Before the day ends, I want to write posts about the Vista health IT system, Obama's social networking achievements, card check, and other weighty topics. But there are bigger things afoot: The James Beard restaurant awards were announced yesterday, and Michel Richard's new DC bistro, Central, won for best new restaurant. Richard is DC's most recognizable chef due, in no small part, to his own efforts. Central's interior is dominated by a massive, Warhol style portrait of Richard, beaming merrily down at his diners. I know this because I've eaten there twice recently, which makes me a James Beard award winner by association. But I'm surprised because Central is...pretty good. You gotta love the intent of the place, which is high level dining at affordable-ish prices. And the food, at its best, is tasty and playful: The Kit Kat bar dessert is fantastic, and the menu is full of sly takes on bistro standbys (burger! tuna burger! shrimp burger! lobster burger!). But in a couple visits there, nothing that came before dessert actually blew me away. A scallop dish with tagliatelle pasta was drenched in an inexplicably sweet sauce that overpowered both the surprisingly thin scallops and the pasta. Soft shell crabs in a wasabi puree (I think, it was a few months ago) were terrific, but could have used some sort of base to offset the the intense flavors of the crab and puree. The tuna burgers are extremely good, but they feel a bit overpriced at $19. The appetizers involving cheese are great. The vibe is relaxed -- I felt comfortable walking in wearing shorts the other day. And the dining room is loud in a fun, boisterous way. And dessert is, as I said above, arguably the best I've had anywhere. My hunch is that the restaurant got the win for what it's trying to do rather than what it does: Namely, take a famous chef, preserve his style, and democratize his dining room. In that, it's a qualified success, and hopefully this award will push others to replicate the model. But so far as restaurants go, Central isn't even near the best that DC has to offer.
