Citronelle: the Verdict

Someday I hope to find myself lounging in my $2 Million Dupont flat sipping something expensive. I shall turn to my sexy and well-dressed significant other, gesture with an impeccably manicured hand and say, 'Dahling, I rather fancy stopping off at Citronelle this evening'.

But until I can stop spending all my hard earned cash on comic books and Chipotle, I have to get to Citronelle the usual way: By finding a special occasion, booking a month in advance, and then drooling all over my keyboard as I count the days off my calendar. Last week after much anticipation they finally hit zero, and for the first time I finally got to experience this much-talked about bastion of food-happiness.

Right now Citronelle is listed as #12 in the US by the often trustworthy Gourmet Magazine, beating out The Inn at Little Washington as DC's finest contribution to dining. And while I might argue that our finest contribution is, in fact, Joe's Noodle house on Rockville Pike, I can't find fault with the idea that Citronelle is bloody good . (Incidentally, #1 right now belongs to Chicago's Alinea - I hear it's like Minibar, but weirder. Any rich Chicagoans need some arm candy for the weekend?)

Amg and I arrived to a very brief wait and a very large table in that order. But besides needing smoke signals to communicate, the room was warm and happy with an open kitchen, glowing panels, and more gray hair than a Russian Blue. We had just missed the tasting menu by a few minutes, but the lovely waiter let us order an extra course. In hindsight, there's no way we could have eaten an entire tasting menu. After a while it just comes down to a matter of volume.

The food at Citronelle is superb. And the food at Citronelle is witty- that's not a word I'd usually use to describe a meal, but how else do you explain cous cous, dyed with squid ink to look like caviar, served over raw egg and flattened lobster in a tin? Or how about a soft cheese soufflé set in the middle of a smooth, rich mushroom soup? Or a thick, juicy cut of duck done 'Tutti Frutti' (the name says it all). Or a desert made of small items shaped to look like breakfast dishes? If you can think of a better word, let me know.

And even had the food been TGI Friday's, with a staff like this I'd happily eat crappy quesadillas every night just to be back under their care. Waiters came over to discreetly make sure that everything was perfect. Waiters came over just to say hi. Waiters came over to give us a 7th round of perfect bread. Waiters came over to keep me company when amg got left the table for a moment. The Sommelier took our wine inexperience as a personal challenge, and it was only after ten minutes of amusing anecdotes that we suddenly realized that he probably had other tables to deal with.

Anyway, go to Citronelle. It's worth it. Even if it means having to do it on more than 2 hours notice.