Michel - the Past or Present Maestro? - Part II

Michel
1700 Tysons Blvd,
McLean, VA 22102
www.michaelrichardva.com

Now the continuation from Part I with most importantly - pictures!

Cheese Puffs

The diner’s names have been changed to the protect the innocent, what I’m going to present to you are just the facts.  

We each ordered an appetizer.  Diner 1 order the cheese puffs, Diner 2 ordered the onion carbonara, and I order salmon tartare.

Onion Carbonara

 The cheese puffs were just ok.  I expected them to be served warm but they were barely above room temperature.  When I bit into the puff I was anticipating a mouthful of cheese but instead I was left biting into a hollow pillow.  Maybe I had a dud, so I tried another but it was the same.  Not very exciting at all.  The onion carbonara didn’t really resemble pasta (obviously it’s an onion), but I thought it might have looked a little more like a linguine or fettuccine. 

Salmon Tartare

 The carbonara sauce was nicely balanced, but a bite with bacon could be a little on the salty side.  I also thought some of the outer leaves of the onion could have been peeled off as a few of the stands of “pasta” were a little stringy and tough.  I’m pretty sure the onion carbonara is also served at Citronelle.  My tartare was pretty standard. The fish had a nice clean taste and pared well with the finely minced egg and onion along with the capers.

Bread and Butter

Warm bread and soft butter was also served on the table.  The bread’s crust was crunchy yet the inside was a little moist and chewy.  It was excellent bread - probably some of the best bread and butter that I’ve ever eaten!

Lobster Burger

On to the main course.  Diner 1 ordered the the roasted chicken with garlic mashed potatoes.  Diner 2 had the flat iron steak with shallot sauce.  I had the lobster burger.  None of us shared our entrees so I can only rely on what the 2 other diner’s feedback was.  Let’s start off with my lobster burger.  My first bite in and I could immediately taste the lobster.  There were definitely chunks of lobster meat in there.  The problem was, I was put off by this grit that I was chewing on.  Horrors!  Could there be shell or sand in the burger??  I’m pretty sure it’s not sand, but could it be shell?  I take another bite and it’s also gritty.  There couldn’t possibIy be this much grit in the burger so I take off the top bun to discover there’s a thin potato chip like wafer of some sort on top of the lobster burger. 

Fries

What in the world is this doing here??  It serves absolutely no purpose in my opinion!  It just adds some unnecessary hard bits to each bite.  I can understand the desire to add some texture to a dish, but this only took away.  I took the remaining chip off so I could enjoy the rest of my burger.  Eating the burger alone with no bun tastes a little salty, but tasty fine in conjunction with the bun.  The salad of mixed greens served on the side seemed to be a little over seasoned and frankly the leaves were a little bit large to eat without cutting.   The burger came with french fries, which were crunchy on the outside and almost hollow on the inside.

Roasted Chicken with Garlic Mashed Potatoes

  They were pretty good. It must have something to do with the type of oil they are fried in.  I was told by Diner 1 that the roasted chicken was just ok.  It wasn’t anything to write home about.  The roasted chicken at a chain restaurant may even be better, at least when you factor in the price of the dish.  The flat iron steak was cooked to a perfect medium temperature as requested by Diner 2, but it was a little on the small side.  I guess it didn’t quite satisfy his hunger.  Diner 2 thought the salad was drizzled with a “subtle, but yet tasty vinaigrette.  Diner 2 says the bread was the best part of the meal (I may just agree with that opinion). 

Flat Iron Steak

The service throughout the evening was not too good.  I think it all went down hill after the waitress came to ask if we wanted anything to drink.  We all just took “still” a.k.a. tap water.  The waitress probably found it to be more worth her while to be more attentive to other bigger tables that were ordering cocktails!

Chocolate Bar

We each get a dessert - how could we possibly not have dessert??  Diner 1 was told that French restaurants have the best desserts so he chooses the chocolate bar for dessert - basically the same dessert served at Citronelle, which is designed to be a play on a Kit Kat bar.  Diner 2 ordered the Pot de Creme along with regular coffee.  I ordered the banana split, but before making that my official decision I checked with our substitute waiter (our original waitress was too busy with other “more important” tables) to see if there would be anything better than a banana split.  I also confirmed that it was in fact going to be a banana split and not some out of this world concoction dreamed up by Chef Michel.  Diner 1 enjoyed the chocolate bar.  He confirmed that it was like a Kit Kat bar but with a twist.  He also enjoyed the “creamy sauce” that was on the plate.

Pot de Creme

  Diner 2 devoured the Pot de Creme.  He said it was “yummy and very creamy, but tiny.”  My banana split was not exactly a traditional banana split, but not too far from it either.  There were 3 little bowls containing vanilla ice cream, chocolate ice cream, and strawberry sorbet.  Along side these 3 little bowls were a banana that had been cut in half lengthwise that was completely covered in whipped cream, topped with what I’d describe as little chocolate balls, finely diced pineapple, and a literally transparent pineapple slice (chip).  The first thing I ate was the pineapple chip.  It was delicious!  So thin and crunchy and sweet.  It was so good I told 

Banana Split

Diners 1 and 2 to try the remaining 2 pineapple chips.  They concurred that it was good.  The vanilla ice cream was alright, I wasn’t overwhelmed with vanilla flavor.  The chocolate ice cream was too rich and creamy for me.  The strawberry sorbet was the best of the 3, but it was on par with any sorbet you could buy in the ice cream section at your local supermarket.  The banana that was completely covered in whipped cream tasted like any other banana.  I asked Diner 2 to help me finish my banana split as it was too much for me.  I think he ate more than I did, but that’s neither here nor there.  Diner 2 was also yearning for a coffee refill, which never came.  I suggest that they may not give refills at a fancy restaurant like this.

So what’s the verdict??  I say it’s worth a visit, especially if you work in Tysons Corner or don’t feel like driving all the way to DC for a “fancy meal”, but I personally don’t think I’ll be coming back here any time soon for dinner - maybe I’ll try their brunch.  The highlights of the meal for me were definitely getting to meet Chef Michell, the bread and butter (which was free), and the pineapple chip served on my banana split. Diners 1 and 2 agreed that they’d only be back for dessert.  So maybe if you’re interested in coming, just stop in for some cocktails, ask for bread and butter, and then get dessert.

Some may ask how could I possibly afford to bankroll such a lavish meal.  Well the answer is quite simple.  It was funded by the generous support of readers like you.  So please keep those donations coming!