Birthdays are for Eating...

So perhaps the best thing about having a birthday is that people come out of the woodwork to treat you to great meals at restaurants you wouldn't normally get to eat at. So in the spirit of public service, (as well as to brag about how great my friends and family are), I thought I'd write a quick recap of the DC dining hotspots I've been to this week.

Tuesday: Citronelle

"Go big or go home" is a motto to live by, so when my father suggested we go to the restaurant traditionally ranked #1 in Washingtonian Magazine's Very Best 100, how could I say no?

Chef Michel Richard's restaurant is surprisingly large inside, with a variety of rooms spread across the lower levels of the Latham hotel in Georgetown. The main dining room overlooks the open kitchen where if you're facing the right direction, you can watch the chefs at work. (I actually wasn't facing them, so I can't really tell you what it looked like.)

But on to the food... My appetizer was a "mosaic" of surf and turf- basically sushi grade tuna, salmon, yellowtail, and scallops sliced round with a carpaccio of beef all drizzled with a pepper pesto sauce. I'm not sure I can really properly describe it visually but picture large red and yellow polka dots across your plate. As for taste, it was fresh, clean, and very light. Excellent dish!

I went old school for the main course... Chateaubriand, topped with chanterelles in a syrah sauce, with porcini flavored diced yukon gold potatoes on the side. Okay, maybe that's new old school. Anyway, the beef was perfectly rare, the sauce was just the right compliment to go with the bottle of Shiraz we had been drinking anyway.

Dessert time! Anyone who knows me, knows I'm a chocoholic. So when there's something on the menu called "Chocolate Three Ways" it's pretty much a no-brainer. Way #1 was a chocolate hazelnut tart that because of my nut allergy, I couldn't eat. My father and stepmother said it was great though. Way #2 was a chocolate pannacotta, basically chocolate mousse under a crust of dark chocolate crunchy balls- very rich, but sublime. And Way #3 was essentially the greatest tasting chocolate ice cream I've ever had in my life... simple, rich, sweet, and creamy.

Other highlights from around the table included the lamb and halibut entrees as well as the chocolate flakes in minted milk dessert. Hard to top that, but fortunately my friends were more than willing to try, which leads to...

Wednesday: Montmartre

In all honesty, I had never heard of this small French bistro near Eastern Market when my old coworkers asked me to meet them there. The menu is somewhat limited in scope, but when in a French Bistro, you must stick with tradition, so therefore...

Appetizer- Steamed mussels with herbs, shallots, white wine and pastis broth. The real test of any French bistro is do you go back to dip your bread in the broth after you've finished the mussels. Survey says?? Two pieces dipped post appetizer....

Entree- Again we go with the standard. Hanger steak with caramelized shallots, sauteed fingerling potatoes and red wine sauce. Not quite "Steak frites", but as close as we'll find at Montmartre. Verdict- Better than Bistro du Coin and Les Halles, but I did miss the fries.

Dessert was a deep pot of chocolate mousse, rich and smooth, that my friends made fun of me for practically licking the sides of. So yes, Montmartre was a pleasant surprise, and I highly recommend it for a dinner with friends or even a good date.

Thursday: Sea Catch

I get the impression this Georgetown seafood restaurant is more of a power broker spot than it is a date night place, but I found myself really enjoying the decor. Mostly stone and wood planks, set in the lower levels of Canal Square in Georgetown, the restaurant backs up to the C&O Canal, and in good weather, they have tables set up overlooking the canal.

Appetizer- Hard to screw up a raw bar, but a half dozen oysters on the half shell, split between Wellfleets and Choptank Sweets definitely started the evening off properly. Fresh oysters are increasingly hard to find, and these were flavorful and large.

Dinner- After two nights of beef, it was time to shake things up. Grilled swordfish, in a light lemon white wine sauce. Large flaky steak, not overcooked at all, quite nice. But the highlight was definitely the button mushroom risotto which I had as a side. I'm pretty sure I could eat it as a side dish with everything I cook in my own kitchen.

By the time I finished all that, there was no room left for dessert, so I can't fill you in on the chocolate stylings of Sea Catch, but I'm sure they're good too.



I'm reasonably certain I'm headed to Philadelphia tonight to hit Morimoto's for the fifth year running, so perhaps there will be an addendum to this post later in the week.

In the meantime, I know you're all jealous, and if you have questions, feel free to shoot them out. Bon Appetit!