DannyNoonan Posted October 25, 2010 Share Posted October 25, 2010 I should have been more specific, youngfood. My comment was unrelated to Ms. Morgan's prowess as a sommelier (well documented), it was a statement on the food offerings. I found on the last visit that the menu items had changed very little over the last several years, were not particularly cognizant of seasonal ingredients, and generally not as 'wow'-inspiring as they had been in years past. Now this is just one man's opinion, and I would certainly say that Citronelle is still quite good, but the meal I had at Komi in August and at Cityzen in May were on a completely different level than the one I had at Citronelle last February. Also, I don't know why Tom Sietsema would not include CityZen in a dining guide for the Washington DC area, but to call that an 'egregious omission' would be an understatement. A group of us dined recently at Citronelle and my experience echoes some of the sentiments above. The kitchen sends out dishes that reflect a degree of precision, skill, and artistry that is hard to replicate. At the same time, the whole experience felt a little tired to me. The dining room is still pretty blah and the menu, as mentioned above, doesn't change much. Maybe it's just a sign of the economic times we are in but I need something more when the tab is that large. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted September 23, 2011 Author Share Posted September 23, 2011 Kathy Morgan is no longer at Citronelle, unfortunately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bittersweet Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 Kathy Morgan is no longer at Citronelle, unfortunately. Does anyone know where Kathy has gone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Citronelle and the Latham hotel have closed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted June 1, 2013 Author Share Posted June 1, 2013 [posted on eGullet 2003-2004] The indigenous people in North America were Asians who crossed the Beringia land bridge formed by glacial flow (and corresponding topographical change) approximately 12,000 years ago. When they arrived, they found woolly mammoths, saber-tooth tigers, mastadons, large bison, camels (!), giant ground sloths, and a whole host of other now-extinct beasts. However, the true "Native Americans" were the anaerobic bacteria which formed during the Precambrian Era, only to be conquered and usurped, at least in stature, by the stromatolites and other primitive prokaryotes which formed approximately 3 billion years later in the region surrounding Lake Superior. The only thing I can think to add is that I had a kick-assed beef shortrib "pot-au-feu" at Citronelle on Saturday night, and the presentation of the shortribs really does look like layered stromatolites. It's a bloody brilliant take on this dish, turning the peasant into the elevated. Run, do not walk. It's available at the bar for $35, and no shit, I suspect the entire dish has less than 1,200 calories while at the same time being rich, filling and satisfying. Thank you for listening, and have a nice day. Rocks. Remember this place? This was the quietest closing, relative to stature, in United States restaurant history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookluvingbabe Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 I know that I kept hoping it would reopen. The hotel is still closed though work is going on. I think that is the first I've seen that indicated that wasn't the plan... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted June 2, 2013 Author Share Posted June 2, 2013 I know that I kept hoping it would reopen. The hotel is still closed though work is going on. I think that is the first I've seen that indicated that wasn't the plan... Citronelle will never again reopen inside the Latham. All items have been removed from the hotel which has been foreclosed upon. Michel Richard = 1st Ballot Hall Of Famer. Although I don't love his late period, that's what he'll be remembered for, but that's *only* because this website wasn't around to document his earlier work. But I saw it with my own eyes, and it was genius - and i'm not talking about frozen roulades; I'm talking earlier than that. Any future he has - and it might be a considerable one - lies in New York City. Don't you see that it's important to document *every meal* you have at Palena, Inn At Little Washington, CityZen. This is not just to write a "review" - it's to capture a moment in history for future generations. I'll start writing reviews again if everyone wants me to, but I'm tired, and best suited to be an organizer and mentor at this point for future generations of scribes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockcreek Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 Well, that's a bummer. I had a wonderful meal there some years ago, and that was the hotel that my wife and I stayed when we got married in Georgetown (10 years ago.) Fare thee well, Carriage Suite. Don: you should write reviews if it makes you happy. Sometimes though, you just need a break. Hard to begrudge you. Citronelle will never again reopen inside the Latham. All items have been removed from the hotel which has been foreclosed upon. Michel Richard = 1st Ballot Hall Of Famer. Although I don't love his late period, that's what he'll be remembered for, but that's *only* because this website wasn't around to document his earlier work. But I saw it with my own eyes, and it was genius - and i'm not talking about frozen roulades; I'm talking earlier than that. Any future he has - and it might be a considerable one - lies in New York City. Don't you see that it's important to document *every meal* you have at Palena, Inn At Little Washington, CityZen. This is not just to write a "review" - it's to capture a moment in history for future generations. I'll start writing reviews again if everyone wants me to, but I'm tired, and best suited to be an organizer and mentor at this point for future generations of scribes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted February 21, 2014 Author Share Posted February 21, 2014 Citronelle will never again reopen inside the Latham. All items have been removed from the hotel which has been foreclosed upon. Schneider's of Capitol Hill has purchased Citronelle's 4,000-bottle wine cellar, and has it up for sale (by the bottle): Citronelle Wine Cellar for sale at Schneider's of Capitol Hill A cursory (3-4 minute) scan found nothing that made me want to pull the trigger, but that doesn't mean there aren't bargains. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktmoomau Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 I really wish Citronelle would re-open somewhere. It was excellent in a way you just won't get at Central. I know he has better things to do now, but don't you need a flagship.... Le Sigh. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted February 21, 2014 Author Share Posted February 21, 2014 I really wish Citronelle would re-open somewhere. It was excellent in a way you just won't get at Central. I know he has better things to do now, but don't you need a flagship.... Le Sigh. Michel is not a young man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Slater Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Hey, he's only 4 years older than me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted February 22, 2014 Author Share Posted February 22, 2014 Hey, he's only 4 years older than me! We measure you in dog years, Mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithstg Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Schneider's of Capitol Hill has purchased Citronelle's 4,000-bottle wine cellar, and has it up for sale (by the bottle): Citronelle Wine Cellar for sale at Schneider's of Capitol Hill A cursory (3-4 minute) scan found nothing that made me want to pull the trigger, but that doesn't mean there aren't bargains. Me neither, but the current offering is just a selection of domestic bottles. Apparently more will be added each day, and old world wines over the weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.A.R. Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Hey Mark, did you have any Kracher TBA's in the cellar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe H Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Fantastic collection of Washington State but no bargains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Slater Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Hey Mark, did you have any Kracher TBA's in the cellar? I never bought any. If you'll remember, I left Citronelle in 2009, 3 1/2 years before it closed. Much of the wine on sale was bought by Kathy Morgan and Laurent Lala. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPW Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 Went through the Rhones that were just posted. Like Joe H posted about the WA wines, while there are some nice bottles, there are no real deals worth going out of your way for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithstg Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 Went through the Rhones that were just posted. Like Joe H posted about the WA wines, while there are some nice bottles, there are no real deals worth going out of your way for. Damn. I was waiting for the Rhones to show up. Guess I won't bother looking, then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPW Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 Damn. I was waiting for the Rhones to show up. Guess I won't bother looking, then. ETA - I didn't look at the high end ones. My wine budget is relatively small compared to just about any of the Berserkers. Might be a couple of good deals at the higher price point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted February 26, 2014 Author Share Posted February 26, 2014 ETA - I didn't look at the high end ones. My wine budget is relatively small compared to just about any of the Berserkers. Might be a couple of good deals at the higher price point. There aren't, at least not that I saw. One thing that's important for everyone to realize: there is a very well-established auction market for high-end wines, certainly all the top Rhones. There would be nothing preventing Schneider's from sending these to auction - thus, it is logical to conclude that they're going to be trying to get "auction value or higher" by selling them. High-end wine is very much like currency these days: it has a fairly precise world-wide value at any given point, and any fluctuation from that value - higher or lower - should be a red flag. This is why I bristle at restaurant wine prices ("This wine is worth "X" - and you're charging 2 times X? No!" It works for the low-end, obscure stuff, but not the high-end, well-known stuff (at least not with me)). Schneider's knows what they're doing, and I cannot imagine any "steals" showing up on the list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithstg Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 There aren't, at least not that I saw. One thing that's important for everyone to realize: there is a very well-established auction market for high-end wines, certainly all the top Rhones. There would be nothing preventing Schneider's from sending these to auction - thus, it is logical to conclude that they're going to be trying to get "auction value or higher" by selling them. High-end wine is very much like currency these days: it has a fairly precise world-wide value at any given point, and any fluctuation from that value - higher or lower - should be a red flag. This is why I bristle at restaurant wine prices ("This wine is worth "X" - and you're charging 2 times X? No!" It works for the low-end, obscure stuff, but not the high-end, well-known stuff (at least not with me)). Schneider's knows what they're doing, and I cannot imagine any "steals" showing up on the list. Agreed. Was hoping to find auction value or slightly lower, with free shipping, as I'm so rarely in DC now. Used to shop at Schneider's all the time, now its either online or Chambers Street in person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted February 7, 2015 Author Share Posted February 7, 2015 This remains the quietest closure of this magnitude I have witnessed in my entire career. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkstar965 Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 This remains the quietest closure of this magnitude I have witnessed in my entire career. If you mean Citronelle (versus this being a wine reference?), I've thought the same thing. But he is a bit under-the-radar/more media shy maybe? The suspected but unclear involvement in that ill-fated sausage concept and the Manhattan misadventure maybe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pool Boy Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 This remains the quietest closure of this magnitude I have witnessed in my entire career. We had one meal there. It was amazing. I think it was maybe 2001/2/3 timeframe. There was this cauliflower soup with caviar on top served in what looked like an egg. It was tremendous. Even more so because my wife does not like cauliflower - but that course alone changed her mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted February 7, 2015 Author Share Posted February 7, 2015 If you mean Citronelle (versus this being a wine reference?), I've thought the same thing. But he is a bit under-the-radar/more media shy maybe? The suspected but unclear involvement in that ill-fated sausage concept and the Manhattan misadventure maybe? I was referring to Citronelle closing which predates Manhattan blowing up. Michel lived for media - he was as much of a ham as anyone, and Citronelle's PR rep was an expert at controlling the media - but despite that, the media turned on Michel during the Manhattan debacle, and (you'll have to take my word on this one) the entire sequence of events was very, *very* hard on him. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkstar965 Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 I was referring to Citronelle closing which predates Manhattan blowing up. Michel lived for media - he was as much of a ham as anyone, and Citronelle's PR rep was an expert at controlling the media - but despite that, the media turned on Michel during the Manhattan debacle, and (you'll have to take my word on this one) the entire sequence of events was very, *very* hard on him. Didn't know. Easy to believe. Sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ad.mich Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Citronelle's PR rep was an expert at controlling the media The slow play of the closure was a work of art... This might be the only 'temporary closure due to repairs' in a long long time that people actually bought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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