A reliable rave winner, the Michelin-starred Blue Duck creates a rustic kitchen ambience in the midst of an uber-urbanized corridor of M St. The changing menu draws from farms across the country, mixing mains such as venison tartare and suckling pig sourced from Pennsylvania, crab cakes from nearby Chesapeake Bay and grits from Virginia. Weekend brunch is a big to-do.
The interior mashes up modernist clean lines and high ceilings with countrified knickknacks (baskets, barrels, vintage scales) and wooden tables and chairs. It's located inside the Park Hyatt hotel.