Daily dispatches on the Washington, DC area's food, restaurant and dining scene.

Central Michel Richard: An Early, Early Report (With Menus)

The Citronelle chef's new bistro opens (finally!) in Penn Quarter.

By Ann Limpert Published Friday, January 12, 2007

Central--the new bistro from Citronelle's Michel Richard--has barely been open a week, which means its way too soon to make any sweeping judgments about the place. But here are a few quick impressions from my dinner there last night.

At first, the honey-colored, carpeted space looks disappointingly blah--like the designers took their cues from any earth-toned power spot. But like most things Richard, the spareness is deceiving (this is, after all, the guy who lists his show-stopping, Kandinsky-like composition of tuna, beef, salmon, eel, venison, and daikon on the Citronelle menu simply as “Mosaic, surf & turf.”). The details sneak up and surprise you: the row of hams hanging in a glassed-in room near the kitchen, the hidden light fixtures etched with the word “Central,” the silver sheaths on each bottle of wine, the magenta sinks in the ladies’ room. In the back of the dining room, a floor-to-ceiling Warholian portrait of Richard’s laughing mug looms over the tables (incidentally, that’s as much of Richard as you’re likely to see--Cedric Maupiller is chef de cuisine).

Around 7, the bar area was hopping with post-workers kicking back over $11 mai tais and $12 clementine mimosas, but the dining room was only half-full. The back of the restaurant, where you’ll get a full view of the busy cooks in the open kitchen, is clearly the best place to sit. Up front, they’ve got a temperature control problem: Not even the thick red velvet curtains around the entryway, which blew up higher than Marilyn Monroe’s hem every time anybody opened the door, could keep out the blustery air. One shivering woman asked the waiter if earmuffs were on the menu.

Though our server first pushed the $60 cote de boeuf for two, then offered to top it off with a couple lobster tails (what is this, the Cap Grille?), the rest of Richard’s menu reads casual--there’s the tuna burger (deliciously flecked with ginger), the lobster burger (nearly as good), plus plates of fried chicken and corned beef and cabbage. My favorite dishes were a chowder packed with plump mussels and melted leeks, a buttery filet of salmon with rosemary-scented lentils, and a dessert of apple pan betty perfumed with candied orange. Then there's Richard's often copied chocolate bar, aka "Le Kit Kat." It might look plain enough, but--no surprise here--each bite is packed with layers of hazelnutty flavor and delicate crunch.

Central, 1001 Pennsylvania Ave., NW; 202-626-0015; Centralmichelrichard.com.

View the dinner menu here, the cocktail menu here, and the by-the-glass wine list here.

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We went there as well and found the food excellent. this restauarant has big potential with really specail food. try the ribs if you good..72 hour cooking makes for a savory dish...plus the best fries in town!

Posted by: Guest There As Well,

Central may be brand new, but the place already is beginning to show potential to be one of the most popular and best restaurants in Washington. As the previous reviewer said, the ribs are amazing and melt in your mouth. The lobster burger is a thick patty of lobster meat topped by a large potato crisp. The barratta mozzarella with juicy tomatoes has a wonderful, buttery flavor. The desserts, especially the chocolate mousse and the apple pie a la mode, are fabulous. The design of the bar area and the rear of the restaurant is stunningly modern. The open kitchen is fresh and surrounded on the side by glass. The exposed wine rack system between the bathrooms and the bar is neat. Also, try the fries - they certainly beat the sure to be overhyped "cheese puffs," which did not live up to my expectations.

Posted by: Georgetown Resident,

Took my mother there last night for her 77th birthday - we had excellent service, delicious food and a solid selection of wines. The "faux" gras appetizer was THE best pate I've ever had. The raw oysters were very fresh, if not a little too cold - a few had ice crystals in them. The Hanger steak was perfectly cooked, the frites were just fine. Recommend the chocolate mousse. This is a beautiful restaurant. If you're lucky, Michel Richard will drop by your table to say hello.

Posted by: Virginia diner,

I thought Michel Richard would want to associate his name with a great restaurant. Central is just the opposite. The service- horrible & slow. It took 45 mins to get our apps. The glasses of wine are SEVERELY small. They need a revolving door at the entrance. The cold wind would blow in the doors and through the whole restaurant. We were seated near the front and requested to change tables. The hostess did not even TRY to entertain our request and quickly said no. Central is very overpriced for the quality. It needs to change and cannot ride on Michel's name alone.

Posted by: Wade,

We completely agree with the author's comment that : "Up front, they’ve got a temperature control problem: Not even the thick red velvet curtains around the entryway, which blew up higher than Marilyn Monroe’s hem every time anybody opened the door, could keep out the blustery air. One shivering woman asked the waiter if earmuffs were on the menu." In fact, after being seated directly in front of the blustery entrance way, we kindly asked the hostess if we could be seated at a nearby vacant four-top that was out of the doorway draft. The hostess, rudely declined our request, and told us that she couldn't accommodate us because the four-top needed to be saved for a six-person party that would be arriving soon. Less than two minutes later she seated a party of four in the table we requested. Not only was the customer service poor, but the hanger steak we ordered look less like a steak, and more like an oversized, tough and rubbery piece of beef jerky on a rope. Overall the food was mediocre and overpriced, and the restaurant management needs a course in customer relations.

Posted by: andrew j,

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Central Michel Richard: An Early, Early Report (With Menus)

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