Here is the second part of my review of minibar: an in-depth analysis of every single course that I ate. Bon appetit!

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1.  Passion-Fruit (Semi-Frozen with Liquid Nitrogen): Passion fruit is very pronounced and very refreshing, with a very acidic, citrusy touch, just like you’d find in a real margherita. The alcohol is strong, as I like it, but it’s delicious nonetheless. The foam doesn’t add a whole lot, but it does give some more citrus and salt (pear, lime, etc.) 4.5/5.0. Nice start.

2.  Kettle Corn: Very light and flaky. Hard to eat, but nice nonetheless, especially b/c of the very light, crispiness (it’s not too crunchy). Still, it’s a bit bland, and for kettle corn, it had just a touch of caramel. Nothing too exciting. Nice and fun, but underflavored—and really it’s just popcorn, without much flavoring.  2.0/5.0

3.  Tumbleweed of Beet: Now this is both fun and delicious. The tumblewood has the taste of a really light potato chip, with just the right amount of grease so that it’s not cloying, but with that delicious saltiness that keeps you wanting more. The beet infusion gives it a tad of fruity sweetness that is just delicious, boosting this dish from a simple potato chip to something very complex and exciting. The chip also looks fantastic—a rolling tumbleweed decorated with a flower. An excellent snack. 4.8/5.0

4.  Snow Pea Tempura w/ Soy Foam: Actually, a very nice mix. Because the snow pea is crunchy, all that’s needed here is a light, crispy fry, which both enhances the snow pea crunch and makes sure that there isn’t too much oiliness/grease here. The soy foam is a bit salty, of course, and it’s really more presentation than anything else, since it’s just pure soy without any additional flavoring. This is a bit of a dull dish, but has some great texture and freshness. 4.0/5.0

5.  Bagels, Cream Cheese, and Locks: Utterly delicious, but way too salty for its own good. There’s a ton of salmon roe here, overpowering the whole dish with a big fishiness. Still, the cream cheese combo is interesting, and the cone is extremely flaky, buttery and crunchy. It’s a delicious combo, but not quite balanced well enough. It’s also quite interesting—a really unique presentation of a “bagel.” 3.5/5.0

6.  Ferraro Rocher: A beautiful presentation—a ball in a golden wrapper that you get to eat whole with the wrapper still on! It’s definitely a nice touch. The taste is phenomenal as well. Inside is a delicate, airy, extremely light mousse/ganache of peanuts and maybe even some hazelnut, providing for a very roasted, refreshing bite. It’s very creamy and surprisingly light but very big on flavor. And I like the sweetness here. You can even feel the stickiness of the wrapper (maybe some honey) as you touch it, yet it’s never too much because of the nut balance. 4.8/5.0

7.  Tomato Crisp w/ “Anchovy” Caviar: Delicious, and oh so complex! The tomato comes through extremely well, giving a big fruity tang, enhanced by the herby basil (the anchovy caviar is actually made from basil). Technically, this is a very exciting dish, since they managed to take basil, infuse it with some anchovy water, and give it the same consistency of caviar—it really fools your palate. Moreover, because the flavors are so bold, your mouth swirls around with a big tangy saltiness that makes it pucker up. Still, I found the saltiness and tomato flavors both too extreme and unbalanced, both overpowering the whole bite at different points. 4.0/5.0 (mostly for concept).

8.  Flourless Marcona Almond and Bleu Cheese Tart (in a shell made of liquid): Actually, surprisingly good for bleu cheese, though I’m not a fan. The bleu cheese comes through very easily, but quite subtly, so that even I can tolerate it. The almond is delicious, too, balancing out that bleu cheese with its heavier, more neutral flavor. The whole dish is extremely creamy, and the egg shell container just breaks down so easily, not interfering with the bite at all. It’s a very nicely done dish, though I still don’t like the flavor combination because of the bleu cheese. 3.5/5.0.

9.  Cotton Candy with Eel: Really, the cotton candy seems a bit extraneous here. It’s just some sugar flavored with ancho pepper and soy, but it really doesn’t add much except for a bit of a sticky texture. The eel is the star of the dish. It is an extremely nice cut, barbecued very well, and filled with flavor. Still, it has a bit of tanginess and spiciness that is overpowering. This is definitely not my favorite dish, though it’s still an interesting concept. It leaves your mouth tingling with spicy herbiness, which is oddly satisfying. 3.0/5.0

10.  Steamed homemade pita: The pita here is delicious, really saving the whole dish with its excellent, extremely fluffy, buttery chewiness. It’s like a mix between foccaccia (in terms of fluff) and pita in terms of flavor and chewiness. The dish itself is very balanced, with yogurt, radish, lots of herbs, etc. I do think, though, that it’s a little too bitter, largely because of the bottarga. It’s also a tad too tangy and neutral because of the overpowering Greek yogurt. I find this dish less refreshing than I’d like, though the bread is excellent nonetheless. 3.0/5.0

11.  Smoked Kushi Oyster (with Apple and Juniper): Amazingly complex. The oyster gives off a lot of smoke and salt, the apple some sweetness, and the juniper a very refreshing herbiness. The meaty saltiness still wins out in the end, but I do like the ingredients that counterbalance it, and the smokiness lasts nicely on the palate. I’m not so crazy about the texture, though—very chewy, with a small apple crunch and a foam that doesn’t add too much. The foam seems to just be there for more presentation. 3.0/5.0

12.  Zucchini (Zucchini Custard, Gelatin, and Seeds w/ Olive Oil): It’s so rich, so flavorful, and so intense, and it has so many different textures that it’s delicious in every single way. Most amazingly, it’s all made with one main ingredient. This dish doesn’t even have butter in it—just olive oil—and yet it’s so rich and so round that you can just savor it infinitely, as it leaves one of the most delicious residues around the mouth. It’s really the texture that takes this dish to another level, though: crunchy from the seeds; oily, very smooth, and rich from the custard; and light and creamy from the gelatin. The dish is just a smidgeon salty, but it captures the zucchini perfectly and does so in so many different ways that it’s inspiring. 4.9/5.0

13.  Sea Urchin Ceviche w/ Hibyscus: Unsatisfying. It’s amazingly bitter because of the intense herbs, while the sea urchin is bland and neutral, with a chewiness that can get boring and overly gelatinous. There’s really not much additional texture to the dish other than that chewiness, which is downright disappointing after seeing the masterful manipulation of textures in the last dish. Overall, though, the hibiscus is the main problem, since it is just so intense that it overpowers any savoriness to the dish, and though it has a big aftertaste, that aftertaste is so bitter that I just wanted to get it out of my mouth. 0.5/5.0

14.  Guacamole (Avocado with spicy tomato sorbet on the inside, with mini-tortilla chip crumbs): Fantastic concept, but a bit boring in execution. The best part is by far the tortilla chips, the part that’s supposed to be backstage. They add a good, frito-like corn flavor and a very big, refreshing crunch. The salt is nicely balanced, too. The avocado roll, too, is okay, but it’s not overly exciting. It is just chilly and bland, and the tomatoes don’t help to alleviate that. Good, fresh ingredients, though. 2.3/5.0

15.  Organic Baby Carrots: Finally a dish that stands out. The coconut here adds a nice zest and sweetness that combine well with the very fresh, strong, carrot fruitiness. There’s also a delicious bit of curry to add just a little more flavor. Even better is the texture, though. The dish is somewhere between creamy and gelatinous (the carrots are, in fact, a carrot gel shaped into carrots—a very nice presentational touch), and the very light richness is fantastic. Finally, the dish is very round, really hitting the whole palate. 4.5/5.0

16.  Sweet Peas, Iberico Ham, Blood Sausage: Another fantastic dish. The dish itself is beautiful and displays an extraordinary amount of technical prowess—peas are encapsulated into gel-like shells in the shape of pea pods, while blood sausage is placed on the dish in a thick, concentrated gel. The peas themselves are slightly hard, with a delicious crunch to them and a big fresh taste. The blood sausage, in contrast, has a very strong, fatty, bitter spiciness to it, as you’d taste from a real blood sausage, even though this one is encapsulated in a small gel. It is surprisingly very concentrated. This dish, then, is just a simple combination of meat and veggies taken to absurdity, in the best way possible. 4.4+/5.0

17.  Almonds with Marcona Almond Milk: Another phenomenal play on flavors, really showing all the uses to which an almond can be put. The milk adds some creaminess and a light, flavorful richness, while the three different types of almonds included each have a completely different flavor to them: white ones are unripe, with a tad of that young, acidic taste; brown ones are coated in Marcona almond and have a very big neutral, roasted taste; black ones are bitter/tangysweet. Overall, though, this dish is more a presentation of the almond’s versatility, rather than a fantastic combination of flavors. Each component is flavorful on its own, but they’re more standalone components. 3.8/5.0

18.  Charcoal Salmon: A bit mushy/gelatinous in the mouth, but still very nice in terms of flavor. The garlic is very smoky (and completely black), almost like it has concentrated charcoal actually on it. The salmon, on the other hand, isn’t too savory or big on flavor, nor can I really taste the charcoal flavor much. It does, however, have a very nice, subtle wasabi spiciness. And when you add in the slightly salty roe on top and especially the strong, semi-sweet, smoky garlic, you do get some complexity. Really, though, the garlic saves this dish—it’s incredible, combining the best of the sweet with the smoky. 3.2/5.0

19.  Tzatsiki: Beautiful presentation—a glob of tzatsiki frozen with liquid hydrogen, surrounded by beautiful, bright yellow flowers and some small bread squares. Minibar also finally nails the flavor component down, taking something so simple as tzatsiki and actually improving it. It’s cold and frosty, really suiting yogurt, but at the same time it retains a bit of creaminess in the center. It’s also rather light, with just a bit of richness and a surprisingly pronounced tangy, herby cucumber taste, as you’d get in a full-on tzatziki. I love the idea of combining the tzatziki with crunchy little pieces of bread and real flowers, helping to add some balancing starch and an added blast of seasoning. The dish is very refreshing and leaves a delightful aftertaste. 4.6/5.0 for taste.

20.  Parmesan Cheese Egg and Spanish Toast Salad: Absolutely delicious. Parmesan comes through extremely well, as the dish is very cheesy, very strong, and subtly bitter. The egg yolk only makes it better, adding a delicious balancing richness. At the same time, the toast is very crunchy and light, with an extremely herby quality that blends very well with the cheese and yolk. The bread, moreover, helps to balance out the yolk. Overall, so many textures and flavors are in this dish that you’ve just got to love it. 4.8/5.0

21.  Langoustine w/ Tuber: The langoustine is just a bit bland, but it’s deliciously chewy¸ with an oddly satisfying gelatinousness (normally I don’t like it that way, but here it works really nicely). The saltiness is delicious, too. As for the tuber, it’s refreshingly thick and slightly gritty. It has a taste reminiscent of raw hazelnuts, with a very pronounced intensity that can even be offsetting, as can the slight grittiness. I’m not a huge fan of its blend with the langoustine, though—the savoriness and saltiness of the langoustine get muddled in the fusion with the heavy, neutral, nutty flavor. 3.1/5.0

22.  Philly Cheesesteak with Gruyere: Oddly satisfying, though the gruyere can be a bit too bitter for the combo. Still, that cheese has a very nice smokiness that complements the mix. It also has a phenomenally gooey texture, splashing all over the place. At the same time, the other ingredients can be a bit downplayed. The bread is nice and soft, and I actually like that it doesn’t interfere with the other ingredients too much, just providing a good chewy backdrop. It doesn’t hold up too well to the bite, though, as the cheese oozes out the back on every bite. The biggest disappointment, though, is the steak, which gets caught up in the bitterness of the gruyere. A great play on a classic, but just not there. 3.4/5.0

Desserts

23.  Japanese Apricots with Burrata (with Balsamic Vinegar): Phenomenal. The burrata is incredibly delicate, but nicely semi-hard, holding its form yet having a really nice chewiness to it. Moreover, it’s very fresh, and because it has a more neutral flavor to it, it really sucks up the olive oil deliciously. The apricots, on the other hand, provide the necessary sweetness, but it’s a type of sweetness I’ve never had before. They have an oddly nutty, unripe fruit taste to them that blends seamlessly with their intense, fruity sweetness for one of the most interesting, complex fruits you can imagine. Moreover, little croutons add a very nice bready crunch to give just a bit more balance and some nice texture. Finally, the balsamic vinegar adds an additional layer of tangy sweetness that is very refreshing and which the cheese again absorbs nicely. 4.9/5.0

24.  Kumquat with mustard seed: A bit odd, to say the least. The mustard/kumquat sauce has a weird, semisweet, semi-spice taste to it, but for some reason there’s an overriding bitterness that makes it a bit unpleasant. The mustard seeds, while nicely crunchy and even a bit buttery, just amplify that bitterness. The kumquat continues the trend¸ giving off an extremely tangy bitterness, but that bitterness definitely wins out. It’s a palate cleanser, so I get the reason to go for such a bitter taste—it prepares you to really get the sweetness (since it will contrast so much more strongly). Still, it’s a bit much. 2.0/5.0

25.  Thai dessert (Coconut milk ice cream, with basil, grapefruit, and peanut): Delicious, but somewhat of a blur. The coconut milk is very creamy and sweet, perfectly contrasted by the semi-sweet, very bold nuts (which are provided in a delicious overload of crumbs, so that they’re intense in every bite). The grapefruit jelly adds some nice bitterness, while the basil gives a good zestiness. The texture is also a standout: crunchy, creamy, and gelatinous. Overall, this dish has some great textures and flavors, though some of those flavors get overshadowed as the peanuts dominate. 4.0/5.0

26.  Mango Box: Smooth, light whipped cream with just a bit of sugar and some fruitiness on the inside, surrounded by a thin and crunchy, yet sticky, box of mango that is both bitter and sweet. It’s very nice, but a bit too bitter. 3.5/5.0

27.  Smores: Delicious: Another cream in a thin, crispy, sticky box. Passion fruit foam on the inside adds a fantastic tanginess that is both extremely light and very refreshing, while the outside of the box is a very smoky and flavorful chocolate (I think), like an intense dusting of cocoa powder. Thus, the flavors contrast each other in one of the most intriguing ways, to the point that the palate actually confuses the fruitiness and interprets it with the chocolate like a smore. 4.6/5.0

28.  Bacon and Chocolate: Salty and sweet, savory and chocolaty. A great combo that is a bit too bitter because of the intensity of the dark chocolate (milk would probably have suited it better). Still, this morsel is intensely crispy, as both the bacon and the chocolate contribute to the crunch. I also like that the bacon doesn’t overpower the chocolate in any way with its fatty, bold flavor. Instead, because it’s so crisped, it has more smokiness to it than an intense savoriness. A bit too much salt, but overall not bad. 3.9/5.0

Scores

Ambience: 1.5/5.0
Service: 2.0/5.0
Taste: 3.5/5.0
Value: 2.3/5.0. An exciting meal with innumerable courses…and yet I still left hungry.
Verdict: 2.5/5.0

DC is a town full of exclusive restaurants. None, however, is more exclusive than minibar, the latest venture of celebrity chef Jose Andres. In order to even get a reservation for one of the two 6-person seatings each night, you need to call exactly one month in advance at 10 am sharp.

Only 6 people a seating, you may ask? What about parties of 7 or more? Forget about it. You don’t ask Jose Andres for exceptions—he knows what he wants, and he’s going to have it.

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I personally respect that. For a chef to unleash his creative vision, he can’t be catering to the masses. No, this is definitely a personal project for Jose Andres, one where he can do as he pleases, showing off his skills and just having fun.

He can afford to do that, too, because not only is he one of the most successful chefs in the city with a whole array of extraordinarily popular restaurants, but, for all the formality and hassle involved in getting a reservation, minibar’s phones are ringing off the hook every morning. It’s been only worse since Washingtonian Magazine began praising the 4-star experience, even upping minibar’s rank to #2 in its 2010 list of the top 100 restaurants in the DC area. You’ll be lucky to get through and even luckier to find enough spots for your party. Whatever you think of the meal, then, one thing is for sure: This is definitely the hottest place in town. Be happy if you can even nab one of the coveted tables.

From the looks of the ambience and service, though, you really wouldn’t think of minibar quite so highly. The minibar experience occurs at just what the name would suggest—a miniature bar of six stools, where you have an up-close view of all the action. Three chefs cook an array of dishes right in front of you, stretching your imagination to its limits with ingredients like liquid hydrogen. Still, the charm of the seat is really that view of the kitchen, rather than the comfort level. The seat I had was surprisingly small and cramped, to the point that I couldn’t shift my leg without hitting my neighbor’s purse, which had been placed on a little hook near her stool. It was so bad that not even the waiters could always maneuver successfully, and they bumped into me once or twice as they removed my dishes. I understand Jose Andres had a specific vision for minibar, but I really question the logic of the design.

The service was, moreover, just barely good, lacking the refinement of other experiences. As I’ve noted, the waiters did often bump into me, but even worse was the feeling that the whole meal was rushed. In order to fit in 2 seatings, all 28 courses need to be brought out, finished, and paid for within 2 and a half hours. That’s roughly 1 course every 5 minutes. While the dishes are very small, so it’s possible to eat them comfortably in the allotted time, there’s almost no time to simply relax and admire everything that’s going on around you. Moreover, there isn’t much interaction with waiters, as the chefs do most of the serving, and it can be difficult to get, for example, a refill.

Worst of all, though, is the matter of the silverware. minibar attempts to be “hip” or “modern” by having a wacky take on silverware, combining a spoon and a fork into one. Unfortunately, it’s not extremely practical. On numerous dishes, I found myself in need of a knife or fork to help lift food onto my sfork, but none was provided, and the fork didn’t help much b/c it was a very small, simple prong, often difficult to maneuver and wield (and yes, this is more of a weapon than a utensil!).  Even worse, the silverware for each set of dishes is not replaced, so that you’re forced to eat several different dishes at a time (about 10) with the same, messy sforks. It’s something that is almost unheard of for a restaurant at this price level. While I can understand the logic from a practical point of view—there’s no point in replacing something that’s been used for literally one bite of food—luxury dining isn’t exactly meant to be practical, and it’s surprising that a restaurant of this level would commit such a culinary taboo.

Those issues, though, are just a matter of polish. It’s really the food that keeps minibar back from true excellence. While the dishes were overall great, there was so much inconsistency that it was hard to truly understand of the logic of a 28 course meal. After all, if 10 of the dishes are simply decent or even bad, why not just remove them and make the rest a bit more substantial? Instead, the chefs decide to whip up a phenomenal, ever-changing display of small bites with different colors, decorations, and tricks. Everything is high on presentation and gastronomical smokes and mirrors, but a bad dish is a bad dish, and minibar has far too many for it to compete with the best experiences of the city, especially at a price point of $125.

Making that price even worse, none of the dishes are all that substantial, as it’s possible to eat the vast majority in one or two bites. Innovation and innumerable ingredients are fantastic, but never should a person leave from a $125 meal hungry, and that’s exactly what happened to me. In fact, I was left so hungry that I ended up a couple hours later at Johnny Rockets, inhaling a burger and a milkshake.

More positively, I do give minibar credit for its unique, fresh take on very simple dishes and ingredients, converting the whole experience into something akin to playing with food. Expect classics like kettle corn, Ferraro Rocher chocolate, Philly cheesesteak, and cotton candy to all make it on the menu, yet they come in such odd manifestations that you’re literally left with a slight smirk on your face and an odd sense of satisfaction. The kettle corn, for example, is a colorful potato chip-like piece of popcorn, the Rocher chocolate is a nutty ball of ganache crafted into the shape of a gold Rocher wrapper, and the Philly cheesesteak is a smoky cheese puff topped with sliced Wagyu beef. One thing is for certain: Nearly every dish is exclusive to minibar, so this is a culinary flight unlike any you will have ever experienced before.

Moreover, some of those combinations really do work. The beet tumbleweed, for example, thrills the mouth with a potato chip-like flavor that is infused with a slightly fruity sweetness, while the zucchini plate combines zucchini custard, seed, and gelatin to create one of the most interesting textures I’ve ever seen in a dish, coming up with something creamy, crunchy, rich, oily, and even light. The problem, then, isn’t with coming up with excellent dishes. It’s that the inferior dishes are so prominent that they detract from the potential excellence.

Overall, then, those successes are simply not enough to recommend minibar. Disregard all the hype, whether it be recommendations from friends, the mad blitz for reservations, or Washingtonian’s prestigious 4-star rating. minibar is anything but a 4-star experience, falling short in nearly every aspect, from the ambience and service to the food and value.

I will post a full analysis of the extensive 28-course tasting menu as soon as possible.

Scores

Presentation: 4.5/5.0
Ambience: 1.5/5.0
Service: 2.0/5.0
Taste: 3.5/5.0
Value: 1.6/5.0. An exciting meal with innumerable courses…and yet I still left hungry.
Verdict: 2.5/5.0

When it comes to DC fine-dining, there are few places you can reliably turn to for a meal that is consistently excellent and innovative. That, however, is almost never a problem at Cityzen, easily one of the most beloved and respected restaurants in the city, both among foodies and chefs.

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It’s not all that surprising, though, when you consider Chef Eric Ziebold’s reputation. The first sous chef of the French Laundry, perhaps the most famous restaurant in the nation, he came to DC intending to bring some of that same quality and simple, yet elegant, flair. The result: Cityzen, one of the few Asian-inspired, eclectic fine dining restaurants in the nation. Combining impeccable service and a modern atmosphere that just yells “zen” with a re-envisioning of classic fine dining fare using Asian ingredients, Cityzen comes off as an experience like no other in DC, while still retaining the simplicity that makes Asian cuisines so wonderful.

I’ll begin with the ambience, which is classy and even trendy. A very high ceiling combines with a huge dining room to give a feeling of spaciousness that is hard to match. That sense of grandeur only amplifies as you gaze upon the long, wide stone pillars. They’re not quite classic, yet not quite modern either, instead evoking the best of each. That vibe permeates nearly every aspect of the restaurant: Large chandelier frames with mini-lamps for lights, large bamboo shoots, comfy couches with long pillows, and a gigantic, sleek bar with a dragon-like, worming design of actual flames shimmering across the back, to name just a few of Cityzen’s charms. It’s classically elegant, yet with just enough of the modern to set it apart from those overly formal, simple, old-fashioned restaurants of the past. Keeping with that trend, the restaurant has a full open kitchen, showing you the chefs intensely at work behind a very clean, modern, steel counter. Putting the finishing touch on the whole scene is a lighting scheme that sets you up for an intimate evening, as huge colorful lamps you’d expect to shine out a river of light cast just a dim ray underneath.

That excellence continues with the service. Though the service is not perfect, every waiter seems very professional, so that even the person who poured water or took away the dishes knew how to present himself. What really impressed me was that, regardless of the person who was serving me at the time (and there are several), he/she was able to provide an adequate description of the dish I was getting.

Cityzen, moreover, adds small touches that really set it apart. For example, my phone was very close to my water glass, so to avoid splashing any water on the phone, they would always pour the water with a handkerchief covering the rim of the glass closest to the phone. Another example: They saw me writing down some notes, and when I left they had a printed menu ready to hand me. Great formality, tons of waiters, and precision are the name of the game here.

That doesn’t mean the waiters were stiffs, though. The head waiter or manager—I’m not sure who he was exactly—would constantly run around interacting with the customers, describing the dishes in just a bit more detail, i.e. explaining the nuances, the complexity, how the flavors help to balance each other, etc. The servers were, moreover, a friendly and eager bunch.

There were some problems, however. The biggest of all was simply an issue of language. Many of the waiters are foreign and, while their command of English was fine, their accent was rather marked. When they were presenting and describing the dishes, then, it was very difficult to understand them. Moreover, since there are so many waiters, they are sometimes not on the same page, so I was asked whether I would like wine three times, for example. Third, they were somewhat slow on the water service, and several times I slowed down my drinking not to run out too quickly. Finally, and this is really a minor quip, but once they served me a dish and only afterwards realized I hadn’t gotten a spoon, after which they promptly handed me one. Still, it was an overall impressive job.

The food, though, is really what attests to Cityzen’s mastery of the art of fine dining. I received a 6-course tasting showcasing not just a vast variety of ingredients, but really delving into and perfecting the classics. Confit of Big Eye Tuna, Beer Battered Soft Shell Crab, Butter Poached Lobster, Herb Roasted Lamb—these are all extremely commonplace, in the sense that I could probably find them throughout the city at restaurants that don’t even specialize in fine dining. Judging from the list, moreover, Cityzen does not even seem overtly Asian-fusion, as the dishes are drawn from typical French and American fine dining cuisine.

You then look at some of the ingredients, though, and realize that Cityzen isn’t overt about anything, instead subtly and almost secretly re-working and re-interpreting the typical fine dining fare. For example, the tuna came with yuzu aioli and yama imo, the softshell crab with black radish and cashew, the lobster with bok choy and sunchoke, and the lamb with piquillo peppers, chick peas, and turmeric broth. Most of the ingredients do, in fact, come from the Asian world, and those that don’t are still not typical accompaniments for these dishes. While Cityzen may not astound you by pushing the boundaries of the culinary world or creating an array of unforeseen dishes, it does offer a fresh take on the classics. In the process, it manages to elevate those classics to a new level with its imaginative pairings, creating dishes a clear notch above those of its countless rivals.

Cityzen, then, is a fantastic experience in all aspects: service, ambience, food, and even value. For a meal of this caliber, $110 is fully justified, especially for DC. For a true fine dining experience in DC, it’s hard to do much better.

What I Tasted

1. (Complimentary) Panacotta with Lobster: Delicious. It’s very salty, but that saltiness actually serves a purpose here, as the panacotta is actually infused with lobster essence, so that it combines the best of a rich, creamy egg custard with the salty savoriness of a lobster. The chunks of lobster just add another layer of flavor and a great chewiness to contrast with the smoothness of the custard. The little toast/wafer on top just finishes it off with a nice starchy crunch. 4.3+/5.0
2. 3-Part Complimentary Canopie
   1. Cream Cheese and Locks, i.e. Salmon Tartare (?) with Cream Cheese and a Mini-Wafer: Nice idea converting a classic into miniature form like this, and I love how smooth and almost mousse-like the salmon is. Still, the salmon is far too fishy and salty, overpowering literally everything on the plate, so that the herby lightness of the cream cheese is forgotten and the bread is almost a non-entity. 2.0/5.0
   2. Belly (of what, I can’t recall) w/ Creamy Greens: Delicious. The belly here is tender and nicely cooked all the way through, while the sauce is surprisingly light for something very rich and creamy. That sauce really adds tons of flavor, as well as a nice egg taste to the dish. The bitterness of the greens just finishes it off with a good balancing bitterness. 4.0/5.0
   3. Dough ball with Halibut: I really don’t know what to think of this one. It’s laid atop a pile of very fresh, somewhat tangy, sweet tomato sauce, w/ small pieces of tomato in there for texture. It’s very zesty, leaving a big aftertaste, but I honestly lost complete track of the halibut. Moreover, the dough ball, while very fluffy and somewhat buttery even, doesn’t really taste like much. 3.0/5.0
3. (Complimentary) Bread: foccaccia, wheat, and sourdough are all offered. I tried the foccaccia and wheat, both of which were very soft, but a bit bland, nor were they served hot. I like the herbiness of the foccaccia—it’s very nicely oiled on top.
4. Soft Boiled Path Valley Farms Hen Egg (Melted Spring Onions, Shaved Shoat Leg, and Morel Broth): Wow! What a phenomenal start to a meal. This is one of the creamiest yet freshest and most flavorful dishes you could want. It has tons of greens thrown in and is seasoned very nicely, so that you’re left with an herby taste even though it’s so rich and salty. That saltiness comes from the shoat, which also adds in a really big, delicious fattiness and savoriness. It’s very high quality ham.  Moreover, the pieces of shoat are extremely chewy, adding a very nice contrast to the smooth soup. The broth is just as packed with flavor, though, exploding most notably with the salty savoriness of the shoat but also with the zestiness of the mushrooms and the slight sweetness of the onions. Similar to the shoat, the chunks of mushroom also help to add some texture, coming off as somewhere between the chewiness of the shoat and the smoothness of the soup. Finally—and this is the kicker to the whole dish—there’s a whole egg yolk in the middle that you don’t even know about until you break it. Once you do, the thick richness of that yolk infuses the soup, balancing out the initially slightly overpowering saltiness of the shoat and really blending everything together with an added creaminess. 4.7/5.0
5. Confit of Big-Eye Tuna (Marinated Yama Imo and Yuzu Aioli, Topped with Caviar and Onions): This is a fantastic combination of flavors. The dish looks so simple, with so few ingredients, yet each is so different and so flavorful that the whole combination comes out as a very bold dish. The tuna is cooked nicely, with a good chewiness and some nice redness in the middle. For some reason, though, it feels a tad mushy/stringy at times near the center, though in general I like the texture. It is a bit salty, especially with the combination of the caviar, but the sweetness of the onions and the slightly tangy yuzu aioli—which had a taste somewhere between an egg and sour licorice—help to bring it all together. That aioli is really the star in my opinion, with both a nice richness and a very enjoyable sourness that give this dish a very distinct flavor, especially for tuna. And the overall texture of the dish is nice, too, combining a huge crunch from the onions, the chewiness of the tuna, and the creaminess of the aioli. 4.4/5.0
6. Beer Battered Chesapeake Bay Softshell Crab (with Black Radish, Toasted Cashew, and Rhubarb Gazpacho): Just a beautiful presentation all around: large tempura-like crab looming over a sea of red and white from the radish and rhubard mix. And you can tell immediately upon receiving the dish that it will be phenomenal, as the grease of the crab just wafts up to your nose, overwhelming you. The crab itself isn’t the most complex, but it’s just so succulent and so well fried that it’s hard to complain. The fry is surprisingly light and not too greasy, leaving you with the flavor of the beer rather than bogging you down, and it’s just so crunchy that you can hear the crab crackle in every bite. As for the meat, I like that both legs and the main body are provided, both of which are great, one being on the crunchier side, the other having more juice to it. The real draw here, though, is the garnish. The pool of rhubard juice on the bottom adds a phenomenal sweetness to the dish that just makes the crab so much more flavorful and complex, and because it’s on the colder side it’s a very delicious contrast to the much hotter crab. I also like the crunchiness of the radish and cashew. However, their flavors, especially that of the toasted cashew, are downplayed, and I would have liked to have seen just a bit of the smokiness of those cashews in here. 4.6/5.0
7. Sweet Butter Poached Lobster (Baby Bok Choy, Crispy Sunchoke, and Lobster Veloute): This is so intensely buttery that as soon as I saw it, I could smell an intense butter aroma that just never ceased. And when I put it in my mouth, I understood just why: This lobster is drenched in butter—too much on first impression in fact. That butteriness, though, does make this the most deliciously moist, juiciest lobster that I’ve ever eaten—a good tradeoff in my opinion. To counterbalance that butter, moreover, the chef ingeniously puts down some sunchoke—a very big, slightly bitter, fresh green that can easily counterbalance the richness and the savoriness of the dish, in addition to providing a delicious crunch as a contrast to the melt-in-your-mouth chewiness of the lobster. There are, moreover, some thin potato chips (bok choy?) on the plate that further hedge against the lobster with a good, slightly salty starchiness. It’s a very complex assortment, and I just wish I had some more vegetables to balance it out. The sauce underneath, the veloute, is also nice and rich, with a mild saltiness that I thought was fitting—the lobster’s sweetness shouldn’t be overpowered here. Just a bit salty and buttery in general, but great nonetheless. 4.5/5.0
8. Herb Roasted Elysian Fields Farms Lamb Rib-Eye (Green Chick Peas, Piquillo Peppers, Merguez, Garlic Confit, and Turmeric Broth. Served with Semi-Hot Biscuits/Rolls): At first, I wasn’t too impressed with this dish, but it really started to grow on me with its very nicely balanced complexity. The lamb is very nicely cooked, with just a bit of redness in the middle, so that it’s chewy and rather juicy, though not as much as I’d like. My one problem with it is the somewhat blandness of that chew, as the lamb can get a bit muddled at times. The turmeric is really nice here, too, adding a very subtle spiciness—one which doesn’t actually have any heat, but rather just the essence of a spice. You’re never burning with this dish, just slightly stimulated with the zestiness of the broth. The piquillo only helps with another very moderate spiciness, this time balanced by a slight sweetness in the pepper. I also love the herby quality of the dish. The garlic, of course, adds a much needed and very bold zest that I always love, and the Merguez sausage only enhances that with a very nicely spiced, garlicky savoriness. That Merguez is also a fantastic contrast to the lamb, which is almost on the opposite side of the spectrum in terms of flavor. The one component I am not a big fan of is the green chick peas, which add a nice crunch but are otherwise bland and somewhat hard. There is also a slightly too salty, slightly bitter aftertaste that can be unpleasant. 3.6/5.0
   As a side note, the rolls are practically useless here as an accompaniment to the lamb, though they are very delicious. They are so buttery that they practically drip with grease, and the fluffiness is phenomenal. They also have just a touch of salt to make them mouth-watering. They are, unfortunately, served lukewarm.
9. (Complimentary) Pre-Dessert: Pear Sorbet with Grand Marnier Crushed Ice: I’m pretty sure I got the description wrong, since I couldn’t understand my waiter. Regardless, it’s a delightful palate changer. The sorbet has a pronounced sweetness that plays off perfectly against the rather sour, tangy crushed ice. And the texture is very nice, combining the very rich and creamy with the slightly crunchy and gritty. Not graded.
10. Frozen Valrhona Chocolate Terrine (with Orange Scented Fudge Cake and Blood Orange Sauce): Finally, someone in DC who knows how to make a chocolate dessert! The chocolate cake is very rich and even semi-hard, even though it’s really a layer of what seems to be mousse. It’s made from Valrhona chocolate, too, so it has a great balance to it, i.e. never too sweet or too bitter. There’s, moreover, a thicker, denser layer of crust that is very reminiscent of a dark chocolate brownie adding some more intensity to the somewhat sweeter layer of mousse. That crust is very chewy and sticky, also improving the texture. A dusting of cocoa powder adds the finishing touch. If there is actually any orange scent here, it is very light and barely noticeable, which isn’t a bad thing, since the chocolate is delicious. The oranges mostly come through in the two accompaniments: the blood orange slices and the orange sauce. Both, however, are extraneous. The orange sauce on the side is just a bit too strong and tangy, really overshadowing the chocolate, while the blood oranges have a bland, semi-squishy texture. I do like that those blood oranges are on the sweeter side, only giving way to a slight bitterness in the end. 4.0/5.0
11. Petit Fours
    • Apricot (?) Jelly Cube: Delicious. It’s sweetened perfectly, with a thick layer of sugar dusted across the whole cube, so that you get a really great combo of sour and sweet, in a very chewy but never overly gelatinous jelly cube.
    • Chocolate Hazelnut Praline: The chocolate here is rather dark and very bitter, unlike my last dessert. It’s actually quite nice with the crunchy hazelnut feuilletine on the bottom, which adds a roasted crunchiness. I’d have liked a bit more sugar, but the texture of crunchy and creamy is great.
    • Lemon Poppyseed Bread: Absolutely phenomenal. The lemon here is subtle but adds a nice refreshing undertone, while the cake is so buttery and soft, with just a slight poppyseed grittiness, that it practically melts in your mouth. Very rich, but great.
    • Cassis Macaroon: Nice, but a bit underflavored, since you have to really limit the amount of cassis jelly you can sandwich in the middle because the macaroon is so small. Still, that jelly is flavorful and tangy, while the cookie is pretty nicely sweetened and chewy, though just a bit dry.
    • Marshmallow: Surprisingly, more like a sour gummy than a marshmallow, at least in terms of flavor. It’s still somewhat bland, largely because it’s so airy that it feels like it has no substance, but that sour fruitiness makes this stand out as quite a unique marshmallow.

• As an additional item, I also ordered the Tin Roof Sundae: On first taste, this seems like a pretty decent, but normal dessert. As you keep savoring it, though, it just picks up so many interesting flavors that it makes your mouth go wild. The dark chocolate on top gives a strong bitterness, the marshmallow whipped cream in the middle some sweetness, the hazelnut layer on the bottom a very pronounced, crunchy roasted feeling. The palate also picks up the taste of rather salty peanuts, sprinkled all over the plate and the cake in small pieces. It’s really that strong peanut taste that gives this dessert its fame, leaving you with a delicious aftertaste and making your mouth water with its fantastic saltiness, which also serves as a great contrast to the rest of the dish. Add in some whipped crème fraiche to take an edge off the richness, and you have an outstanding dessert and one of the best reinterpretations of a classic. 4.6/5.0

Scores

Ambience: 4.7/5.0
Taste: 4.4+/5.0
Service: 4.2/5.0
Value: 4.0/5.0
Verdict: 4.4/5.0

I had only a few days in DC left, and I wanted to make them count. I thought about the couple of restaurants that I’d really love to return to, and I knew one of them would have to be Central.

I’ve already reviewed Central Michel Richard (see the review for some more details), but there is so much variety at the restaurant that it completely justifies another review. It is perhaps the best go-to stop for comfort food in the District, and not surprisingly it boasts an array of snacks, sandwiches, and burgers that you will find nowhere else. It can get heavy, very cheesy, and very fatty, but that’s exactly the charm of it—you leave full and satisfied.

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This time I had returned specifically for two specialties: the faux gras plate and the grilled cheese. Both show Central’s depth and variety, as well as the visionary spirit of Michel Richard. In the faux gras charcuterie plate, Central creates a terrine and pate using chicken liver instead of foie gras—and yet, it’s almost as good as the real thing. With the grilled cheese (named one of the top dishes in the whole city by Washingtonian), Central overstuffs the sandwich with a thick, almost creamy mushroom patty right in the middle and perfectly crisps the top, resulting in a golden brown, toasted sandwich that is both smoky and gooey. While known for the burger, Central features quite the repertoire, boasting some of the most unique takes on the simplest possible dishes. This is not your typical fare, and regardless of what you get, you will at least be satisfied with just how different and creative the dish can get.

The dishes will, however, taste just as good they look. Last time, Central’s score was deflated by a very bad experience I had with the dessert. This time around, though, no such anomaly occurred. It was a flat-out fantastic experience, with every dish impressing, to say the least. I would, in fact, easily call the faux gras one of the city’s most unique, flavorful, and unforgettable dishes. It is something every DC resident needs to try at some point.

I loved the service, too. The waiters are always professional, yet so friendly. My waitress this time around greeted me cheerfully, told me how delicious the dishes I had picked would be, offered to explain the nuances of the menu, etc. It’s pretty standard stuff, but it was really the way she did it. When I mentioned the faux gras, for example, she asked me if it was my first time eating it, and upon finding out she let out a sigh, going on about how lovely a dish it was. Again, very minor, but just right on. There are, moreover, two things here that I have to especially complement. First, Central’s staff gives the best, nonstop water service I’ve had in DC at a normal restaurant. Second, it always serves the dishes hot, cooking them only after it has taken the previous course away. This is the type of service that not just elevates a dining experience, but even makes the experience.

Topping it all off was the ambience, reminding me again that Central is the place to be in DC. I came on Friday during lunch, a rush hour, and I was shocked at how many people were enjoying themselves. I could see suits, jeans, and everything in between, with some on dates, some on business, and some there just for fun. It was obvious simply from the looks on their faces and the constant prattle and rattle resonating throughout the restaurant just how much they loved the experience. I wholeheartedly agree with their sentiment.

Central yet again receives my full recommendation. It may be a bit pricier than the average burger bar/comfort food stop, but you can never go wrong when you’re in the hands of Michel Richard.

What I Tasted

1. Faux Gras Terrine and Pate (a charcuterie plate made of chicken liver. Served with pickles, onions, and sourdough): They nailed this dish like no tomorrow! My one complaint is the bread, which is the very crisp sourdough that they give you in the normal bread basket for the table—so it seems a bit uninspired, as they’re re-using the same item. I especially don’t like how crunchy it is, which makes it tough to eat, especially with the creamy pate. Every other component, though, is very nicely done. The small pickles are very tangy, with just the right amount of salt so that they’re not overwhelmingly briny, while the onion bulbs have a good acidic, vinegary sweetness to them. 4.7/5.0. 4.9/5.0 for concept. It may not be foie gras, but it’s fantastic nonetheless. And because it’s so cheap to produce, it can be provided in generous proportions.
   1. Terrine: The terrine is a fantastically complex piece of meat, crusted over with tons of seasoning. Lots of pepper and a bit of herbs give the terrine a zesty, mildly peppery kick, especially in the aftertaste. It’s rather oily, but not overly so. Instead, that oil gives the meat a tender smoothness it couldn’t get otherwise. The texture is, in fact, just right. The terrine has a nice meaty firmness, and I like how tightly the meat has been compacted to give it that type of hold. It crumbles perfectly in the mouth, though, leaving you with a smooth chunkiness. Even better is the sheer flavor of the meat, as it has a slight, juicy chewiness. Moreover, the rest of the ingredients combine very nicely to boost that flavor—the peppery and herby kick, the elegant oily smoothness (it’s olive oil, so no residues or cloying feeling), and a neutral, heavy nut crunch from a whole slew of pistachio slices that have been seamlessly integrated into the terrine. All you have to do to see the skill that went into this terrine is to simply look at how the pistachios never protrude from the meat at all, so that the terrine maintains a perfectly rectangular shape. Amazing. It’s unbelievable that this is really just chicken. 4.6+/5.0
   2. Pate: Unbelievably, even better than the terrine. This one really strikes home, both for just how flavorful it is and how flawlessly it’s crafted. First of all, it’s about as smooth and airy as a pate can get, verging on a whipped mousse texture. The very top layer, though, is more of a gel, giving the whole pate an almost pristine look, with a shining glow to it. It’s also a nice contrast to the much airier “cream” inside. Moreover, even though the pate itself is so light, the flavor’s not light at all. It is liver, after all, so it has that pronounced, underlying bitterness. But even that bitterness is elegant here, not coming off as too harsh but providing a nuanced, flavorful undertone that gives the dish a long, refreshing aftertaste. The combination of the savory chicken flavor with the rich creaminess comes out very nicely, without either interfering with the other. 4.7/5.0
2. Grilled Mushroom and Cheese Sandwich (served with three cheese béchamel dipping sauce): I love nearly everything about this dish, from the cutesy triangular presentation to the crunchy crust to the heavy mushroom flavor. The first thing that stands out is just how nice the dish looks. It’s presented in four mini-triangles, all with a practically golden crust, each stacked on the other. And it only gets better from there. First of all, the crust here is absolutely perfect, no questions asked. Like I said, it’s practically golden brown, but it’s not burnt at all, instead having a phenomenal crunchiness and a great toasted flavor. Yet the sandwich itself is soft because the bread is covered with a layer of cheese on the inside and the mushrooms are ground into a thick mushroom patty—and yes, it is an actual mushroom patty! It’s extremely flavorful, too, almost verging on an overload of mushroom. The combination works, as the rich, oily cheese balances the very bitter/savory taste of the mushrooms. My one problem is in the salt—it feels like there’s a boatload here, probably from the cheese (I’d expect salty cheese from a Frenchman, though). But that’s where the béchamel sauce comes in. With its lighter, more neutral, and more bitter cheese flavor, it controls both any harshness from the mushrooms and saltiness from the cheese. Add in an incredibly smoky, delicious crust as an added counterbalance, and you have one of the most complex, interesting grilled cheese sandwiches in the District—though I’d still love to cut the salt in it by half. 4.1/5.0
3. Mac and Cheese: First reaction: delicious. Second reaction: too salty. Third reaction: too oily and too heavy. This dish, then, is a paradox of sorts. It’s a masterfully crafted dish, with extremely flavorful components and a phenomenal texture. The top is practically as golden as that of the grilled cheese sandwich. It’s very crunchy and very smoky, helping counterbalance some of the big flavors in here. I like the macaroni, too. It’s not actual macaroni, but rather penne, which I think works to give a bit of body to the dish, since there’s a relatively bigger pasta presence. The cheese is really where this dish can go wrong, though even there I like the approach the restaurant took. The cheese is on the very creamy side, with the texture of a pretty gritty, but smooth, plate of mashed potatoes. I think it blends incredibly well with the pasta, making it very easy to eat. It also doesn’t cling to the pasta too much, especially with all the added olive oil to the dish, meaning that there is never a risk of too much cheesiness covering up the taste of the pasta, since you get roughly the same amount of cheese in every bite. Still, the cheese is so salty, and there is so much needless olive oil added to the dish, that the whole thing just feels unbalanced—not in terms of pasta and cheese, but in terms of more fundamental seasoning. It’s a fantastically made dish, but it ultimately falls below its own standard. 3.3/5.0
4. Apple Pan Dowdy a la Mode:  Wow, I’m impressed. After the disappointment of the famed chocolate bar dessert during my last visit, this dessert really redeems the restaurant. The malted vanilla ice cream is, yet again, absolutely delicious. It’s very creamy and smooth, but it actually has the heaviness of ice cream—i.e. it’s not fake gelato. And when they say malted, they really mean malted. It has a very good vanilla accent but with a good bit of malt sugar to give it a rich, refreshing sort of sweetness you don’t normally get in vanilla. But here, the star is the apple pie, as it should be, and that pie really has everything right. The crust is very crispy, hardened with sugar (and maybe some spice, like cinnamon) across the top, providing for a nice bit of sweetness. Still, this isn’t much of a “pie,” instead being more like a pot full of apples, and the sugar doesn’t cover up that apple taste at all, since it comes in only a thin layer across the top. The apples, too, are phenomenal. They’re caramelized, yet spiced, with just a slight bit of sourness and bitterness to them, so they really hit numerous tastes. Moreover, they come in huge full chunks, so you actually do taste the apple, i.e. they’re not covered up by any of the other ingredients. Finally, there are raisins baked in, adding just another layer of deliciously fruity, sweet chewiness. When you mix the ice cream into that whole combo, you get some amazing synergy. Caramelized apples with ice cream—who doesn’t like that? 4.6/5.0

Scores

Ambience: 4.3/5.0
Service: 4.6+/5.0
Taste: 4.3/5.0
Value: 4.0/5.0. Definitely overpriced for the simple food you’re getting, but the inventiveness of the cuisine, the service, and the ambience more than make up for it.
Overall: 4.3/5.0

Cuisine: French and American-Influenced Fine Dining.
Specialty: Lobster Burger, Short Rib Braised for 72 Hrs.
Location: 3000 M Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20007-3701.
Price: $190 for a 10-course meal.

DC and fine dining go hand in hand. At least that’s how it’s felt since my time at Georgetown.

However, before the modern, eclectic tasting menu was quite so popular in the city, there was one man who decided to do it like no one else had before. I’m speaking of no less than Michel Richard, in my book the city’s most renowned and most famous celebrity chef.

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Winner of a James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef, Michel Richard has constantly been elevating DC cuisine with his masterpiece creation, Citronelle. While the restaurant isn’t one of DC’s oldest, having opened its doors in 1994, it is easily the absolute finest, in my opinion anyway. It is, in fact, always placed near the top of any list for DC dining and has repeatedly won the award of one of America’s top 40 restaurants, according to Gayot.

Accolades like that do come with a price, however, as Citronelle also boasts the largest price tag of any in the whole city: $190. That’s saying a lot, given just how expensive DC dining can be. For that price, a restaurant better not just deliver outstanding food, but the ultimate pampering experience. I, of course, had to investigate for myself.

As I entered, I began to see just what $190 gets you. The ambience is, in a word, incredible. Little candles glimmer through containers of little glass rocks, while the sides are covered by a mix of long shimmering mirrors, classy fireplace stone, and just good old-fashioned, dull whitewashed wood. It’s rather colorful, too, unlike most of the other fine dining of the city, as it packs nice tones of brown, beige, red, etc. Putting the finishing touch on Citronelle are some tasteful pictures on the walls and lighting which is extremely attractive—dim enough for different shades to really show through, but light enough for the whole restaurant to seem lively.

And that’s really the impression that Citronelle left with me. This is not just an “elegant” restaurant, but rather the place to be in Georgetown. It’s not surprising, then, that it’s filled with loud-talking, power-hungry lawyers and politicos, all just a bit too boisterous for what is typically “acceptable” at a place like this. But I actually find that charming. You might have to wear a suit, but at Citronelle, you can just be yourself and have a good, relaxed time. And trust me, the restaurant is very relaxing. Expect huge leather-backed, comfy seats, amiable waiters, and spacious seating.

By far the nicest part of the scene, though, is the gigantic open kitchen. Open kitchens can, at times, backfire, but this one is very tastefully done. It’s behind a glass wall, brightly lit, and impressively clean, with about ten chefs just going at it nonstop without even the slightest hint of nervousness. This isn’t a gimmick to keep them accountable, either. Instead, they do their job so well that they’re proud to show it off. And boy, does it show once you get your food.

In my experience, there were no disappointing dishes, nor was there even any dish that I thought was less than fantastic. In fact, three out of my seven courses were what I’d consider unforgettable: the lobster burger, with its fantastically salty scallop mousse, crunchy potato tuile, and a light but zesty mayo; the most complex pea soup I’ve ever tasted in my life, mixing a salty, chewy crab with a light richness and some well-proportioned spice; and the incredibly moist halibut, cooked in an herby, refreshingly salty lobster-saffron broth. That halibut was, moreover, literally perfect.

The presentation is typically extraordinary as well. To give you a slight idea, I’ll name just a few of the extraordinary feats you’ll see: a raging swirl of multi-colored carpaccios in the Surf-and-Turf platter, soup served in an egg shell on top of a blue strobe light-embedded stand, a perfectly arranged mini-lobster burger with a small paper cup, and a lemon meringue with an edible egg shell. None of it is going to floor you (except maybe the Surf-and-Turf), but this is presentation done right, without many of the gimmicks you’ll see at other places. Most everything is served on a normal plate, decorations and colors are typically limited to just a few, and many of the dishes come off as simple, with only a few ingredients. Plates are, however, always clean and perfectly arranged, with just the right amount of innovation to astound, but just enough simplicity to set you at ease. It’s all very tasteful, in a word.

So where’s the flaw, you might ask? Well, if there had to be one, it would be in Citronelle’s service, which was all-around great but terribly inconsistent. On the one hand, my waitress was phenomenal, chatting me up, telling me exactly what ingredients were included, explaining some of her favorites and some of the customers’ reactions, and even discussing some culinary philosophy (i.e. what type of restaurant it is, etc.). She was very friendly and pretty casual by high-end restaurant standards. Moreover, everything was properly paced. I was never in a rush, and they gave me sufficient time to relax in between every course. Citronelle is certainly the type of place where they actually want you to stay and enjoy yourself. Finally, I even got to speak to the manager and joke around a bit with him.

On the other hand, some things were unprofessional. Many of the waiters who took away the dishes didn’t consistently ask if I’d like them to do so, instead hovering around awkwardly or asking only after I looked at them. Also, my table wasn’t duly cleaned of crumbs, and when it was, the waiter would literally sweep the crumbs off the table instead of into a bin. Third, water service got a little sporadic after the restaurant became crowded later in the night. Next, other than my main waitress, there were very few who could answer my questions, partially because they didn’t have a good command of English. Finally—and this one’s the one that really brought down the score—one of the waiters was carrying back a tray of glasses and dropped a couple and broke them right behind me. I know problems like that normally don’t happen, but the very fact that it did happen the night I was there probably indicates some fundamental problems in the service team. It’s one thing if such errors occur at a normal, above average restaurant, and it’s another if they happen at the most expensive restaurant in the whole city. If you charge $190, you need to be flawless.

That brings me to the most important question: Is this meal actually worth $190? Even with the service issues, YES. It doesn’t matter if Citronelle is far and away the most expensive restaurant in the city. It’s also an unforgettable experience. In fact, I can’t remember having more memorable dishes at any restaurant in all my tasting experiences. Factor in that my meal lasted for a good 3 hours, and you can start to see just why this restaurant costs so much. 9+ courses, including all the chef’s specialties, and 3+ hours of service really aren’t cheap, and the fact that Citronelle does such a consistently excellent job throughout the whole meal is surprising.

Michel Richard Citronelle, then, succeeds with flying colors. It is, hands down, the finest dining DC has to offer.

What I had

1. Amuse Bouche: This dish is a phenomenal start, if for nothing else than the presentation. It comes with two broken egg shells, split perfectly in half, filled with two different takes on asparagus: soup and salad. Talk about an appetizer combo. But that’s the “normal” part, ironically, because these eggs are served on a metal platter with blue lights surging out of the bottom, like you’d find at a Hollywood spectacle of some kind. Richard knows his food is a spectacle, and he’s willing to show it. As for the taste, it’s amazing how he took, more or less, the exact same ingredients and flavors, right down to the creamy citrus tones, and made two completely different dishes out of them. I like that type of continuity.
   • Asparagus Soup: Fantastic taste. Very chilly, so it’s something to really cool you down and cleanse the palate, preparing it for a bombardment of flavors. But the asparagus itself is extremely flavorful—fresh, pure, and concentrated. It’s not too creamy but rather has a very nice, really unique, satisfyingly creamy tartness that really struck me with a bit of shock. Fresh, a tad bitter, sour, and rich. 4.7/5.0
   • Asparagus Tartare (with black squid ink on top): Very satisfying again. Yet again, on the chilly, side, but very fresh and crisp. It’s very simple, but very tastefully done, with just a bit of that tangy, citrusy mayo-like richness that I found so satisfying in the soup. And the texture is so complicated, combining the crunch of the asparagus with a bit of a gelatinous texture and some creaminess. This is a very unique “tartare,” if you can even call it that. 4.7/5.0
2. Complimentary Bread (sourdough): Typically, I think sourdough is a weakly flavored bread, but Michel Richard even took that to a new level. It’s hot and fresh, perfectly crispy in the crust, without too much fluff at all. It’s also extremely buttery.
3. English Pea and Crab Soup (No cream! Just lobster, saffron, mussel jus, and English peas. Crabcake on the bottom, crusted with hollandaise): This is not your grandma’s split pea soup! It is an amazing blast of complex flavors: the salt of the lobster, the herby, zesty spiciness of the saffron, the fresh peas, etc. Of all the great things about this soup, though, three really stand out. First, because it has no cream, it’s extremely light. How a soup so light can have so much taste is astounding, but you shouldn’t question such a good thing. Second, I love that a whole crab cake is included, and that crab cake is easily one of the most flavorful I’ve ever had. Even with the pea soup, the crab is so flavorful and so succulent, that it comes through intensely in every chew, and it’s seasoned very nicely with the curry and an almost jalapeno-like, herby taste, though surprisingly it doesn’t pack much spiciness. Third, the texture here is amazing. The soup, though light, has a very slight, almost unnoticeable gritty thickness, along with a good snap from the hardened peas on the bottom and a deliciously chewy stringiness from the crab. 4.9/5.0. Nearly perfect.
4. Mosaic, Surf & Turf (Carpaccio of several different kinds of meats and veggies: filet mignon, Japanese hamachi, yellowtail, salmon, ahi tuna, cucumber, sweet peppers, radish, octopus, and a couple others. All served in garlic cream, basil, and olive oil): This is an absolutely beautiful dish and has so much variety that you’ve got to love it, whatever the technical difficulties of the dish. Mosaic is indeed a fitting name because this dish is a vast array of colors, ranging from white to red to everything in between, all across a background of liquid green and white. And the taste is just as good as the look would imply. The basil and olive oil give the dish incredible freshness. Meat typically bogs you down a bit, but not here, because the carpaccios and the dressings are both so light that you practically don’t notice you’re eating meat. Moreover, Richard takes something so simple—carpaccio—and really turns it on its head. Every single carpaccio has its own flavor: the sweet crunch of the peppers, the saltiness of the octopus, the neutrality of the yellowtail, the boldness of the filet mignon, the tang of the daikon radish, etc. That’s not to say I enjoyed every single bite with hedonistic pleasure, but that’s not what this dish is meant to do. Instead, it takes you on a tour of flavors, and it succeeds with flying colors.  Special favorites include the sweet peppers and the octopus (very savory, with a good bit of mouth-watering salt on it that mixes really well with the sauce). 4.5/5.0 for taste. 5.0 for concept.
5. Halibut in Lobster-Saffron Broth: Perfect in every way, from presentation to flavor. I’ll start with the presentation. The halibut is beautifully served in a plate with three different levels of depth to it—i.e. it has holes that get deeper and deeper but decrease in width. That in itself is aesthetically pleasing, but the main point is that it allows the server to put in the broth to just the right level, as marked by the level of depth. Extra broth is placed on the side, so that, if you’d like, you can adjust that level. Not only do you get beauty, then, but you also get function—that’s technique at its finest. As for the flavor, this is indescribably delicious. The halibut is, honestly, the most flavorful I’ve ever had in my life. Never have I had halibut this tender and succulent, nor one with such a perfectly crispy, crunchy top. That’s all the more impressive because it’s coming from a halibut hater. Halibut, to me, has no taste. But not here. In fact, its neutrality has been turned against it, since it has sucked up all the deliciously salty and herby tones of the sauce for a very flavorful experience. The sauce, too, is absolutely phenomenal, combining two of my favorite ingredients into an extremely flavorful, rich broth that infuses the whole dish with a lot of zest and salt. It’s very heavy, but surprisingly very refreshing. Finishing it all off is a great assortment of very fresh vegetables to add just a bit more complexity: a cherry tomato, a nicely salty potato, an onion bulb, and a snow pea (especially good because of the fresh crunch). All in all, this is a perfect dish, and the presentation just takes it to the next level. 5.0/5.0
6. Lobster Burger (Tomato ginger mayo, potato tuile; served with golden Yukon potato chips): The presentation is again astounding. An almost diminutive burger is placed side-by-side with a cone-shaped plastic cup of chips, balanced on an odd little black stone and glued down by some form of adhesive made of food. It’s a circus act basically. I wasn’t convinced that this dish would work, though, until I tasted it. The lobster is just so succulent that it’s unbelievable. It’s not too salty either. Instead, that salt leaves you with just a bit of a mouth-watering, puckering sensation. The potato tuile, moreover, adds a good crunchy starchiness to balance the savoriness of the lobster, while the mayo is actually very light, not coming off as rich, but rather letting the lobster shine. The buns are hot, with a deliciously buttery doughtiness and just a bit of smokiness. And best of all, the lobster has a slightly crisped exterior, so that it’s not just deliciously chewy but slightly toasty and crunchy. It’s just a smidgeon too salty, but otherwise it’s perfect. As for the potato chips, they’re not quite as awe-inspiring, but they’re still fantastic. I’m not a potato chip guy because they’re just so greasy, but all that grease is tamed here, as these go down smoothly, without much residue. Instead, you just get a very flavorful, salty, potato flavor, an extreme crunch, and a slight butteriness. 4.9 for the burger. 4.0 for the chips.
7. Lamb Rack in Jalapeño-Cumin Sauce (served with sunchokes, artichokes, and radishes): The first thing I noticed about this dish was, again, the color: a green puddle, undergirding a fat, almost red piece of lamb, accompanied by a very fresh-looking white and green salad, all surrounded by a green and white plate with a design of flowing grass. The taste is again up there with the presentation. The lamb is, on first taste, too salty, but that’s only when it’s not combined with the sauce all that much. That sauce is really what sets this dish apart. It’s zesty, fresh, and even slightly sweet (refreshingly so), but it’s surprisingly not very spicy, instead being more on the herby side. Richard has tamed the jalapeño so that it can be easily merged with the other ingredients. Nor do those ingredients fail. The lamb is so tender, so moist, and so succulent that you won’t believe it. The fat literally just makes a thin coat around parts of it, and the chewiness is amazing. The vegetables, on the other hand, give the plate a big crunch, as most of the veggies, especially the sunchokes, are cooked on the hard side. Those vegetables are all roasted, too, so you get some more smokiness. I have one complaint: the lamb isn’t quite as flavorful as I’d like it, nor is it seasoned too much. I understand that the sauce is supposed to give it that type of seasoning, but there’s really not enough. 4.2-4.3
8. Short Rib, Prime, Braised 72h (with tater tots, pepper, and an Armagnac sauce): Culinary nirvana for any fan of beef! The rib seems deceptively simple at first—deliciously chewy and tender, very succulent, etc. But it doesn’t come off as all that spectacular until you start to savor it. It’s so flavorful that even after you’ve sucked up the Armagnac sauce on the meat, it never becomes dry or tasteless, though it does become just a tad mushy at times. Instead, the fat just comes out, lathering your mouth with a delicious savoriness that never diminishes. The ribs also have a very nice, but very subtle, barbecue-like char or smokiness that I wish had been even more present. The sauce only makes it better. It’s rather peppery, but the alcohol helps to moderate it with a touch of refreshing bitterness.  It’s rich, but not overly so, and the underlying spice really helps to leave a big aftertaste on the palate. Even the vegetables and tater tots are great. The tater tots are extremely light, even airy, and yet they are perfectly crispy, so that you get an amazing crunch but without getting too much oil. They are just slightly too salty, however. 4.6-4.7
9. Cheese, imported & domestic (4 cheeses, with sunflower seed roll and pistachio toast): I really don’t know much about cheeses to comment about this course, but I will say that the selection was quite large. A whole rack of about 15 different cheeses from around the world was brought out, each cheese classified by country, variety, and milk type. There was a very heavy emphasis on goat cheese unfortunately, but regardless, I liked that America was very well represented, obviously catering to the DC audience. Moreover, both types of bread were delicious.
10. Eggs-ceptional Lemon Meringue (White chocolate egg shell, filled with lemon kurds and whipped cream, all placed on top of a ground pie crust): This is really quite a unique take on lemon meringue pie. I especially like that Richard, ever the clever chef, decided to reintroduce the symbol with which he began, the egg shell, this time in completely edible form. The dish comes so nicely made, in fact, that you don’t know whether to eat it or to just look at it. I eventually got over it and mixed everything together, forming a delicious glop of white chocolate, lemon custard, and pie crust. I found it to be delicious, with the white chocolate playing an unexpectedly big role, sweetening the whole thing. I think that really was, at the same time, the downfall of the dish, though, as it got too sweet after a while, overshadowing the tart citrus flavor. In that mess, the pie crust wasn’t too noticeable, but I liked that it was spiced and sweetened well, and very nicely crumbly. As for the lemon, it came through, but only in spurts, as it’s not evenly distributed after you mix it—a shame because the flavor was extremely strong. That’s not to say the dish is bad in any way—in fact, the mix of sour and sweet, with the slightly crunchy texture and the extraordinary presentation, really makes this dish stand out. But it’s not as much a “Lemon Meringue” as the menu would suggest. 4.2-4.3/5.0
11. Chocolate Hazelnut Truffle (Chocolate shell, Bailey’s cream infusion): This is no ordinary truffle—it’s gigantic! It’s basically a giant chocolate hazelnut mousse/pasty ice cream ball, wrapped in a layer of vanilla and topped with a chocolate shell with powdered sugar. If all those rich flavors sound a bit much, believe me, they almost are. The great thing about the dessert, though, is that it manages to moderate all the flavors really well. The shell is fantastic, giving a dark chocolate bitterness to balance the strong hazelnut and milk chocolate flavors on the inside, while the vanilla really complements the smokiness of the hazelnut. The Bailey’s sauce, moreover, adds just a bit of extra moisture and creaminess that plays off the extreme crunch of the outer ball really well, as do the mousses/paste on the inside. That paste itself is balanced, with a very nice, slightly crunchy, gianduja-like flavor that is nevertheless not too strong at all. The whole dish is very simple, but everything is executed so well that I really can’t complain much, though I did find it just a bit too sweet. It also gets bonus points for integrating so many different takes on chocolate so well—i.e. dark chocolate in the crust, milk in the center, and Bailey’s as a sauce. 4.7/5.0. A fitting end to a great evening.
12. Petit Fours (chocolate pistachio cookie, chocolate-covered grape, pear napoleon, apricot-shaped cookie): I won’t bore you with more details, except to say that the apricot and the chocolate cookies were excellent. The apricot was kind of a wet cookie, with a strong almond paste-like quality to it. The chocolate cookie had a very good bittersweet chocolate taste balanced by a slight saltiness and some nuts that were honestly not crunchy at all, but rather blended in almost seamlessly. The napoleon was very well-made, with numerous layers, alternating from crunchy to gelatinous constantly, but it was awfully bitter and not very flavorful. Finally, the grape’s exactly what it sounds like—no explanation needed.

Scores

Ambience: 4.7/5.0
Taste: 4.8/5.0. Bonus points for consistency—not one dish disappointed. Quite the accomplishment for a 10-course + meal.
Service: 3.2/5.0
Value: 4.5/5.0. The pricest meal in town, but also easily the best.
Verdict: 4.5+/5.0

Cuisine: Southern.
Specialty: Shrimp ’n Grits, Lemon Chess Pie, Pecan Pie, Cornbread.
Location: 1990 M Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20036.
Price: At Lunch, Entrees run from $16-$18.50, Appetizers $11-$13, Dessert $10.

Whenever I’m in the mood for a feast, there’s always one type of cuisine I can reliably turn to: Southern. It may not be fancy or overly complex, it may not push the bounds of acceptable culinary combinations, and it may not be all that balanced of a meal, overloading you instead with enough fat for a whole week, but that’s all exactly what I love about it. How can you do any better than some simple cornbread with honey, mac and cheese, and phenomenal pie?

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So I was in one of those moods, looking to indulge in a guilty pleasure, when I heard about this one joint in town, Vidalia, that makes, according to my good friend Ralph, the “absolute best pie you’ll ever have in your life!” And trust me, to convey the way he emphasized it, I really need to underline that font at least a couple more times. He was practically drooling, with that star-struck gaze that you get only when remembering a life-changing event. It was a bit much, but intriguing nonetheless, all the more so because I consider Ralph my go-to authority on Southern cuisine.

Basically, then, my guilty pleasure had been chosen for me. The only question left was, would I choose the lemon chess or the pecan pie for dessert? A Sophie’s Choice, I know…

Anyway, I headed over to Vidalia, which, to my surprise, is quite a bit more refined and grandiose than what I’d anticipated. I had gone expecting something down-home Southern, but as with everything in DC, even Southern has to be “professionalized” to draw the wealthier crowds.

Still, the décor is quaint, for lack of a better word, with some aspects that really fare better than others. Part of the problem is that Vidalia’s idea of ambience—simplicity at its finest—can be just a bit too austere and redundant at times. The walls are kept unadorned for the most part, with a very simple, yellowish color-scheme and bright lighting throughout. The only things that stand out in any way are the large vases with multi-colored, long, leafy plants, and the faded glass screen that separates the dining room from the bar/lounge area. Trust me, though, once you see the same vases in three or so different places, they begin to lose their charm.

Moreover, while simplicity can, at times, be charming, here it feels empty, particularly because the restaurant is rather large. That doesn’t necessarily make it very spacious, however, and diners are crowded into small tables almost side-by-side, to the point that on a certain path there may be room for only one or two people to pass through (and there were, indeed, times when restaurant personnel would block off traffic in their attempts to deliver dishes). In fact, I could easily hear the whole conversation that the diners next to me were having, even though they were both speaking at normal volume.

On the more positive side, I really like the lighting and the seating, which is very comfortable, verging on the loungy. Moreover, it does feel as though the restaurant gives you some privacy because of the large glass separating the dining room. Finally, it is actually quite polished all around, with a very nice, squeaky clean bar, a huge lounge area, and a pretty relaxed atmosphere. At this price point, that’s really all you can request.

The service is similarly professional, but lacking in some aspects. Again, Vidalia goes for that very grey, seemingly contradictory area of “simple elegance,” and the service is no different, with seemingly professional waiters who are meant to give you a high-quality experience without the high-quality price. Unfortunately, Vidalia lacks the necessary polish, falling short of its very high expectations of itself.

That’s not to say the service is bad. I received constant water refills, waiters excused themselves before removing my plates, every course brought with it a change of silverware, etc. The waiters, however, did some very basic things incorrectly. Most egregiously, my waiter brought out my main dish without my side of Mac and Cheese, saying the macaroni was on its way. By the time it finally got to me, however, I had already finished half of my main course, even though I’d been trying to eat rather slowly.

There were also other small things throughout the meal. For instance, the restaurant brought me a rather small bread basket, since I was only one person, and I finished it even before my first course. Whereas the staff cleared out practically all my plates as soon as I finished, it left that empty bread basket on my table the whole time, without once offering to take it away or—dare I say it!—to go and get a simple refill, so I actually had to ask for that refill after I had finished my entrée. If it’s restaurant policy to give only one basket, then that’s policy, but if that actually is policy, then there’s no reason to sweep away every single plate and leave one tiny basket there for no reason. Consistency is all I ask.

Topping it off, the restaurant’s credit card system gave out at the end of my meal. While it wasn’t a problem for me, since I was carrying cash, several diners’ cards were returned, and each of them was asked to pay in cash, if at all possible. I know it’s not necessarily the restaurant’s fault, but c’mon, you can’t manage your own credit card machine/service? That’s just basic, and I’m really not inclined to give the restaurant the benefit of the doubt here because of its overall lack of polish.

The food, though, did help to relieve some of those problems, though it was extremely inconsistent. Vidalia literally floored me with a couple aspects of the meal. First of all, the famed cornbread set the mood for the whole meal, as it was so perfectly crisped/burnt on the top and so gritty and buttery in the middle, with such a balanced honey taste, that I was practically in heaven when I put it in my mouth. The bread basket, which comes with two other phenomenal breads, is easily the best I’ve seen in any restaurant, ever.

And the legendary pie Ralph had told me about? Well, I finally understand why he was so star-struck. I tried the Lemon Chess Pie, which I normally wouldn’t like, since I’m not a fan of citrusy flavors. It was, however, so refreshingly balanced between an extremely sweet custard and rather tangy lemon, with such a crispy and crunchy crust, that it was irresistible. It was, moreover, so deliciously oily that you could even see the oil gleaming on the top, making this pie practically slide down your mouth (not that it needs to, because you’ll be stuffing it down regardless).

Overall, though, I was left just a tad disappointed, largely because I had such a bad experience with the famed Mac and Cheese that it completely overshadowed nearly every other component of the meal. It came with goat cheese (an ingredient that I, to be fair, do not like too much but can tolerate), which was used so immoderately that it simply left sheer bitterness in my mouth. Nor did the smoked ham help with its overbearing saltiness. It was just one dish, true, but a house special, especially something as simple as mac and cheese, should never be this bad, especially at a Southern restaurant.

Finally, the value isn’t much to speak about, either. While the food apparently tasted rather good, none of it struck me as something I couldn’t find in a simple Southern restaurant (except for my Oyster-Champagne Soup, of course) or even cook for myself. Yet, for a simple meal of four dishes, many of which were very small, I ended up paying over $50—at lunch, no less, when it should be on the cheaper side. It’s about the norm in this area, but I really don’t feel the food should cost as much as it did, given just how simple and cheap the ingredients were and how mediocre the service was.

Overall, then, Vidalia has a few things I’d highly recommend and even return for, namely the bread and the dessert. The total experience, though, is lacking, whether it be because of the design, the service, an outright bad dish, or all three.

What I Tasted

1. Bread Basket: Normally, I wouldn’t review a bread basket formally, but this was far and away the best bread basket I’ve ever had in my life in any restaurant—and I am not exaggerating. It’s served with plain butter, maple (or honey?) butter, and some onion confit. All are delicious, though the onions can be just a bit sweet. The basket fully deserves a massive 5.0/5.0.
   • Cornbread: Just about the most perfect cornbread you can find. It’s crisped/almost burnt on the top in the best way possible, so you get a good crunch and a slight toastiness that is very refreshing. The cornbread itself is very gritty but buttery, such that the grittiness really goes down almost perfectly smoothly. And the flavor is all there—buttery, but with a touch of honey, giving you a very balanced sweetness.
   • Biscuit: This biscuit just takes you by storm. It’s just simple bread, but it’s so soft and fluffy that it practically tastes like cheese melting in your mouth. And it has just a dash of salt to get your mouth to water. Finally, it’s in the shape of a muffin, with a crunchy, firm top that I find very enjoyable.
   • Ciabatta (?) with Olive Oil: Seemingly, a very different taste than the other two. But it continues the trend of crunchy and soft, emphasizing an even harder, crispier crust but so drenched in oil that it comes off as very moist on the inside. While it’s oily, though, it’s not cloying, largely because the olive oil adds an herby flavor.
2. Barkat Oyster-Champagne Soup (Brioche, Country Ham, Bottarga, Leeks): This soup was a great way to start, though I found it to be just a bit one-dimensional. It is presented very nicely, with a small little foam on top. The flavors really do come through, too. The bottarga adds just a bit of salty fishiness, but it’s counterbalanced by the rich creaminess of the sauce and the smokiness of the ham. Neither is too intense at all, either. The ham comes in small quantities, while the soup itself actually does have a champagne-like consistency, as it’s very light and airy, even though it does incorporate some cream. I also appreciated the leeks, which add a good bit of bitter herby freshness to the dish. Finally, the oysters are a half-hit, half-miss. On the one hand, they come in three huge, full pieces, i.e. they’re very generously provided. They also add a great chewiness. At the same time, I’d actually have preferred them smaller so that you could integrate them into sips of the soup. Moreover, the flavor conflicts with that of the soup just a bit. The oysters are plain or tasteless in comparison to the much richer, heartier soup, yet because they are in such large pieces, they tend to overshadow that soup. Still, the soup itself is a great combination of the light and the rich, as well as the fishy and the smoky. 3.7+/5.0
3. Shrimp and Grits (Sweet Onions, Shrimp, Chorizo, Shellfish Nage): For a legendary house special, I’m not impressed, not so much because this isn’t great—believe me, it is!—but because it really doesn’t live up to its reputation. This dish does, however, provide a fantastic take on a classic, with every ingredient cooked extremely well and a great synergy among all the flavors. The grits themselves are very rich and smooth, to the point that, while you taste the grittiness, it almost melts into the creaminess of the whole. They have an extremely buttery taste, like French mashed potatoes, and they serve as a great neutral, starchy background for the other much bolder flavors. Among those, it’s really the onions that stand out. The description of “sweet onions” doesn’t really do them much justice, because they have somewhat of a grilled/smoky flavor that combines with the sweetness to make for an absolute pleasure in the mouth. It can be too sweet for some, though, and that’s where the very savory chorizo sausage comes in. I really like the idea of the chorizo here, especially with its slight spiciness. I do, however, find it to be generally lacking in flavor—which is something that I should never have to say of chorizo, given just how flavorful it is by its very nature (it has so much garlic and spice that it should never come out bland). Finally, the shrimp is very flavorful. It comes in huge, very thick, full pieces that are incredibly succulent. Finally, the synergy just works—everything comes together in a mad rush, with the rich, creamy grits combining with the sweet onions, as well as the savory, smoky sausage and shrimp for a medley of delicious flavors. However, it’s too rich, and I’m guessing that it would be for most people. Nor does the dish offer anything unique to the concept of shrimp and grits (except maybe the chorizo, but that was off). Still, it’s hard to beat it in terms of the fundamentals.  4.3/5.0.
4. Vidalia’s Baked Macaroni (Amish Cheddar, Goat Cheese, Smoked Ham): The one failure of the night, and I do mean failure. It’s really surprising actually because the dish itself has the makings of greatness, with a technical excellence you don’t normally see in Mac and Cheese. The top is covered with crumbs, the interior is loaded with ham, and the cheese is incredibly gooey but so light that it doesn’t cover up any of the textures of the other ingredients. Thus it looks like an excellent Mac and Cheese. Unfortunately, the synergy just is not there, and the end result is a clash of incredibly intense, conflicting flavors. The main culprits are the goat cheese and the smoked ham. While the cheese is very light, the flavor of the goat cheese is so intense that it single-handedly overpowers nearly every component of the dish, turning it so bitter that it loses almost all its savoriness and starchiness. The smoked ham causes a similar effect, but rather with its saltiness and smokiness. This ham is, in fact, so salty that, even though the salt is relatively low on all the other ingredients, the whole dish itself tastes unbearably salty. Moreover, while I typically like smoky flavors, here the smokiness just really doesn’t suit the goat cheese. Worst of all, these flavors don’t actually balance each other out, though in theory they should. One or the other will tend to dominate, and it’s really just a matter of which is the lesser evil—i.e. you can choose to pick up more or less ham depending on your preference between overwhelming bitterness and overwhelming saltiness. On a more positive note, I really do like the complex textures, and the bread crumbs on top are fantastic, helping to soften the harshness of the other flavors just a bit. 1.2+/5.0.
5. Lemon Cheese Pie (Lemon Custard, Blueberry Compote, Chantilly Cream): A masterpiece, plain and simple. As soon as I bit into this, I was transported to citrus ecstasy. Never have I been a fan of lemon-based dessert, yet this pie is nearly flawless. The pie crust on the bottom is extremely thin, even microscopic, so that it doesn’t interfere with the extremely tender, rich, flavorful custard at all. That bottom layer is just a bit too hard, though, and it resists attempts at cutting it. Still, it does add a nice little bit of crunch. The crust at the edges is much larger, formed into a very crispy, crunchy treat, kind of like a wanton cracker. While it doesn’t have much flavor of its own, I do appreciate the added texture. And to be fair, it doesn’t need much flavor, because the lemon custard is just so good on its own. The top of that custard is almost burnt, glistening with an oily sweetness. The custard is, moreover, intensely smooth, practically flowing down your mouth. It does, however, have some good denseness to it, so that it actually is very much thick custard rather than cream. The flavor, too, is right on. The intense tartness of the lemon combines with the creamy sweetness of the custard to form a very nice balance. Even better, the lemon really lasts on the palate, giving you an extremely zesty finish. As for the other ingredients, I don’t care much for the Chantilly cream, which is really just a bit of whipped cream with some sugar in it, though it does help to neutralize some of the intensity of the lemon. The blueberry compote fares much better, coming in two forms: a syrup and a mini-gelatin. The gelatin is just a cold glop, without very much flavor. The syrup, however, is very intense and delicious, adding a strong, very natural, and very tangy-sweet berry flavor that complements the lemon extremely well, though it makes the whole cake just a bit too sweet for my taste. 4.8/5.0. Indescribably good. One of the most complex pies I’ve had, and probably the best lemon pie I’ve ever tasted.

Scores

Ambience: 3.0/5.0
Service: 2.0/5.0
Taste: 3.8/5.0
Value: 3.0/5.0
Verdict: 3.2/5.0

Lately, I’ve been eating out a lot, and I’m starting to get a little bit bored of the dichotomy I’m seeing: Either I end up eating simple food in a dirty, cheap setting, or I get an overly complex, at times confused meal in an expensive setting. What happened to the good old days, when quality didn’t have to be expensive, and when nice restaurants appreciated simple cuisine?

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That is why I finally turned to Palena Café, not only one of DC’s most famous eateries, but one of the best bangs for the buck. While Palena has an expensive prix fixe, multi-course menu, it realizes the need to cater to the more casual consumer, and so it sets off a portion of its restaurant as a simple café that serves up American classics, like a burger, fries, and roast chicken.

Now, that may not seem like much to excite you, but just consider these credentials. The burger is, far and away, considered the best restaurant-quality burger in the whole city, the soups are often ranked as some of the best dishes in the whole city (according to the Washingtonian), and the roast chicken is the stuff of legends, typically running out within the first couple or so hours of service on any given night. In fact, while I’m not one to eat chicken when I go out, I had come to Palena specifically for the roast chicken, a dish so famous that even other restaurateurs have ranked it among their favorites in the city. Whether you enjoy simple cuisine or not, it’s hard to argue with credentials like these, and I had to get my 2 cents in on the action.

So I suited up and prepared for my upcoming feast. I arrived early—i.e. right as the café opened—just to get a good seat, since the café takes no reservation, unlike Palena’s main dining room. Trust me, too, you’re going to need to be early to grab a seat, since there are only a few tables, even though this is one of the most popular restaurants in the city. I wanted to avoid a repeat of the first time I’d come to Palena, when I had arrived at 7:00 p.m. with my 2 good friends only to wait about 45 minutes for one of the 3 or so tables that could accommodate us. This time, however, I was lucky enough to not only get a seat, but also a small view of the street, though the neighborhood, Cleveland Park, isn’t all that much to watch.

As expected from such a respected restaurant, the décor also thrills with its sheer elegant simplicity, especially for a place that serves a burger. I do admit that the tables in the café are small and a bit dull, since they’re wooden and scuffed, but the overall impression is nice. Moreover, I like the great booths, as the couches are ornamented all over with paintings of flowers and plants. The bar is a standout, too. It takes up nearly half the front. Loungy, odd couch stools also give the restaurant a very classy, café vibe. The lighting just puts a final touch of refinement. All throughout there are quaint, old-fashioned chandeliers and mini-candelabras. At nights, a little light runs across the top of the wall, highlighting the outline of the restaurant. Still, the décor is admittedly too simple for some, with the only decoration being the very large mirrors and the lamps.

The service, too, is excellent. The waiters have been very professionally trained. While the café is very affordable, I guess the higher prices at the adjacent restaurant do bring with them good service to the whole venue in general. Waiters bring out courses in proper succession, always ask before they take dishes away, and are constantly attentive with the minor details, like water. I also found them rather unobtrusive. As a side note, though, I did think the waiters were just a bit bland—not that that actually affects the service, but it just struck me that the people were a bit overly formal for the place. Still, I’d be willing to bet you can’t find better service at this price in DC (except just maybe at Central Michel Richard).

Nothing, though, quite compares to the food, which carries the restaurant’s same air of simple refinement but does so with so much polish that it literally crushes all its competition. First and foremost, I need to compliment the sheer consistency. I stuck to the specialties, of course, but I tasted 3 of the menu’s 9 or 10 dishes, plus a dessert and an appetizer off the restaurant’s menu (which you can order from at the café). Not only did none disappoint, but 2 of 5 dishes were simply unforgettable (i.e. nearly flawless), and a third was very close. Whether it be soup, a burger, a piece of chicken, or a cheesecake, Palena does it all incredibly well, to the point that I was a little taken back by the sheer variety, regardless of how small the menu might be.

Moreover, the technique and preparation of the dishes are incredible. Let me put it into perspective: When I ordered the roast chicken, they asked me if I had 45 minutes to wait. I’m not exaggerating, either. The chicken takes 45 minutes from the time of order to prepare! Not surprisingly, it is so mouth-wateringly succulent, with such a crispy skin and so much zesty seasoning, that I almost didn’t notice that it was just a plain piece of chicken, served with nothing other than some spinach.

Finally, the flavor combinations are superb. Whether the dish be simple or complex, everything is nuanced and balanced. The chicken comes with an intensely zesty seasoning to balance out its juiciness, the fry platter features a rather zippy, spicy-tangy mayo, and the artichoke soup has just the right amount of cream so that it’s never too heavy but rather always fresh. Add in a few unique touches, like fried lemons on the fry platter, sheep’s milk ricotta and rhubard compote in the cheesecake, and fried onion and shrimp in the artichoke soup, and you have the beginnings of greatness.

For all that, I’d expect to pay a premium, but even with the value Palena once again delivers. You’ll be lucky to find roast chicken for $25 at other places, let alone the $15 that you pay for the 45 minute-cooked version at Palena, and $12 for a true restaurant burger is something I don’t frequently see. Add in the ambience and service, and you’ll see why Palena is so popular.

My biggest problem? I simply didn’t have enough room to eat even more.

Really, if you want a fantastic meal in DC, there’s few that can do it better—or cheaper—than Palena. It’s a must try.

What I Tasted

1. Artichoke Soup (off restaurant menu): This is a very light soup, but boy is it packed with flavor. And you can just tell from the presentation that it’s going to be good, too. It’s served in a huge bowl with protruding sides and a very deep hole, full of tons of color from the beautiful artichoke and cream mixture and the white foam topping it off. I love the ingredients, too. Never would I have thought that whole pieces of shrimp, fried onion skins, and artichoke would have gone so well together, but they do. The shrimp is large, juicy, succulent, and very savory, while the onion crisps add just a bit of refreshing crunch. Really, this is some of the best cooked, most flavorful shrimp I’ve had in a long time—and it’s in a soup no less! There’s also something a bit sour and crunchy in here, which I found oddly enjoyable. The artichoke is near perfect, too. To be fair, the flavors of the soup are very downplayed, but the soup has so much complexity I don’t mind. I do enjoy the numerous overtones, though. I’ve already discussed the small bit of sourness, the savoriness from the shrimp, and the onions, but there’s also some really nice seasoning in the soup itself. It’s mildly spicy, with very good pepper to really balance out the creaminess with a bit of a strong kick. Finally, the soup is extremely smooth and has just the right amount of thickness to give it some body without becoming heavy at all. Overall, this is masterful in almost every way. 4.8/5.0
2. Cheeseburger (Truffled Cheese, Meat, Truffle Oil, Sauce): Excellent, though very simple. The bun is toasted to near perfection. It’s a simple sesame seed bun, but it’s toasted all the way through, and it doesn’t taste burnt at all, so it doesn’t contribute any odd flavors. It’s a bit bland, but it holds up very well. It also has a lot of flaky fluff to it, which is a double-edged sword. Sometimes, it’s too much, but typically I like the very big crunch. Also, the truffle is very nicely balanced. Typically, I hate truffle oil because it’s stacked on too strongly in burgers, but here it’s perfect. It just perfumes your breath with a nice herby quality without overwhelming you at all. The cheese is perfect, too: smoky and flavorful, but not too strong at all. The star, though, is by far the meat, and it’s near perfect: fatty, but not overly so; dripping with oil, but not gushing all the over place; cooked all the way through evenly. It’s not traditional ground beef, either. It has the taste of a nice steak, so it has a very unexpected elegance to it. The sauce just tops it all off. It’s a bit too salty for my taste, but it has a very nice herby richness, with the body and taste of a mayo but with some garlic and other herbs. I would have liked more, just with less salt. Other than that, I just have to fault the burger for being a bit bland. There’s practically nothing on it at all, not even veggies. 4.2/5.0
3. Fry Plate (Fried Lemons, Fries, Onion Rings, Tater Tots, Zippy Mayo): Overall, a mixed bag. Nothing’s bad, but I’d really prefer just a plate of the fries and lemons. The zippy mayo’s a nice touch, too. It’s a mix of an herbed mayo with some spicy pepper. It’s a nice mix, combining two things you normally wouldn’t eat together, but it can get a bit spicy. 3.5/5.0, overall. Points for variety.
   • Onion Rings: The onions in here are delicious—grilled to perfection, with some nice oil to them. The rings themselves, though, are bland. The batter on them is very light and almost flavorless, really not contributing all that much. It just leaves you with a very strong oiliness that is a bit unsatisfying. Still, nicely made, with good onion taste. The rings go down very, very easily because of just how light they are. 2.3/5.0
   • French Fries: These are amazing. They’re extremely thin, in perfect even rectangles that have just enough thickness to allow you to get a taste of the potato. And that taste still manages, somehow, to be very big. They’re incredibly starchy, yet because they’re so thin and so nicely fried, they’re incredibly crunchy. One of the biggest crunches I’ve ever heard, in fact. Even better, the salt is perfect, so that your mouth waters just a bit, but you just want more fries, not water. 4.5/5.0.
   • Fried Lemons: The kicker on the plate! These always give everyone a shock at just how good they are. I have to say, when I tried these lemons the first time, I absolutely loved them, but this time around they tasted just a bit more bland, and it might have been in the very light, tasteless batter. Still, I really like these mini-chips. They’re crispy, but not like potato chips. Instead, you taste a good piece of lemon, giving you a big rush of sourness. The crunch isn’t quite the best, and the sourness can be a bit too much (before, I think the batter was heavier and helped to counterbalance it a bit more). Still, this is one of the most interesting takes on fried food you can have. 4.0/5.0
   • Tater Tots: These are an elegant take on tater tots, crafted in the shape of mini-swirls (like a cinnamon bun), but I found them a bit dull. They really are just mushy potato balls. On the one hand, I like just how strong the potato starch comes through. On the other, the flavor is really muddy. I like the crunch, though. This component is very different than the others, having a very nice softness to it as you bite into the mushy ball. Still, not my favorite. 2.5/5.0
4. Roast Chicken (served with sautéed spinach): If anyone can find a better roast chicken in DC, I will be extremely shocked. In fact, this is nearly flawless in every single way. The chicken is cooked better than I’ve ever seen it. Nothing is burnt or overcooked in any way, and the whole chicken comes out evenly. The flesh itself is moist in every bite, no matter the part of the chicken it comes from. It’s a bit on the salty side, but only very subtly. The seasoning is actually quite nice. Because the chicken is so salty, I think it’s been brined, which would explain how it got so perfectly soft. The skin, however, is just the opposite—crisp and crunchy, with a good bit of seasoning and flavor to it. I like just how much pepper and rosemary (I think) went into it, giving it some kick. And finally, the spinach is a fantastic match. It’s soft and tender, but cooked without any other ingredients, so that it retains its very heavy bitterness. That bitterness really balances out the savoriness and the saltiness of the chicken very well. All in all, this is an extremely simple dish, with no more than two ingredients, but I can’t imagine it done any better anywhere, especially at this price! 4.8/5.0. 5.0/5.0 considering value.
5. Sheep Milk Ricotta Cheesecake (with rhubarb compote): Amazing. This cake is so complex that you’ll just be left wondering how it can possibly be a cheesecake. The rhubard compote is very nice, with a strong sour-sweet fruitiness to it that is a good counterbalance to the very intense, slightly bitter, very rich cheesecake. The cheesecake itself is overloaded with toppings to add some extra flavor, too: coconuts throughout the cake, pistachios crumbled all across the top, powdered sugar, etc. So you get the fruity and the sweet, the crunchy and the rich, all throughout. The abundance of rhubard pieces just tops it all off, with a fruity, chewy burst that combines almost seamlessly with the smooth cake. Perhaps best of all is just the natural richness of the cheesecake. Sheep’s milk isn’t normally used in American ricotta because it’s about 10x as expensive as cow’s milk. Real ricotta, though, is only made with sheep’s milk. And when you taste this cake, you’ll know exactly why. It’s so elegant that it can just slide down your throat without becoming too thick or clumpy, yet it’s so rich that it’s practically like eating a thick cream. There is no hardness to this cake at all, as it just melts in your mouth. And the flavor hits your whole palate—how could it not when it’s just so rich? The goat’s milk can give the cake just a bit of bitterness, but even that I really don’t mind because the ingredients are just so fresh, so abundant, and in such a complex combination that you really will savor every bite. 4.6+/5.0. Named best cheesecake in DC by Washingtonian for a reason.

Overall Scores

I have to grade Palena Café a little bit differently depending on what you’re looking for.

Scores for Palena, the Gourmet Burger Joint

Ambience: 4.0/5.0. A bit too fancy for a burger joint, but it’s that class that makes it so great.
Service: 4.4/5.0. You won’t find better service for a burger, that’s for sure.
Taste (for the Fries and Burger): 4.0/5.0
Value: 4.5/5.0
Verdict: 4.2/5.0. The cheapest you will find any fancy bistro burger, and far better than most of its competition. Plus, great ambience and service to boot.

Scores for Palena, the Café

Ambience: 3.5/5.0
Service: 4.0/5.0
Taste (every non-burger item): 4.8/5.0
Value: 4.5+/5.0. 5.0/5.0 for the chicken.
Overall Score: 4.5/5.0. 4.9/5.0 if you’re just looking for roasted chicken.

Cuisine: American.
Location: 1201 24th Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20037.
Price: Entrees range $22-$30, Desserts $7-$9. Expect to pay about $50 for a 3 course-meal.

It was a cold winter day—so cold, in fact, that I was just in the mood to curl up by a fireplace with a nice cup of coffee and some comfort food. Unfortunately, when you’re at college, those amenities are few and far between.

Luckily for me, though, I knew of a restaurant with that very kind of homey feel: Blue Duck Tavern. I had visited Blue Duck Tavern once before to review their fantastic brunch. While I wasn’t impressed by their simple, bare environment the first time around, there is something about the restaurant that just screams “comfort.” It may be the almost completely wooden design, the large and spacious seating, the jazzy classics playing on the speakers, the fact that you can actually hear yourself think, or perhaps just the delicious-looking rows of apple pies that are laid out in front to tempt and entrance wandering passersby. Whatever it is, it sticks with you. In fact, it had been two months since I had eaten there, yet I still remembered the sight of the apple pies lining the kitchen. I knew that pie would be the culmination of a perfect meal.

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That type of comfort doesn’t just permeate the setting, though, but rather every aspect of the restaurant, including the service. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted by a very professional hostess and offered a newspaper, since I had come alone. My waitress was semi-formal but amiable, offering me great recommendations and descriptions of the dishes. She also cracked jokes whenever she came by, and she did so with all her customers, trying to put us all at ease. Moreover, the waiters do a nice job with presentation: They always announce each dish as they put it on the table, and they always excuse themselves before removing anything.

Nothing, however, better captures the idea of comfort than the food. In a single meal, I was treated to Morel Mushroom Custard with Sweetbreads, Braised Beef Ribs, Swiss Chard Pie, and Apple Pie. The menu practically speaks for itself. Every dish is rich, fatty, and sinfully decadent. The goal isn’t to save calories, but to pack in as much taste as possible, and it shows.

It’s not the options that set Blue Duck Tavern apart, though; rather, it’s how the restaurant cooks those options. Everything feels fresh and homemade, made with that type of care you’d only find at your grandma’s. Meats are drawn from all around the country, and each type of meat is bought from only a single farm to ensure quality and consistency. The beef ribs are marinated for 48 hours, then braised for an additional 12. The apple pie is made fully in-house and uses some of the freshest apples I’ve ever tasted in a pie. I admit that Blue Duck Tavern may not impress with its variety or innovation, but it will with the sheer quality of its food, which is at least a cut or two above most traditional American restaurants.

The one area where I can honestly level a complaint is in the value component. I liked everything about this restaurant from the service to the food to the ambience, but the restaurant does charge an arm and a leg for portion sizes. My $20+ braised beef ribs, for instance, came in three medium-size cubes, amounting to probably one rib of beef total. It’s like that with most of the other appetizers and entrees, too. It’s odd, though, because with the sides and desserts the portions are huge. The apple pie impressed me in particular—$9 for what amounted to a miniature pie. It was at least two or three slices at any other place. The problem, then, is not so much that you won’t get full, but that the restaurant seems to fill you up on the wrong dishes—that is, the ones that you probably don’t go there to eat and that are easiest to produce.

Still, $65 for a phenomenal three course meal plus a side is a price I’d gladly pay in DC, considering how expensive even a normal, dull meal can be. Blue Duck Tavern may not be cheap, and it may not be innovative, but it is superb in most every other way. I have yet to find better American comfort food in the DC area.

What I Tasted

1. Morel Mushroom Custard with Pan Seared Sweetbreads: So decadent that it’s sinful. The custard is fantastically creamy and rich, but retains a lightness reminiscent of flan. It’s so smooth that you practically don’t notice it going down. I would have preferred even more of a mushroom flavor, but the custard is still nice and zesty, providing a slightly savory/bitter undertone. The synergy is phenomenal, however, as the custard helps to balance out some of the wildness of the sweetbreads with its richer, more neutral, and fresher flavor. The sweetbreads come in two varieties. The first (probably the pancreas cut) is so tender that it practically melts in your mouth and so flavorful that it bursts with juice. The fattiness is absolutely delicious, lathering up your mouth with a light bit of chewy grease that mixes perfectly with the fresh mushroom for a great combo. The other sweetbread is probably from the throat, with a bitterer, sharper flavor to it, instead of the delicate one of the last. Here, though, it has a fantastic smokiness, as though it’s been toasted all the way through. This cut will be a bit much for some, but I like how it both adds complexity to the dish and shows the restaurant’s ability to integrate different cuts. 4.5/5.0
2. Braised Beef Ribs (with Homemade Steak Sauce): Marinated for 48 hours and braised for 12 hours. How can you beat credentials like that? These are, not surprisingly, extraordinary. The one slight complaint I can make is that the sauce can come off as salty, but that’s really just a quibble. Any way you look at it, this dish is fantastic. It’s presented beautifully on a huge bone, in three separate chunks. And it delivers. The meat is steaming, served at just the right temperature. It’s cooked perfectly and evenly, with no redness whatsoever. It’s not too rubbery, instead simply melting in your mouth with a delicious, slight chewiness. It doesn’t even offer any resistance as you cut it, as the knife passes through almost like the meat is butter. Finally, the beef ribs are about as juicy and flavorful as they come, with enough fat on the inside to give them some tenderness and added flavor but not enough to make them cloying in any way. Especially nice is that the steak sauce isn’t overwhelming, instead serving as a light glaze across the top to add a slight bit of sweetness and some salt (again my one complaint). However, the all-star is clearly the meat, which is perfectly cooked. The fat leaves a long, delicious, savory aftertaste for you to enjoy. 4.7/5.0
3. Warm Swiss Chard, Raisin, and Pine Nut Pie: Another success. This dish really has a lot going for it—the intense, fresh chard, the sweetness of the raisins, and the very nicely made pie crust. It’s really that pie crust that makes this dish, though. It’s oddly addictive, like the crust of a quiche—thick and flavorful, with tons of butter and salt to give you that mouth-watering, carby, rich taste. It’s just a bit too salty for me. I really expected this dish to be on the sweet side because of the raisins, but those raisins are just a bit too scarce to have a big impact. When they are in the bite, though, they add a delicious, chewy sweetness that takes the pie to a new level of complexity. The pine nuts are also a bit downplayed, but I’d expect the flavor mostly to be there for balance rather than for a big impression. The Swiss chard, in contrast to the other ingredients, comes through in full force. It’s practically overloading the pie, forming a thick layer sandwiched between two layers of pie crust, and it provides the perfect balance for that very starchy crust. I do like, too, that it’s not overly bitter at all, as the bitterness is balanced by two factors. First, the crust, of course. Second, the pie is overflowing with olive oil, to the point that every time I cut through the pie, a whole layer of oil comes oozing out of the bottom. Because the dish has so many bold flavors, it doesn’t come off as very oily, though it can be a bit much for some. Finally, I have to give bonus points for the presentation—it comes in a large glass cover. 4.5/5.0
4. Warm Apple Pie: A fantastic finale. Really, everything here is just right, except for one major oversight: It’s served lukewarm. If this were hot, it would be near perfect. As it is, though, it’s still a decent contender for best apple pie in DC. The apples are delicious. They’re cooked perfectly, so that they retain their crunchiness but still are so soft that they practically offer no resistance as you bite through. Flavor-wise, they’re on the sour side—maybe even Granny Smith’s. Regardless, I find them to be extremely balanced, with just the right amount of sourness, sweetness, and spice to make them both complex and extremely flavorful.  The top of the crust is phenomenal—topped with caramel and burnt (with sugar probably) so that it forms a very crunchy, buttery, sweet layer. And yet, the crust somehow still manages to retain its chewiness, just like a real pie. The rest of the crust is nearly as flavorful, having soaked up the delicious apple spice and the caramel for a deliciously sweet, yet slightly salty, taste. Topping it all off with Blue Duck’s homemade vanilla ice cream is so good that it’s practically sinful. 4.7+/5.0. Loses points only for being served lukewarm
5. Vanilla Ice Cream: This was an accompaniment to the apple pie, but it is so delicious that I really should treat it by itself. This ice cream is so smooth, creamy, and rich that you won’t believe it until you taste it. The vanilla flavor, though, is what really gets me. It’s so pronounced that you taste it throughout. It’s also on the malty side, with a very heavy sweetness that really doesn’t come off as too much because the ice cream is just so creamy. Finally—and this is where Blue Duck really sets itself apart—is that the ice cream is served at the perfect temperature, in a small silver-plated goblet so that it won’t melt (the goblet helps to keep the temperature constant so that the ice cream keeps its form). You not only taste the whole ice cream flavor, which isn’t suppressed by too much iciness, but you can eat it at your leisure. 4.5/5.0. Even more with the apple pie.
6. (Complimentary) Cherry Chocolate Powder Gelatin: Just a small bite with the check. There’s a slight hint of cherry tartness with a pronounced cocoa powder and a very chewy gelatin. Not rated.

Scores

Ambience: 3.8/5.0
Service: 4.7/5.0 (for the price point)
Taste: 4.7/5.0. Consistent excellence across so many dishes is unheard of in DC.
Value: 4.3/5.0. A mixed bag—but I’d gladly pay the price for this quality of food and service. Plus, the monstrously large apple pie more than makes up for the paltry entrees.
Verdict: 4.6/5.0. Easily one of the best meals I’ve had in DC.

If there’s one thing that I get asked more than anything about my stay in DC, it’s about whether I’ve seen the White House and how it looks in real life. It just goes to show you how much politics and especially the presidency seem to fascinate the nation.

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It’s not surprising, then, that there are a lot of restaurants in town that play off of that political spirit, trying to draw customers with familiar names or political scenery. So how could DC do without a restaurant that invokes presidential prestige and quality?

Enter the Oval Room, perhaps DC’s best-named restaurant. Thankfully, the restaurant isn’t actually covered with presidential paraphernalia, the name serving merely as a clever title rather than a theme. Instead, the restaurant invokes a mix of the modern and traditional, though it goes just a bit far. The dining room is small and intimate, with seating that’s not very spacious but comfortable enough. The lighting is dim, coming out from a central array of mini-chandeliers hanging from a larger chandelier base that overshadows about half the room. Adding a bit more color to the room is a series of abstract paintings covering the walls in a fixed interval. I think they tried to give too much order to them, equally spacing each apart precisely. Nor do those paintings really inspire. They are virtually identical blotches of colors, swirled around in confusion. They slightly clash with the very classy, refined simplicity of the whole place, with its whitewashed walls, simple lighting, and polished, wooden bar. The restaurant is still definitely on the classy side, though.

Moreover, the service here, especially for the price point, is amazing. My waiter did not just present himself well, but he had a booming voice that projected itself, was enthusiastic to describe the dishes in detail, and was very welcoming, etc. When I asked him for recommendations, he even practically explained every item on the menu, giving me a very visual description of all his favorites, which is all the more surprising because the menu changes every 4-5 weeks. It wasn’t a recitation of ingredients off the menu, either. Instead, he explained the origin of the ingredients, the type of cooking techniques, the flavors of each dish, etc. The Pennsylvania duck, for example, became “croquettes of duck made from shredded duck legs.” It’s that type of presentation that really set apart the service, which was both welcoming and knowledgeable—something you don’t always get in a town of high-brow politicos, like DC.

At the same time, it’s not always professional. Just some examples: Water service can be slow, the lower rank waiters looked downright bored and tired, the hosts weren’t quite as inviting or friendly as I’d have liked, and the waiters can be overbearing. My waiter, then, seems to have been exceptional in a place that probably isn’t quite as exceptional as the waiter.

The food, too, was similarly inconsistent, but I truly appreciated the inventiveness of the Oval Room. The Oval Room never presents you with a simple plate and never lets the ingredients do the talking for themselves. Instead, it manipulates those ingredients into interesting new combinations, stacking up a complex array on every plate that leaves you with just a little bit of everything. For example, it’s not just foie gras for an appetizer. Instead, it’s vanilla foie gras brûlée, strawberry jam, and smoked Dr. Pepper (really a vegetable mix that tastes similar to Dr. Pepper). Just the list of ingredients is mouth-watering and intriguing. Who’d ever think of first caramelizing the foie gras and then pairing it with Dr. Pepper? Don’t even get me started on the crispy rockfish, crab chowder, pancetta, licorice, and parsley combo I had as an entrée—it should speak for itself.

All that complexity comes at a steal of a price, too. For 3 courses of these incredible combinations, I paid about $50, and that includes a dish with foie gras and (for the most part) excellent service. It’s a fair price for DC, but you do get a lot more quality than at the average restaurant of the same price, at least in terms of the technical aspects of the food as well as the quality and abundance of ingredients used.

Unfortunately, while I love complex foods, this isn’t always complexity done right. The whole point of using so many ingredients is to complement different tastes, but far too often here it seems that they’re just tacked on and lack some functional value. In my rockfish and chowder combo, the chowder didn’t add much flavor to the fish, all the worse because the fish was bland on its own, since it hadn’t been seasoned too much. The foie gras combo was a bit off, too, as I found myself eating the brûlée with just the smoky Dr. Pepper, since the jam was too strong. It’s not that the combos don’t work, but they are all just slightly out of sync, and it shows as you delve deeper into each plate.

Nowhere is that better seen than in the dessert, which left me with a bad memory and single-handedly destroyed the quality of the meal. It was a hazelnut dacquoise with an incredibly bland feuilletine (crunchy part on the bottom), almost no hazelnut flavor, and very bitter ice cream that tasted far too burnt even for the burnt caramel flavor. Nobody really wants to eat that, especially after two flavorful, inventive dishes. Yet again I run into a restaurant that can make fantastic food but just can’t seem to do a good dessert, and it’s a huge letdown, especially since the dessert is the last impression you’re left with as a diner.

Still, the Oval Room did a great job overall, just not so much that I would eagerly return. It has the service and inventiveness necessary for greatness, just not enough flavor in the food unfortunately.

What I had

1. Complimentary Foccaccia—Not bad. Very strong taste of olive oil and herbs, but nothing too notable.
2. Complimentary Amuse Bouche: A very nice start, with bold and simple flavors that really prepare the palate for a night of solid eating. 4.5/5.0
   1. Carrot Water: Very flavorful, and very light. Carrot water is, in fact, the perfect name for this dish. It’s simple, but just so refreshing, capturing the essence of carrot very well and very smoothly.
   2. Rockfish sashimi with a lemon gelee: Another delicious start. Chewy and a bit gelatinous even, with just enough salt to give you that mouth-watering sensation, while at the same time the lemon gives a bit of citrus sourness that helps to both offset the savory saltiness and to really give your mouth an interesting twist.
   3. Vanilla Foie Gras Brûlée, Strawberry Jam, and Smoked Dr. Pepper (Foie Gras terrine with vanilla and sugar caramelized on top, brioche on bottom, vegetable mixture that tastes like smoky Dr. Pepper): This is more interesting than anything else, with flavors that harmonize well and burst in your mouth. At the same time, it can be a little bit overdone. The foie gras brûlée is very nice, at least in terms of technique, with a very toasty, slightly sweet layer on top that really works well to counterbalance the bitterness of the foie gras. It can also be a bit too salty, overpowering all the other flavors. The only problem is that the bitterness eventually does come through and completely overpowers the balance. I really do like the texture, though, as it combines a very crispy chip on top with a very creamy, buttery, almost whipped/mousse-like foie. As for the other ingredients, they’re also a mixed bag. The brioche is extremely nice. It’s very buttery and surprisingly light, like a very good pastry or cake, rather than boring brioche. And the two accompaniments actually work well, especially the Dr. Pepper, which does add a heavy smokiness that I find can finally control the fatty bitterness of the foie. The jam serves the same function with its fruity sweetness, but it can be a bit too strong. Overall, I love the concept and the use of such great flavors, but the synergy could use some work. 4.0/5.0.
   4. Crispy Rockfish, Peekytoe Crab Chowder, Pancetta, Licorice & Parsley (Seared very lightly for a few seconds and cooked in the oven, i.e. not fried): Again, another dish where the ingredients are very masterfully cooked and assorted, but where it just falls a little flat because of the lack of full synergy. The rockfish itself is perfectly cooked. It is moist, tender, and extremely succulent—much more so than most fish I’ve tasted. At the same time, the skin is very nicely crisped, so that it’s not hard or chewy but rather deliciously crunchy and tender. That said, the rockfish itself is very plain, without much flavoring to it. The skin adds a nice bit of salt, but rockfish is really the type of seafood that needs some seasoning, and that’s where the chowder is supposed to come in. The chowder, though, isn’t perfect. I really like that it’s not too heavy, as it has just a bit of cream in it, but at the same time its flavor isn’t very big. The saltiness of the pancetta is a bit much, and while I like the idea of combining it with the sweetness of the licorice, in practice the salt just dominates too much. To be fair, though, you do need some of that extra salt to flavor the dish. Moreover, because the sauce is so light, its taste just doesn’t seem to stick so much, except for the salt. Nor does the earthy array of vegetables add much, except perhaps thickening the chowder a bit more (which it does need, considering it uses so little cream). I did, however, find them delicious—rich potatoes, soft carrots, sweet onions, etc. and all are cooked very nicely. 4.0/5.0. The quality of the fish is undeniable, but again, this dish leaves just a bit lacking.
   5. Hazelnut Dacquoise, Salted Caramel Ice Cream, Brittle: Just really underwhelming, considering how many powerful ingredients are racked onto this plate. The ice cream is far too bitter for its own good, verging more towards a burnt caramel flavor. It doesn’t really have much of an ice cream flavor to it, though. The hazelnut dacquoise fares just a bit better, as it has a very flavorful peanut butter ganache that captures peanut butter really well and leaves your mouth with a very delicious aftertaste. Otherwise, the hazelnut components are weak at best, with a very bland feuilletine bottom (though I like the crunch), and a mousse that really doesn’t have much hazelnut flavor to it. In fact, it’s really the PB that saves the whole treat. Finally, the “brittle” is more of a misnomer than anything else. Really, it’s just peanuts in a light, caramel syrup—one that doesn’t have much flavor or sweetness yet again. The one redeeming factor is that the ingredients do actually complement each other. 1.8/5.0. Surprisingly boring.

Scores

Ambience: 3.7/5.0
Service: 4.3/5.0
Taste: 3.4/5.0.
Value: 4.0/5.0.
Verdict: 3.8/5.0.

True Neapolitan pizza in the US is an oddity. Even among the relatively few pizzerias that claim to do it the “authentic” way, very few actually use the proper ingredients and techniques.

In fact, the Italians are so passionate about their highly coveted art that they established an international organization, the Vera Pizza Napoletana, in the 19^th century to protect the Neapolitan pizza. Now recognized as its own legal entity, the VPN has create a specific D.O.C., or denomination of control, that all Neapolitan pizzas must meet. And, to my surprise, the list of ingredients doesn’t include much. Forget the different meats, vegetables, sauces, and herbs that have been tossed onto the countless “Italian-style” pizzas that you may have eaten in the past. Barring some mozzarrela, some basil, tomato, and a couple other ingredients, this pizza doesn’t have all that much. And yet, it is held in such high regard that the Italians have been guarding its integrity for over 150 years.

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Thus, when I heard about DC’s legendary 2 Amy’s, a Neapolitan pizzeria so authentic that it actually has D.O.C. pizza, I knew I needed to have a bite. I was all the more intrigued because 2 Amy’s is regarded nearly unanimously as DC’s finest pizzeria, and it has the popularity to boot.

I’ll put it into perspective: I had gone over with five of my friends, all young college students with a humungous appetite. We hadn’t eaten in a while, expecting to get a pretty fast meal—it is a pizzeria after all, so how long could it take?

…Then we got there and saw the hour-long line. A wait was expected, since it was Friday, but an hour for some pizza? Unsurprisingly, I had to put up with quite a few complaints.

Regardless, once we had a bite of the amazing pizza, we were all convinced. Not only did all the complaints stop, but every single one of my friends agreed that it was completely worth the wait. Even better, I can confirm that the official D.O.C. pizza is about as fresh and delicious as Italian pizza gets.

I ordered a simple margherita pizza, which comes with just buffalo mozzarella, tomato, and basil. Typically, such a plain combination wouldn’t excite me much. It was, however, so balanced, so nuanced, and so fresh that it was impossible to resist. Oil gushed out from the cheese as I bit into it, the tomatoes burst with flavor, a marked herby undertone permeated every bite, and the crust had the right balance of crispiness and chewiness.

Unfortunately, I can’t say as much about some of the other offerings. I really appreciate that 2 Amy’s, while a Neapolitan pizza-maker, features a rather large menu of traditional Italian goods, including everything from homemade gelato to bruscheta to homemade donuts. The quality, however, doesn’t generally compare to that of the D.O.C. pizza. Moreover, the non-D.O.C. pizza varieties can be a bit quirky and even underflavored at times. I had a slice or two of the Vongole, a pie topped with cockles, yet it was overbearingly oily and salty, though it did have a refreshingly spicy, herby combo from its use of hot pepper and garlic. The classics, then, are definitely the best menu options.

Nor did the restaurant impress with its décor, which is as simple as the pizza. Forget color and forget decoration, as the main dining room has simple, plain yellow walls and a few framed photos. The seats and tables are small and feel somewhat crammed, even though the dining area is rather large.

Don’t expect fantastic service, either. While the waiters are rather amiable, they’re very slow, especially given the non-stop rush.

2 Amy’s, then, is somewhat of an oddity. While it produces an amazing Neapolitan pizza, neither the restaurant itself nor the other menu options live up to that excellence. Nonetheless, it still draws out the crowd every single day of the week, which just goes to show you how good that authentic pizza must be. Thus, while I may not recommend the restaurant as a whole, I can say that 2 Amy’s does, in fact, produce the best pizza in the whole city. Stick to the classics, and you won’t be disappointed.

What I Tasted

1. Suppli a telefono (Fried Rice Balls with Risotto and Mozzarella): This was a nice, though very simple, way to start the meal. The fry job on the balls was very good, and I got a really big crunch because they were so thick. The balls were slightly burnt, however. As for the filling, I really liked the mozzarella but didn’t care much for the risotto/rice. The rice was on the creamy side, especially with the addition of a ton of melted cheese, but it still had an unsatisfying plainness and slight hardness to it that really just felt like needless carb-packing, especially given the thickness of the batter. It really could have used some tomato sauce to moisten and flavor it, and I’m surprised this dish wasn’t served with any (The versions I’ve had before have always had sauce). Moreover, the rice broke up the taste of the cheese, which I found to be outstanding—fresh and smoky, served hot and melted perfectly. The ball was practically overstuffed with cheese, too, helping to cover up some of the imperfections. 2.5/5.0
2. Margherita Pizza (Tomato, Basil, Buffalo Mozzarella): This is an actual Neapolitan pizza, made according to all the traditional techniques and with only the most traditional ingredients. 2 Amy’s really nails the pie too, doing a few things that really set it apart from the competition. First, unlike many Neapolitan pizzas, which tend to be sparse with their ingredients, here I felt that 2 Amy’s provided enough mozzarella and tomatoes and distributed them very evenly so that you could get some in most bites. The one area where the restaurant was stingy was the basil, which was both unevenly distributed and lacking in quantity. That basil came in whole leaves, providing a very marked herby undertone that would have suited the pie really well, giving the heavy, oily cheese some more balance. That’s not to say the mozzarella was bad, though. It was in large chunks, with an incredibly delicious juiciness and chewiness to it. Every time I bit it, oil just started gushing out, forming small rivulets that would merge deliciously with the juice from the tomato. And trust me—those tomatoes were real tomatoes, so full that they just burst out with juice when bitten. Topping it all off was that phenomenal crust I spoke about, which was, thankfully, not burnt at all this time (my other pizza wasn’t so lucky). Really, this pie was incredibly simple, but the ingredients were just so fresh that it’s impossible not to like it. At the same time, I do find it somewhat plain, and it really could have used some more seasoning. 4.4/5.0.
3. Vongole Pizza (Garlic, Capers, Parsley, Hot Pepper, Cockles, Grana): Everything the margherita did right seems to go wrong in this pizza. This pizza has no sauce and almost no cheese on it, so you really taste the bread here. While that’s nice, it can be plain. Moreover, this time around the bottom of my dough was burnt at spots, turning the whole bite bitter—something that stands out all the more because of the lack of sauce and cheese. Still, the dough was, as always, delicious. The main problem was with the flavor combination. I liked the idea of using cockles, but in practice it didn’t work too well. They were served still in the shell, which might seem “classic” or “pure” to some, but which just added an extra pain for me, as I had to manually remove the meat and place it on the pizza. Nor did those cockles complement the pie well with their saltiness. The whole pie was, in fact, extremely salty, and the shellfish only made it worse. Moreover, the pie had a lot of olive oil all over. Normally, I love olive oil, but here it was very overdone, giving the pizza an oiliness that just stuck out against the lightness of all the other flavors. On the more positive side, I enjoyed the heavy seasoning of this pie. The hot pepper wasn’t too spicy but added just the right level of spice to give it some kick, and the combination of garlic and pepper worked surprisingly well to give the pie a nice balance of herby and spicy. Overall, then, this pie has some interesting concepts, but it doesn’t quite reach the synergy of the combinations in the other pies. 2.5/5.0
4. Vanilla Ice Cream/Gelato: A huge disappointment. Even though this ice cream was fantastic, it had changed since the first time I tried it, when I found it to be heavenly. It was once so light and airy that it was practically whipped cream, with a very intense, fresh vanilla taste to it. Here, it had lost a lot of that lightness and flavor. I do have to say, though, that it still had a lot of its characteristic creaminess. It was so soft that it offered no hesitation to the spoon whatsoever, seamlessly being scooped up as if it were a mousse. I’d say that the texture was somewhere between that of normal ice cream and gelato, so it was very easy to eat and soft yet very rich. Where it somewhat failed, though, was in the flavor. The vanilla was very subtle, almost not coming through at times. What I was left with was an intense, but bland, cream taste. 3.8/5.0. It really attests to the quality of the ice cream that, even though it was light on flavor, I still thoroughly enjoyed it because of its fantastic creaminess and softness.

Scores

Ambience: 1.5/5.0
Service: 2.0/5.0
Taste: 3.2/5.0
Value: 3.0/5.0. An above average price for a good pie, though it’s not all that filling.
Overall: 2.7/5.0