Dinner at Citronelle
It takes many components to make a meal memorable. On Wednesday January 10th the culinary stars aligned to create an evening that, for many reasons, Sherri and I won’t forget.
Citronelle’s chef and owner Michel Richard had been a guest on At Your Table in early November and provided us with one of our strongest interviews. His book Happy in the Kitchen was on virtually every best list for 2006. I called Citronelle to see if I could ‘take a minute’ to introduce myself to him when we were in Washington. What transpired exceeded our expectations in every way.
Joan Nathan, one of America’s pre-eminent cookbook authors (and another of our great interviews) joined us for dinner. When we arrived at the restaurant Chef Michel and his splendid assistant Mel Davis were waiting for us while leisurely having a glass of wine. An hour later we were still visiting, talking shop, telling stories, and, yes, still drinking wine.
In our awards summary for 2006 we refer to Chef Michel as ‘the emperor of ebullience’. That may, in fact, be an understatement. His graciousness and hospitality were beyond impressive. And all this was coupled with the fact that his new downtown DC bistro Central had been open for only two days! Talk about confident relaxation.
Dinner was phenomenal from beginning to end. The entire staff, starting with the exemplary Maitre ‘d Jean-Jacques Retourné and Citronelle’s indomitable headwaiter, Daniel, provided the perfect mix of attention, information, and non-intrusion.
The food was a glorious trifecta of art, science, and personality. Richard is ranked among the world’s greatest chefs and restaurateurs. To see details of Citronelle’s menu, décor, and staff, visit their website www.citronelledc.com.
Joan’s graciousness made us feel as if we had known her for a very long time; and the conversation carried on well after the last delicious bite was taken.
As for events that get deposited in one’s memory bank, this one required a Brink’s Truck.