The Source by Wolfgang Puck is the Legendary Chef’s First Foray in the Nation’s Capital
WASHINGTON, Oct. 11 /PRNewswire/ — World-renowned chef Wolfgang Puck introduces Washingtonians today to The Source, his first fine dining restaurant in the nation’s capital. The modern, 11,000 square-foot, three-level restaurant is the signature dining experience at the Newseum, an interactive museum dedicated to the news.
“Washington, DC is currently one of the most exciting restaurant cities in the country, and it’s wonderful to be a part of its dining renaissance,” said Chef Puck. “Our location within the Newseum enables us to provide Washington residents and visitors alike with a distinctive museum dining experience.”
Puck has tapped Scott Drewno to serve as the executive chef of the 200-seat restaurant. Drewno first joined the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining group in 1998 working for the master chef at Chinois and Spago, both in Las Vegas, before leaving the company in 2001 to move to New York. Over the past six years, Drewno has specialized in Asian cuisines, working first under Jean-Georges Vongerichten at his signature Vong restaurant, and then with Stephen Hansen as executive chef at Ruby Foo’s. Drewno returned to the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group in January 2007 to work alongside Puck and Chef Lee Hefter, Managing Partner and Executive Corporate Chef of the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group, to create the menus for The Source. While the cuisine draws inspiration from Puck’s renowned signature fine dining restaurants, including Spago, Chinois and CUT, the concept for The Source is the first-of-its-kind for the company.
“The menus at The Source rely heavily on the exceptional breadth of resources available in the Mid-Atlantic region, from the local and organic produce of the Virginia and Maryland farms to native specialties, such as the Chesapeake Bay’s blue crabs,” said Scott Drewno.
The Source offers two distinct dining experiences plus a private dining room that seats 40 guests. The ground floor lounge where guests enter offers approachable dining with a “bar and grill” ambiance and a casual menu designed for an informal meal or a quick-bite. The diverse menu ranges from smaller plates, such as Prime beef sliders with smoked onion marmalade and white cheddar, to Wolfgang Puck’s signature pizzas from the wood-burning oven including the smoked salmon pizza with dill cream and caviar. Workday lunch, bar menu and late-night dining is available in the lounge, which seats 70.
In the upstairs dining room, guests can enjoy a fine dining experience, with a menu that features modern interpretations of Asian dishes. Menu offerings include roasted suckling pig with a plum-fig chutney; steamed black bass “Hong Kong” style with baby bok choy; and lacquered Chinese duckling with wild huckleberries and glass noodles. Dishes utilize fresh, seasonal, organic produce and humanely raised animals as part of Puck’s healthful culinary initiative known as the WELL(TM) (Wolfgang’s Eat, Love, Live) program, which is currently being integrated into all of his fine dining group establishments.
The restaurant’s wine list features more than 300 labels featuring a majority of American producers with a strong selection of international wines from Austria, France, Italy, Germany, Spain and New Zealand. In addition, the list includes nearly one dozen bottles of sake plus sake by the glass.
“We welcome the opportunity to offer Washingtonians and Newseum guests this experience by integrating our award-winning service with Wolfgang’s passion for creating incomparable cuisine using only the finest and freshest ingredients at a one-of-kind location,” said Tom Kaplan, senior managing partner of the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group. “We’re eager to create an unforgettable experience for the community and for visitors from around the world.”
EDG (Engstrom Design Group), based in Northern California, designed The Source to have a modern aesthetic, complementing the floor-to-ceiling windows that line the restaurant. A two-story, temperature-controlled glass wine wall links the upstairs dining room with the main floor bar & lounge, holding 2,200 bottles of the restaurant’s impressive collection. Neutral palates and dark wood tables add warmth to the space.
The Source is open for dinner service; lunch service will begin shortly after opening. The bar and lounge is open from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. Friday and Saturday. The dining room is open from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Reservations can be made for the dining room by calling (202) 637-6100.
The award-winning restaurants of the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group include Spago (Beverly Hills, Las Vegas, Maui), Postrio (San Francisco and Las Vegas); Chinois (Santa Monica and Las Vegas); Trattoria del Lupo and Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill in Las Vegas; Wolfgang Puck American Grille at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City; the critically acclaimed, Richard Meier-designed steakhouse CUT and sidebar in Beverly Hills; and the newly opened WOLFGANG PUCK GRILLE at the MGM Grand Detroit. Opening winter 2007, Spago at The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch in Colorado and CUT Las Vegas at The Palazzo.
The Newseum — a 250,000-square-foot museum of news — offers visitors an experience that blends five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second technology and hands-on exhibits. The Newseum is located at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and Sixth Street, N.W., Washington, on America’s Main Street between the White House and the U.S. Capitol and adjacent to the Smithsonian museums on the National Mall. The exterior’s unique architectural features include a 74-foot-high marble engraving of the First Amendment and an immense front wall of glass through which passers-by will be able to watch the museum fulfilling its mission of providing a forum where the media and the public can gain a better understanding of each other. The Newseum will feature seven levels of galleries, theaters, retail spaces and visitor services. It will offer a unique environment that takes museum-goers behind the scenes to experience how and why news is made.
Source: Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group
