{"id":239,"date":"2010-05-19T16:13:00","date_gmt":"2010-05-19T16:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/endoedibles.ifm.yji.mybluehost.me\/?p=239"},"modified":"2010-05-19T16:13:00","modified_gmt":"2010-05-19T16:13:00","slug":"central-washington-dc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/endoedibles.com\/?p=239","title":{"rendered":"Central, Washington DC"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Having dined on Mediterranean, Indian, and \u201cNuevo-Latino\u201d lunches thus far in DC we decided it was time for something a little more familiar \u2013 yet something you can\u2019t really find in small town Ohio \u2013 French Bistro fare. <\/span>With dinner plans for Citronelle the following night the four of us met up at Michel Richard\u2019s downtown Brasserie \u2013 Central \u2013 the 2008 Beard Award Winner for best new restaurant. <\/span>Having heard about Central\u2019s sizable portions and decadent desserts we eschewed breakfast and arrived just as the restaurant was opening \u2013 as a matter of fact we were the first to arrive. <\/span>Greeted by the pleasant receptionist we were led to a great four-top near the back of the restaurant \u2013 a seat with a great view of the all-glass kitchen as well as the dining space which would quickly fill to capacity with black suits and business wear.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Sitting down we were greeted by our server, a young woman named Valentina – she was pleasant if not overly attentive, our water and bread reaching empty and requiring requests for refills on more than one occasion. <\/span>Menus were presented and drink orders placed – Dr. Brown\u2019s Cherry Soda, House Made Grapefruit Soda, Iced Tea, and Coffee plus the previously mentioned water\u2026as we made our decisions we were delivered a basket of hot and crusty sourdough paired with a delightful salted butter.<\/span><\/p>\n

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With orders placed we sat back and watched Sportscenter on the television at the bar while discussing the day\u2019s plan \u2013 after fifteen minutes we received our first selection of the afternoon, an enormous cone of hot and fluffy gougeres. <\/span>Flaky pastry exterior and creamy cheese within the Gougeres weren\u2019t as meltingly succulent as those at the Keller establishments but they were salty and savory little bites straight out of a French Culinary text.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A basket of gougeres and a basket of bread devoured we waited only fifteen more minutes before our mains arrived \u2013 by this time the restaurant was filled and noisy, but not loud. <\/span>After requesting refills of bread, water, and coffee we dug right into our mains \u2013 first for my sister a tasty Ahi Tuna Burger cooked rare and served with a fresh frisee salad topped with a light vinaigrette. <\/span>Served with a light and zippy mayo, tomato, and two of Michel\u2019s signature potato tuiles the hefty tuna patty worked beautifully with the brioche textured bun while the tuiles added a crunchy texture and a light buttery flavor.<\/span><\/p>\n

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For my aunt the selection would be a loaded corned beef sandwich atop toasted bread \u2013 she stated it was the best she has ever had and I\u2019ll take her word for it. <\/span>Tasting her coleslaw \u2013 a light version with cabbage, carrot, zucchini, and spices I quite liked the lack of heavy mayonnaise that plagues many slaws and the French fries were a delight \u2013 golden, crisp, and topped with crystals of kosher salt.<\/span><\/p>\n

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With mom ordering the item I\u2019d targeted I opted for some traditional bistro fare \u2013 the Charcuterie Plate featuring Faux Gras, La Quercia Prosciutto, Country Pate, Boar Sausage, House Cure Salami, Head Cheese, Cipollini Onions, and Cornichons alongside a Frisee, lardon and poached egg salad. <\/span>One of my favorite salads, the airy yet fibrous frisee was a clean palate for the creamy poached egg and incredibly salty lardons \u2013 adding house-made croutons and a light vinaigrette only helped. <\/span>With regard to the Charcuterie Plate I was glad for some help from the family \u2013 the board was enormous and the options delectable. <\/span>While each slice of meat was delicious and the Country Pate the best I\u2019ve ever tasted I particularly fancied the Faux Gras \u2013 a buttery textured terrine of chicken liver with a peppery undertone.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Mustard Sauce, my mother\u2019s option, turned out to be every bit the showstopper I\u2019d heard it was \u2013 a difficult task for something as simple as Fried Chicken. Paired with sieved \u201cpomme puree\u201d loaded with butter and a side of mustard sauce the bird was tender, moist\u2026juicy even with accents of rosemary and thyme. <\/span>Undoubtedly brined the fantastic chicken was only enhanced by the buttermilk and cornmeal accented batter, laid on thick and forming airy hush-puppy-esque pockets surrounding the natural curvature of the bird.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Heavy options all around for the main courses there was no way we were skipping dessert \u2013 the menu was simply too tempting and Richard\u2019s pastry kitchen too well renowned. <\/span>Knowing what I\u2019d order before we even arrived we each selected a different option and shared around \u2013 believe me, these aren\u2019t skimpy desserts, there will be plenty to share. <\/span>Starting with my option, Bread and Butter Pudding, all I can do is think back and smile\u2026simple, flawlessly executed, and warm the four by four inch square was served swimming in a buttery rum sauce and topped with fresh whipped cream and candied Pecans. <\/span>Everything bread pudding should be the flavors were balanced \u2013 sugar, cinnamon, butter, and cream plus small bites of golden raisin hidden in a supple brioche that melted on the tongue.<\/span><\/p>\n

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For my mother\u2019s option \u2013 well, she still raves about it today as her favorite single dish of the trip. <\/span>Simply titled \u201cMichel\u2019s Napoleon\u201d the nearly 1\/2 foot tall amalgam of pastry cream and flaky (think Phyllo Dough) was served in a hefty vanilla sauce and crackled with each poke of the fork. <\/span>While somewhat difficult to eat without making a mess the mild flavor profile was delicious \u2013 in my opinion it begged for some fruit, but for mom it was perfect.<\/span><\/p>\n

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My aunt\u2019s choice was Michel\u2019s signature \u2013 a dish originally served at (and still served at) Citronelle. <\/span>Simply titled \u201cMichel\u2019s Chocolate Bar\u201d or \u201cLe Kit Kat,\u201d the dessert was a veritable tasting of chocolate in and of itself. <\/span>Served as a long bar composed of a thick layer of chocolate cr\u00e8me, crushed hazelnut, and crispy chocolate wafer in a pool of milk chocolate my only critique of this dish would be that the wafer was so dense that it nearly needed a nice\u2026and that that it cried for coffee or a glass of milk \u2013 it was large, dense, and decadence at its best.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Going for the gusto, my sister opted for The Banana Split. <\/span>One of her favorite desserts, Valentina warned us that the dessert was immense but Erika was undeterred. <\/span>Delivered in a plate over a foot wide the split made the other desserts look tame\u2026almost pedestrian. <\/span>With three ice creams (creamy vanilla, icy strawberry sorbet, and profoundly dense chocolate) each topped on their own in the upper sections of the dish the bottom half consisted of three half-bananas, split lengthwise, beneath a mound of hand whipped cream, almonds, chocolate fudge, pineapple, and cherry sauce flanked on each side by caramel and chocolate sauces swirled in vanilla cream. <\/span>Excessive, yes. <\/span>Delicious, yes. <\/span>Finished almost entirely by a short and thin female, you bet.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Noting that service did indeed improve after I drew her attention to the empty beverages and bread I still felt Valentina was a mediocre server compared to our previous DC dining experiences at lunch \u2013 sure the restaurant was busy, but so is everywhere downtown in DC at that time of day. <\/span>That said, everything that came out of the kitchen during our visit to Central was exquisite \u2013 as good as \u201csimple\u201d bistro food can be and it is obvious that others are paying attention, from the Beard Award to the 30 minute wait for a table as we were leaving shortly before 1:00. <\/span>No, they\u2019re not going to wow you with cutting edge cooking methods or the effusive service of Citronelle, but they are going to give you a lot of great food at a fair price in a pleasant setting.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Having dined on Mediterranean, Indian, and \u201cNuevo-Latino\u201d lunches thus far in DC we decided it was time for something a little more familiar \u2013 yet something you can\u2019t really find in small town Ohio \u2013 French Bistro fare. With dinner … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,25,334,28,309,13,45,27,153,333,61,12,310],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bread-basket","category-bread-pudding","category-central","category-coffee","category-dc","category-dessert","category-foie","category-food","category-ice-cream","category-michel-richard","category-pork","category-vacation","category-washington"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/endoedibles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/endoedibles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/endoedibles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/endoedibles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/endoedibles.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=239"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/endoedibles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/endoedibles.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/endoedibles.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/endoedibles.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}