Robert Wiedmaier

Last updated

Robert Wiedmaier
Born (1960-03-02) 2 March 1960 (age 64)
Wiesbaden, West Germany (present-day Wiesbaden, Germany)
OccupationChef
SpousePolly Blum Wiedmaier
Children2

Robert Wiedmaier is a West German-born, Belgian American chef. He owns multiple restaurants in and around Washington, D.C. and is known for creating dishes involving Belgian cuisine, specifically mussels.

Contents

Personal life

Robert Wiedmaier was born in West Germany and lived there until he was about 15. He described his mother, who was born in California, as a "great cook" who focused on French cuisine. [1] [2] He attended cooking school in the Netherlands, [1] and now resides in Kensington, Maryland. [3] He has been described as an "avid hunter" and fisherman and "full circle chef". [1] [4]

Career

He began his career working at restaurants in Belgium and the Netherlands but relocated to the Washington metropolitan area in the 1980s. [1] Upon arriving in the D.C. area, he took his first job as a saucier at the Morrison House in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, at its restaurant, Le Chardon d’Or. [1] [5] He then worked at various hotels, including the Four Seasons and the Watergate (replacing Jean-Louis Palladin). In 1999, he opened his first restaurant, Marcel's, and now operates a group of restaurants in D.C., Virginia, Maryland, and Atlantic City. He has been invited to compete in the television program Iron Chef but declined, stating in 2012, "that's just not my thing. Not that I wouldn't do it, but I have five restaurants to run." [6]

In 2009, Wiedmaier was honored as Chef of the Year by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (the RAMMY Awards). [7] In August 2012, Wiedmaier was inducted into The Knighthood of the Brewers' Mashstaff at the Belgian Beer Weekend in Brussels. [8]

Marcel's

Marcel's, named for Wiedmaier's son, opened in 1999 in Washington, D.C.'s Foggy Bottom neighborhood with fine French-Belgian cuisine. [9] In 2015, Marcel's underwent a major renovation with new additions to the menu. [10] Diners at Marcel's can create their tasting menus with four, five, six or seven courses.

In 2016, Marcel's won the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMMY) Award for formal fine dining restaurant of the year. [11]

RW Restaurant Group

In 2007, Wiedmaier opened a second restaurant in D.C., Brasserie Beck. He opened his third restaurant in 2009, Brabo in Virginia. In the following years, he expanded to open several more restaurants in Maryland, Virginia, and Atlantic City, New Jersey, under the umbrella of the RW Restaurant Group. [12]

Brasserie Beck

In April 2007, he opened Brasserie Beck (named after his youngest son), his first major foray into mussels and Belgian beer. He described the restaurant as having a "1950s to 60s train station feel" and a focus on French cuisine with Flemish influences. [13] Esquire called Brasserie Beck one of the Best New Restaurants in America in 2007. [14]

Brasserie Beck boasts one of the largest selections of Belgian beers outside of Belgium. [15] This includes the house special Antigoon, which is brewed for Wiedmaier's restaurants by Belgium's Brouwerij de Musketiers. [16]

Brabo

In 2009, he partnered with Kimpton Hotels & Restaurantss to open Brabo at the Lorien Hotel and Spa in Alexandria, Virginia. [17]

Mussel Bar & Grille

Steak frites at Mussel Bar in Arlington, Virginia Mussel Bar - Ballston - 2018 - Stierch 02.jpg
Steak frites at Mussel Bar in Arlington, Virginia

In 2010, Wiedmaier opened a more casual restaurant, Mussel Bar & Grille in Bethesda, Maryland. [18] In 2012, he opened a second (now-closed) Mussel Bar & Grille in Atlantic City, New Jersey. [6] A Ballston, Virginia outpost of Mussel Bar & Grille opened in 2013. [19] Another Mussel Bar & Grille opened in Baltimore, Maryland in 2015. [20]

Wildwood Kitchen

In 2012, Wiedmaier tapped five of his longest-serving employees to become part-owners of Wildwood Kitchen in Bethesda, Maryland. [21] It is a smaller restaurant, at 2,000 square feet, seating 55 people. [22]

Villain & Saint

Villain & Saint is a gastropub and live music venue that opened in 2015 in Bethesda, Maryland. [23] Robert partnered with Brian McBride and Joe Lively to share their passion for the lifestyle of the freewheeling rock 'n' roll era. Celebrating various music and food, the restaurant offers a spread of tastes in music and food.

Lock 72 Kitchen & Bar

In 2015, Wiedmaier acquired a neighborhood American and seafood restaurant in Potomac, Maryland, the Tavern at River Falls. [24] In 2016, the restaurant changed its name to Lock 72 Kitchen & Bar. [25]

Siren by RW

In 2017, Wiedmaier opened Siren in the Darcy Hotel in Logan Circle, Washington, D.C. [26] The menu is focused on seafood, featuring a grand plateau of oysters, clams, prawns, lobster, and several styles of sashimi, and caviar service. [27]

Siren received a Michelin Star in the 2019 Michelin Guide for Washington, D.C. [28]

In February 2019, Siren closed, with the goal of reopening in a different location. As of January 2020, it has yet to reopen. [29]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Komi (restaurant)</span> Restaurant in Washington D.C., United States

Komi was a restaurant in Washington, D.C. operated by Chef Johnny Monis, serving Italian cuisine and Greek cuisine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kimpton Hotel Monaco Washington DC</span>

Kimpton Hotel Monaco Washington DC is a 183-room high end boutique hotel at the corner of 7th and F Streets Northwest in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Kimpton Hotel Monaco DC is one of ten Kimpton hotel properties in the Washington Metropolitan Area and is located across the street from the National Portrait Gallery and the Capital One Arena. The hotel opened in the summer of 2002 and was named one of the eighty best new hotels in the world in 2003 by Condé Nast Traveler. In September 2010, Pebblebrook Hotel Trust acquired the Monaco Washington DC hotel for $74.0 million.

Robert Kinkead was an American chef and restaurateur based in Washington D.C.

Eric Ziebold is an American chef and restaurateur with two Michelin Star restaurants in Washington, D.C., Kinship and Métier. He was executive chef at CityZen from 2004 to 2014, where he won several awards, including a James Beard Award.

Peter Chang is a Chinese chef specializing in Sichuan cuisine who is known for his restaurants in Virginia and other states in the Southeastern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ray's Hell Burger</span> Former American restaurant in Virginia, United States

Ray's Hell Burger was a hamburger restaurant in Arlington, Virginia, part of a group of restaurants in the Washington metropolitan area under the "Ray's" name owned by restaurateur Michael Landrum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derek Brown (mixologist)</span>

Derek Brown is an American entrepreneur, writer, and bartender. He owned the bars Columbia Room, The Passenger, Mockingbird Hill, Eat the Rich, and Southern Efficiency in Washington, D.C. Brown is a Distinguished Fellow at Catholic University's Ciocca Center for Principled Entrepreneurship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicholas Stefanelli</span> American chef

Nicholas Stefanelli is an American chef and restaurateur in Washington, D.C., known for his Michelin-starred Italian restaurant Masseria.

Aaron Silverman is an American chef and restaurateur, known for his Michelin starred restaurants Rose's Luxury, Pineapple & Pearls, and Little Pearl in Washington, D.C. Silverman won a James Beard Foundation Award in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rose's Luxury</span> Restaurant in D.C., United States

Rose's Luxury is a restaurant on Barracks Row in Washington, D.C., created by chef-owner Aaron Silverman. It is known for not taking reservations which creates long lines, such that a nearby bar's top cocktail is called 'Waiting for Rose's' and line waiters are reported to make up to thirty dollars an hour waiting in line. President Barack Obama celebrated his 54th birthday at Rose's after First Lady Michelle Obama previously ate at the restaurant. The opening of Rose's Luxury in 2013 was the subject of a documentary, New Chefs on the Block. Chef Aaron Silverman had prior experience at Momofuku. It opened a fine dining restaurant next door to Rose's Luxury named Pineapple & Pearls in 2016. Silverman has been the subject of a profile in The Washington Post, which characterized his work as mastery of 'the art of serious play'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodberry Kitchen</span> Restaurant in Maryland, United States

Woodberry Kitchen is a New American restaurant in Baltimore's Woodberry neighborhood. In 2015, Woodberry Kitchen's founder, Spike Gjerde, won the James Beard Award for “Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic,” making him Baltimore’s only James Beard Award winner.

Vikram Sunderam is an Indian-American chef. He serves as the James Beard Award-winning chef at Rasika restaurant in Washington, DC and is co-author of a cookbook by the same name.

Ashok Bajaj is a restaurateur based in Washington, D.C.. He is head of the Knightsbridge Restaurant Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Founding Farmers</span> Upscale restaurant owned by North Dakota Farmers Union and Farmers Restaurant Group

Founding Farmers is an American upscale-casual restaurant owned by the North Dakota Farmers Union and Farmers Restaurant Group (FRG). The restaurant was founded in 2008 when Farmers Restaurant Group co-owners Dan Simons and Michael Vucurevich partnered up with the North Dakota Farmers Union to open the flagship Founding Farmers on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. Founding Farmers was the first LEED Gold Certified restaurant in Washington, D.C. Since opening Founding Farmers DC in 2008, FRG has opened 6 other locations in DC, Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Founding Farmers also has a sister restaurant, Farmers Fishers Bakers, located in Washington, D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pineapple & Pearls</span> Restaurant in Washington, D.C.

Pineapple & Pearls is a restaurant located on Barracks Row in Washington, D.C., serving a fixed-price multi-course dinner. The Washington Post gave the restaurant a four-star review, writing that Aaron Silverman, the chef and owner, "...pushes the fine-dining cause in only exquisite directions." Pineapple & Pearls was a semifinalist in the Outstanding Restaurant category of the James Beard Foundation Awards in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiola (restaurant)</span> Restaurant

Fiola is an Italian restaurant located in Washington, D.C. that opened in 2011. It has received positive reviews in The Washington Post. It is one of several restaurants owned by the couple Fabio and Maria Trabocchi in the city. The Trabocchis have announced plans to open a second location in Miami.

Fabio Trabocchi is an Italian chef and restaurateur based in Washington, D.C., where his restaurant Fiola earned a Michelin Star. Before opening his own restaurants, Trabocchi ran kitchens in London, Virginia, and New York, winning a James Beard Foundation Award in 2006.

The Dabney is a restaurant located in Blagden Alley, in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Chef-owner Jeremiah Langhorne opened the restaurant in 2015, focusing on Mid-Atlantic cuisine. The Dabney was named one of the Best New Restaurants of 2016 by Bon Appétit magazine, it was a awarded a Michelin Star in 2017, and Chef Langhorne won the James Beard Award for Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mon Ami Gabi</span> Restaurant in Illinois, United States

Mon Ami Gabi is a chain of French bistros in the United States operated by Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises. Mon Ami Gabi has five locations, with the original located in Lincoln Park, Chicago.

Rob Rubba is an American chef.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Limpert, Ann (18 April 2007). "Robert Wiedmaier on Cookbooks, Kitchen Disasters, and His New Brasserie". Best Bites. Washingtonian. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  2. ↑ Fleischman, Alexia. "Chef Robert Wiedmaier's hot new Belgian restaurant: Brabo". The Washington Times. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  3. ↑ Sugarman, Carole. "Robert Wiedmaier opening Mediterranean restaurant in Bethesda". Table Talk. Bethesda Magazine. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  4. ↑ Sidman, Jessica (November 2012). "Nose-to-Tail Population Control". Young & Hungry. Washington City Paper. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  5. ↑ Wright, Jordan. "Culinary Giant Robert Wiedmaier Brings his Foodheart to Old Town". Local Kicks. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  6. 1 2 Cronick, Scott (24 January 2012). "D.C.-area Chef Robert Wiedmaier to bring beer, music, and great food to new gastro pub in Revel". Life. Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  7. ↑ "Weidmaier Honored as Chef of the Year by D.C. Restaurant Association". The Washington Post. 10 June 2009. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  8. ↑ Mack, Patricia (31 August 2012). "Robert Wiedmaier – Chef, Beermaker, Knight". Gayot. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  9. ↑ Richman, Phyllis (27 June 1999). "Found and Lost". Washington Post Magazine. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  10. ↑ Sietsema, Tom (7 January 2015). "As delicious as ever, Marcel's buffs its shine". Washington Post Magazine. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  11. ↑ Spiegel, Anna (13 June 2016). "Here Are the Winners of Washington's 2016 RAMMY Awards". Washingtonian Magazine. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  12. ↑ Caplan, Evan (18 April 2018). "Chatting With Chefs: Robert Wiedmaier". The Georgetowner. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  13. ↑ Sietsema, Tom (24 June 2007). "Belgian Rhapsody". The Washington Post. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  14. ↑ Mariani, John (10 October 2006). "Best New Restaurants – Brasserie Beck". Esquire. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  15. ↑ Kliman, Todd (24 September 2007). "Brasserie Beck". Washingtonian Magazine. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  16. ↑ Hahn, Fritz (20 July 2015). "Celebrate Belgian Independence Day with moules frites and half-price beer". The Washington Post. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  17. ↑ Sietsema, Tom (4 March 2009). "Tom Sietsema Visits Brabo in Old Town Alexandria". The Washington Post. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  18. ↑ Kliman, Todd (1 November 2010). "Mussel Bar: Robert Wiedmaier loosens up in Bethesda". Washingtonian Magazine. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  19. ↑ Nicholls, Walter (13 December 2013). "Restaurant Review: Mussel Bar". Arlington Magazine. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  20. ↑ Case, Wesley (3 April 2018). "Mussel Bar and Grille a fun fit in Harbor East". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  21. ↑ Bhattarai, Abha (25 November 2012). "Wiedmaier serves up shares of Bethesda restaurant Wildwood Kitchen". The Washington Post. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  22. ↑ Frederick, Missy (19 November 2012). "10 Design Details About Wildwood Kitchen in Bethesda". Opening Report. Eater. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  23. ↑ Metcalf, Andrew (16 April 2015). "Villain & Saint Ready to Begin Rocking Bethesda". Bethesda Magazine. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  24. ↑ Metcalf, Andrew (23 February 2015). "Wiedmaier Taking over Tavern at River Falls in Potomac". Bethesda Magazine. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  25. ↑ Metcalf, Andrew (31 March 2016). "Small Bites: River Falls Tavern in Potomac Changing Name". Bethesda Magazine. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  26. ↑ Sietsema, Tom (12 May 2017). "At Siren, Robert Wiedmaier lures diners on a jazz-filled seafood journey". The Washington Post. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  27. ↑ Spiegel, Anna (25 April 2017). "Take a Look Inside the Stunning Seafood Restaurant from Marcel's Chef Robert Wiedmaier". Washingtonian Magazine. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  28. ↑ Hansen, Drew (13 September 2018). "Michelin adds two new starred restaurants to its D.C. guide". Washington Business Journal. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  29. ↑ "Michelin-Starred Siren is Moving Out of Its Hotel Digs in Search of a 'Better Location'". 14 January 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.