Michel Richard Citronelle

The service was particularly unexceptional, if not insulting. We did not feel welcome. Both the wait staff and sommelier appeared genuinely disgusted with us from the outset and, by the end of the evening, the feeling was mutual. Our sommelier disavowed (with a good bit of drama) any knowledge of Wine Spectator, which is perhaps not surprising given that you would be hard pressed to find any wine under $200 on the list that scored over a 90. Our waiter then poured my soup onto my wife's scallops then played it off like it never happened. Eight people watched him do it. When I called him out about it, he had the audacity to ask me whether I wanted him to replace it. Did he expect me to say no? He later apologized, but to me, not her. more

Unlike the previous reviewer, our experience was excellent. Service, food and everything else was top shelf. There are always a few people who will complain about everything. more

I have no complaints about the food on my one visit to this place usually so outside my budget. However, the service was absolutely terrible and ruined the evening for us. Offhand, dismissive and rude, the waiter was uninterested in us and the food. When asked for a wine recommendation, our waiter picked the wine list up off the table and tossed it in front of my friend, "Here's the list", and walked off. It was downhill from there. The next night we visited Corduroy where our waiter was friendly, enthusiastic about the food and went out of his way to ensure we had an amazing experience. What a contrast! more

2010 Dining Guide 2010 Fall Dining Guide By Tom Sietsema Sunday, Oct. 17, 2010 Michel Richard has me at the amuse bouche. The opening act of tonight's bravura culinary performance brings together a golden snail fritter, a pinch of warm potato salad held together in a sheer clutch of green radish by a minuscule red clothespin, and a tiny Parmesan-flavored "cupcake" capped with salmon mousse. Three exquisite bites. How clever! How sublime! (Writers are warned against overusing exclamation points, but it's hard not to when describing some of the best food in this country -- or any other, for that matter.) Citronelle is where you'll find the most glamorous pizza in town, its delicate, saucer-sized crust spread with scallop mousse, decorated with sweet peekytoe crab and sparkling with caviar. There might also be crisp-skinned bars of succulent duck breast flanked by tender, sweetly spiced duck leg meatballs neatly lined up on a strip of carrot gelatin. The chef's divine sablefish "dressed in red" is indeed scarlet (he marinates the fish in beet juice, soy sauce and lime zest), and my favorite dessert is a plate of cracked-open eggs -- no, wait: The shells are designer chocolate, the yolks are tart lemon curd, and the whites are soft French meringue. Richard, with the support of chef David Deshaies, is a master wit. The underground hotel dining room is desperate for a makeover, but the buzz of a well-fed crowd and expert service help diners forgive appearances. The fresh gleam in the glass-fronted kitchen isn't just from the pots and tiles. A life-size silver toque is now on display in the window. It's a tip of the hat from the prestigious Association des Maitres Cuisiniers de France (Master Chefs of France), which honored its native son in September. Lucky him. Lucky us. more

I had the very fortunate opportunity of finding this gem by accident. After my dinner reservations at a different restaurant had fallen through, especially during the Cherry Blossom Festival, my girlfriend and I were all dressed up with no place to go. We called Citronelle and on a moments notice, they were able to accommodate us and provided us with a dining experience we would not soon forget. Upon entering the restaurant, the maitre d' could not be more welcoming and hospitable. Not once did they treat us as if they were 'squeezing us in' and act frantic or rushed. As a matter of fact, they sat my girlfriend and I at a wonderful table with views of both the gorgeous working kitchen as well as the rest of the dining room. The head waiter, or so he seemed, Pablo Ortiz, tended to our every request... and always with a smile. Most restaurants ask guests to provide dietary restrictions well in advance, so that the tasting menu can be modified to suit them accordingly. However, with our impromptu visit, we did not give them any advanced notice, and still asked them to change half of the tasting menu for my girlfriend. Without hesitation, they arranged a thoughtful, creative and delicious tasting menu for her without making us feel badly. Quite the opposite, as they even invited us into the kitchen to give a brief tour, meet the head chef, and enjoy some quick photographs. The food is exquisite, with each dish creating a memory. I would laugh under my breath, thinking of how simple and delicate foods can be made into complex creations that balance flavor and texture perfectly. As a native New Yorker, living in Manhattan, I frequent fine dining establishments regularly. I must admit that despite the selection of restaurants here in NY, Citronelle is easily in the top 5 places I have ever eaten. While the decor is simple, and some have even claimed dated, the service is top notch and the food is well worth the price. Pros: Excellent Food and 5-star Service Cons: Decor is a bit dated more

We dined in late Nov. and I must say, The food was wonderful. The way the potato wafers are made, makes them very thin and very crisp. The problem is that it is time for a make-over in decor and service. One should not have to deal with a cell phone going off over and over. The service seemed rushed and impersonal. more

By Tom Sietsema Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009 The only restaurant to make an appearance in every dining guide since 2000 is this place in Georgetown. One reason for that: Michel Richard is among the country's best and brightest chefs. Few others have his gift for weaving textures and colors into every dish, or his playful wit. The Frenchman's amuse bouche, for instance, might be a single bite of four miniatures, including a crab cake the size of a quarter and a ratatouille-filled taco not much bigger than a postage stamp. I adore the light crunch of potato and the silky feel of carpaccio-thin fish in his tall and elegant tuna napoleon "nicoise," which is such a crowd-pleaser that "we can't take it off the menu," a server cheerfully tells me. To order Richard's eel transformed into schnitzel, his veal translated four different ways on a plate that resembles a landscape or even his splashy fig tart is to buy admission to a fine-art show. So why not embrace the place more wholeheartedly in the star count? Once trendy, the underground dining room with its color-changing mood wall is "very '90s," as a partner in crime put it. And though the service is effusive if you happen to be recognized as a person of interest, the unknown diner can encounter more of a chill. Following a friend into Citronelle several minutes after he had been unceremoniously squished into a seat, I inquired about his reception. "I felt like a number," he said, and I sighed. Fixed-price dinner menu per person: three-course $105, nine-course tasting menu $190, chef's table $350. Jackets are required. more

The food here is excellent, as you would expect, and the service top notch. But two dishes I had really... more

The food here is excellent, as you would expect, and the service top notch. But two dishes I had really capture the experience I think. I ordered... more

We opted for the tasting menu which was absolutely fantastic. Much has been written about this restaurant -... more

We opted for the tasting menu which was absolutely fantastic. Much has been written about this restaurant - it is a noveau take on cooking. The s... more

The dining experience at Citronelle is comparable to the finest restaurants in the world. The owner/executive chef (Michel Richard) is very visible and the attentive service as well as knowlegable sommliers are a pleasure. From the Citronelle Caviar to the dessert, Breakfast at Citronelle, we were wonderfully surprised by every course. Step inside the glass enclosed kitchen and listen to the perpetually busy chefs bark their commands in french as each plate is perfectly assembled and sent out. more