Sweet Hope, Central’s all you can eat dessert event for charity, is back! I can’t recommend this family experience enough! Kids love it! Reservations are staggered and required. This year, there will be live jazz and a balloon artist. This event is $25 per person for those 10 and over.
Previous coverage and a few words about the late Michel Richard are here. The flier for the event is below.
-JAY
We miss you, Michel.
Michel Richard’s Central has continued to hold a annual benefit for St. Jude Children’s Hospital, even a year and a half after his death. A few weeks ago, we were thrilled to sample Central Michel Richard‘s delicious French desserts and donate toys to St Jude. Above are some images of of the highlights from this benefit.
Our Previous coverage of Michel and his events can be found here. You can easily see how he was a beloved fixture in the DC restaurant scene.
Happy Holidays everyone!
-JAY
About six months ago, restaurateur and James Beard Foundation Award winner, Michael Richard passed away. His loss will be felt in the DC restaurant world.
I was lucky to attend Sweet Hope, an annual charity event to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital a couple of months ago, and am happy to report that Central is producing desserts of the same quality and deliciousness of previous years. Above are some of the image highlights. Here, here (featuring an image of Michel), and here are three of our previous articles that featured this great French chef and his food.
-JAY
Today we attended the Sweet Hope, Dessert for Toys Reception at Michel Richard’s Central. Toys were collected for St Jude Children’s Hospital. I even got a chance to say talk to Restauranteur/Chef Bart Vandaele, who was in attendance. We look forward to this event every year. Pictures from the event are above.
-JAY
We recently attended Michel Richard‘s Sweet Hope dessert for toys event at Central. The event benefits St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. There’s nothing like the combination of happy children, balloon animals, and amazingly delicious desserts! Above are pictures of some of the highlights of the event.
I have never been disappointed by Michel’s establishments, and I hear he has a new restaurant in NYC, Villard.
-JAY
Michel creating the "smoked salmon croquet madames" he is about to hand us.
I was fortunate to attend the “announcement party” at Central for Michel Richard’s new restaurant (tentatively named “Michel”) at the The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner (in the old Maestro space).
At the beginning of the event, I was (intentionally) positioned to watch Michel make some “small bites,” which he handed to the three of us. At one point, Michel was in the corner of the room surrounded by his staff. I wandered over into his tight group and started a conversation with him. I’d never met Michel before and was very impressed with him because he is personable, passionate, and expressive and makes people immediately feel comfortable. He is also funny: (spoken in a French accent) “I like cheeses that smell like my feet when my wife gives me foot rubs.”
Half of the time my gaze kept being drawn back to their house made charcuterie–intensely red cured hams, and salamis sitting right in front of me on the meat slicers. $22 for a charcuterie plate (from their lunch menu).
I skipped the two mushroom dishes (due to an allergy) but one diner told me that a mushroom dish was the best thing she had that night. Everything I had was tasty, but my favorite was the croquet madame, of which I had several; the cheese, black bread, and salmon in the teeny sandwiches were an amazing combination. The deviled eggs were great but they did have (raw) meat in them! Yum! I tried the two red wines, and both were good but I preferred the tempranillo (the heavier wine). Below is a list of what we were served.
I HAD to take a picture of the charcuterie.
Wines:
Bailly Lapierre, Crémant De Bourgogne, Blanc de Blancs, France 2007 – (Chardonnay)
Bourgogne Blanc, Michel Richard, Domaine Maillard, Burgundy, France 2007 – ( Chardonnay)
Domaine Coteau De La Biche, Vouvray, Loire, France 2008 – (Chennin Blanc)
Bodegas Muaurodos, Prima, Tora , Spain 2006 – (Tempranillo)
Frederic Mabileau, St Nicolas de Bourgueil, Loire, France 2006 – (Cabernet Franc)
Hors d’oeuvres:
Mushroom croquet monsieur – duxelle of mushrooms, Swiss cheese, whole wheat bread
Smoked salmon croquet madame – smoked salmon, Swiss cheese, black bread
Gougeres (cheese puffs) – gruyere and parmesan cheese
Mushroom Tarts – mushrooms and gruyere cheese
Deviled steak & eggs – hard boiled eggs stuffed with beef tartar
-JAY
