Originally Posted by gleff
Bingo, CityZen does trout better than any place I can ever recall eating (I like it more than Tetsuya's, and trout is his signature dish!).
We're in the minority here, at least from what I've heard among friends lately, but I agree with you. Just contrast the open kitchens. Cityzen is a bit boisterous. Maestro is virtually silent (only the chef and sous chef speak, everyone else acknowledges them into headsets). I agree, Maestro is all-around more refined.
As you might expect...I agree.
Last night's visit to Cityzen got me thinking:
I lived in DC for a handful of years and moved away 6 years ago. After a stop or two along the way, I now live in NYC but have been spending a few nights a weeks in DC the past couple of months (usually at the Mandarin).
New York still blows away DC in the food area in just about every category IMHO. However...when it comes to star-chef fine dining, DC might have an edge. It's rare to find the chef in the kitchen in NYC. Per Se? Nope. JG? Rarely. Any Batali joint? Nope...he's too busy posing for Chef Boy RD like cans of tomato soup. Ducasse? Ha...yeah right! Morimoto? NYC/PHL/NRT split (though he was on hand for a great meal in Philly a coule of years ago).
Maestro? Fabio has been there every time. Cityzen? Ziebold was there on a Tuesday doing his thing. I hear Richard has his mind on more than his kitchen at his relatively advanced age (Ziebold is 34, Trab. 32).
I don't know if this really holds water...just a theory.