Happy in the Bar

I had a friend visiting from Montreal and I wanted to treat her to an impecable American by-way-of- Europe meal. I tried to book a table at Central but, as on most weekends, it was fully booked. I don't mind eating late, but I thought the 10.00 PM reservation suggested was not something my friend could handle.

"Perhaps you can join us for dessert," the hostess said.

I got us a table at Brasserie Beck and we had a lovely meal of fresh oysters, a stater made of a garlic baguette, poached egg and fricasse of mushrooms (reminiscent of Austrian cooking, except for the poached egg), and duck and steak entrees. The beer somelier gave us some refreshing suggestions from the beer menu. After such a heavy meal (and an early start), we opted for skipping dessert.

We walked around downtown with no particular destination in mind when we found ourselves in front of Central. The place was packed, but I figured it was worth asking if we could get a table for dessert and drinks in the lounge area. In a few minutes we had a table facing the entrance, where I spent the next hour admiring the reflection of the beautiful food pictures projected next to the bar.

The wine list has several selections by the glass (the other places, other grapes is particularly interesting), but as we were in a celebratory mood, we had cocktails. The seasonal offerings feature an apple cocktail (the color of apple pie, not neon green) and a cosmopolitan that takes an overdone drink and breathes in new life. For dessert, we split a Kit Kat: hazelnut creme sandwiched between flaky layers encassed by chocolate. The citrus notes in the cocktails balanced the richness of the dessert. The portion is perfect for sharing, but I won't judge anyone who goes for the whole thing.


Central - Michel Richard
1001 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20004
http://www.centralmichelrichard.com/drink/