HisHersMoney

So a little over a week ago was that most American of holidays, Valentines’ Day. The hype machine of America is in full force telling our lovely ladies that they MUST have fancy dinners, chocolate, flowers, and who know what else bought for them. Now don’t get me wrong. I fully go along with this just like most every other male that’s involved in a relationship. And I have to admit it’s kind of nice to have a day set aside every year to be romantic. Sometimes we men forget about that sort of thing. So in the spirit of the occasion I made reservations for Hers and I at CityZen, one of the more well-respected eating establishments here in the DC Metro area.

Chef Eric Ziebold is relatively young for the industry but has already made a name for himself as a master of food. Hers had been wanting to go there ever since we started dating. I am not what I would consider a ‘foodie’ but Hers and I go out to a nice meal probably at least every two to three months so I appreciate the additional service and treats that are part of the fine-dining experience. The entrance to the restaurant is mostly hidden inside the lobby of the Mandarin Oriental hotel in downtown DC. There is no street or public parking available so it’s either hob a cab ride or use the valet, which is $7 if you are eating dinner. So still cheaper than the probably $18 or so cab ride from our apartment.

Once inside, you walk past a little seating nook that is part of the bar and are met at the end of the bar by a host, asking if you have reservations or are going to sit at the bar. Note that this is no ordinary bar, the menu is a prix-fixe three course meal that is still more expensive that the majority of restaurants out there and there is still a dress code as well. We had reservations and were escorted back to the private dining area that I assume is normally for larger parties or for a chefs’ table when Mr. Ziebold is doing that.

Originally I had wanted to do the six-course meal along with wine pairings. However the extreme price ($125 a head just for the food portion) along with the fact that Hers didn’t find some of the options appetizing made us choose the $75 a head, three course option. We were started off with a wonderful little amuse bouche and a few options of different kinds of bread and butter, all of which was delicious. I forget exactly what either of us had ordered as appetizers but I had Emerald Farms Rabbit Loin
Braised Swiss Chard, Anson Mills White Grits and Hers had Paupiette of Stoltzfus Ranch Nature Fed Veal, Russet Potato Gnocchi Gratin, Arrowleaf Spinach and Périgord Truffles for the main entrees. Dessert was whipped brie and black truffle for myself and a chocolate-filled soufflé for Hers.

Overall the food was well prepared and the service was excellent also. For those kind of prices I hope you get well taken care of. However we both thought that the food acould have been seasoned a little more and been a bit more adventurous. I want to taste things unusual and exciting when I have a meal like this. The rabbit I thought was by far the best part of the meal as it was just so tender and flavorful. In the end we were both overly stuffed and satisfied, but left wanting more out of it. So we probably won’t be back anytime soon. There are some other restaurants locally where you get almost the quality of food at about 1/6th of the price. It wasn’t a bad experience, just not good value.