Don't listen to the Debbie-downers!

Posted by kcdc07 from Washington, DC on 12/28/07

Citronelle is a fantastic, uniquely witty dining experience that housed one of the best times I've had eating! I'm shocked that many are complaining about the poor service. It's an expensive place, but if you relax about the price tag and have fun, the staff will too. I went there on the "cheap" (no wine, regular water) and never felt anyone looking down their nose at me. You cannot enjoy the experience fully unless you ask questions about the menu - the dish titles are quite funny if you take the time to listen. The lobster "begula" pasta (begula because it's made to look like beluga caviar)and the floating eel-hamachi starters were divine. If you're expecting to be coddled, this isn't the place (what restaurant is??). But if you can relax, appreciate the thought that goes into and savor each dish, you're sure to have the best dining experience available in stuffy Washington, DC - possibly the country.

Highly overrated

Posted by wordsmaven from New York City on 7/14/07

Another highly overrated, overhyped, so-called high-class eatery, with uncaring service and too often so-so, indifferently prepared food. A restaurant supposedly this good also needs to deal with its attitude. The staff are bad actors. When you arrive willing to spend this amount of money -- a $95 per person prix fixe menu is the minimum -- you need to be made to feel special, as if they care that you are there, even if you aren't special and they don't really care. But instead they make you feel as if they don't really give a damn if you like the meal, or the place, or anything about the experience. They are like automatons, reading a prepared script on automatic pilot, with pretend, pasted-on smiles. You shouldn't have to ask for more bread, or for your water glass to be refilled -- but you have to ask. If there's a small spill on the table, a place like this should cover it with a napkin. But they don't. And the food? Sometimes interesting and imaginative, but also sometimes shoddily prepared. The fish in the paella was overcooked and dry; the mosaic appetizer was interesting, but the design overwhelms the plate. The veal and sweetbreads are prepared in an indifferent, cloyingly heavy and essentially tasteless sauce. The restaurant should rename itself Michel Richard's Automat. And when you complain, gently and politely? They make it clear they don't give a damn -- just pay the bill, and go. Well, we paid, and we went. And we won't return.It was our 35th anniversary, and what a waste of an evening. If you have any sense, you won't go.

Surrender Monkeys get arrogant

Posted by JT from Cleveland on 7/17/06

Recently visited Washington and tried 1789, Citronelle and, the restaurant at The Jefferson and Morrison-Clark hotels. 1789 is superior to the other three by a large margin. Morrison-Clark is quite good and the Jeffereson is a joke. The food at Citonelle is very good; I had escargot fricasse and shank of lamb and my wife had chateaubriand. The Head Waiter is a arrogant as a Washington lobbyist. Washngton was tropical and the airconditioning was on the fritz, so I took off my coat and was greeted with an admonition to put it back on. I can't say 'pound salt' in pidgeon French, but I think he got the idea. Won't be back

Rude? Arrogant? Mai oui!!

Posted by Mel from Jackson, MS on 6/14/06

My niece, who is a Cordon Bleu trained chef, made a Saturday evening reservation for us at Citronelle. I even stayed in a cramped, overpriced room at the Latham Hotel (which houses Citronelle) to make the night most convenient. When we arrived we were told that we did not have a reservation but were on a wait list and it was too busy for us to even have a prayer of being seated. They didn't apologize. They were curt and unpleasant. They insinuated that my niece didn't know how to make a reservation! Unbelieveable. But the bright spot was discovering Marcel's on Pennsylvania Ave. Beautiful and wonderful in every way. Forget Citronelle. They need to wake up and smell the cappuccino.