Michel Richard
The DC dining scene is exploding, as chefs like Scott Bryan, Laurent Tourondel and Wolfgang Puck have all come to the nation's capital, with Eric Ripert on his way next month.
"This is wonderful time for DC," chef Michel Richard (Citronelle) told Zagat Buzz. "We don't have to be jealous of NYC anymore!"
No, but we might have to be jealous of LA. Richard is close to a deal with restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow to do a culinary makeover of Social Hollywood. It seems that the West Coast is hankering for the cosmopolitan creativity that pervades Richard’s most recent Washington winner, Central. Richard was bi-coastal when he first brought California chic to the DC dining scene by opening Citronelle in 1992, and now it looks like he will be straddling two coasts again.
"I love DC, it is my home now. But, working in LA again will be like going home. I lived there for 20 years, the opportunity is impossible to resist," said Richard, who held recent guest chef gigs at top LA dining venues BIN 8945 and Providence.
– Olga Boikess