Blue Duck Turns 20!
In a city obsessed with the next new thing, Blue Duck Tavern has quietly, and confidently, done what few Washington restaurants manage: endure, evolve, and enchant for two full decades.
This June 2026, the award-winning West End stalwart celebrates its 20th anniversary, marking two decades of crackling hearths, farm-forward finesse, and quietly impeccable hospitality inside the Park Hyatt Washington, DC.
To commemorate the milestone, Blue Duck Tavern is hosting a one-night-only dinner that reads like a greatest-hits album for the capital’s culinary cognoscenti. On Wednesday, June 10, a handpicked group of just 40 guests will gather for a five-course fête featuring the return of nationally recognized chefs who once shaped the restaurant’s celebrated identity. The evening begins with a champagne reception and hors d’oeuvres, followed by a seated dinner — which will be a perfectly paced procession of past and present.
On the plate: opening Executive Chef Brian McBride’s beloved Maryland crab cakes, Chef Brad Deboy’s rich Rohan duck, Troy Knapp’s hors d’oeuvres and cult-favorite BDT fries, and Ryan LaRoche’s indulgent bone marrow. Current Chef de Cuisine Andrew Cleverdon anchors the menu with cured fluke, while Jean-Claude Plihon, Park Hyatt Washington DC’s director of culinary and food & beverage, delivers a dark chocolate birthday cake crafted with Valrhona Chocolate. Former General Manager Joseph Cerione returns as guest sommelier, pairing each course with carefully curated vintages dating back to Blue Duck Tavern’s 2006 debut.
And because Blue Duck never sends guests home empty-handed, the parting gifts are as thoughtful as the menu: mini portions of the restaurant’s famous apple pie (a USA Today “Top 25 Best Dish” when it debuted), teas from the Tea Cellar with local honey, and a custom anniversary apron.
Tickets are $295 per person (exclusive of tax and gratuity), available via SevenRooms.
For diners eager to turn celebration into a staycation, Park Hyatt Washington DC is rolling out a trio of indulgent anniversary packages, from a luxe, one-night-only celebration stay on June 10 to a summer-long Epicurean Experience complete with cooking classes and tasting menus.
Lead image: Chef Jean-Claude Plihon & Chef Andrew Cleverdon. Photo Credit: Rey Lopez