Revel will put some muscle into Continental cuisine when the award-winning chef and master of Belgian cuisine, Robert Wiedmaier, opens the first extension of his popular gastro-pub, Mussel Bar, outside of the Washington Metro Area at the resort this spring. Paying homage to Wiedmaier’s roots, the inspiration for Mussel Bar draws from an old-world Belgian roadhouse serving Bière, Moules & Frites, and other Flemish favorites.
Mussel Bar will blend the comfort of a pub, live rock and roll, the energy of a sports bar, and commitment to culinary excellence to raise “eating at the bar” to a whole new level. The latest dining venue to be announced for Revel will include a stage for live performances and a window into the kitchen to showcase the creative process in the kitchen. Chef Wiedmaier will present a menu that pairs his fine dining talent with a respect for his featured ingredient, mussels, in serving up sophisticated comfort food. A selection of over 150 Belgian and domestic beers will be perfect accompaniment.
“Casual eateries like Mussel Bar were just the place my friends and I used to go to kick back and relax when living in Belgium and Germany – eating mussels, drinking beer, and listening to rock and roll into all hours, before we had to head back to the kitchen or home,” Wiedmaier reminisced fondly. “People enjoy that. It’s good, reasonable everyday food. It’s comfortable.”
Designed by Peter Hapstak and his team at HapstakDemetriou+, Mussel Bar is reminiscent of a roadside tavern that one might discover while traversing the Belgian countryside. Upon arrival, the guest is greeted with knotted oak wainscoting and floors, terracotta tile columns and borders, mussel-shaped ceiling drops as well as beer bottle and rope light fixtures. The bar features a concrete surface embedded with mussel shells and a 16-foot-by12-foot illuminated glass façade bottle cooler. Train clocks, beer towers, slate menu boards and muscled graphics punctuate the space. And with a slight nod to his favorite pastime, riding his motorcycle, a custom-made Bourget hangs from the ceiling for all to admire.
Taking cues from a theater production, the kitchen is an open design in which Chef Wiedmaier and his gastronomic team take the stage with the careful preparation of each dish. Culinary stations echo a food market and boast the offerings on Chef Wiedmaier’s menu: the catch of the day is displayed with other fresh fishes on ice, pizza is rounded out on a limestone work surface and cured meats hang over cheeses in the charcuterie.
Revel, the 6.3-million-square-foot beachfront resort, will be a complete entertainment destination encompassing more thana dozen other restaurants, two nightclubs, private beach club, more than 1,800 guest rooms, retail shops, a 31,000-square-foot spa, two theaters that seat 5,500 and 700 guests respectively and a 150,000-square-foot casino. Revel will bring a true resort option to the Northeast, enhanced by entertainment and lifestyle offerings designed by top performers in daylife, nightlife, theatrical, spa, and experiential programming.
The resort will bring together partners with a strong entrepreneurial spirit and tremendous talent to create lifestyle and culinary experiences. Chef Wiedmaier joins an impressive roster of chefs at Revel including Chefs Jose Garces and Marc Forgione. Each culinary partner at Revel has a vested interest in the resort and brings signature flair from their regional restaurants in Philadelphia, New York and Washington, D.C.
In addition to Mussel Bar at Revel, Chef Wiedmaier’s other establishments include his flagship restaurant, Marcel’s, which was recently named on Zagat’s prestigious list of America’s Top Restaurants of 2012; Brasserie Beck in Washington, D.C., one of Esquire’s Best New Restaurants of 2007; Mussel Bar in Bethesda, Maryland; and Brabo, Brabo Tasting Room and The Butcher’s Block, A Market by RW in Alexandria, Virginia.
Named Washington’s Chef of the Year by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington in 2009, Wiedmaier is recognized for his passionate respect for top-notch product. When not in the kitchen, he can be found out hunting duck, deer or elk in the fall and winter. In the summer, he fishes with his two sons, teaching them what it means to bring fish from open waters to the table, an adventure that was captured by the PBS James Beard award-winning program Chefs A’ Field. As a member of the Wild Alaska Seafood Congress of Conscious Chefs, Wiedmaier affirms his belief in the value of nature. As he reiterates, “This is the most raw and natural way of teaching respect, as it’s truly not entirely about the sport.” His new-found branding, Full Circle Chef, exemplifies what he holds closest to him: living the dream, but practicing it with great admiration. For more information about Chef Wiedmaier, please visit www.robertwiedmaier.com.
To experience Revel and to see a glimpse of the future, visit www.revelresorts.com.
