Dinner at Michel at The Ritz-Carlton, Tyson’s Corner

Last November 30 I spent the whole day in Tyson’s Corner Center, a popular mall in Virginia.  After shopping I met up with my cousin Sharon for dinner. I wasn’t really hungry but when she mentioned eating at Michel I was suddenly excited.

Having eaten at Michel Richard’s Central, I had even higher expectations for Michel at The Ritz-Carlton. Note: This restaurant closed last February 19, 2012. His restaurants Citronelle and Central are still open though.

The head chef gamely posed for me.

There was purple accent lighting in the restaurant which made the white balance of my pictures really off. I tried my best and still the pictures came out with a strange tint.

Even though I claimed not to be hungry I just had to order the cheese puffs. Even though the puffs weren’t piping hot they were extremely good.  The puffs were crisp, hollow and had a strong cheese flavor. There was no scrimping on cheese for these puffs. I had to stop myself from finishing it all. It was so worth the carb overload.

cheese puffs (gougères) $8

I’ve heard so much about their famous short ribs that were cooked for 72 hours in 133F /56C using the sous vide method. The beef was very tender with all the collagen broken down yet it still had a nice bite and beefy texture. I appreciated that the beef didn’t lose it’s flavor to the braising liquid. The red wine sauce highlighted the essence of the beef. This was truly an outstanding homage to short ribs.

short ribs braised 72 hours $36

I requested that the side dish of garlic mashed potatoes be replaced with a side salad but they didn’t allow it. My cousin Sha enjoyed the super smooth, super buttery garlic mashed potatoes. I tried a little and it seemed there was equal parts butter and potatoes. It was too sinful!!!

garlic mashed potatoes

Sharon ordered the lobster burger which I also wanted to try. I didn’t like the lobster burger very much. It reminded me of the lobster ball you eat with shabu-shabu. I prefer lobster roll type sandwiches more.

lobster burger $30

french fries

There were so many desserts to choose from but the waiter suggested the apple four ways and I’m glad I listened to him. The four ways were apple opera,
apple soufflé with caramel sauce, caramelized apple with rice krispies and apple sorbet. I loved all the apple desserts which were made with such detail and packed with tons of flavor. One little bite gave such an intense kick of apple goodness that four little servings were more than enough for the two of us to be very, very satisfied with dessert.

apple four ways $11

My favorite was the creamy apple soufflé that had so much flavor that a good dowsing of buttery caramel sauce only amplified the sharp apple taste.

apple souffle with caramel sauce

Thank you Sharon for the wonderful dinner at Michel. My next trip to DC I want to eat at Citronelle to complete my Michel Richard experience.

Michel (now closed)