Phyllis C. Richman is a native Washingtonian, and served as food critic of The Washington Post for more than 23 years. She was known for her unbiased and accurate assessments of restaurants. Her freelance articles have appeared in Gourmet, Bon Appetit and other food related magazines. In 1998, her first mystery novel, The Butter Did It was published by HarperCollins to rave reviews and an Agatha award nomination.
RR: Prior to the arrival of Jean-Louis Palladin in 1979, how would you characterize the Washington, DC culinary picture?
PR: Many people would suggest that we had a very average restaurant scene, but I would choose to call it underrated. There were several chefs doing wonderful food when he arrived. However, I would say that Jean-Louis became the catalyst in terms of changing the perception of the DC restaurant community, and that change was decidedly for the better.
RR: From reading your reviews, it would appear that in Jean-Louis, you found little to criticize.
PR: I was critical of some of his dishes, but overall I was consistent in my praise of Jean-Louis and his restaurant. I certainly feel that I was correct in this regard.
RR: There was a great story concerning Robert Shoffner, the restaurant critic of the Washingtonian Magazine. It seemed that he wrote a negative review of Jean-Louis, and it created quite a scene at the Watergate.
PR: He actually wrote more than one negative review, and he came to the restaurant one evening, and Jean-Louis refused to cook for him.
RR: But it became a big story because Shoffner called the police, and they showed up at the restaurant. By law, the chef had to serve him, and I understand he did.
PR: His reviews concerning Jean-Louis were dreadful, and he had very little positive to say about the chef or the restaurant. There was an unfortunate scene during his dinner, but it really wasn't all that dramatic of a story in Washington. I would consider it an isolated incident.
RR: What kind of an impact did Jean-Louis have in your City?
PR: I have always considered him as one of the most talented chefs in the world, so his impact was rather immediate. Cooking all over town began to improve, and this had so much to do with his insistence on better ingredients. Chefs all over followed his lead.
He was always very loyal and extremely generous. He enjoyed teaching aspiring young chefs, and he was always involved with local fundraisers and charity events. When many of the top chefs from France visited him, he took the time to call me and when possible, arrange for me to meet them. I always appreciated that.
I believe he organized the local community of chefs. He provided a strong communication and support system, and he proved to be a leader in every respect. Years later, when he finally left the Watergate, the mood changed dramatically. You could feel that an important ingredient was missing.
RR: It has been several years since his departure. What is the mood of the DC chef community today?
PR: Our restaurant scene has improved dramatically over the years, and right now, our area has many excellent chefs and a myriad of exciting concepts. As I indicated before, Jean-Louis helped start something here, and after all these years, that community of chefs is still working. This is the town where CIRA began (the Council of Independent Restaurants of America). Many of our local people are involved with this national organization, and many on their Board of Directors are from this area.
Jean-Louis is missed here, but he certainly arrived in Washington at the right time, and had an enormous impact in terms of where we are today.
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