Executive Chef Frederik De Pue Offers a One-Of-A-Kind Dining Experience with Private Dining Rooms in a Welcoming Atmosphere Just Blocks from The White House
By Sherry Moeller
Photos by Greg Powers
Executive Chef Frederik De Pue opened his newest restaurant, The Henri, located at 1301 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC on February 15, 2022. Offering unique private dining rooms – a concept that was years in the making, The Henri also just launched a monthly membership program to enjoy fully-prepared signature dishes and exclusive off-menu items available for pickup or delivery.
Situated between the National Theater and Warner Theater and just blocks from The White House, The Henri provides an innovative dining experience —a welcoming 8,000-square-foot, modern European bistro featuring both communal and private dining with versatile one-of-a-kind rooms, including access to the building’s rooftop space overlooking the Mall. The front of the restaurant offers a comfortable ambiance to dine via reservations and walk-ins with an open kitchen featuring a unique Bonnet rotisserie with daily specials, plus bar seating.
The remainder of the restaurant is dedicated to six private dining rooms—which convert into eight separate spaces—only accessible via a hostess stand or private entrance. These modular spaces include four private dining rooms—which are named and designed after the four seasons, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, which can be combined into larger spaces to host business meetings, working lunches, cocktail parties, as well as any special event, including fundraisers and rehearsal dinners. The four rooms can be expanded into one space, called Seasons, with the smaller Dusk and Dawn creating additional intimate settings. The rooftop provides the eighth option for private dining. All private dining rooms surround a separate central kitchen and butcher block allowing for completely custom food and beverage menus. In addition, private dining rooms offer insulated acoustics, full A/V systems, and have access to a separate bar. The Henri was designed with everyone’s safety as a top priority and features the latest ventilation filtration systems and technology.
De Pue’s concept for The Henri, which is named after his grandfather, is fueled by his passion for food and creating an open-door feeling for everyone. “I wanted to offer flexible, modular private dining spaces to accommodate any type of gathering,” says De Pue. “The Henri is meant to be a unique experience for everyone as the possibilities are endless.”
The Henri is De Pue’s seventh restaurant, which he began planning and designing in 2019. With more than 30 years in the industry, De Pue’s culinary career started at the age of 15 in Belgium where he went on to attend one of the top culinary schools, leading to an internship at a three-star Michelin restaurant. He’s had the privilege to work as a chef at some of the top restaurants in Europe before moving to the United States where he worked as a chef on Embassy Row in DC. Since then, De Pue has owned and operated catering services in the region, such as 42° Catering Services and Catering by Frederik De Pue, as well as several restaurants including Flamant in Annapolis, MD.
The Henri offers dinner daily from 4-11:00 p.m. with happy hour specials. Lunch service will begin in the spring with breakfast added soon. The restaurant’s membership program through Table 22 offers one meal for two or four each month from The Henri’s Seasonal Chef’s Tasting Menu, as well as educational content, first access to events, and the first to know about upcoming membership offerings. For more information about The Henri, visit www.thehenridc.com.
