| Address | Mandarin Oriental Washington, 1330 Maryland Ave., Washington, DC 20024 |
|---|---|
| Hours | Dinner: Tue-Thu 6 p.m.-9:30 p.m.; Fri & Sat 5:30 p.m.- 9:30 p.m. |
| Phone | (202) 787-6006 |
The vegetarian tasting menu was phenomenal, the service very good, and the room quite attractive (if perhaps a bit severe).
I have to start by saying the food was definitely where it should be for restaurants in this dining category, but considering the prices, the ingredients used, and the chef's previous restaurant of employment, I expected more. I just thought the food could have been served in any McFine dining restaurant in America. It didn't shine above and beyond to me. The restaurant did, however, have a great vegetarian selection. Furthermore, I had issues with our wait staff. As a former fine dining server, I can take sympathy with most servers providing they are not committing egregious mistakes. At CityZen, they were marginally unhelpful; I kept feeling like I was imposing by placing my order or asking for a drink. They were also condescending. Without getting into great detail, our captain went out of his way to explain the menu in an offensively infantile manner and needlessly correct my pronunciation of an ingredient and a wine we ordered. I say needlessly because his vocabulary lesson was both unsolicited and erroneous.
CityZen is by no means awful, and foodies should definitely try it for themselves if they have never been. However, when you are willing to spend $100-$200+ per person, there are better options in the district.
CityZen was riding a great wave of acclaim and hype when I went. After all, Eric Ziebold is the wunderkind of DC dining and this was a way to experience the magic of Thomas Keller without actually going to French Laundry or Per Se.
Getting our table was not an issue. Getting menus proved to be. Perhaps the blank, irritated expressions on our face weren't enough; perhaps because my friend and I are in our mid-20s and look younger, we didn't appear to be big spenders (yeah, that's why we were at CityZen, because we are cheap and don't care about food); perhaps the waitstaff was just incompetent. After 20 minutes, someone actually noticed that we were just sitting there and perhaps not happy to do so.
The sommelier made up for it, almost. He recommended a fantastic Burgundy which we devoured, and put us quickly at ease.
Overall, the food was of high quality. Not the best, but of high quality. We found our meal uneven. An amuse bouche of olive oil flan was delicious if a tad oversalted. An appetizer of tuna tartare was divine with some of the best balsamic vinegar I have ever had the privilege to taste. My rabbit was tender and perfectly cooked; it came with a green au jus that tasted like a packet of Lipton's chicken noodle soup. The dessert rounded out the uneveness - delicious ice cream that didn't quite jive with the cardamom cake. My friend had better luck with her food. I was too busy sulking to notice what she had ordered.
The incompetence of the waitstaff paid off when they accidentally brought us another plate of petit fours - all delicious and the second serving was definitely not a problem.
I know of people who have had much more positive experiences at CityZen. It's just a shame that we spent nearly $200 a person on what was a perfectly nice meal that was worth only about $80.
Great food, flawlessly presented and timed, with nice touches like the truffles grated at tableside. Impeccable service even though we went on Valentine's Day. Dining room is opulent but can still tell it's inside a hotel, and tables re a little too big for intimate conversation. Otherwise, a perfect meal, and worth every penny for a special occasion.
How much to swoon? We went to celebrate our anniversary and were met with excellence at every step. Had the 5 course tasting menu, with wine pairings. Each bite made your eyes roll back in your head. Probably the best wine pairings I have ever had with a meal. Yes, it is outrageously expensive, but it was worth it. They even brought out a special anniversary cake and had our car brought out by the time we got outside. We were in Paris last summer, and this meal was better than a similarly-priced one we had at the famous Taillevent.
