Blue Duck Paddles into the Park Hyatt
It appears to be duck day here on DCist.

With the old-school Melrose long gone, the Park Hyatt has recently reopened its restaurant at the 24th and M Streets, NW property. The Blue Duck Tavern, Chef Brian McBride’s venue for “wholesome American fare,” has slid into its space full of “polished glass, stainless steel, and concrete.” The press release for the new restaurant says a lot about the décor, in fact. It takes them two whole paragraphs full of descriptors such as “residential feel,” “showpiece commercial Molteni range,” “heavy, uncovered wood tables,” “attractive modernism with classic American style,” and “dark oak and blue burlap,” before they even mention the food. At least it paints a nice picture.

The food, though, is just as promising as the burlapy ambiance. McBride intends to focus on seasonal and local foods, as well as simple wood-oven cooking methods. His commitment to local products won’t be lip service, either, as he plans to put the source and location of his ingredients right on the menu. That means no more asking if your snakehead fillet is from the region’s waters, rather than a cheap Cambodian import.

Saddle Up for Cheese
The long cheese-wait is over. For those of you who can’t make it out to Del Ray’s Cheestique, or get lost on your way to Bower’s Fancy Dairy Products in Eastern Market, your saviors have ridden into this dusty town. Cowgirl Creamery has finally opened its shop in Chinatown. We’ve written about the place a couple of times. Their shop at 919 F St. NW promises to be a must-shop for cheese-whores like myself. Fellow cheese whore Sietsema covered it in this week’s TomChat. Welcome the local ladies back to town with a stop in to their shop for a Mt. Tam or Red Hawk wheel. Yum.