davidhale

I opted for the salmon with pearl pasta, and I have to confess some disappointment. The pasta is served chilled in some sort of white sauce that has strong flavors of both onion and lemon. It would be good on its own, but paired with the salmon (perfectly cooked, thank you) and the pear tomato salad topping, it was too much a summery dish and unsatisfying.

Thank you for your post; just fyi the salmon set has since changed to a celery root puree with mushrooms and walnuts; it's delicious and much more seasonally appropriate. Please introduce yourself next time you're in!-D.

This is great news. A big congratulations to Kathy. I know she worked long and hard on the certification. I also believe this makes her the only MS working in a restaurant in DC.

Not only is she the only MS in DC, but this makes her just the 19th female MS in the United States. Bravo to Kathy, who has been a great friend and mentor (along with some guy who I've quoted above, of course ) Kudos also to Andy for passing the Service component of the MS exam on his first try! He, Kathy, John and Jarad have been such great friends/teachers to the rest of us in the DC wine community, and we owe them much love (or much gin, whichever comes first).

Hi all,

My apologies for not being terribly blog-centric, but I just wanted to take a moment and ring in my first post at DR with...(drumroll please) a shameless plug. Brian and I are starting a Wine Dinner Series at Central that begins next Monday, March 29th. It's a chance for us to have some fun sharing wines that we love, give Chef Arthur a forum to cook special menus specifically for the dinners, and, hopefully, meet new people who love wine and food and have a blast. Our first dinner is this Monday, March 29th at 7pm: five wines, five courses, $150 all-inclusive. We'll be featuring small-production American wines at the dinner; I'm really excited about the menu that Artie has come up with and I hope that you can join us if you're available. The dinners will be in our Private Dining Room, and I only have a few seats left for this first one, but I'd love to ask for your support in filling it out so we can build momentum in the series, which will continue on a monthly basis for the rest of the year (and hopefully beyond), usually on the last Monday of every month. I've posted a copy of the press release that went out below so you can take a look at the menu and wines, but if you have any further questions please feel free to contact me at Central (202-626-0015) or via my email dhale@centralmichel richard.com Thanks again for reading, and I look forward to hosting you (as well as making more posts sans the shameless plugs ) -D.

CENTRAL MICHEL RICHARD ANNOUNCES MONTHLY WINE DINNER SERIES

Monday, March 29, 2010: Small-Production American Wines

Washington, D.C. – Central Michel Richard launches the first of a new Monthly Wine Dinner Series, Monday March 29, 2010, at 7:00PM, in Central’s exclusive Jean-Louis Private Dining Room.

Join us, as we present an exclusive and intimate dinner featuring stunning wines made in limited quantities. Each of the five wines being showcased in this dinner has a total case production of 500 cases or less. The selections will be paired with a five-course dinner menu, conceived especially for the evening by Central’s Chef de Cuisine, Arthur Cavaliere. The menu for this Small-Production American Wine Dinner is:

Les Amuses Bouches:

SWEET CORN SOUP, jonah crab, tarragon

STUFFED DATES, marcona almonds, smoked bacon, Roquefort cream

POTATO SKINS, tuna tartare, micro arugula, lemon

Blanc de Blanc, Domaine Thibaut-Janisson, Charlottesville, Virginia NV

1st Course:

ROASTED WHITE ASPARAGUS, sauce gribiche, black truffle, bianco sardo

Gruner Veltliner, Daedalus Cellars, Willamette Valley, Oregon 2008

2nd Course:

GRILLED OCTOPUS SALAD, preserved lemon vinaigrette, garbonzo puree

Chardonnay, “Stone Cote Vineyard”, Hartford Family, Sonoma, California 2007

Main Course:

CRISPY PORK CONFIT, garlic yogurt

Syrah, “Ledgewood Vineyard”, Thomas Michael Cellars, Napa, California 2005

Cheese Course:

GRAYSON, Virginia

GOAT GOUDA, Vermont

BLEU DE BASQUE, Spain

Cabernet Sauvignon, Parry Cellars, St. Helena, California 2005

Dessert:

BROWNIE “SUNDAE”, walnut caramel, banana ice cream

Porto Blend, “Independence”, Mauritson Wines, Dry Creek Valley, California 2007

Central’s wine dinner series will cover a wide range of themes, and whenever possible, the importers and winemakers will be present at the dinners which feature solely their wines. Guests will be treated to an intimate and fun food and wine experience, allowing General Manager/Sommelier Brian Zipin and Sommelier David Hale to share their passion for unique wines, as they highlight wines, regions, importers, and producers that will peak the interest of novices and connoisseurs alike. Only 16 seats are available for each dinner in the series, which will, barring holidays, be held on the last Monday of every month. A full calendar of these events will be released by the end of March.

Reservations may be made by calling the restaurant at (202) 626-0015. A Credit Card will be required to secure the reservation. The price is $150 for the five-course tasting menu with wine pairings. Price includes tax and gratuity.