Central Michel Richard

Dined here again and the food was again wonderful. This time for dinner, was told that they no longer do brunch. :(Best peartini ever.

A frustrating dinner at Central on 1/27/25. We had dinner before seeing a show at The National Theater. We had onion soup, salads lyonnaise, a burger, the rotisserie chicken and the KitKat Bar for dessert. Total cost ended up $187 with tax and tip. While some of the dishes were properly cooked, there were problems. First ,everything was VERY UNDER SEASONED, especially the onion soup and the chicken. In addition, the soup was covered with a very soggy piece of bread and tasteless cheese that was not fully browned. With such a lack of seasoning, the soup had very little taste. The gratin of vegetables served with the chicken was also covered with too much of the same cheese and again very under seasoned. Finally, the dessert was dense and didn't feel fresh. It was also served in a plate that made it pretty, but also difficult to eat, especially because it was so dense and hard to take spoonfuls of. The frustration is that in general the food was well prepared. Chicken skin was crisp and the chicken was beautifully cooked. The burger was a perfect medium rare. Without proper seasoning , however, the taste was underwhelming. The poor quality of cheese made the soup and gratin stodgy. The dessert felt not fresh. This restaurant, with its history, not to mention the price, should be serving better dishes. I hope the executive chef sees this and does some quality control. This was a birthday celebration, which makes it even more disappointing.

We dined here before seeing a show at the National Theater. At just a five-minute walk away, it's a great pre-theater dining location. The ambiance is nothing special. It's almost like someone took an old sports bar or chain restaurant and then tried to make it upscale. It ended up feeling like the world's fanciest Applebee's.I had seen on their Google profile a picture of these delicious-looking chicken bites. I asked the waitress which item was in the picture and I was surprised to learn that it was the chicken fingers appetizer! But I was already set on ordering it, so I did--and I wasn't disappointed. They looked exactly like the photo on Google and were really good. It was essentially--I think six---small pieces of white meat chicken breast in panko bread crumbs, nice and crispy, with a hot honey and mustard potato topping. At $14, I would definitely order them again.Everything else on the menu was extremely overpriced. I ended up getting a cauliflower side, but it was just as much as the chicken, and cocktails were $16-22. Desserts were equally expensive. I guess it is downtown DC, near the White House, but this place just didn't seem nice enough to be charging that much for cocktails and things. I'd generally day it wasn't worth the price, but I would consider going back if I needed to specifically eat in that area.

9.26.2024. We had a 6:15 reservation. The bar area was so crowded the tables were invisible with all the bodies there having a great time decompressing after work. We checked in and was seated immediately in front of the open kitchen. Once seated, I noticed how attractive the restaurant is with copper detailing throughout. We both decided on the Express Pre-Theater menu ($58/pp) as we prepared to enjoy Lalah Hathaway later that evening. For apps, the French onion soup was a little sweeter than most. I suspect the miso broth contributed to that. I had the goat cheese Caesar, the textures were satisfying. For entrées, we ordered the fried chicken w/ mashed potatoes and the Atlantic salmon with colorful vegetables. Finally, the desserts were truly delicious. He ordered the Chocolate bar which was heavy on hazelnut and the Crème Brûlée was divine. I enjoyed the experience and will definitely return, maybe for HH.

On a rainy winter Friday night, we entered a fairly empty restaurant for dinner. Though seated quickly and offered water upon seating, it took a couple of trips of our server coming by the table to ask about a bread basket. The oysters, though large, were a bit expensive (in my opinion). The French onion soup wasn't my "cup of tea": Couldn't put my finger on it, but something about its aftertaste threw me off. The Niçoise salad was delicious: Met expectations and was a perfect size for dinner. But, the star of the show was surprisingly the green beans. The marriage of the brown butter and garlic makes these (almost) too good to share. Overall a nice dining experience, but it wouldn't be a "must" to visit again.

Years ago Central was "the place" to go. I recently revisited the restaurant. It had much of the same including the burger which was delicious. Less impressive was the service compared to past days. My place setting was missing a fork and eventually I had to find one myself as the server was not attentive. I do appreciate the rich design and tones of the restaurant. It was good to be back downtown.

4.5 We had the theater menu prior to a concert. Service was fast and good solid. Nice clean and classy but not too stuffy. It was a tad too much food for us! Hubby had fried chicken and I had burger. Candy bar was ok I think I was just so full to enjoy. Loved the goat cheese salad appetizer very delicious.

Came here with a couple of girlfriends. Service was excellent. They both had the fish, which they said was excellent, and it looked very good.I had the mussels and Frites, and I was quite disappointed. They were the smallest mussels I've seen in my entire life. Ate a whole bowl full and was still hungry. The Frites were a bit over cooked.Le diplomat is the place to go for mussels and frites.

Great go-to for work lunches. The shrimp burger is quite good. Well-cooked and not greasy. The French onion soup is also a must-try, especially on colder days. Fries, of course, are fantastic. Service is always attentive and kind, vibes business casual.

I don't know how anybody can mess up a grilled chicken sandwich, but this place definitely did. Apparently it's some sort of shredded chicken with the consistency of canned tuna. To that, they added some sort of lemon peel. Yuck. It was terrible. And wildly over priced. The brioche bun that came with tasted like it was from the brioche museum. It must've been at least a week old. It fell apart while I was trying to eat the sandwich. Didn't finish my meal. The fries that came with or not fresh. VERY disappointing all around.