Blue Duck Tavern - Washington, DC

The Blue Duck Tavern is the highly acclaimed restaurant located inside of the Park Hyatt Washington DC.  Highly acclaimed chef Sebastian Archambault mans the helm at the open kitchen.  Many tears were shed when Archambault left the Andaz West Hollywood to take his talents east to the Park Hyatt.

The restaurant’s open floor plan makes the restaurant appear bigger than it actually is.  Simply decorated yet elegant, another marvelous job by Tony Chi, brings the space to life.

Bread

The meal begins with thick cut country bread with sweet cream butter.  It would be nice if either the bread was warm, the butter softer or both.

Beet Salad

The Roasted Beet Salad ($11) is a take on a classic with goat cheese, but the addition of peanut oil and cherry vinegar gives the salad a sweet, acidic punch.  Although a well composed salad, the beets may not have been cooked long enough to bring out the natural sugars of the purple root vegetable.

Roasted Bone Marrow

The Wood Oven Roasted Bone Marrow ($14) is nature’s luscious fatty goodness.  Topped with granola, which is barely discernible, and red wine apple butter the combination adds a bright note to an otherwise super rich dish.  Served with thick country bread, this is the kind of toast to kick start your day.

Crab Cake

The Jumbo Lump Crab Cake ($16) is filled with huge chunks of briny crab.  There is no filler, and only held together with a little too much mayo sitting atop a mound of coral aoli and frisee. 

Rack of Boar

The Roasted Boar Rack ($28) is a gamier version of pork.  It is also super lean, but still moist and juicy.  Served with braised red cabbage and a bourbon jus, the sweetness of the cabbage uplifts the meatiness of the boar.

Braised Short Rib

The Braised Beef Rib ($25) remains tender and juicy.  Served with a house made steak sauce that was a little too salty, the dish could have been better if the sauce was a little thicker.  Although the beef rib was not “fall apart”, a solid dish nevertheless.

Grits

The Creamy Stone Ground Grits ($8) is paired with smoked gouda, a culinary curveball.  Somehow, the combination works.  The grits are a little loose but could have been a little more enjoyable if it was a little tighter as it would have been a better starch combination with the entrees.

Brussels Sprouts

The Brussels Sprouts ($8) was a dish that just did not work for me.  It contained cranberries, which did add some acid and sweetness.  I am not fond of sweet things in savory dishes, so this was a turn-off for me.  It also had preserved lemons, which added more bitterness than the probably intended bright citrus note to cut through the bacon.

Pumpkin Creme Brulee

The Pumpkin Crème Brulee ($9) wih pumpkin seed brittle, tasted like rich pumpkin pie filling.  It had the texture of soft custard, and not too sweet which let the taste of pumpkin shine through. 

Honey Vanilla Ice Cream

The Honey Vanilla ice cream ($8) is served in a hugely large serving dish with a large wooden spoon.  Underneath the gaudy exterior of the serving dish, is some top rate ice cream.  Flecks of vanilla bean run throughout the rich and creamy custard.

Apple Pie

The Apple Pie ($9) is the signature dish of the restaurant.  Unfortunately, this was the worst apple pie that I have ever had in my life.  The crust was dry and chewy, the filling was also dry and the apples seemed like they were almost dehydrated.  The streusel topping was salty and inedible.  I don’t if the pastry chef had an off day, but the dish was so bad that I had to send it back.

I like the farm to table concept of the Blue Duck Tavern, but it seems like the kitchen was having an off day on my visit.  Most dishes were okay, but not worthy of the accolades that have garnered the restaurant.  Although most of the dishes were solid, some of the dishes were a bit too salty.

Best Rate Guarantee Success - Sheraton Ontario Airport Hotel

SPG's Best Rate Guarantee, in which they offer an extra 10% off or 2,000 Starpoints if you are able to find a better rate than what it advertised on their website can be a valuable tool in helping to boost your Starpoint balance.  Although the 10% off is less than competitors Hyatt, Hilton or Marriott, the 2,000 Starpoints can be of much more value, especially if you are a frequent traveler.
 

At a recent stay at the Sheraton Ontario Airport Hotel, I was able to find a better rate, and was able to obtain an extra 2,000 Starpoints as well.

 

The best available rate on SPG.com was $107, but I was able to find a rate of $103 on hotels.com.  Not only did I get the room for just about the same price, I also managed to bank an extra 2,000 Starpoints.

Sheraton is also currently running a promotion, in which booking a room on the Club Level adds a bonus of 1,000 Starpoints.

I was able to gain an extra 3,000 Starpoints on the current promotion and Best Rate Guarantee.

Club Level access allows you access to the Club Lounge with access to drinks, coffee, beer and wine.  There is a continental breakfast with some hot options, including eggs, bacon, potatoes and waffles.  Other selections include fruit, bread, pastries, cereal and instant oatmeal.

During the day, selection is rather sparse with only drinks and fruit available.  There is no club attendant during the day.

At night Hors d'oeuvre are served, along with crudite.

You also get free internet, and generally a room on a higher floor.

As hard as Starpoints are to accumulate, incorporating the Best Rate Guarantee into your booking strategy can pay huge dividends.

Park Hyatt Washington DC

Marquis

The Park Hyatt Washington DC is located in the West End area, near George Washington University.

The hotel is designed by Tony Chi, as are many of the Andaz hotels.  This seems to be a prosperous relationship between the two parties.  The décor can best be described as minimalist elegant.

As you approach the hotel, there is no shortage of doormen, with at least 3 present at all times.

View towards Lobby

As you enter the hotel, there is a small entryway/lobby with beautiful painted glass panes of cherry blossoms.

Check-in was quick and efficient.  Not all of the on property benefits were explained, such as breakfast with having Diamond status.  I was offered the 4 PM late check-out that is part of having Diamond status.

As I went in the “off season” I got a great rate of $220.   Instead of using points, as this property is generally over $500 per night, I decided to pay and use my last Hyatt Suite Upgrade.

Room 528

I was upgraded to the Park Executive Suite, which is a higher upgrade than their lowest level suite, the Park Parlor Suite.

Entry Hallway

Gust Bathroom

Upon entering the room, there is a long hallway that leads to the rest of the room.  There is a guest bathroom directly to the right.  The counter space is rather large with Le Labo products.

Coffee Maker & Fridge

Living Room

Living Room

View towards Bedroom

At the end of the hallway, the room opens up into a very large living room with a dining table, coffee maker, very large couch and flat screen TV.  There is a small fridge above the coffee maker that had 4 bottles of complimentary water.

Office

The next room is a small office with a TV that swivels to switch between the office and bedroom.  There is a sitting chair by the window in the office.  There is also a pocket door that separates the office and bedroom from the living room.  This helps to make two “separate” rooms if multiple people are staying in the room.

Bed

The bedroom is on the smaller side, with only the bed and minimal walking space around the bed.  A Park Hyatt Washington DC branded bottle of water was set on each of the night stands.  There is also a small mini-bar and fridge between the office and bedroom, but the contents are not complimentary.

Bathroom

Bath Amenities

Shower

Bathrub

Sinks

Closet & Yoga Mat

Closet

The master bathroom is rather large.  It is very wide, but not very deep.  To the right is a rather large tub, with an open shower area.  In the middle are double sinks with a plethora of counter space and Le Labo bath amenities.  There are enough towels to open a small store.  To the left is the closet, which does have a yoga mat (which is part of Hyatt’s new “Hyatt Has It” program.

Short Rib Hash

As a Diamond member, breakfast was in the Blue Duck Tavern.  The Short Rib Hash, is an upscale version of the classic Corned Beef Hash.  It is served with olive oil poached eggs and horseradish sauce.  The dish is somewhat surprising in that the hash is somewhat “loose” as the hash sits is a gravy type sauce.  Although good, the dish was rather salty and could benefit from bread or some type of starch to cut down on the saltiness.

This is a great property that has a cozy, boutique feel.  Customer service is generally excellent, as all employees are friendly and helpful.

I am definitely looking forward to my next stay here.

Founding Farmers - Washington, DC

Washington DC seems to be big on the farm to table movement, which I think is a really good thing.  It makes for great relationships between farmers and restauranteurs, much like the Hawaiian Regional Cuisine movement that started about 25 years ago, with noted chefs like Roy Yamaguchi (of Roy’s fame), Alan Wong and Sam Choy, just to name a few.

Entrance

Founding Farmers appears to be on the leading edge of this movement when looking at their website.  Locally sourced products, very well priced dishes, and great reviews on Yelp, Open Table and Trip Advisor.  Unfortunately all that hype did not live up to my expectations.

Bacon Lollis

The Bacon Lollis ($9) were nothing more than dehydrated bacon with a cinnamon brown sugar dusting.  It tasted like a slightly moist and sweet type of jerky.

Pecorino, White Bean & Bacon Flatbread

The Pecorino, White Bean and Applewood Smoked Bacon Flatbread ($8) was nothing like what I had expected.  With the term “flatbread”, I was expecting a flatbread type of pizza, not what was presented to the table.  The portion was very large, but the combination of ingredients did not meld together.  I found that the white bean spread on top of the bread covered with bacon to be the best.  The Pecorino and sliced apples seemed to be best eaten separately.  This was almost like two dishes in one.

Late Harvest Salad

The Late Harvest Salad ($7) appeared to be their take on the classic spinach salad.  I opted not have the apples in the salad, as I am not a big fan of sweet things in savory dishes.  The combination of ingredients went well together, the produce was fresh, the bacon very meat, and the egg was cooked well.  The only downside of the salad was that it was over dressed, and the spinach was on the verge of being soggy during consumption.

Skirt Steak & Enchiladas

The Skirt Steak & Enchilada ($19) is an interesting combination, and not one that is usually seen at Mexican restaurant.  Two chicken enchiladas were topped in a mound of shredded lettuce and some sliced pickled radishes.  The enchiladas got sort of lost underneath all of that produce.  The enchiladas were somewhat dry, as there was either not much sauce or it got mopped up by the lettuce.  The chicken was also slightly overcooked, dry and crumbly.

The skirt steak was cooked to perfection, and a very generous portion was served.  It was also seasoned well.  I did not eat the corn, so I do not know if it was the classic corn with mayonnaise, cotija cheese and chile.

Founding Farmer’s seems like it tries to appeal to the Georgetown crowd, as there were many college students.  Portions are generally very large and affordable.  The combination of ingredients got lost on me, and I just didn’t “get it” compared to the many favorable reviews on Trip Advisor and Yelp.

Grand Hyatt Washington DC

The Grand Hyatt Washington DC is conveniently located in the Penn Quarter.  As an added bonus, there is direct access to the Metro Center station from the hotel.

Upon entering the hotel, you encounter a large atrium that makes the space feel even larger than it is.  This is a rather large Hyatt with 888 rooms.

The Front Desk is located to the left.  Check-in was rather slow for some reason.  There were only two Front Desk agents, who were helping customers and only one other customer waiting in line.  After 10 minutes, another Front Desk agent began helping customers.  I was informed of all Hyatt Diamond benefits, and was told of the renovation going on in the hotel.   I was also informed that the Regency Club had been relocated to the lower level during renovation.

I was given one of the newly renovated rooms, and it was clean and stylishly decorated.  Despite the renovation, there were a few flaws like very small water stains on the ceiling.

Coffee Maker

Upon entering the room, the coffee maker is to the left.

Bathroom

Bathroom

The bathroom is to the right.  There is a pedestal style sink with not much counter space, but there is a small cabinet on the wall that provides additional storage space.  There is a shower/tub combo.  Water pressure was great and there was no variance in temperature.  I was surprised that they still carried the Portico products, with the exception of the bath soap which was June Jacobs.

Bedroom

There is a large dresser with an adequate flat screen TV.

Desk

The desk is large enough to provide enough work space.  There were ample outlets located right on the desk, so one did not have to play a game of Twister in order to plug in devices.

Sitting Area

View

There is a sitting chair with a small table near the corner by the window, which overlooks the atrium.

Bed

The bed is comfortable with two outlets on each side of the bed built into the bedframe, which makes things very convenient.

Although construction is supposed to take place between 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM, work did start earlier than that.  The constant pounding made it difficult to sleep, especially after a red eye flight and a long day of sight seeing.

The relocated Regency Club is a rather small area, and provides drinks such as coffee, tea, water and soft drinks.  The club attendant was very friendly and helpful.  Snacks in the afternoon include an assortment of cookies, almonds and cashews.  There were three different types of desserts at night.

The Grand Hyatt appears to be a large convention and business hotel.  Although the club attendant was very friendly, other employees were polite but nothing to make a guest feel special.  The overall stay at the hotel was “polite but sterile”

Once the renovation is completed, the rooms may look better but the overall experience will probably still leave one saying “meh”.