Michel Richard
Citronelle, Central Michel Richard
Washington, D.C.
http://www.citronelle.com
Michel Richard is a rarity: a French chef in the United States who is as concerned about diet as he is about flavor. Of course, after working with Michel Guerard, the father of ‘cuisine minceur,’ at Eugenie-les-Bains, he’s convinced that the two concerns need not be mutually exclusive.
“There is definitely a French tradition that is based on fresh flavors,” says the chef-owner of the chic California-style Citronelle in Washington, D.C. “We use the term ‘pointu,’ meaning they have an edge that enlivens them. The minute you add butter and cream, that changes, and the honest flavors are dulled.”
Richard’s cuisine is vibrant with flavor, as anyone who has tasted his Muscovy duck with Pinot Noir and bacon sauce, his chicken ravioli with herb sauce, or his sauteed salmon with beet sauce and green beans, will attest. In fact, many body-conscious Californians would be surprised to know that Richard got his start, and still excels, not in carrot sticks but in French pastry.
Entranced by his first sight of a professional kitchen when he was only 8 (“The white hats and aprons and all of the food — I fell in love!”), Richard is a classically trained chef from Rheims in the Champagne district in France. Richard worked first with dessert master Gaston Lenotre. In 1975 he traveled to New York with Lenotre to open a pastry shop. Then he spent a decade in Los Angeles running his own pastry shop, making his signature light desserts. Eventually, he opened Citrus, where he serves the same sort of desserts, plus a complete menu to match. And then on to Citronelle, his signature restaurant in Washington, D.C. There have been more honors than you could count, including four AAA diamonds, four Mobil stars, listing by Gourmet as one of the top 20 restaurants in the U.S. — on top of his California awards which included “Best Chef, California,” from the James Beard Foundation. Central Michel Richard, also located in the Capital, is another incarnation of his aesthetic, encouraging conversation and relaxation over excellent food. He's also opened in Carmel.
“I was tired of hearing how French food is heavy,” he said. “And I was tired of seeing the French open the same restaurants here as they would in France.”
Richard wanted his restaurant to be classy but not stuffy, and the light, bright decor mirrors both the name of the place and the style of the cooking. His cooking is mostly done without using butter, cream, or flour, yet even the sauces are smooth and substantial, their consistency achieved with herb and vegetable purees. Guilt-free desserts are offered, although Richard also turns out more decadent pleasures. The idea is not one of deprivation, Richard insists, but of moderation. “You have to adapt to the lifestyle of your customer,” he says. “This is not Normandy.”
