“At Siren by Robert Wiedmaier within The Darcy hotel, the dining room has a jaunty nautical air, and the menu is driven by the whims of wind and currents as they affect the availability of the world’s most delectable seafood”

1515 Rhode Island Ave, NW

From a press release:

“At Siren by Robert Wiedmaier within The Darcy hotel, the dining room has a jaunty nautical air, and the menu is driven by the whims of wind and currents as they affect the availability of the world’s most delectable seafood. As an avid fisherman, Wiedmaier is reeling in the kinds of trophy fish that deserve that sacred spot on the living room wall. When Siren opens in late April 2017, it will bring a distinctly salty breeze to the Rhode Island Avenue corridor between Washington, DC’s Dupont and Logan Circles.

courtesy Siren

Each day’s catch will inspire its own preparation method in the hands of seasoned chef Robert Wiedmaier and Brian McBride, his corporate chef and partner, who has been the key person for on-the- ground, day-to-day leading support for the development of Siren. From open waters to open skies and fields, the menu is prepared according to the conviction that artful flavors and presentation should entice the palate and please the senses. In collaboration with Wiedmaier and McBride, the newest member of the team and incoming executive chef John Critchley [formerly of Bourbon Steak and Brine, most recently], will steer the menu towards global and local seafood, hearty- to spring-like vegetables and ancient grains. Less concerned with a conventional order of courses than with a delectable progression of flavors, Wiedmaier adds that “If guests would like to start with a whole fish and follow that up with caviar, we’re right there with them; if they want nothing but an array of small plates, the world is their oyster!”

Seafood is the main event at Siren, and Wiedmaier and McBride respond to the constant shifts in obtainable product with heightened creativity. Their small, constantly evolving menu allows for a free diver in Bangor, Maine, for example, to send down to DC the ten sea urchins he brought up that morning: ten fortunate guests will enjoy them, and then it’s over – until the next windfall from the sea. The deliberate choice to work with a select few of the finest ingredients ensures that quality will never give way to quantity. The kitchen is nimble, with a pantry of house-made ingredients ready and waiting, from preserved lemons and limes, to air dried beef, to salted fish, all to best enhance the marine delicacy that will arrive any given day.

Raw bar offerings, chilled poached seafood, piquant ceviches, and exquisite tastes of sashimi, are prepared from displays in the open presentation kitchen. Cocktails reflect the spirit of the exotic spice and rum trade. A comprehensive wine list provides ideal pairings for the ever-shifting menu, as well as excellent stand-alone choices. Seasonal fruit-forward desserts complement the savory side of the menu with a light finish.

Siren’s interior has the rich, mysterious color of the deep, brightened by the brass-trimmed allure of a polished captain’s quarters. Vintage seafaring tattoo designs and murals of mermaids introduce a playful risqué note, and many an evening, the strains of live jazz waft throughout the restaurant, as seductive as the song of the Siren.

Serving dinner seven days a week and weekend brunch [starting late April / early May], Siren beckons you with the promise of a culinary excursion like no other…”