Michel Richard Citronelle

The first time I went to Citronelle was for my 18^th birthday, and from the first moment I got there I knew I was in for something special. Ever since that wonderful night all those years ago, I’ve been singing this place’s praises to anyone who’ll listen.
Obviously, this isn’t the kind of restaurant you come to on a whim. No, Citronelle works best when you have something to celebrate be it with friends, family, or a loved one.
Sit down, order the dégustation menu, and allow the sommelier to work his magic. Worry about the bill later– right now you’re just enjoying life through all your senses. The wonderfully created dishes put in front of you will all sing, I promise. The dining room is sharp and sophisticated (or at least was), and the ambiance calm and welcoming. As to be expected with a restaurant of this quality, the service is also exceptional. You won’t find summer college kids trying to earn a little money for the fall semester waiting tables here: you’ll find experienced professionals who’ve been honing their craft for years and years.
Try a chocolate soufflé for dessert and see if you don’t blush.
Citronelle is located in the basement of the Latham Hotel, and as such it was a victim of the derecho that hit the DC metropolitan area last September. They’re currently remodeling, and the restaurant is scheduled to reopen by year’s end. Let’s just hope it doesn’t take any longer: I can’t wait to go back!

2012 Restaurant Week Review which is long overdue:
For those who don’t understand why this restaurant creates so much buzz let me explain to you in two words:
Robert Parker.
If you look at the front page of Citronelle, you’ll notice this famous quote, «A great chef, who is cooking at a level that far exceeds any Michelin 3-​star chef in France».-ROBERT PARKER, Wine advocate.
For those of you who don’t know Robert Parker, he is a god-​like figure when it comes to wine ratings. He is the single most powerful person in the world, along with Stephen Tanzer of International Wine Cellar, in influencing the sale of wines. It is said that wine producers will specifically tailor the taste of their wines so that it fits Robert Parker’s palate. He can have the Midas touch of turning everything into gold, or the kiss of death that will turn wine vineyards into deserts.
That being said, you can imagine what such a strong statement will have on the reputation of Michelle Richard and Citronelle.
When I heard this, my expectations were knocked out of the solar system.
The décor was minimal in the lounge. Nothing was too fancy with the table and the chairs (they seemed to be the same even in the main dining area downstairs). There was a basic bar area that served non-​speciality cocktails like a Manhattan and it was very disappointing considering there wasn’t any specialty cocktails for this caliber of a restaurant.
As for the food, I had the cauliflower soup, steak (with extra surcharge), and the chocolate mousse.
The appetizer was the best part of the meal. The cauliflower soup arrived in a tin can alongside a bowl filled with bits of bacon. Upon arrival, the server poured in the soup into my bowl, and VIOLA~ I had table prepared soup. It was creamy and the flavoring was wonderful from the bits of bacon that were well dispersed throughout the soup.
Besides the appetizer, everything was below expectations.
The steak meat was of low quality, had no special sauce/​flavor, and was overcooked (I asked for medium rare).
The chocolate mousse arrived in bowl with COCO PUFFS– yes you heard that right.
I understand that this is restaurant week, but I’m hard pressed to believe that the steak was prepared improperly b/​c they were busy. After all, I was the first customer who came in for dinner and there was only three parties besides me that were present in the restaurant when my steak was served.
Contrary to expectations, I was not blown away by any one of these 3 items. I have dined in a few 1* Michelin restaurants in Paris including Christian Constant’s Le Violon d’Ingres and in my opinion, the food quality at Citronelle does not even come close to that.
You are free to blindly believe what the masses say, including the washington post, or washingtonian or whatever local magazines rated this place #1, but it is absolutely clear to me that this place is nowhere near a Michelin caliber restaurant in Paris. As a matter of fact, I don’t think it is is a great place overall in the DC food scene.
If you wish to believe that Robert Parker is the ultimate authority on French cuisine you are welcome to dine here. If not, I would suggest French cuisine at reasonable price points elsewhere.

We had probably one of the best dinners ever at Citronelle last night. We’ve been fortunate enough to have had several wonderful dining experiences with tasting menus, and Citronelle’s was by far the best.
I’m vegetarian, and my girlfriend is not, but we both asked for a vegetarian tasting. It was 10 courses, and amazingly good. I’m not sure if it was on purpose, but for every meal, the server described the dish, but not quite. So we were left with a slight surprise, and it became almost a game trying to figure out what the unknown taste was. I don’t have passionfruit of horseradish often, but they were present in a couple dishes, and it made for a nice touch.
We didn’t do a wine pairing, for the simple reason they tend to add up to much too much alcohol. Instead, we just ordered a couple glasses of wine. Server was nice enough to give us a couple complimentary glasses.
Obviously, this was undoubtedly the most expensive dinner of our lives. And it was worth it, to some degree. At a certain point, I think generally there is a diminishing return when it comes to fine dining, and Citronelle is no exception. But just this once, I’m happy we splurged.

I have been very lucky to enjoy many tasting menus around the country, and so as I approach any new tasting experience I am always wondering how it will compare to the others.
After spending the evening at Citronelle with the Promenade Gourmande, I can honestly say that no dish (much less 3) has ever been seared on my memory as much as several of the dishes of this meal. I will never forget the food here. Ever.
I will spare every detail, as there are many who will go into every one, but three of the nine courses were courses in which I closed my eyes for long periods of time. We stopped speaking and tasted, and chewed and swallowed and tried to hold on to the food memories forever.
In addition, the service and dining room were outstanding. From the moment when our first course arrived on a light box, and our palates were awoken by the tangy shot of green soup with the raw oyster, to the final firework set off on our table to celebrate my birthday, we were carried away for 5 hours of pure heaven.
The only criticism I have is that the wine tasting experience was not as lush as ones I’ve experienced before. At Plume, we felt like we really got to taste some interesting wines, talk with the sommelier, and weigh in on the wine and discuss its character. At Citronelle, the all french wine pours are kind of an afterthought (in terms of presentation) and we weren’t offered the opportunity to discuss or ask questions.
We were invited to tour the kitchen here, and the staff was unbelievably phenomenal — I felt like we were a guest in their home and they hosted us the way great hosts do — with kindness, humor and a total all access tour. Our server even took a dozen photos of us to ensure we got the right one.
I will dream about this meal for a long time. We talked about it for days on end. An experience not to be missed, on par with and exceeding in some ways, my experiences at the French Laundry.

For my first year anniversary with my honey, we granted Michel Richard Citronelle the opportunity to wine and dine us. We were happy, we were in the throes of love and lust, and everything was perfect in the world.. . I think the same holds true even now, I’m one lucky girl :-)
Reservations was easy, MUCH easier than the other restaurants we have frequented since. Everything is online, there is no need to call and receive that awful, annoying busy signal! I did not realize what a huge plus this was until I wasted 50+ calls and tens of minutes trying to get reservations at other places.
A month after making reservations, we dolled up and made our way to Georgetown excited with anticipation.. . I am guilty of drooling over the menu that was posted online all day!!! Ok, ok everyday that week :-P
Everything was perfect. The service was outstanding, they were really really really really attentive. How so you ask? Well when we made reservations, we did not indicate that our special occasion was our anniversary. Of course we were clinking glasses, looking all googly eyed at each other, wishing each other a happy anniversary and reminiscing on what a great year it has been (permission to GAG granted, don’t hate :-).. . To our surprise, at the end of our dessert course, we were presented with chocolate truffles with those blazing sparkly fire thingys and a card saying «Happy Anniversary». Oh we were in bliss heaven by then (was it the company or the wine??).
The food was simply art. An art form that engaged all your possible senses — vision, taste, touch, smell.
The wine pairing superb and generous. On top of being intoxicated with each other, we were intoxicated with wine as well.
«Tanya G. this seems like an awesome review, the rating should be higher» — the reader ponders out loud.
Patience, I’m getting to that! Yes, everything was awesome BUT I’m not sure if we were just rookies to multiple course dining or if the food was indeed too much to enjoy it comfortably. It seemed like too much food was being thrown our way. My cheap Asian side with manners made me feel bad and rude that I was not able to finish my dishes, especially towards the end. The potentially delicious savory finale induced an overwhelmed sense rather than one of excitement.
So would I pay that much for the meal (most expensive meal to date) and go back? Quite possibly.. . Maybe.. . I don’t know.. There are other restaurants and food options available in town and in the world. I am glad I had the priveledge to dine there, it’s an experience that served great memories, but [fill in the blank].

AHHH-​MAAAYZING. My friend from LA was in town, and she said her coworker knew a great French restaurant in DC but couldn’t remember the name. «Citronelle?», I suggested, knowing that that was top notch. Yeah, they confirmed, let’s meet there.
I walk in and am a lil bit floored by the pricing. I knew it was going to be find dining, but didn’t realize it was THAAAT fine dining. Anyway, they arrive, we have a lil laugh since we are actually not at the restaurant he remembered, but we suck it up and just go ahead with it. No backing down once you’ve been seated, ya know.
However, I was blown away and thoroughly pleased with my experience. I told the staff that I was vegetarian, and they made the appropriate accommodations. The amuse bouche was a tuna tartare — green bean tartare for me. I wasn’t all that impressed. We opted for the prix fixe, so each of us had three courses. I was very impressed with the number of options they had for each course. I opted for the eggplant ratatouille, which ended up being some deconstructed type of soup. It was cubes of vegetable (juices?) with a tahini soup that was poured around the cubes tableside. Although I picked that over the other vegetarian appetizer at the waiter’s suggestion, I prob would try the other one.
One other had the famed lobster «pasta» appetizer, which resembled beluga caviar. Instead, it’s squid ink couscous over lobster and a slow poached egg, served in a faux caviar tin and surrounded by fake ice. Whimsical and awesome!
I had the vegetarian tasting, which was good, and included some of the sides my companions got. They had the slow braised short ribs, which was a VERY hefty portion. Neither of them finished. It included four thick slabs of beef and sides.
We also had a pre-​dessert, which was like a deconstructed caramel apple. I opted for the chocolate tasting plate, which featured four chocolate desserts. Another person got the pear/​chocolate mousse, and the last person got crepes suzette. All this was accompanied by four petit fours. Grand total: eleven different desserts.
WHAT AN EXPERIENCE. Service was superb, food was well-​crafted, and we lived really large for an evening. I got over the $ 110 price tag after the first bite. But as always, the meatatarians probably got way more for their money and ate better.
However, a tip — you can get all three courses for $ 70 in the lounge upstairs. I think the other $ 40 is really for the experience.

On a recent visit to DC from SoCal, my SO and I indulged in the 9-​course Promenade Gourmande. We travel around the country a few times per year, and we like to indulge in a very high-​end dining experience in each city. Service here was excellent, although flagging someone down was a little difficult at one point since everyone was so busy; fortunately there wasn’t really a need to do this, because they were very attentive (I just had a bizarre request). Each course was both creative and delicious, neither was sacrificed for the sake of the other. I also got the wine pairing, and the same could be said about each wine — delicious, perfectly matched to the course, and unique notes in the wine.
Standouts for me were the desserts, particularly the eggs-​ceptional meringue, the amuse bouche, and the eggplant gazpacho. I really could have licked the plates for all of those. There wasn’t a disappointing course in the bunch.
We had the good fortune of having a table that directly looked into the kitchen. The kitchen is exposed behind and faces the dining area so you can see all the activity, which I think is really interesting. I think if you lurk around there a bit, they will invite you back to observe up close. That ended up being one of the highlights of my vacation!

I had reservations for post-​graduation dinner at Citronelle, and it was absolute perfection. The food wasn’t just an experience or insanely delicious, it was a work of art.
We all had the prix fixe menu with drinks all around. It was the perfect reward to a grueling two years of graduate study, and worth every penny of my parents’ money. Thanks, mum and dad!

We had reservations on a Wednesday night at 6pm; when we arrived the restaurant was relatively empty, one or two other patrons. I’d requested a table by the «kitchen window,» and they kindly obliged. We got to watch all the action unfold in that beautifully shiny and spotless environment, including a visit by Chef Michel to the chef’s table as he entertained a guest. (Executive Chef David Deshais and all the cooks in the kitchen awaited Michel’s reactions to the food as eagerly as we did!)
As others have pointed out, the style of décor may not please everyone’s tastes — one wall is truly luminescent in a very neon sort of way, for instance — but still classy. And while many seem to take issue with the service, finding it pretentious and rushed, we found our servers and the sommelier entertaining and even friendly, I dare say! Our server was certainly French and perhaps had a touch of an air of self-​importance but so much the better. I suppose when you’re serving $ 300 meals you better think you’re worth it. At any rate, he answered all our questions, offered his opinion, cracked a few jokes — I quite liked the man.
The sommelier was friendly and helpful. She didn’t flinch when we let it be known that we didn’t need to buy the priciest bottle on the list … in fact, scratch that, we really wanted one of the more «reasonably» priced bottles on the list. However I said it I think I did it pretty diplomatically, and all parties took it in stride. We wound up with one for about $ 50ish that we didn’t love (my fault — I’d scared her off when I said I didn’t want anything to big or tannic and then we wound up with something on the underside of medium-​bodied) but very drinkable, and we were happy to have not spent $ 100. We enjoyed chatting with her, too.
Serve solid cocktails, too.
I was initially drawn to Citronelle for it’s tasting menu, but when we checked it out for that night we decided we’d get all that we wanted and exactly what we wanted from the regular menu. So we did. But they still brought us an amuse bouche of three little bites — all delicious but I can’t remember what they were. That was so two weeks ago!
To start, I had the escargot surprise. It was certainly a surprise. The escargot were plump and flavorful, but not served in little holes of butter. Instead, they were joined by some mushrooms and bacon pieces over a bed of whipped potatoes and encased by an egg of fried potatoes. I ate about a third of it before I started picking out the escargot. Good, but so rich, and I knew I needed to save room.
My hubs had the TO-​DIE-​FOR foie gras. This dish might be the most foie-​gras heavy foie gras dish on the planet. Between the two of us we could barely get it all down the hatch. But it was really absolutely divine, melt-​in-​your-​mouth goodness tossed with chewy, homemade pasta in a very rich but delicious sauce. The only issue with this was that he said it «wore him out» … the large amount of fat in this dish apparently coated his tongue, making the following dishes slightly less palatable. So. Buyer beware — there is some truth to «too much of a good thing.»
We hemmed and hawed at the beginning of the meal about whether to get the short ribs — it’d mean we’d only get to try one dish instead of two, since they’ll only do if for the prix fixe meal if two people order it. But we did it, put all our eggs in one basket, and I was more than satisfied. So tender, so flavorful, completely worth it. I was less impressed with the accompaniments: everything was a bit too overdone in some way, shape or form for my tastes. I almost always inhale veggies but our side of mixed was over-​salted and I seem to recall overcooked. The huge fries were just the right amount of crunch but oozing grease. The stack of mashed potatoes were good but not particularly memorable. Maybe I’d just been overfooded by this point.
Or maybe not!!! I ate ALL of my chocolate degustation, no problemo. AND all the petits fours, which I pretty much never do, eat little cookie /​pastry thingies. The eggs-​ceptional was very lovely but neither of us are huge meringue fans, so we aren’t particularly good judges on the taste (point being, wasn’t our favorite.) Also, I’d initially planned on getting cheese. Our server advised against it early on, saying we’d be far too full, and he was right. Thank you! AND our spectacular servers lit a huge sparkler on the table with our desserts in honor of our anniversary. A very special evening, indeed.

I flew to Georgetown for my birthday weekend last month pretty much just to eat at Michel Richard Citronelle and it did not disappoint … overall
I cannot resist tasting menus … with the wine pairing, so that’s what my date and I had (if one person chooses the tasting menu, you’re both getting the tasting menu, there is no two ways about it)
The way Citronelle did the wine service was better than anywhere else I’ve ever had the wine pairing. The sommelier instructed us with each pour so it was truly a wine tasting with each course «This first wine will pair with the first two courses», so we knew we shouldn’t slug it down or let it linger. The wines were very good matches with the food
I was quite happy with the food (though nothing moved me like the Tangerine Soup at Everest in Chicago which made me weep) but on reflection I thought for the price it was pretty seafood heavy. There was one course that was a tiny lobster burger and I thought my lobster was a bit tough and the brioche bun lacked butter or salt or both. There was foie gras (and quite a generous amount, but not too much) in the fresh pasta. Both were outstanding. The ‘main’ course was a sous vide of short rib (65 hours if I recall) that was sumptuous. But those were the only two proteins that weren’t seafood. Out of a 10 course menu I thought at least one other course should have been maybe something like duck or pork. For the variety, value, and taste, Charlie Trotter’s is still the best food I’ve ever eaten
But Citronelle is the best circuses ever. The room is cozy but not crowded and colorful but not garish. There is a huge LED wall that softly changes colors, very much along the same multi-​colored and comfortable furniture. But the real show is in the gleaming kitchen where diners can watch the perfect ballet performed by the chefs and waitstaff (and no, you’re not likely to see Chef Richard there, he’s done his time and is currently busy on the celebrity circuit … but never mind, his Chef du Cuisine does a fine job)
There is a lot of showmanship when food is delivered and revealed too. Timing by the staff is impeccable and food was brought out at a good, relaxed pace. Plates glowed, food defied gravity, and serving pieces were often whimsical
Jackets are required for men, but I saw a few guys without them. I blame the guy, not the restaurant when they aren’t properly dressed. I hope he felt a fool
I hesitate to tell restaurants it is my birthday because you never get anything for that anymore … except the SBD (Special Birthday Dessert) … a crappy lump of something (who knows what) chocolate. It might be on a huge plate with ‘Happy Birthday’ scripted in chocolate, or in a little bowl dusted with powdered sugar. At Citronelle it is in a square parchment packet … complete with a 30 second firework that is lit for your enjoyment and embarrassment
By the time the cheese cart came around I was feeling full, but I still managed to get the cheese and desserts down.
Fortunately I also stayed at The Latham where Citronelle is, so I didn’t need to go far to collapse
If I ever get back, I will definitely order off the menu and do some more research here from fellow Unilocalers on the best things to order. I’m really not sure the mostly-​fish Tasting Menu that I had was worth the hefty price. Food 7, Circuses and Service 10
Citronelle gets 4 stars, but 1 ½ of those are for the Circuses and Service

I had a great, delicious burger and fries here at their bar. The best burger and fries I ever ate. I was already planning family outings, booking holiday reservations. It was love.
But, sadly, about 2 hours after my last bite my stomach began some awful rumblings. Other unpleasant symptoms followed. You know where I’m going with this…

Michel Richard Citronelle is just outstanding. I came here on my recent DC trip with my amazing bf and this experience was so memorable. The restaurant is gorgeous and we were able to sit on a higher tier of the restaurant that looked over some tables and the kitchen. They had a darling private room with a small table in the back of the restaurant that was so intimate; coincidentally President Obama and his wife had eaten in that room the night before :). My favorite part was that this restaurant was formal so men were required to wear jackets, which I loved. Our main server was very French with the stereotypical French snobbery but it made the evening enjoyable.
They brought us the most amazing and beautiful amuse bouche in the beginning. Then we started with cauliflower soup and scallops with foie gras and chestnut risotto. Un-​be-​lievable. The soup was perfection and pretty much anything with foie gras (in my opinion) is phenomenal. Then we had the lobster and the lamb. My bf and I both agreed that it was the best lobster we’ve had. It was an entire tail with an amazing sauce and was accompanied with this fried rice dish (didn’t really fit with the lobster, but delicious anyways). The lamb (similar to Fifth Floor in SF) had multiple cuts and creations, and was to die for. Before I get to the desserts, I need to mention how amazing the bread was. It was very simple but so fresh and it melted in your mouth. After that, we had the chocolate degustation and the napoleon. The napoleon wasnt my favorite, but the chocolate degustation was outstanding. The petit fours were so delicious too. Everything about this place was beautiful, from the wine to the food, to the ambiance. Believe or not, this restaurant is comparable to Gary Danko and my bf would definitely agree :). I cannot wait to go back to this restaurant with my love for another amazing evening.

A special experience but definitely an expensive treat for my bday last year. One of my favorite meals and worth at least one visit.
Michel Richard is a talented artist, and I adore his French creations. His food is intelligent and charming. He plays with colors, texture, and shapes as if he’s having fun in the kitchen. Every dish said more than its lesser description on the menu, and I loved that element of surprise. The food was beautiful in presentation, full of flavor, and generous in its portions. My eyes and stomach were equally satisfied.
Each finger-​sized appetizer came out as if designed by a skilled craftsman. My favorite innovation was the squid ink-​dyed pasta balls looking like a strange black cavier. Once you break the top, you find a hidden layer of lobster in cream sauce underneath. Surprise! The entrée of braised short ribs consisted of generous slabs of meat and would gratify your unpretentious hungry man who wants a solid hefty dish. Given Richard’s pastry background, dessert was not surprisingly fun. A fruit pizza covered with white chocolate shavings. A gelato pyramid scheme of various choco-​vanilla based flavors. Add some pizazz with a sparkling flambé to center the cookie pieces surrounding it.
A beautiful multi-​tired seating area with a well-​lit kitchen behind a glass wall for all patrons to see the masters at work. Waiters always stood closeby to deliver our next course with impeccable timing. Overall, the place did have somewhat of a stuffy feel because of its patrons, but that dissolved after the first bite. It was as if with each dish, Michel Richard was telling me, forget about the patrons — enjoy the food and let’s have some fun.

This review is for the LOUNGE at CINTRONELLE, because I sadly cannot afford the real thing. But this was DELICIOUS! I didnt even know they had a «lounge menu» until my friend came into town and said she wanted to check it out. We had a fantastic meal and fantastic drinks and for the 2 of us it was under $ 100 total. The atmosphere is very chill, there are probably 10 small tables as well as chairs at the bar to sit that are above where the restaurant is located.
DRINKS: she got the SIDECAR, which was served in a martini glass and very good & i got the PROVENCE & TONIC which had lavendar syrup, gin, absinthe and a few other treats — definitely unlike any drink I had ever tasted and you could definitely taste the lavendar; i really enjoyed it!
FOOD: we split the crab tart for an appetizer, which was very good — but not large and probably my least favorite thing that we tried. For our main course we split the tuna burger which was aboslutely AMAZING! I dont know how they made it, but it was fantastic. We also got a side of the fries, which were also very good in their own right!
All in all a great place to go for a semi-​quiet, fun nice dinner

Hard choice between 4 and 5 stars. Food is definitely a 5. A surf and turf mosaic of very thinly sliced raw beef and sushi was amazing to view — and very tasty. A tuna napoleon was also a work of art — and delectable. Entrees of venison and duck were perfect — and very well portioned. Dessert was a compilation of 4 chocolates — most appealing was a whimsical but decadent chocolate ice cream bar.
So 4 or 5 stars? The service was a tad snooty, and the valet parking was strange to say the least — you need to pay at the hotel reception, they need to input a large amount of keystrokes into their system and add tax to $ 12 — — given the size of the Cintronelle bill one might expect if not free parking the charge to be conveniently added to the check or at least attended to by the restaurant.
This is a place worth going. How often you’re inclined to pay for such a meal obviously depends on your wallet and priorities.

I went here with a group of coworkers while we were in town on business. Since we were a group of 11 we called to make reservations and were informed we needed to rent a private room and have a pre-​set menu. With it being restaurant week and every restaurant in the area wouldn’t take reservations for a large group or they were booked we decided to go ahead and rent the private room. We were so not disappointed!
The room was downstairs and way in the back so we didn’t have people walking by all the time. The mood was set with dimming lights, but not too dark. There was mood music set. We were greeted with our waiter taking our coats then immediately pouring our wine.
I started with the Citronelle salad. It was delicious, but I wouldn’t order it on my own as it had beets and I’m not a fan of beets. Then I had the lobster begula pasta. It was AH-​MAZING! I still can taste it! The appetizer is served in a caviar dish with crystals on the plate. The caviar dish is layered with a poached egg, lobster with a yummy sauce, then topped with the risotto pasta made to look like caviar. My favorite of the night. Then I had the pork tenderloin that was so easy to cut into and perfectly cooked. Others at the table had the sablefish and it looked delicious. Wish I could have tried both. Then I finished it off with the vanilla bean napolean. Yum yum yum! Everything about the meal, ambiance, and company was great!

My girlfriend and I went here with a couple of friends for dinner. Her review is the last one previous to mine. We had the Promenade Gourmande with wine pairings. Damn! It was one pricey meal! Despite the sticker shock, I felt that I got my money’s worth.
First, the service was strong throughout the evening. Pablo was attentive and knowledgeable about the each course that was served. However, one critique item would be that since we got the wine pairing with the meal, it would’ve been nice to have the sommelier provide a little background on the wines being served and why she paired it with each respective course. The wines were all exceptional, but the 2003 Pessac-​Leognan was my personal favorite. The wine pours were generous
Second, the food was sinfully good and served in generous portions for a tasting menu…
Amuse Bouche was a mushroom «tartare» and mushroom «espresso» served in a real egg shells lit up with miniature «klieg» lights. Visually, it was a flashy beginning to our meal. However, the taste of the food was not outdone by the bells and whistles of its presentation.
Razor Clam-​Mussel Chowder… if I had to make a meal out of one bowl of soup, this would be it! Rich and creamy lobster bisque covered the wonderful shellfish.
Tomato tartare… beautiful presentation, nicely seasoned tomatoes, tartare-​style.
Halibut in a lobster-​saffron broth… a flavorful dish, but the halibut was over-​seared which resulted in it being a bit dry and tough. A shame because I love fresh Alaskan halibut.
Lobster Burger… served with potato chips, the burger was an truly tasty, whimsical twist on the traditional burger and potato chips.
Lamb in a jalapeño-​cumin sauce… I love lamb. This was the second or third best course of the evening. The lamb was tender and juicy and was complemented nicely by the jalapeño-​cumin sauce.
72 hour braised short rib… this was my favorite course. I love braised foods and especially beef short ribs. Extremely tender… while I wouldn’t necessarily say it was cut with a fork tender, it certainly was sliced with ease by a butter knife.
Cheese…three flavorful, bold choices… sadly I can’t remember the types of cheese, although all three were from cows milk.
Eggs-​ceptional Lemon Meringue… I’m not a dessert guy but I certainly can appreciate a dessert done well with originality. This was one such dessert! Lemony and rich without being over-​sweet. It was perfectly sized and really looked like an egg.
Chocolate bar with pistachio ice cream and sauce… this reminded me of an über-​chocolatey and rich Twix bar. Very good dessert.
Finally, Petit fours… a variety of four small sweets… the chocolate-​covered/​dusted grape was the standout.
All told, it was great dining experience… probably a 4.75 star place, one of the best I’ve had in this area. This is definitely not a place I could afford to go to on a regular basis, but it’s definitely worth consideration for a special occasion.

One word: PHENOMENAL.
Service, ambiance and food… everything was just top notch! Without a doubt, 5 stars all around.

Citronelle has been on my list to try but I could never justify an event important enough to spend high $$$ for one dinner.
So to celebrate my fiancé’s Birthday, we finally went to Citronelle since she was in a Fench food mood!
Boy, I’m glad I did — from the reservation process (too bad they are not on OpenTable anymore), to the welcome and dining experience — each step was excellent!
Service was top class — it felt like we had our own group of people taking care of us — 1 of 3 service staff were always available to take care of our needs :)
We opted for the 3 course meal — since we got there after 9 PM. But that was enough food for us to keep us stuffed!
For appetizers we had Foie Gras and Begula Pasta. Foie Gras was excellent — perfect composition and was well complemented by the sauce and bead!
Lobster Begula Pasta was probably one of the best dishes we had tonight. Caviar and lobster tasted fresh!
Main Course was Lamb and Veal.
Veal was 4 out of 5 stars but Lamb was 5 stars! done just right and juicy :)
Dessert was Chocolate Degustation and and Cheesecake. Cheesecake was yummy — definitely recommended. Some elements of Chocolate were a bit of a let down tho :(
We were served a pre-​dessert dish — caramel soufflé that was the best dish of the night — hopefully they will add it to the regular menu!
Selection of wines and drinks were on par with other similar restaurants.
I am a fan of this place already and will wait for other opportunities to come back! Oh and don’t forget the jacket you men out there (luckily I did not)!

I conquered the Promenade Gourmende and had a wonderful time here. The lamb dish with the jalapeño-​cumin sauce was divine! I’m not into lamb, but that dish was palate-​changing. It makes me want to give lamb another chance.
I also had the opportunity to meet the chef himself, Michel Richard. He’s such a nice man, very French. If you have a couple of bucks to spare and can’t get a rezzy at minibar, this is a nice alternative.