Michel Richard's Citronelle

[vengroff]

This week I had lunch at Michel Richard Citronelle to celebrate reaching a milestone at work. I will be going back next month for a dinner that has been planned for a while, but I thought I'd report on what's going on at lunch first.

First of all, the main dining room, despite being one floor below ground level, is light, airy and welcoming. Fruit adorns the tables. The entire kitchen is on display behind a giant glass window on one side of the dining room. Directly behind the glass is the kitchen table, which can be reserved for a special prix-fixe dinner. During the day, it serves as Michel Richard's office. He was at the table in a bright hawaiian shirt through most of the lunch service.

On the other side of the dining room is the glass enclosed wine cellar supervised by eGullet's own Mark Sommelier. It is home of what I suspect to be the deepest and broadest collection in town. Most of the big blockbusters are drunk at business dinners during the week, but there are plenty of excellent date wines for the weekenders. Mark also keeps a good selection of large format bottles, ranging up to 6 litres, for large parties.

Lunch began with an amuse of crispy cigars filled with a duxelles of meaty wild mushrooms.

The first big highlight of the meal was a very clever oyster shooter, layered like a pousse cafe with tomato water, oyster, cucumber puree, and osetra caviar. It was a really brilliant little dish with a perfect finish of fresh tomato and briney oyster.

The soup course was a peanut soup. I probably would not have selected it had it not been on the tasting menu, as my expectation was that it would be a little heavy for the warm weather. But it was not. I was very pleasantly surprised by the light gingery Thai-influenced peanut soup poured over wild mushrooms and chopped peanuts. It was really smooth, and remarkably light and refreshing.

Potato-crusted salmon was a much more sophisticated version than my recipe. The fish was bright red and perfectly cooked. It was served with thick heads of asparagus, a mushroom sauce, and tiny potato croutons. The mushroom sauce may have been just a tad too strong for the fish, but otherwise I enjoyed it.

Veal osso bucco was the savory standout. The tender braised meat with baby carrots and parsnips (I think) was topped with crisp fresh peas, haricot verts, and a carefully peeled roasted cherry tomato. The contrast between the meat and the vegetables was fantastic.

Dessert was also exceptional. A deconstructed lemon tart was served with basil sauce and topped with fresh fruit, including an inspired selection of kumquat slices, and cubes of merengue.

All in all, a very enjoyable way to spend a lunch hour (or several). Service was attentive and professional, and wine suggestions were spot on. I can't wait to go back for dinner and see what else comes from the kitchen.

Everything about Citronelle is on the absolute highest level I have seen in DC, and I haven't even seen the dinner service yet. The only other place I would give similar all around marks is Maestro.

[John W.]

No wine notes?

I went for mine and a friend's birthday last month, 6 top in the kitchen. One of the top dining experiences you can get in the city. My man Michael is doing well after taking over as chef de cuisine. Sit in the kitchen if you can. Watching "the dance" never gets old.

Edited July 4, 2003 by John W. (log)

[vengroff]

No wine notes?

I'm sorry I did not take detailed notes, but here's an overview. I began with Gruner Veltliner, which is my new favorite. I've been buying it wherever I see it.

The Gevrey-Chambertin with the veal was perfect. I also had a nice Bordeaux with some cheese, and a peachy dessert wine with the lemon tart.

I should have taken notes, especially since I had a pen and paper at the table for other reasons.

A agree that the kitchen table looks like a great experience.

[John W.]

Just kidding about the wine notes.

I'll try to get my notes posted too, if I can find them. Long night though.

[vengroff]

I had a fantastic dinner at Citronelle the other night. Michel's tasting menu was creative and very well executed. Mark's accompanying wines were very well selected. The service was exceptional, and the room, despite being one level below ground, is warm and inviting. What got me more than anything though--and it took me a good twenty-four hours to put my finger on it--was that this place is just pure fun.

The food is whimsical, but never contrived or forced. On the night we were there, we were treated to an egg leitmotif. That's not to say that every other course was a quiche or souffle of some kind. Instead, quite the opposite was the case. Eggs and egg references popped up on our plates in the strangest places. The meal began with a caviar egg. In this case, only the shell of the egg was used. It was cut longitudinally, using a spinning blade that I can only imagine was orginally designed for delicate surgery. The halves of the egg shell was then fashioned into a treasure chest, complete with a crisp potato handle, and filled with caviar and aspic. Later, we were treated to what appeared to be a poached egg atop asparagus. The egg, however, was made from mozzarella and filled with egg yolk and caviar. Shaved parmesan completed the dish. It was served with a Vincent Delaport Sancerre. Finally, for dessert, we had an egg "breakfast," an assortment that looked like it came straight from a short-order cook's griddle. A fried egg had an apricot yolk, and a soft cooked passion fruit and merengue egg was presented in the shell. French toast was pound cake, bacon was a crisp wafer, and had browns were cubes of cinnamon apples with rasberry sauce in place of ketchup. The only thing missing was the orange juice. Mark looked to Hungary instead of Florida and found us a 95 Oremus 5 Puttanyos Tokaji, which we were very happy with.

In between the egg courses, we had a number of outstanding dishes. My favorite was a chili made of duck confit and black beans. I've had chili made from beef, turkey, venison, and wild boar, and I've heard legends of people making it from armadillo, but I think they all missed the boat; duck is meat the use. The chili was further complemented by a hunk of sauteed foie gras and a Riesling Grand Cru "Geisberg" Domaine Keintzier 1999. Other highlights included halibut, served with a crown of crisp fried herbs and presented atop a bed of corn polenta. I admit being a bit confused when I saw "corn polenta" on the menu; I would not have expected polenta to be made from anything else. In this case, though, the soft polenta was heavily infused with the sweet aroma of fresh corn. I was floored. The other dish that really did it for me was the wagyu beef with potato and mushrooms. The dish consisted of medium-rare American Kobe beef strip loin with sauce grande-mere accompanied by thick-cut pomme frites twice fried in clarified butter and a pile of sauteed golden chanterelles. A '96 Clos du Marquis, our only red wine of the night, drank very well with the beef.

Those were the highlights, which is not to say that any of the other dishes were less than excellent. I rarely walk away from an long tasting menu without thinking there was at least one course that fell flat. Here, none did. Artichoke hearts in a cool cucumber consomme were refreshing and very well complemented by a Hopler Guner Veltliner. Romaine salad sent ordinary caesers back home to Baja. Cherry clafouti, always a favorite of mine, burst with fresh fruit. Chocolate-covered grapes were a wonderful treat to share in the taxi on the way home.

The Michel menu we had is $120. As an anniversary treat, we were very happy with it. There is also a shorter tasting menu for $100, and three or four course options can be had for $75 or $90.

[bloviatrix]

That's sounds absolutely wonderful. Great writing - I found my mouth watering as I read about your meal.

It sounds like you had a fabulous evening.

[tjaehnigen]

Thanks for the write-ups (I missed your first one). I'm always looking for a new excuse to go there (but it'll have to wait until after Italy....

[akwiatek]

My wife and I were in DC last weekend, and since we did not have the opportunity to properly celebrate our Anniversary a few weeks ago, I made dinner reservations at Citronelle.

We had a perfect evening, the service was attentive and friendly without being overbearing, the food was delicious and creative and the wine pairings (to Mark's credit) perfect.

We selected the Michel Menu

Our first course was the Egg Caviar - I was wary of this course, not being a caviar fan, but found it very good. The champagne served with this course was a great compliment.

The next course was the Irish coffee, Mushroom consomme and Potato chantilly seved in a tall stemmed glass with a straw - whimsical and delicious and enhanced by the Madiera paired with it.

One of our favorites courses was the Vitello Tonnato - Layers of thinly sliced Veal and Tuna with Caper Emulsion - a wonderful combination of texture and flavors and served with our favorite wine of the evening - the Pavillon Blanc du Chateau Margaux.

Next was the Foie Gras - perfectly sauteed with crispy edges and served with a small pot of black bean chile with duck confit. Both complimented by Mark's excellent choice of Riesling.

Our highlight of the evening had to be the Halibut - It appeared to be encrusted with flash fried herbs and served over Japanese Eggplant with a red curry sauce underneath. Chef Michel was passing by as we were pondering the method used to get the herbs to stick onto the halibut and he quipped " We don't know how either, we get it out of a can."

I believe the wine paired with this was the Clos duMarquis, a delightful bordeaux.

The Wagyu Beef was perfectly cooked and complimented by the Chantrelle mushrooms and what have to be the best french fries ever - prepared in clairified buter. Mark chose a great Carbernet for this course (my ability to recall exact wine details has become slightly fuzzy at this point about 2 hours into the meal).

The cheese course of Romaine and goat cheese Roulade was a beautiful presentation of crispy greens with a perfect amount of the creamy cheese to give both flavors in each bite.

A wise person would have stopped at this point, perfectly satisfied, but someone has to keep the pastry chef employed, so we made the ultimate sacrifice to proceed with dessert.

Having carefully studied past postings on this board, I already knew that my choice had to be the Chocolate Bar with Sauce Noisette - better known as the adult Kit Kat Bar - it was even better than described with the combination of creamy rich chocolate and thet delightful crunch in the center.

At Mark's urging - my wife had the Breakfast at Citronelle - the Whimsical delight of the evening. It is brought out on a breakfast tray and nothing is as it appears. There is bacon, which is actually strips of puff pastry with chocolate stripes. Sunny side up egg, which the yolk is Apricot gelee. Soft boiled egg, which is meringue and passion fruit emulsion served in an egg shell. Diced apples with rasberry sauce which appear to be hash brown potatoes.

Lemon cake, toasted and served with a small scoop of ice cream to simulate french toast and butter. All accompanied with what looks like a latte - but is actually mocha mousse with whipped cream.

Just in case we were still sugar deficient, a plate of petis fours was presented with various fruit gels, a chocolate covered peeled grape and pistachio tuilles.

Dessert was accompanied with a glass of 20 year old Tawny Port. For a perfect ending.

We were seated on the floor with a view of the kitchen, It gave us a great opportunity to see other dishes coming out of the kitchen and I would love to try some of them on our next visit.

We also had an opportunity to spend some time talking to Mark about e-gullet issues and some other DC conversation. Thanks again for everything Mark!

I hope you enjoy this posting. I am happy to answer any other questions anyone has.

[hillvalley]

Thank you for all of the wonderful descriptions. Since my budget won't allow a visit for a while (I am talking years) reading your descriptions is the next best thing. Keep them coming!

[summertruffle]

I've always wanted to see a picture of the "Breakfast at Citronelle" dish. It sounds so fun!

Wonderful review. Thank you for writing it!

[hannnah]

Had lunch in the bar at Citronelle today, and I suspect I'll be back as regularly as my budget will allow for after work. The space is great - lots of natural light, plenty of room, and comfy chairs, and a balcony that overlooks the chef's table. And the food... *drool*.

I had the smoked salmon and brioche for an appetizer - it's hard to top good smoked salmon, and theirs is particularly tasty - along with a glass of 1995 Domaine Schlumberger Riesling Grand Cru "Kitterle", and a taste of a Chenin Blanc which wasn't on the by-the-glass list yet and I can't recall the name of - Les Rembertins, maybe? (Brain is saying Les Remoulades, but I know that's not right.)

For an entree, I had potato-crusted halibut in boulangere sauce - wow. Perfectly cooked fish with a thin crispy crust of potato, with just enough sauce to complement the fish without being too saucy. I'd filled up on the salmon, but that just means I have enough halibut left over for dinner as well. Unfortunately, it meant I didn't have enough room for dessert, but that gives me an excuse to go back all the sooner.

[Busboy]

Sorry that this post is so long -- so was the dinner. And, if I'm repeating some recent threads, Michel, Mark and the team there earned every word. Thanks to all.

It was with some trepidation that we approached dinner at Michel Richard’s Citronelle, what with its reputation for waiters who can crush an ego with a single Gallic sneer, the presence of the “dour assistant wine maven” and the sommelier with an affection for Area 51 wine technology.

Fortunately, we had had the presence of mind to PM that same sommelier before arriving and, perhaps noting the powerful positive publicity my thoughts on his establishment could bring, he agreed to guide us through our fine dining experience – sort of a Maine Guide with a wine list and a tastevin instead of a compass and a paddle.

We were barely seated when Mark appeared, bearing champagne. We thanked him for arranging seats with a view, looking over the chef’s table and into the busy kitchen. Although Mark was our de facto captain for the evening, we also met our server, a stunningly attractive woman who not only was not French, but also seemed positively affable and utterly incapable of the type of disdain sometimes attributed to Citronelle staff.

After some initial confusion on our part, my wife and I put ourselves completely in Mark’s hands and sat back to await the onslaught. MRC is apparently not one of those restaurants where you have nine courses and go home hungry.

The amuse was delightfully presented in an eggshell, halved, with what appeared to be Cheerio – but which tasted like a cross section of a tubular pasta -- to the “lid.” The shell opened reveal a dollop of scallions and potatoes topped with caviar, a salty jumpstart for the taste buds and the meal.

While Mark and I discussed the first wine, I had a chance to catch up on a few old acquaintances from my days in the trade, in a discussion that may have redefined the term “side dish.” Wisely following Mark’s recommendation, I chose a 2002 Georges Vernay Condrieu, “Les Terrasses D’Empire,” a lovely, floral viogner that was almost more fun to smell than to drink, and which was grown in terraced vineyards that have been producing wine since the Romans rolled through Provence 2000 years ago. For all its honeysuckle character, it had a tart little backbone to it, too, and stood up well to the courses that followed.

The first course was crab cromesquis, little croquettes of fried bread crumbs encircling a crab and a savory broth. They’re served on spoons and when you bite into them the warm broth erupts into your mouth (remember “Freshen Up” gum?) leaving it with a warm, lingering coating. The contrast between the crunch and the warm liquid was delightful.

Mark, in explaining how the cromesquis were made, mentioned that Chef Richard had more “toys” than any chef he’d ever seen. To Mrs. Busboy, aka Stephanie, this made perfect sense, given his origins as a pastry chef. And we were to see molds and techniques more usually found in the cold part of the kitchen again, before the night was over.

In fact, the next up were the best-ever escargots, two little snails embedded in what I believe was a spinach gnocchi, cooked in small, round tart molds, and served unmolded with Israeli cous-cous and a brilliant green herb sauce.

Next up was a stunningly rich razor clam chowder, a wonderful brew of cream, sherry and clam complemented by a glass of 30-year –old Taylor Tawny Port that magically appeared, a perfect match for a Boston-meets-Brittany (by way of Bristol) dish. This course was one of the highlights of the evening.

The second half of the elevated cholesterol phase of the meal was foie gras, which I took pains to pronounce correctly for fear of ending up a post on Mark's Thread. Stephanie found the serving a touch large for a tasting menu, and, had I not been (still) ravenous, I might have agreed. But I was ravenous, and the cinnamon-black bean chili balanced the richness so well that I scarfed it down and, for fear of offending the kitchen, nibbled a bit of hers, as well. Mark came through again, with an, off-dry riesling, whose name I didn’t get.

The halibut was perfectly cooked and crusted with lentils and bacon, either delightfully understated or a bit tame, depending on the mood in which you approached it. We approached it in the company of a 2001 Mersault-Charmes produced by (according to my notes) either Domaine Buisson-Charles or Domaine Charles Buisson. Gold, nutty, viscous, but not over-oaked, it was a good middle-weight chardonnay to carry us through the home stretch. Thanks, Mark.

At this point, the evening had become delightfully blurry and I developed an inexorable craving for my weekly cigarette. With a little help, I was able to cage a Marlboro from a well-dressed gentleman who, for reasons I don’t understand, spoke to me only in French, asking me to smoke only at the bar. No problem. At the bar, by the way, you can wear jeans, but you’ll fit in better if you match them with $400 shoes and lobster burger.

After stumbling back down stairs, I was greeted by a virtual paella, a briny, miniature, pyramid of perfectly cooked lobster, shrimp, shellfish, with and squid minced to resemble rice. After the richness of the previous courses, the warm Iberian spicing against the clean crustacean taste almost served as a palate cleanser. Stephanie was by now in full retreat and I was again forced to protect the kitchen’s feelings, this time by finished the lobster portion of the dish for her.

Finally, we reached the entrée, “minute steak” of squab breast, served with a reduction sauce, julienned sugar snaps and a reduction sauce, with an herb-crusted confit of leg on the side. The tiny leg, which looked like shake-and-bake for Barbie and Ken, struck me as more garnish than anything a quick crunch, too small for a brute like me to savor. The breast, though, was one of those extraordinary things where a great chef serves something ridiculously simple, but prepared so well it becomes sublime. The slivers of snow-pea became the perfect foil, their bright chlorophyll flavor balancing the slight gaminess of the squab and the richness of the sauce, to bring the whole dish into perfect focus.

With the squab, Mark poured a glass of Bastide St. Dominique Chateauneuf-du-Pape, a warm, slightly tannic red that, like the squab, seemed to embody both country cooking and haute cuisine.

At this point, my notes fail me. There may have been cheese, and I feel certain we would have had a glass sticky to finish off the night, along with the desserts akwiatek did such a good job describing desserts. And, of course, we loved lingering over those gelées, savoring them one nibble at a time, like the last echo of a great musical performance.

Thanks Mark and to all the staff at Citronelle for a truly amazing experience.

Edited November 12, 2003 by Busboy (log)

[summertruffle]

Wow. Stunning. Mark is a class act, and Chef Richard continually amazes me. Thanks for the review, Busboy.

[tjaehnigen]

Whenevr I am ready again to go cough up a lung for dinner at Citronelle, I will make sure to touch base with Mark beforehand. heh heh heh

Nice write-up

[artisanbaker]

hi,

don't have time to write a review but i had an amazing experience. if anyone wants a pic of the "breakfast" i can email them one that i took with my phone.

[vengroff]

Here is artisanbaker's camera-phone picture of the breakfast:

[summertruffle]

Ha! Stupendous. Thanks guys!

[akwiatek]

I was wondering if anyone else read the article in today's Weekend Journal section in the WallStreet Journal about Overrated Restaurants. They had a sidebar with 10 Underrated spots.

I would agree with their inclusion of Citronelle in this category - they say that Michel Richard should be much better known outside the world of Capitol foodies for his tasty inspirations.

I'll bet that the Citronelle folks are happy to be in the Underrated category instead of the Overrated category with Chez Panisse, Emeril's, Peter Luger's and LeCirque in Vegas.

[mongo_jones]

I would agree with their inclusion of Citronelle in this category - they say that Michel Richard should be much better known outside the world of Capitol foodies for his tasty inspirations.

i was lucky enough to eat at michel richard's citrus in los angeles before he shut up shop. some years ago so i don't remember details but i do recall just how excellent the entire meal was each time. citrus had a similar glass wall separating the dining room from the kitchen and richard was in attendance on both occasions--i think this might have been when he started opening up citronelle in santa barbara so his presence wasn't a given. one nice touch on the first occasion: it was one of the group's birthday (this had been mentioned when we made the reservation): he gave her a signed recipe book and sent out a special birthday dessert. and no, none of us were in any way famous or even regulars. too bad he didn't stay in l.a.

[Mark Sommelier]

I was wondering if anyone else read the article in today's Weekend Journal section in the WallStreet Journal about Overrated Restaurants. They had a sidebar with 10 Underrated spots.

I would agree with their inclusion of Citronelle in this category - they say that Michel Richard should be much better known outside the world of Capitol foodies for his tasty inspirations.

I'll bet that the Citronelle folks are happy to be in the Underrated category instead of the Overrated category with Chez Panisse, Emeril's, Peter Luger's and LeCirque in Vegas.

Alan,

You bet we enjoyed that article. Some of the comments were devastating - Chez Panisse "aging hippies throwing a dinner party".

[tjaehnigen]

Interesting. I read a recent review of Citronelle over on VC that was not quite on the same page. I think it started off with 'Hate to say this but Citronelle underwhelmed us Friday night... '

My one and only trip there in May 2002 was amazing. After reading that review (and considering I really respect the opinion of the guy who wrote it, he's one serious foodie), I was seriously bummed and was starting to think that Citronelle was slipping. I have no plans to get back to Citronelle in the immediate future ($500-600 meals for me and my wife only come once in a blue moon), but, when I do get back, I seriously hope I, too, am NOT underwhelmed.

[Mark Sommelier]

Interesting. I read a recent review of Citronelle over on VC that was not quite on the same page. I think it started off with 'Hate to say this but Citronelle underwhelmed us Friday night... '

My one and only trip there in May 2002 was amazing. After reading that review (and considering I really respect the opinion of the guy who wrote it, he's one serious foodie), I was seriously bummed and was starting to think that Citronelle was slipping. I have no plans to get back to Citronelle in the immediate future ($500-600 meals for me and my wife only come once in a blue moon), but, when I do get back, I seriously hope I, too, am NOT underwhelmed.

tj,

I read the review and the following comments on VC ( http://www.vinocellar.com ) tonight about "Citronelle failed to wow". Sorry I don't work 7 days a week.

Edited December 7, 2003 by Mark Sommelier (log)

[pork]

Wow, the descriptions of this place sound a lot like what I've read about the French Laundry.

[tjaehnigen]

Interesting. I read a recent review of Citronelle over on VC that was not quite on the same page. I think it started off with 'Hate to say this but Citronelle underwhelmed us Friday night... '

My one and only trip there in May 2002 was amazing. After reading that review (and considering I really respect the opinion of the guy who wrote it, he's one serious foodie), I was seriously bummed and was starting to think that Citronelle was slipping. I have no plans to get back to Citronelle in the immediate future ($500-600 meals for me and my wife only come once in a blue moon), but, when I do get back, I seriously hope I, too, am NOT underwhelmed.

tj,

I read the review and the following comments on VC ( http://www.vinocellar.com ) tonight about "Citronelle failed to wow". Sorry I don't work 7 days a week.

It's all cool, MS. My one experience there has got to be one of the top 3 dining experiences of my life. I very much believe that you were there helping me out with my wine selection that evening (I think it was a 99 or 00 Kistler Les Noisettiers). The other two top three experiences for me are Roberto Donna's Laboratorio and Babbo.

[DonRocks]

Michael Hartzer is turning out some of the most complex and interesting plates Washington has ever seen. I don't know where he and Michel Richard dreamed up this one, but last night I had what must have been the most labor-intensive dish in the entire city.

It was a carpaccio of squab breast (!), laid flat in a wide shallow bowl, and topped with finely diced parsnips, turnips, carrots, English peas and slices of late-autumn truffle (!!). Basically, a mirepoix. Resting on the wide rim of the bowl were two skewered squab legs "en confit," dry-rubbed with black trumpet mushrooms and truffles, and sitting atop a touch of microchervil. That's the dry part. Then comes a warm ladle full of intense gingery consommé which was made from chicken, veal and duck.

What to make of this? Well, it occurred to me that this was a three-way hybrid of their carpaccio, their pot-au-feu and their pintade of guinea hen which Michael confirmed. I cannot imagine how much cumulative effort it must have taken to make this dish, but I'm glad I was on the receiving end. Michel and Michael conceived this only two days ago, and it was a fascinating, thought-provoking experience that quite frankly I'm unqualified to fully appreciate.

P.S. Mark Slater brought us a fine magnum of 1997 Valpolicella "Ripasso" that is on the list for only $95. For a double-bottle of good wine at this level of restaurant with this level of service, that's quite impressive.

Edited December 7, 2003 by DonRocks (log)