Is Washington's Best Michelin One-Star Worth $500 per Person?

📍 Restaurant: Xiquet by Danny Lledó 💰 Average Cost: $500+ (including drinks, tax, and service fee) ⭐ Michelin One-Star | Spanish Cuisine | High-End Restaurant in DC —— 📢 Key Takeaway: The food is divine! But the ambiance is a letdown... —— 💡 Overall Experience: 8.5/10 The food is truly stunning, and the service is impeccable, but!! The ambiance is really quite ordinary... If you look at the decor alone, you might think you're in a regular neighborhood Spanish restaurant, not a Michelin one-star with a $500 price tag. 🍽 Must-Try Highlights: 🔥 Arrós del Cranc—Alicante-style crab risotto, incredibly rich in seafood flavor, every bite is an explosion of freshness and essence. 🦀 🔥 Fruit de Mar—Octopus + Hokkaido sea urchin + caviar, this combination is simply heavenly. The moment it melts in your mouth, I almost teared up. 🔥 Llobardo—Canary sea bass, paired with saffron cream sauce and fish bone crisps, both sophisticated and surprising, incredibly delicious! 🔥 Presa Iberic i Carn de Bou—Iberian pork shoulder + Australian wagyu + black truffle, a paradise for meat lovers, the tenderness is off the charts. 🍷 Drink Pairing: 💎 Chose the Xiquet Premium Pairing (11 wines), Krug champagne + top Spanish red wine, each course is perfectly matched, of course, the price is also very "Michelin" 🥹. 🎭 Ambiance & Service: ✔ Open kitchen, you can see the chef in action, each dish is introduced in great detail, like watching a gourmet show. ✔ Service is extremely meticulous, from changing utensils to pouring wine, everything is timed perfectly, 100% sense of ceremony. ✔ Only a 17-course tasting menu, but you won't get tired of it at all, the pace is just right. ⚠ Biggest Complaint: The decor is really quite ordinary! The restaurant's design is just a few simple tables, with almost no special decorations. Although it focuses on "putting the emphasis on the food," to be honest, spending $500 on a meal, I still hope for a more upscale atmosphere, not like sitting in a small neighborhood restaurant... ⚖ Value for Money: 7/10 The taste and service are worth the price, but the ambiance really doesn't match the cost. If you're an ultimate foodie, go for it! But if you value the overall experience more, you might feel it's not worth it. ⭐ Recommendation Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 (4/5) 📌 Suitable for: Anniversaries, proposals, life's most celebratory moments! 📌 Not Suitable for: Friends who expect a luxurious environment, you might be a bit disappointed. —— Dining isn't just about spending money, it's a way to experience the world. 🍽✨ #MichelinOneStar #WashingtonDCFood #DCRestaurantRecommendations #WashingtonSurroundings #WashingtonCherryBlossoms #dcTravel #NewYork #WashingtonMichelin