Grand Prix Winner Winner of DiRoNA Award, Marcelís French Cuisine Impeccable by Rachel Hunt and Stephen Qualiana Knowing that Marcelís had just been awarded the prestigious DiRoNA Award of Excellence, we knew that we were in for a special evening, and we werenít disappointed. One of only 58 restaurants in the United States, Mexico and Canada to receive the 2002-2003 awardósort of a grand prix for restaurantsófrom the Distinguished Restaurants of North America group, Marcelís underwent an independent anonymous 75-point inspection that looked at everythingó from the food to the dÈcor to the service. The first requirement for the award is that an establishment be open and under the same ownership for three years. Marcelís just had its three-year anniversary in March. It was in 1999 that Robert Wiedmaier left his work as one of the nationís preeminent hotel chefs to set up his own independent establishment, which he named after his young son. What the DiRoNa inspectors found when they visited Marcelís was an inviting low-tech space of vaulted ceilings, soft lights , earth-tone colors, impressionistic paintings of peeled fruit, flowing curtains, and decorative touches such as large wheat sheaves used to separate the dining area from the kitchen. The interior of Marcelís is divided into two service sections, a large bar area that offers live entertainment nightly. The raised kitchen area, filled with gleaming cookware, runs the length of the restaurant behind the bar area and is visible behind a glass window. The large open dining area has almost the feel of a country inn, which reflects the very fundamental nature of Wiedmaierís approach to his cuisine, an emphasis on the basics: freshness, clarity and consistency. Born in Germany of Belgian descent, trained in Holland and Belgium, and tested in kitchens of noted nouvelle French cuisine in Washington, D.C., Wiedmaier deftly brings together elements of the varied cuisines with which he has worked to create a style that he calls French with a Flemish flair, but which is all his own. The service was flawless, with a team of well-dressed waiters helping us through the various courses and offering excellent suggestions when asked. Marcelís menu is a culinary adventure in its own right and demonstrates the wonderful creativity for which Wiedmaier has become noted. To read the menu is to wonder at his inspiration and wish that you could try it all. The menu is broken down by type of food, so that you can easily consider his various treatments of ingredients while making your choice. There are a number of choices with which to start. One of Wiedmaierí s signature dishes is the boudin blanc ($13). Served with cannelini, lardons of bacon and a mustard Madeira sauce, it was light, mild and smooth as silk. The potato blini, served with smoked salmon, crËme fraiche, and sunny-side-up quail eggs ($16) was an intriguing dish. You can go a step further and add a bit of ossetra caviar ($38), which introduces an interesting salty dimension that is often supplied by capers in this sort of dish. Marcelís also offers a number of salads among which the field greens, with poached pears, stilton cheese in a pear syrup vinaigrette ($13), was a real standout. The kitchenís handling of fish is particularly noteworthy. The turbot, served pan seared with a ragout of spinach and potatoes in a dijon mustard essence ($35), was superb, cooked perfectly so that the fish was crusty on the outside, moist and flaky inside. The Dover sole ($37) and steamed Swedish perch are also good choices ($28). The kitchenís skill with fish extends to shellfish as well. The menu offers several varieties as starters. Diver scallops, seared and served with leeks and wild mushrooms in a roasted garlic vermouth sauce ($15), were excellent, as was the shrimp bignet with citrus emulsion ($15). Marcelís works equally well with fowl and red meats. Chick, squab, pheasant and duck are all available. The pheasant, served with creamed cabbage and bacon with a thyme pheasant essence ($31), and squab, with celery root purÈe and Brussels sprouts in a truffle squab jus ($29), are both outstanding. Among the red meats, the loin of lamb with turnip gratin and thyme cumin Madeira sauce ($33) was a particularly nice choice. The loin was tender and mild and cooked perfectly to your specifications. The cumin Madeira sauce was a subtle balance to the lamb and the slightly biting turnip. One of the things that strikes you as you peruse the menu is the novel way in which Wiedmaier introduces fresh vegetables. Rather than serving a standard vegetable side with all dishes, for each dish he has carefully selected and prepared something that complements the main ingredient, making the dish a cohesive (and nutritious) creation on its own. Interestingly, one of the elements that DiRoNa evaluates is the nutritional aspects of a restaurantís cuisine. It is easy to understand why Wiedmaier scored high in this areaónot only does he offer choices that are balanced, but his style of preparation of even the most robust dishes is light and healthy. Marcelís dessert menu is every bit as creative as the rest. The trio of apricots ($10) was an unusual and delicious combination of apricot strudel, a rich crËme brulÈe tart and tangy apricot sorbet. The blueberry Bavarian ($10) is another good choice. The Bavarian is sweet and rich with a definite blueberry flavor, which is set off nicely with a lavender crisp and a tart raspberry coulis. For those who must have chocolate, the tower of chocolate ($12) is a dramatic presentation of chocolate mousse encircled with cocoa meringue and graced with fresh berries. If itís chocolate you crave, you canít go wrong with this one. While appealing to all downtown diners, Marcelís offers a particular advantage to Kennedy Center-goers. It offers free valet parking and a limousine to and from the Kennedy Center and a set pre-theater menu ($42) that includes three courses. And to make it easier on diners, dessert is available either before or after the show when ordering from the set menu. If we were in the business of giving awards we would give Marcelís one with a giant gold star, but since we donít do that, we just have to say this is a great restaurant, and youíll just have to take our word for it. Marcelís is located on 2401 Pennsylvania Ave., NW. The telephone number is (202) 296-1166. Dress for the restaurant is casual elegant. All major credit cards are accepted. Dinner is served Sunday to Saturday, 5:30 to 10:30 pm. Rachel Hunt and Stephen Qualiana are the restaurant reviewers for The Washington Diplomat.