. The sommelier kept trying to push wines in the $100+ range when I told him I was only interested in $55-70. I was NOT asked to sample the wine before it was poured for me and my guests. I expect a little snobbery at places like Citronelle (and am all the more pleased when I see it absent from places like 1789). I expect a little extra snobbery because of my youth. But I do NOT expect to be repeatedly disappointed by both the food and service at what is reputably the top establishment in DC. I'm sure my opinion will go unheard because I'm utterly overwhelmed by the POSITIVE criticism of the restaurant, but I needed to get this off my chest and would like to hear from others out there who have had similar experiences.

I think you should teach a cooking class. But not just to anyone. It would be like in Fight Club, or at a Buddhist temple, where applicants have to wait outside for three days and nights in total silence while you berate them and throw rancid beef grissle.

8.5/10 Thank you for picking up on that.

Food and sex sure go hand in hand, don't they? It's why I learned to cook...

June 4

I have no idea what any of this means, but I'm absolutely fascinated. I've picked up suburban housewife, asparagus, George Orwell, and I think the word potato somewhere in there.

My fiancee and I have been at each others' throats over this. While Palette's hot chocolate is richer and more chocolatey, Michael's hot chocolate (like most food at Ray's) seems to activate the mysterious Sixth Taste Bud. Seriously, there's a flavor in it that I've never tasted anywhere before. I'm convinced one of the ingredients fell to Earth in a meteorite and landed in Michael's backyard. So what's the verdict for best hot chocolate? Palette? Ray's the Steaks? Or some blasphemous third restaurant? Michael, if you could shed some light here, I'd love to get my hands on some of that secret ingredient. Seriously, good hot chocolate is like a Get Sex Free card with her.

I keep a flask in my desk. My WOOD desk. That's LIKE being at a bar, right?

I tried that. Now my assistant is looking at me funny.

Do you consider it "appropriate" to ask a professional chef for a recipe? Will the chef think "Wow! He must REALLY like this dish! I'm flattered," or "How dare he! This is MY recipe, and I will NOT let him steal it! I don't go around asking HIM his most intimate personal details! Harumph!"??? What's the best way to approach someone with this question?

I absolutely love these forums, but one thing I can't figure out is where everyone came from! Do you all know each other? It seems like people are always getting together for events and dinner. Who is Don Rockwell? Where did this site come from? It seems like it's just a forum hovering in limbo somewhere in cyberspace, and yet you all seem to have "ins" with all the top restaurants in DC. How is it that you all seem to have "ins" with all the top restaurants in DC? I feel like I've stumbled into some secret room where the culinarily priveleged go to swap secrets - - - and I don't belong! -Dan

You're the best. I'll be trying to get the higher ups on board. Should I stop by during normal business hours or before? Geez, before... that'd be like peering behind the curtain. I've been to Ray's three times. Definetely OUR kind of place. Maybe next time I'll actually introduce myself.

Michael - having my fiancee there with me will, as it has been with every visit to Ray's, make the place look as fancy and done up to me as L'auberge Chez Francois. She's not reading this, so I'm not sure why I'm trying to butter her up... But I digress. That sounds PERFECT (to me, anyway - I'll have to run it by the bosses). What do you think we'd be spending on something like this? Maybe I should buy monogrammed steak brands for everyone...

Wow, during this whole wedding no one has EVER asked me what would work for ME. This is stunning. I should probably defer to the future Mrs. and the in-laws, though. A private room would probably be best, if only to protect the other restaurant patrons. Our wedding is on Sunday, so the rehearsal would probably be on Saturday, since many of the attendees will be arriving from out of town. What does IIRC mean? Thanks!

Salutations everyone! I've been browsing the boards for a while now, but this is the first time I've ever posted. I'm not even sure if I'm in the right forum - all the threads here seem to have specific restaurants as the subject, so I hope this isn't too general a topic. My fiancee and I are getting married in October at the Sequoia in Georgetown. Does anyone have any suggestions for a good place to have the rehearsal dinner? We probably won't be more than 20-30 people (we better not anyway, or I'm feeding dog food to the in-laws). Does Ray's the Steaks do private parties? How would one go about arranging this? Should I worry about my fiancee leaving me for Michael? Thanks!!! -Dan Cole

I saw the subject of your thread, and I opened it intending to write pretty much exactly what you just wrote. Maybe it got crushed by the huge building that's towering over it.