Michel Richard Citronelle

Before MiniBar, dining at Citronelle was my ultimate culinary dream. Not because it’s difficult to get a reservation (I mean, it is but you don't have to sacrifice your first born son to get a seat here either, figuratively) but because of its price tag. Our dinner for two made a hole, more like Meteor hole, in our wallet with our check being $650, officially marking it the most expensive meal we’ve ever had. Was it worth it? I think so, but not quiet sure. I mainly paid for the Citronelle experience – its ambiance, considerate service leaving no room for a mistake, and creative food. I'll explain why my experience there didn't live up to its price tag.

My boyfriend and I did 14 course chef’s tasting which took about 3 hours and some. I was fortunate enough to sit right by their wine cellar surrounded in glass walls. The sommelier seemed to have an incredible amount of knowledge in wine, and he made me wish I could drink wine (I'm allergic to alcohol, by the way). When people say something is too pretty to eat I normally ignore such comments because food is to be consumed, not to be looked at. But I quickly changed my mind when an escargot dish with rose petals was put in front of me. I hate to say this, but I didn't like every dish I had to taste. I don’t have to be the master of culinary art to know what tastes good and what doesn’t, but I'm certain it also is my untrained pallet that played a factor. Nothing was terrible but I just didn't love every bite I took, that's all. Another petty thing I must point out.. the chairs in the restaurant are ridiculously hard and made my butt ache (I mean, I did sit on it for almost 4 hours), and I also felt as if I had to wait for too long between meals. But then again, I could be the impatient one who eats too fast. What killed me at the end of my dining experience, is when they forgot to give us our petit fours before asking us to pay 3 digit, eye-popping dollar amount for our 14 course dinner. I don't mean to sound petty, but such highly reputable place such as Citronelle should always be paying attention to every little detail to ensure its customer is satisfied. It was just mind boggling to me that we had to ask for our own petit fours. Nonetheless, it wasn’t the best restaurant I’ve ever dined at, and I really wish I could say the opposite. Citronelle indeed is a great establishment worthy of all the titles it has won over the years, and there is no doubt about that. It just isn’t my favorite, that’s all.

Rating: 7 fingers.. one is barely there

Happy Eating!
HungryAsian