Meals to Remember - 500 Places for Food and Wine Lovers - page 158

Where Star Chefs Go Casual

175

Central Michel Richard
Happy in Both Kitchens
Washington, D.C.

For years, while all his French peers in
other cities were expanding their empires,
Michel Richard kept his head down,
intently focused on cooking at his flagship
restaurant, the superb Citronelle in
upscale Georgetown (3000 M St. NW;
& 202/625-2150; www.citronelledc.com).
Citronelle continued to perform at such a
high level, producing such light and cre-
ative French food, that some diners began
to feel that Richard perhaps knew best—
that they should take literally the title of
his book Happy in the Kitchen and let the
man be.
Yet while Michel Richard is indeed
French—born in Brittany, trained in Paris
under Gaston Lenôtre—after he first came
to the United States in 1975, he fell so in
love with American food, he never went
back to France. That's why it makes sense
that in 2007 he finally turned his full atten-
tion to American food by opening Central
Michel Richard. This brasserie has a menu
full of American classics, given a stylish
French spin. The lobster burger comes
layered with scallop mousse, the macaroni
and cheese is dressed up with sour cream
and tangy Gruyère, the fried chicken is
bread-crumbed instead of battered. To
maintain his edge over homegrown com-
petition, Richard then throws in French
classics such as hanger steak, onion soup,
charcuterie, mussels with white wine and
garlic, cassoulet, and french fries so defin-
itive, no one in Washington would ever call
them “freedom fries.” A salad frisée
appears on the menu next to a retro
American salad of iceberg lettuce and
blue cheese, braised beef cheeks next to a

rib-eye steak, crème brûlée beside apple
pan dowdy.
Richard's purpose in opening Central
wasn't just to try different recipes; he also
wanted to develop a younger audience—
the congressional aides instead of the
members of Congress themselves. Instead
of a Georgetown location, he chose the
District, between the White House and the
Capitol, where there's plenty of lunchtime
and happy hour business. The atmosphere
here is much livelier than at Citronelle,
with a large bar area (it even has a televi-
sion) and an open kitchen; wine is stored
in open racks that are themselves a design
element, and you can look right into a
corner meat locker. The decor is contem-
porary and angular, with soaring ceilings,
warm golden colors, glossy blond wood,
beige marble counters, and beige wall
tiles. Perhaps the most striking detail of all
is the big magenta silkscreened portrait of
Michel Richard himself, his round bearded
face casting an avuncular grin over the
dining room. He's still happy in the
kitchen—and he wants you to be happy
too.

1001 Pennsylvania Ave. ( & 202/626-
0015; www.centralmichelrichard.com).
( Reagan National (3 miles/5km); Dulles

International (26 miles/41km); Baltimore-
Washington International (35 miles/56km).
L $$ Four Points by Sheraton, 1201

K St. NW ( & 202/289-7600; www.four
points.com/washingtondcdowntown).
$$ Georgetown Suites, 1111 30th St.
NW ( & 202/298-1600; www.georgetown
suites.com).