In the Green
Excellent Food, Exciting Atmosphere Give Café Citron Color
by Rachel Hunt and Stephen Qualiana
Café Citron seems to have caught on rather quickly for its seven-month stint in Dupont Circle. The Thursday night we arrived at 6:30 p.m. the place was jammed and hopping. There is a long stretch of bar on one side with booth seating on the opposite side in the long narrow room. The neon lime green-painted space defines the tone of the place.
At the end of the bar, the space changes into a very small dining room. On the second floor is a small party room that was also in full swing when we were there. High–energy Latin dance music was piped over the house system speakers and it seemed like the whole place was rocking. It was so crowded that it was almost elbow to elbow, even at the dining room tables. But it was a good kind of crowded. The youngish, hippish crowd was laughing, talking and having a good time.
The Cuban bar favorite, the mojito ($3.50), a mix of rum, fresh-crushed mint julep leaves and lime, was strong and tasty—a good pick for hot summer weather. The tropical rum lemonade ($3) was exactly that: pink lemonade with rum on the rocks.
We had a hard time identifying why exactly but we found Citron’s pollo quesadillas ($5.25) to be particularly fetching. Perhaps it was the thin fajita or the chicken strips or the especially piquant picante, but they were good concoction with onions, green peppers and an unusual variant—tomato sauce. We thought the pollo empanizado ($5), or peppery fried chicken strips with barbecue sauce, were tasty but they could have been a bit crisper.
Another standard that we were surprised by was the plantanos Maduros ($3.95) or the fried plantains. Minor changes sometimes make significant differences, so the devil or God is in the details, depending on your results. The plantains were sliced in the opposite way they normally are for this dish, so they were in discs and accompanied by a rich, creamy and spicy mayonnaise-based sauce.
The slightly spicy mini crabcakes ($8.50) on garlic toast with cilantro and béchamel sauce were a nice idea, but a bit too salty. However, the gingered sausage ($7.95) sautéed with strips of portabello mushrooms and bell peppers in a ginger cream sauce was inspired. The sausages were sliced up into poker chip-size discs and then they were broiled so that the outside was crisp. This worked great with the chewy texture of mushrooms, and the ginger sauce tied everything together.
We liked the wait staff at Citron, especially our waiter who served us with a no-problem attitude and was eagerly willing to explain dishes and other questions we put to him. And if he didn’t know the answer he would find someone who did. After we finished our appetizers, the wait staff cleared away the table promptly, took off the tablecloth, brought a fresh tablecloth and reset the table.
The red snapper with lemon ($13.50) was simply outstanding and terrific value. Served complete with head and tail extending over the white plate, the fish was masterfully grilled and impeccably seasoned. It had the same kind of savory attraction that a barbecued steak has. One misstep, stale ingredient or cooking error can change the entire disposition of the flavors, but the chefs at Citron never let us down.
The tender white meat was so rich and flavorful it was difficult to try other dishes. The rice and vegetables were a nice accompaniment that included chunks of avocado, corn, tomato, and cucumber with a mild sauce.
The fajita del mar ($11) was a simple combination of sautéed shrimp, red and green bell peppers and onions but delightful in ways that other kitchens could not achieve with the same ingredients.
The chocolate mousse ($4.50) was dense, not the light whipped kind that is so popular. It was so thick and rich that it was closer to fudge than mousse. It was flavored with cinnamon but still strongly chocolate flavored. The bananas al fuego ($4.50) was one of the best desserts we’ve tried recently. The South American favorite consisted of bananas sautéed in hot caramel orange sauce and covered with real whipped cream. The chocolate raspberry cake was rather light with raspberries cooked throughout the cake, in a few layers with a raspberry sauce between and covering it. The key lime pie ($3.25) was a slight variation on the traditional dessert, with more egg than usual and very rich and thick.
Some people go to restaurants for the food. Others go for the atmosphere. At Citron you can have both. It’s like having your bananas al fuego and eating it too.
Café Citron is at 1343 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. The telephone number is (202) 530-8844. The kitchen is open from 11 a.m. to midnight from Monday to Friday and from 5p.m. to midnight on Saturday. Dress is city casual. All major credit cards are accepted.
Rachel Hunt and Stephen Qualiana are the restaurant reviewers for The Washington Diplomat.
