Spirits Are Soaring (and Pouring) at Citronelle

Gourmet food without wine? Not in Michel Richard's restaurant! Rather than subject customers to dinner without their favorite vintage, Citronelle voluntarily shut down two nights before reopening Saturday.

"The food and the wine pairing are an integral part of each other," said Citronelle spokeswoman Mel Davis. "We assumed most people would not want to come without wine, and we don't want to serve it without wine -- it's part of the experience."

The acclaimed Georgetown restaurant lost its liquor license last month, and was ordered by D.C.'s Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration to stop serving booze Thursday-- although the kitchen could still serve food. (No BYOB -- customers weren't allowed to consume any spirits on the premises.) That didn't fly for Richard, recently named by the James Beard Foundation as the nation's outstanding chef.

Citronelle is housed in the Latham Hotel, which holds the liquor license and changed ownership last fall. New owners missed the March 30 deadline and a June 30 extension granted by the city, and that was that. "It was really just a technical difficulty," said hotel General Manager John Carns, who denied rumors that Richard and his landlords are at odds. "It was a little longer process than we thought."

Citronelle wasn't the only restaurant to lose pouring privileges -- a number of hotels and restaurants temporarily lost licenses earlier this year -- but none as high-profile as Richard's, where customers regularly spend $150 to $200 per person. The restaurant had reservations for 120 to 130 people each of the two lost nights -- and sacrificed about $30,000 in revenue. The silver lining? Richard's pals came to the rescue, and local gourmets were transplanted to other hot spots like Eve, Vidalia and Marcel's.

THIS JUST IN . . .

· Rappers Ja Rule and Lil Wayne, who appear together on the aptly titled new single "Uh Oh," were arrested shortly after Lil Wayne's concert Sunday night in New York. Jeff Atkins (Ja Rule's legal name), 31, was stopped for speeding and arrested on charges of criminal possession of a weapon after police found a .40-caliber gun; Dwayne Carter (Lil Wayne), 24, and a friend were arrested an hour later and charged with smoking marijuana and carrying a .40-caliber pistol. A rep for Ja Rule's record label had no comment.

· His LA Galaxy soccer debut Saturday lasted just 12 minutes, but the party for David Beckham and the missus, Victoria (Posh Spice), went on and on Sunday night. The two were guests of honor at a welcome-to-Hollywood bash for 600 hosted by Tom Cruise and Will Smith at the Museum of Contemporary Art; the guest list included Bruce Willis, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, Jim Carrey, Ron Howard, Eva Longoria, Brooke Shields, Wesley Snipes and Quincy Jones. The Beckhams arrived with new BFFs -- Cruise and Katie Holmes; can a road trip to visit Redskins owner Dan Snyder be far behind?

· Kelly Clarkson has issued a groveling, we're "one big, tightly knit family" apology to music powerhouse Clive Davis. The two clashed over her new album, "My December"; Clarkson basically said the 75-year-old was too ancient to appreciate her work. Now -- after the CD flopped and her tour was canceled -- she's singing another tune: "Contrary to recent characterizations in the press, I'm well aware that Clive is one of the great record men of all time."

LOVE, ETC.

· Married: Boxer Laila Ali and former NFL wide receiver Curtis Conway in Los Angeles on Sunday, reports People magazine. The 29-year-old daughter of boxing legend Muhammad Ali-- who was present at the ceremony -- became a household name this spring as a finalist on "Dancing With the Stars." Conway, 36, played for several NFL teams before retiring in 2005. The couple met two years ago at a party hosted by Conway; this is the second marriage for both.