Michel Richard, chef/owner of Citronelle (Latham Hotel, 3000 M St., NW; 202-625-2150) in Georgetown, certainly has been keeping busy. Last year he opened his casual DC bistro, Central Michel Richard (1001 Pennsylvania Ave., NW; 202-626-0015), home to the $29 lobster burger. Now he’s christened a second Citronelle at Carmel Valley Ranch in Northern California.
Condé Nast Traveler caught up with the always-ready-with-a-quip chef in its March 2008 issue and asked him to name his favorite dining spots in various locales, including Washington. Richard told the cutting-edge travel magazine that he thrills to the boudin at Robert Weidmaier’s Marcel’s in DC’s West End and the cold pig’s-trotter salad at Georgetown’s Bistro Lepic. He also talked up Eric Ripert’s seafood temple Le Bernardin in New York and Gordon Ramsay’s eateries in London. Richard might soon pal around DC with these high-profile chefs. Ripert was consulting chef for the downtown-DC Ritz-Carlton’s Westend Bistro, and The Washingtonian’s Todd Kliman has reported that Ramsay will be taking over the kitchen at Maestro in the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner.
