Friday, November 02, 2007

Central

http://www.centralmichelrichard.com/
1001 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington DC 20004
(202) 626-0015

A few months back when I treated myself to a lobster burger at lunchtime, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. This time, however, I was here to try the beef burger. I read that Michel Richard tried 12 different kinds of beef before settling on the one he makes his patties out of....wow.

The service sucked at first, and we got pissed, because this place is not cheap. However, we talked to the waitstaff and things got better. Drinks were divine, to start. A mojito with finely crushed ice so it seemed frozen, and a pisco sour but made with pear brandy. I ordered the burger medium, with cheese. The bun, crispy potato discs, heaven mayo-esque sauce, tomato, and fries all were just like the lobster burger. One cool thing is the the bun and all accompaniments are sized perfectly to the burger; therefore, it is served as a sandwich and meant to be eaten as is. I cheated and put on some homemade ketchup, and I shouldn't have.
The meat.......WOW. They must put butter in that patty. It was like filet mignon, but a burger. They know what medium means, too. And it was ridiculously filling.
The bun is an enigma. Its almost like a biscuit or something, because its so soft. Perhaps too soft, because it does tend to disintegrate after the juices seep in, making a mess. But its a delicious mess.
The fries are super awesome too, as is the homemade ketchup. Generous portion
Yes it is $16, but its really good, and it comes with fries. The dining room was lacking atmosphere for a Friday night, but the bar/lounge area was hopping and gave off a really fun vibe. If there had a been a table available in there, that's where we would've sat.

The chocolate lava cake was by far the favorite dessert. I got the chocolate mousse, because all I've heard is OMG get the mousse!, both on blogs and from our waitress. Well, it was the best chocolate mousse I've had, but I guess chocolate mousse just isn't that thrilling. Also, people talk about how amazing the little crunchy chocolate beads are that garnish the heaping bowl of mousse. Hate to tell you folks, but those are the same little buggers that come with YoCrunch yogurt. Not that exciting if you ask me.

Rating: 4.5 to 5

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