Azur Closing in Penn Quarter – Chef Frederik De Pue to Open new Restaurant and Market called Menu in January

405 8th Street, NW

From a press release:

“Frederik De Pue, Chef/Owner of Table and 42° Catering, announces Menu, a combined market, restaurant and bar. Menu will be located in the space currently occupied by Azur, his modern seafood restaurant in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Azur will close Friday, September 27 and the space will undergo a brief revamp before reopening as Menu in January, 2014. De Pue’s new concept will draw on the warmth, accessibility and intimate scale that have made Table, his 45-seat neighborhood charmer in Shaw, such a success.

“The decision to revamp the format is part business and part personal,” says Chef/Owner Frederik De Pue, “I love the Azur concept, but it wasn’t a perfect fit for a space that size, and as both the owner and the chef, I am in a position where I can make necessary changes quickly. I want to build something that this neighborhood is lacking, and that is also more warm and welcoming – something that reflects my passion for clean, uncomplicated comfort food. The Penn Quarter area doesn’t have an active market where customers can gather to shop, meet and eat, and that’s exactly what I am trying to create with Menu.”

Menu’s first floor will contain a local market selling boutique grocery items alongside fresh farm produce from area growers and artisanal items from local producers. The market will also offer sauces, gelato, charcuterie, cured and smoked fish, a fresh herb rotisserie, sandwiches and pre-made meals from Menu’s kitchen. A barista will oversee an extensive coffee service featuring beans from local roasters.

Upstairs, a lounge area will fill the center floor, offering a space to enjoy your coffee or a quick meal from the market during the day. In the evening, the space will become a wine bar with a small menu of bar snacks. The top floor will be a 42-seat restaurant serving lunch and dinner seven days a week. The menu will resemble Table’s comforting European country cooking and clean and simple takes on American classics. The market will sell 30 to 40 bottles of wine, many of them available by the glass at the third floor bar, along with an extensive selection of bottled beer.

The space will be warmed up with recycled wood elements and exposed brick accent walls. Hanging plants will dress up the dramatic glass chandelier that hangs three stories down the central staircase. The two double doors at the building’s center will become the new main entrance and be flanked by patio seating and the market’s fruit stands.”