When it opened in 2006, the Blue Duck Tavern featured an "open kitchen" design in which elements of the working kitchen extended into the dining room.
The 106-seat dining room's décor was in the American Craftsman style, and designed by Tony Chi.
This changed the atmosphere for dining, moving to informal black walnut tables from formal, linen-covered rounds.
The cuisine also changed, to modern American cuisine from international fare with a French feel.
The new kitchen featured a $180,000, 5,400-pound (2,400 kg), 18 by 6 feet (5.5 by 1.8 m) Molteni commercial cooking range, which took several cranes to lift into position.
The range was the only commercial Molteni in the D.C. area.

Tom Sietsema, The Washington Post food critic, had high praise for the food at Blue Duck Tavern, which emphasized regional and seasonal foods.
He was less satisfied with the décor.
Although the shelves full of Mason jars filled with colorful vegetables and the wood-burning hearth were cozy, he felt the design "created a maze of glass and steel, steps and ramps, halls and nooks — reached via the largest door this side of Emerald City — that challenges even those of us with a good sense of direction. ...
Cool and almost sterile, the setting is the opposite of the cooking."

Head chef Brian McBride left Blue Duck Tavern in 2011, and Sebastien Archambault took over as executive chef.
Archambault departed in 2014, and Ryan LaRoche succeeded him as executive chef.

 Franck Loquet was named executive chef upon LaRoche's departure in 2015.
Troy Knapp became executive chef in 2017.
 Knapp was appointed Park Hyatt’s food and beverage director in 2018, and Adam Howard has named executive chef.

In 2013, Blue Duck Tavern won the award for the Best Fine Dining Restaurant from the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMMY Award).
The restaurant earned a  Michelin Star in the inaugural Michelin Guide for Washington, D.C. (2017).

 Barack and Michelle Obama celebrated their 17th wedding anniversary at Blue Duck Tavern in 2009.
When it opened in 2006, the Blue Duck Tavern featured an "open kitchen" design in which elements of the working kitchen extended into the dining room. The 106-seat dining room's décor was in the American Craftsman style, and designed by Tony Chi. This changed the atmosphere for dining, moving to informal black walnut tables from formal, linen-covered rounds. The cuisine also changed, to modern American cuisine from international fare with a French feel. The new kitchen featured a $180,000, 5,400-pound (2,400 kg), 18 by 6 feet (5.5 by 1.8 m) Molteni commercial cooking range, which took several cranes to lift into position. The range was the only commercial Molteni in the D.C. area.
Tom Sietsema, The Washington Post food critic, had high praise for the food at Blue Duck Tavern, which emphasized regional and seasonal foods. He was less satisfied with the décor. Although the shelves full of Mason jars filled with colorful vegetables and the wood-burning hearth were cozy, he felt the design "created a maze of glass and steel, steps and ramps, halls and nooks — reached via the largest door this side of Emerald City — that challenges even those of us with a good sense of direction. ... Cool and almost sterile, the setting is the opposite of the cooking."
Head chef Brian McBride left Blue Duck Tavern in 2011, and Sebastien Archambault took over as executive chef. Archambault departed in 2014, and Ryan LaRoche succeeded him as executive chef.
 Franck Loquet was named executive chef upon LaRoche's departure in 2015. Troy Knapp became executive chef in 2017.  Knapp was appointed Park Hyatt’s food and beverage director in 2018, and Adam Howard has named executive chef.
In 2013, Blue Duck Tavern won the award for the Best Fine Dining Restaurant from the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMMY Award). The restaurant earned a  Michelin Star in the inaugural Michelin Guide for Washington, D.C. (2017).
 Barack and Michelle Obama celebrated their 17th wedding anniversary at Blue Duck Tavern in 2009.
Park Hyatt Washington