Restaurant in D.C., United States
Michel Richard Citronelle
was an American restaurant located in
Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
The chef and owner of
Citronelle
was
James Beard Award
-winning chef
Michel Richard
.
Background and opening
[
edit
]
Michel Richard
became a nationally-renowned chef in
Los Angeles
in the 1980s, and he opened his first
Citronelle
restaurant in
Santa Barbara, California
in 1989.
[1]
In 1993, he opened
Citronelle
at the Latham Hotel at 3000 M St. NW in
Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
, hiring Etienne Jaulin as the executive chef.
[2]
Subsequent versions of
Citronelle
opened in
Baltimore
,
Tokyo
and
Carmel, California
.
[1]
A review in the
Washington Post
noted that even though Richard was not regularly in the kitchen, the food had "the brilliance, the originality and the quality of Richard's cooking in California."
[3]
A
Washingtonian
magazine review noted the "sense of festivity," highlighting the Reuben sandwiche ravioli and Richard's re-envisioning of a Kit Kat bar.
[4]
The
New York Times
called
Citronelle
"one of the most consistently excellent newcomers" in the D.C. dining scene.
[5]
In its early days,
Citronelle
was a regular destination for members of President
Bill Clinton
's administration. Attorney General
Janet Reno
was seen there having dinner with
Barbra Streisand
.
[6]
Citronelle was also frequented by First Lady
Hillary Clinton
and Secretary of State
Warren Christopher
.
[7]
Renovation and recognition
[
edit
]
In 1998, Richard renovated the restaurant and renamed it
Michel Richard Citronelle
.
[8]
He sold off half of his interest in his Los Angeles restaurants and moved to Washington, D.C., making
Michel Richard Citronelle
his flagship restaurant and giving it his full-time attention.
[9]
In 2002,
Citronelle
was named Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington, and Richard was named Chef of the Year.
[10]
In 2001 and 2006, it was named among the top 20 restaurants in the country by
Gourmet magazine
.
[11]
In 2007, Richard won the
James Beard Foundation Award
for Outstanding Chef, and
Citronelle
wine director Mark Slater won for Outstanding Wine Service.
[12]
Washingtonian
magazine named
Citronelle
the No.1 Very Best Restaurant in Washington in 2007 and 2008.
[4]
In May 2009, President
Barack Obama
and
Michelle Obama
celebrated their first date night at
Citronelle
.
[13]
In July 2012,
Citronelle
closed due to water damage.
[14]
The restaurant did not reopen.
[1]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
Grimes, William (2016-08-15).
"Michel Richard, Acclaimed Chef at Citronelle, Dies at 68"
.
The New York Times
.
ISSN
0362-4331
. Retrieved
2017-03-26
.
- ^
Sagon, Candy (January 13, 1993).
"French Food, California Fun"
.
Washington Post
.
- ^
Richman, Phyllis (May 2, 1993).
"Master of Invention"
.
Washington Post
.
- ^
a
b
Limpert, Ann (August 13, 2016).
"Michel Richard, Famed Washington Chef, Dies at 68"
.
Washingtonian Magazine
.
- ^
Burros, Marian (April 13, 1994).
"Washington Dining: A Deficit No More"
.
New York Times
.
- ^
August, Lissa (May 21, 1993).
"Barbra Streisand visits the capital"
.
Entertainment Weekly
.
- ^
Conway, Ann (April 1, 1996).
"Top Chefs Team Up in Winning Style"
.
Los Angeles Times
.
- ^
Sagon, Candy (March 11, 1998).
"Blast Off"
.
Washington Post
.
- ^
Burros, Marian (September 30, 1998).
"Food's Ambassador to Washington; Michel Richard is so creative his mission may well succeed"
.
New York Times
.
- ^
Chamis, Elani (July 1, 2002).
"Matalin, Carville not enough to stave off West 24 closure"
.
Washington Business Journal
.
- ^
"Biography: Chef Michel Richard"
.
National Gallery of Art
. Retrieved
11 December
2018
.
- ^
Hacinli, Cynthia (May 8, 2007).
"Scenes From the James Beard Awards"
.
Washingtonian
.
- ^
Zeleny, Jeff (May 2, 2009).
"After 100 Days, a Date"
.
New York Times
.
- ^
Sidman, Jessica (July 12, 2012).
"Citronelle Closes Due to Water Damage"
.
Washington City Paper
.
External links
[
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]
38°54′17.6″N
77°3′34.6″W
/
38.904889°N 77.059611°W
/
38.904889; -77.059611