Park Hyatt Washington introduces its award-winning fare found exclusively at Blue Duck Tavern into the hotel’s recently redesigned private event space,  The Gallery.

After completing this extensive renovation in the Fall of 2011, Park Hyatt Washington is integrating the restaurant’s award-winning ‘farm-to-table’ menu throughout the luxury property. 

The Gallery captures the modern look and feel of the hotel’s distinctive lobby, guestrooms, and the Blue Duck Tavern by incorporating similar elements into the foundation of its ballroom and meeting spaces.

Leading the culinary effort to bring Blue Duck Tavern’s celebrated cuisine toThe Gallery is newly-appointed Executive Chef Sebastien Archambault. 

“Our 2012 commitment is to unify the food and beverage program throughout Park Hyatt Washington so guests enjoy the same farm-driven dining experience, starting with expanding Blue Duck Tavern’s concept intoprivate eventsatThe Gallery,” Archambault explains.

Sebastien Archambault is a seasoned chef who has worked under such luminaries as Alain Ducasse, Jean-Francois Rouquette, and Guy Savoy before accepting the position as the Executive Chef at Park Hyatt Washington and Blue Duck Tavern.  He previously ran Le Pirate in Corsica, which earned a Michelin star under his direction. 

His mentor, Jean-Francois Rouquette, recommended a move to Los Angeles for Archambault in 2008 to serve as Executive Chef of the Andaz West Hollywood Hotel and its RH Restaurant.  It was here that he became well-known for focusing on seasonal, local ingredients for his dishes, working closely with farmers, fishermen, and purveyors to create simple, expertly prepared market-to-table cuisine.

Similar to Blue Duck Tavern, which opened in 2006 earning national recognition, ingredients for each of The Gallery’s menus arrive daily from regional purveyors and artisans. 

For example, the restaurant receives its eggs from a cooperative of Amish farms and its dairy products from a Mennonite source, Trickling Springs Creamery, both from Pennsylvania. 

The lunch and dinner menus, in both the award-winning restaurant and The Gallery, detail where every ingredient is raised or caught, as well as the farm it was raised on, before its journey to the table. 

The Gallery menus, an extension of Blue Duck Tavern’s dining experience, showcase the freshest  ingredients of the season from over 65 regional and all-American purveyors. Guests enjoy the same farm-to-table fare reflecting Chef Archambault’s commitment to sourcing the region’s sustainable agriculture.

Each of Chef Archambault’s new arrivals on The Gallery’s Spring menu have their own story, along with Chef’s comments, including: Slowly Braised Beef Cheeks with Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes, Baby Carrots, and Button Mushrooms from Creekstone in Kansas. “Red wine marinated and slowly cooked, the beef cheeks are very tender and tasty. The richness of flavors combines very well with the mashed potatoes, the mushrooms and the sweetness of the carrots.”

Roasted Lobster & Chicken Thighs with Spring Green Onions, Heirloom Potatoes, and Chicken & Lobster Sauce from Bo Bo Poultry in New York. “The wood oven-roasted Bo Bo’s chicken is an amazing product. It is a heritage chicken with a unique texture and taste. Here in DC, with the quality and quantity of Maine lobster, we can combine the two with the freshness of the spring green onions and heirloom potatoes.”

For private gatherings, a three-course lunch menu in The Gallery ranges from $52 to $60 per person, plus tax and gratuity, and a three-course dinner ranges from $80 to $100 per person, plus tax and gratuity.

Seated meals are presented family-style, similar to Blue Duck Tavern, and are ideal for sharing and celebrating.

Guests can also choose to arrange for a buffet experience with starter/entrée selections and bountiful popular side dishes such as Creamy Anson Mills Polenta from Anson Mills in South Carolina; Roasted Kennett Square Mushrooms with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Roasted Garlic and Thyme from Irwin in Pennsylvania;as well as Clover Honey Glazed Young Carrots from Path Valley in Pennsylvania.

For receptions at The Gallery, one has many delicious options such as Jumbo Lump Crab Cake with Rémoulade Sauce and Watercress from the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland; Chicken Liver Brulée with Poppy Seeds, Sage and Dried Fruit from Bo Bo Poultry in New York; Duck and Oyster Mushroom Ragout Pasta Rags with Shaved Virginia Piedmont Cheese from Maple Leaf Farms in New York; and Chilled Grilled Smoked Salmon Gravlox with Frisée, Bean Salad, and Spicy Mustard Sauce from Prime Seafood in Alaska.

All who attend a meeting, wedding, or event at The Gallery will want to save room for dessert, as Park Hyatt Washington’s Pastry Chef Peter Brett showcases delicious seasonal sweets. 

Popular choices for Spring include: Meringue Cupcakes with Lemon Curd; Crème Fraiche and Spring Berries; Sour Cherry Brown Sugar Tart with Lemon Thyme Custard and Vanilla Bean Cream; and Passion Fruit Panna Cotta with Marinated Strawberries and Toasted Almonds.

The redesign of Park Hyatt Washington’s function space introduces a new name, The Gallery, which comprises the luxury hotel’s entire lower level of 10,000 square feet of flexible event and meeting space. 

Gonzalez Architects and Jane Dillon Design Group of Miami, Florida, have taken the look and feel of the hotel’s distinctive lobby and guestrooms and incorporated them into the foundation of the luxury hotel’s newly redesigned ballroom and meeting spaces.

The design of the new function space continues to celebrate and interpret ‘American artisanship’ in a sophisticated, modern manner. Name changes also include Gallery Foyer, Gallery Lounge, Gallery Ballroom, plus the Drawing Room which can be split into two separate sections, the Salon Foyer, and Salon which can be divided into five intimate rooms.  

There are currently 28 Park Hyatt hotels with locations. Additional information can be found at: www.parkhyatt.com.