Meaghan Posted June 1, 2006 Posted June 1, 2006 When will the duck go quack? Any word from the street?
DonRocks Posted June 1, 2006 Posted June 1, 2006 (edited) When will the duck go quack? Any word from the street? Their website says they're opening in May, 2006. Unless they open in the next ten minutes, it's not going to happen. ETA: Guess they didn't make it. Edited June 1, 2006 by DonRocks
Meaghan Posted June 1, 2006 Author Posted June 1, 2006 Their website says they're opening in May, 2006. Unless they open in the next ten minutes, it's not going to happen. That never happens. Never.
ustreetguy Posted June 1, 2006 Posted June 1, 2006 That never happens. Never.This is the place in the Park Hyatt, right? I'm thinking in a couple weeks according to my sources
ustreetguy Posted June 1, 2006 Posted June 1, 2006 what sources?If you must know, a friend of mine is working there as a line cook.
Mark Slater Posted June 1, 2006 Posted June 1, 2006 This is the place in the Park Hyatt, right? I'm thinking in a couple weeks according to my sources I walked past there yesterday and it still looks like a construction site: windows boarded up, bare walls, lots of work to do. It looked like more than a few weeks.
oliveDC Posted June 1, 2006 Posted June 1, 2006 They're hosting a dinner June 14, so it has to be before then ... The phone message still says May too.
brian Posted June 15, 2006 Posted June 15, 2006 From a Post feature on their kitchen... "In addition to the six burners, McBride chose a mirror-finish stainless steel griddle, sauté station, two deep fryers -- one designated solely for duck fat to crisp french fries" one designated solely for duck fat to crisp french fries. one designated solely for duck fat to crisp french fries. one designated solely for duck fat to crisp french fries.
Pappy Posted June 15, 2006 Posted June 15, 2006 I know these chefs are pros, and as such could probably turn out a pretty good dish using a can of sterno. But how would you like to have your stove installed four days before your much anticipated re-opening! I think I'll wait a few weeks before trying Blue Duck, and give McBride a chance to figure out how the control knobs work.
cjsadler Posted June 15, 2006 Posted June 15, 2006 Walked by on the way to lunch. They appear to be open (some people were sitting at a table inside, but I'm not sure whether they were actual customers or what). The patio seating they have setup looks perfect for a day like today.
kventura Posted June 15, 2006 Posted June 15, 2006 I believe the restaurant officially opens tomorrow (that's what staff said when I was at a grand opening reception for the hotel). The space is beautiful. The hotel also has a tea cellar, for guests that are interested in paying $20 for a cup of tea.
Audrey2025 Posted June 16, 2006 Posted June 16, 2006 There was a little teaser about this place in today's Express, which teased the Express online stuff for more info. All's I know is, Brian, if you need someone to help you test out the duck fat French fries, let a sister know. Cheers!
Stretch Posted June 18, 2006 Posted June 18, 2006 According to my Opentable profile, I ate dinner at the Blue Duck Tavern on July 29, 2004. I would be happy to report back on it but, as The Hitchhikers' Guide To The Galaxy notes, the major problem of time travel is grammar and I lack the necessary tense formations.* * Readers who are not aficionados of comic sci fi may prefer to conclude that Opentable simply substitutes each new iteration of a restaurant in its database for the one which preceded it, in this case Melrose.
Saycheese Posted June 20, 2006 Posted June 20, 2006 The website for the Park Hyatt does not have a menu posted yet. Is anyone with "connections" able to do that yet? Thanks.
DLB Posted June 23, 2006 Posted June 23, 2006 Disclaimer: I am not a professional food writer so this will will be a very simple review. Stopped by the Blue Duck last night, and it appears from my first impression that this is going be a nice place. I was not sure of the concept prior to my visit but I think it can work. Everything is served family style on very attractive silver platters with little silver thongs, and the portions are pretty large, and I think the prices are pretty reasonable for the quality, most main dishes are around the $20 and sides are all around $7. There has been a lot of talk about the new open kitchen and the expensive stove, I can tell you that the kitchen is really open, from where we were sitting I felt like I was in the kitchen. It's really a very nice space. I would call it casually elegant, very mimilist. For some reason the Head Chef was not there last night, which I thought was strange for a new restaurant. I was told that the official opening is not until today. For the food; We started off with The Heirloom Tomatoes, basil and goat cheese salad, this was very simply done, as it should be. Very good variety of ripe tomatoes tossed with olive oil and little discs of a pretty mild goat cheese. For our main dishes we ordered the Roasted Duck Marinated in Molasses and the Whole Roasted Sea Bream. The duck was good, although I did not taste much of the molasses, the best part of this dish was the duck legs, that were falling off the bone and melting in my mouth. The Sea Bream was very good, the skin was perfectly crisp and the meat very moist, it was roasted with lemon and herbs. Make sure you watch for the bones! Our sides were the roasted new potatoes with bacon and rosemary, and the seasonal farm vegetables. This was enough food to feed three are four people. Dessert was the only disappointment for me. The apple pie was just not sweet enough for me, and it was my fault for ordering it in the middle of June. The vanilla bean ice cream was pretty tasty. I would order it again just for the presentation. For a lack of a better word it is served in a clear glass bucket, with three scoops of ice cream on the bottom, you serve yourself with a large wooden spoon. Very fun I thought. I think this concept is going to work. The food is done so simply that the quality of the ingredients will have to be very good all the time. The service last night was started off fine, but got a little sloppy at the end....but the place is still new. The wine list had a lot of American wines,as well as some from France and Italy. We ordered a French Burgundy that was pretty good. The list had a reasonable price range.
Pappy Posted June 23, 2006 Posted June 23, 2006 Thanks DLB. However, I'm confused. I assume each dish is ordered by an individual diner, and is served on a silver platter? Or are dishes truly served family style and meant to be shared? Is the serving dish left on the table? Also, did you mean to say that main courses like duck and fish are approximately $20 each? I can't imagine they could ever pay off that stove charging only $20. Any additional information would be appreciated.
DLB Posted June 23, 2006 Posted June 23, 2006 Thanks DLB. However, I'm confused. I assume each dish is ordered by an individual diner, and is served on a silver platter? Or are dishes truly served family style and meant to be shared? Is the serving dish left on the table? Also, did you mean to say that main courses like duck and fish are approximately $20 each? I can't imagine they could ever pay off that stove charging only $20.Any additional information would be appreciated. You are correct each dish is ordered by an individual diner, and the serving dishes are left on the table. I am looking at my receipt from last night and the Duck was $23, the fish was $22 (a steal), and both sides were $7 each. I recall some kind of lamb hot pot that was on the menu for $20. Every thing is ordered a la carte so that could add up. Also the Ice Cream did not come with the pie, that was considered another dessert,. Our total bill from last night before tip was $121 including wine, so it could add up. Overall I think it's a pretty good value. Not sure how long it would stay the way. Oh yeah, there is some tea on the menu for $32
Sthitch Posted June 23, 2006 Posted June 23, 2006 Oven Roasted Herb and Garlic Crusted Marrowbone, Country Bread I am going to have to go just to have this.
asundstrom Posted June 24, 2006 Posted June 24, 2006 I went here last night. The service was initially pretty terrible - after being seated, we were ignored for 10 minutes. The waiter whom we finally coaxed into giving us menus basically suggested that we order right away, since he didn't seem to be planning on coming back very soon. Had to ask 4x to get a small amount of tap water, and eventually bought a bottle. The atmosphere isn't that great either- very strong sense of being in a hotel lobby, and the huge stove and bushels of produce reminded me of the rest stops on the Autobahn. That aside, the food was very good. The appetizers - tomato and goat cheese salad, the aforementioned bone marrow - weren't spectacular. There wasn't much bone marrow for $12. The lamb hot pot and roasted duck were fantastic, however - I think the entrees are pretty much loss leaders here. Very clear flavors, huge amounts of succulent meat, etc. Desserts were even better: the sour cream cheesecake was the best cheesecake i've had in a restaurant by far. I'll go back frequently; even with the shitty service, it's a great value for DC.
DonRocks Posted June 25, 2006 Posted June 25, 2006 The lamb hot pot and roasted duck were fantastic, however - I think the entrees are pretty much loss leaders here. Very clear flavors, huge amounts of succulent meat, etc. They say you aren't supposed to talk about a restaurant when it first opens. "Give it a chance to work through the kinks," they say. To heck with that! Get over there NOW and get that lamb hot pot before they raise the price. Not only was there a ton of lamb, the quality of vegetables in this dish was breathtaking. At $20, this isn't a loss leader; it's a mistake. I'm convinced restaurants have a "ninety-day push" to wow the food critics, before subsequently backing off and cruising for the next ten years. If this dish is on the menu six months from now at $20, and has the same quantity and quality of ingredients, I'll run down K Street with no clothes on during rush hour. Speaking of mistakes, what's a better deal, A To Z Pinot Gris for $14 a glass (FOURTEEN DOLLARS A GLASS!), or a .750ml bottle of Chimay for $7? Take a guess which one I ordered. As for sitting at the bar, I'll just gently say ... don't. Cheers, Rocks.
Stretch Posted June 25, 2006 Posted June 25, 2006 excessive lamb pot... Rocks' naked bollocks appal, o linger ye not.
gks_eats_dc Posted June 25, 2006 Posted June 25, 2006 To heck with that! Get over there NOW and get that lamb hot pot before they raise the price. Not only was there a ton of lamb, the quality of vegetables in this dish was breathtaking. At $20, this isn't a loss leader; it's a mistake. Speaking of mistakes, what's a better deal, A To Z Pinot Gris for $14 a glass (FOURTEEN DOLLARS A GLASS!), or a .750ml bottle of Chimay for $7? Take a guess which one I ordered. So besides duck and lamb, what's on the menu? Any good fish dishes? Anything reasonably interesting on the wine list?
deangold Posted June 26, 2006 Posted June 26, 2006 If this dish is on the menu six months from now at $20, and has the same quantity and quality of ingredients, I'll run down K Street with no clothes on during rush hour. Please let them raise the price! There is already too much traffic in DC!
crackers Posted June 26, 2006 Posted June 26, 2006 I was at Blue Duck Tavern last night, and I urge people to wait a few weeks before trying what will potentially be a wonderful addition to the dining scene – perhaps on par with Corduroy - if certain flaws can be worked out or worked around. I’m submitting this very long post as sort of a benchmark so that perhaps in the future we can go back and see where they started and how far they have progressed. The look: I was a big fan of its previous incarnation, Melrose, so the décor of the new space was jarring to me. All hard edges and cold surfaces, gone are the carpeting, upholstered chairs, tablecloths, candles, and flowers. Instead we have bare wood floors, chairs and trestle tables, exposed concrete pillars rising two stories up, and huge walls of plate glass. The service: Service flaws were exposed almost from the beginning of our meal. Some were merely annoying, such as forgotten wine and side dishes not arriving until after the entrée and after a second request, water glasses sitting empty, and wait staff seeming to be confused and different staff working our table at random times with no particular rhyme or reason. Some service flaws were more serious, but I will address those directly with management. The food: The menu is delightful. And delicious. We started with orders of fresh pea soup, and stuffed clams. Both were magnificent. The soup was presented first as a bowl with only a small coddled egg and a morel mushroom sitting on the bottom, as has become the custom in restaurants recently. Then the waiter went away, leaving me staring at the egg congealing. Expecting to next have him return with the soup to be poured on, instead he came back to deliver the clams, disappeared again, and returned to pour the pea soup into my bowl. I sopped up every bit with the fresh bread we were given – it was just perfect. Our entrees fell short of others’ experiences. Yes, the duck was very tasty, but it arrived tepid, and the leg and thigh, far from falling off the bone, were tough to cut up. I ordered the lamb hot pot. Again, full of strong lamb flavor. But half the pot was lamb fat, and the meat was stringy and dry. The vegetables, as Don describes above, were perfection – baby carrots, favas, pearl onions, a stewed tomato and spring onions or baby leeks in rich jus. All sides are a la carte, and I requested that the chef send me the vegetable side he thought best to pair with the lamb. I was disappointed that I was presented with a pan of rather plain mashed potatoes – swimming in butter – making for a very heavy meal (but oh, so tasty.) An order of asparagus arrived too late, and had been dealt an unfortunately heavy sprinkle of coarse salt along its perfectly trimmed stalks. Now desserts were another matter – if you like apricots, you must try the apricot sorbet. Three large scoops come in a miniature transparent ice bucket with a large wooden spoon, and a small empty chilled silver chalice in which to spoon it. The strong ripe flavor almost bowled me over. Same for the apple pie – individual pies (larger ones for tables to share also available) were classic apple caramel goodness. There are two items on the dessert menu – stewed rhubarb and blueberry compote - that come with an unbelievable $3 price tag. But when I asked how they were presented, I was told that they are really only meant to be additions to the other desserts, not stand-alone offerings; something which is deceptively absent from the description on the menu. Later on, as we were waiting for the rain to let up so we could leave, I had a chance to chat with one of the pastry chefs and he explained that all the desserts were made in house from fresh ingredients (I had thought perhaps the apricots in the sorbet were dried, given the intense flavor.) He also presented me with an after dinner treat of chocolate marshmallows that were supposed to have been given to us with our check, but somehow had been overlooked. Really good stuff – wish I’d grabbed about 10 more. It was a Sunday evening, but Chef McBride was very much there, taking time to come out of the open kitchen several times to sit and chat and bring little tastings to the table next to us; friends of the house. I only wish he’d also paid a bit of attention to the service snafus going on around him at the other tables. All in all, this place has a lot of potential. Service can be fixed (or staff can be replaced), menus can be tweaked, wobbly tables can be shimmed, tablecloths can be put on tables to keep the oval china plates from skittering 90 degrees around every time a piece of meat is cut (the typos in the wine list are already in process of being eliminated) and positively dreadful tasting tap water can be filtered or something. Some things will be harder to remedy – trestle tables with legs that make it impossible to sit comfortably at a four-top (they protrude right in between your legs on all four sides of the table; I kept bumping into them all evening) and what is possibly the longest trip to the rest rooms in the city. If Corduroy’s is a stretch of a rubber band, the Park Hyatt’s is a bungee jump off the Eiffel Tower – down a hall, then down 35+ stairs, down another hall, and past a couple of ballrooms and conference rooms. She who hesitates is surely sauced. The prices are very reasonable – and there are many more menu items I plan to return to try. Just not yet.
brian Posted June 27, 2006 Posted June 27, 2006 I just got back from an outstanding dinner at Blue Duck Tavern. It started off with disastrous service in the lounge as they got slammed from all the hotel guests staying in due to the weather, with a delay for our table and a light snack. The roasted potatoes on the bar menu are good enough to make you wonder why they aren't at every bar, even if they did come out well before the (wrong) drinks and without the promised sour cream. One of the risks of the open service setup they have is that the guests will certainly know when the servers are stressing out, and if any of the servers are talking to themselves it won't help things. Once seated in the dining room, however, it was a different world. The service was very good with only a few minor flaws (mostly in the beverage service), ones that can be easily corrected as they move forward. The setting is gorgeous despite it clearly not being quite finished, a crisp but very warm space with dark limestone and wood floors and scandalously expensive hand-carved chairs and silver rimmed bone china with matching flatware - no, make that SILVERware. Is there anyplace else you can think of that uses silver place settings and Riedel water glasses with $20 entrees? It's an advertisement for the benefits of being a hotel restaurant. The pea soup was a bit thin but finely flavored, even better once they dropped off our spoons. The egg white doesn't do much for the dish but the yolk more than makes up for it. Leeks were aggressively salted and peppered but stayed on the right side of goodness. The steak fries are triple cooked with the last round flavoring them with duck fat, though you wouldn't know it if you use the sour cream and dill(?) dipping sauce. I think you could maybe take an eighth of an inch off in each dimension and finish at a slightly higher temperature, but they were still delicious and substantial enough that a dozen fries for $7 seemed like a good value. Mains were the lamb hot pot (as previously described, with nearly a flock's worth of meat) and the grits with asparagus, chanterelles, and cheddar (pretty much perfect, with asparagus that cut like butter). Desserts were excessive, as we ordered the sour cream cheesecake, the blackberry/peach crumble, and the strawberry ice cream. We ended up with the apple pie instead of the crumble since they didn't have any prepared, only to have one of the chefs rush to our table ten minutes later with a freshly made crumble and apologies, and an offer to package it to go if it was too much. The desserts may be the best value on the menu; you'd pay at least $7 for the apple pie or the cheesecake even out of a pastry case, $5 gave us far more than a couple servings of the best strawberry ice cream I've had. I can see how the dishes and the service could be hit-or-miss, but after I got out of the lounge it was all hits tonight. Maybe I got lucky, but the only other restaurants in the area I remember being this elated about after a first visit are Minibar, Komi, and Maestro.
Mark Slater Posted June 27, 2006 Posted June 27, 2006 Crackers wrote: "and what is possibly the longest trip to the rest rooms in the city. " The restrooms are right in the restaurant. They were still under construction the evening you were there.
John Wabeck Posted June 27, 2006 Posted June 27, 2006 Crackers wrote: "and what is possibly the longest trip to the rest rooms in the city. "The restrooms are right in the restaurant. They were still under construction the evening you were there. And they have Citadelle. And Schweppes in small bottles.
crackers Posted June 27, 2006 Posted June 27, 2006 The restrooms are right in the restaurant. They were still under construction the evening you were there.Thanks for the info Mark. That will be a relief. The hostess was spending a lot of time escorting the restaurant patrons so they wouldn't get lost.
Mark Slater Posted June 27, 2006 Posted June 27, 2006 And they have Citadelle. And Schweppes in small bottles. And they have Diana.
TinDC Posted June 30, 2006 Posted June 30, 2006 Are all of the french fries at Blue Duck Tavern fried in duck fat? In other words, if you order fries, will they be always duck fat fried?
Sthitch Posted June 30, 2006 Posted June 30, 2006 the aforementioned bone marrow - weren't spectacular. There wasn't much bone marrow for $12.This must have been a different dish than I had tonight. What I had tonight was half a bovine femur, split in half and roasted. It was accompanied by a roasted head of garlic, and several large perfectly caramelized shallots. Come late fall/early winter this will be my go to dish.Anyway, tonight my wife and I decided to check-out the Blue Duck, and we were not in the least bit disappointed. I warned my wife that the service might be a bit off, and while we were waiting for our table in the lounge we experienced that. It took longer to get our Champagne, and check than to get our table, but after that the service issues were non-existent. Not only was everyone friendly, but they were prompt, and efficient. There were no missed orders, no late dishes, the wine I ordered was the bottle that was delivered. The front of the house manager even recognized us as semi-regulars from the Melrose days. As for the food, I ordered the aforementioned bone marrow, and my wife ordered the butter lettuce salad. After one taste of my dish, she was quite jealous. Chef McBride came over to the table (by the way table 30 is the best in the restaurant, right in front of the chef), and told us that he figured that he would only keep the item on the menu for a week, but he is selling far more of them than he could have dreamed of. Oh, the salad was tasty, just not as tasty as bone marrow. For entrees we ordered the lamb hot pot, and the short ribs. The lamb was fabulous, and the vegetables a perfect match. This is another dish come winter will be a must have. The short ribs were very nice; they had a little too much cumin on them for my taste, but were cooked perfectly. For our sides we had the steak fries and asparagus. The fries were a bit greasy, but oh so flavorful (and yes they are all cooked in duck fat). The asparagus was beautifully prepared. We did not have any issues with them being over salted. This was all followed-up by a wonderful desert of hand-cranked strawberry ice cream. I swear there was more fruit than cream. These three scoops were a steal at $5. My only real quibble (outside of the slow bar service) was that the butter deserved better bread. They use a wonderfully flavorful and deeply yellow butter that has a hit of citrus, and serve it with horribly pedestrian bread. The cost was quite reasonable, and without the wine we would have easily gotten out of there for less than a $100. I am certainly going to be pining to go back for another round at the Blue Duck.
mdt Posted June 30, 2006 Posted June 30, 2006 Are all of the french fries at Blue Duck Tavern fried in duck fat? In other words, if you order fries, will they be always duck fat fried? I hope so.
jm chen Posted July 3, 2006 Posted July 3, 2006 Duck fat. Duck Fat. DUCK FAT. Taking advantage of the half-holiday nature of Monday, July 3rd, my regular dining companion and I decided to try Blue Duck for lunch, since it's located between my office and his. We were not sorry. The space to me has a similar vibe to Agraria's -- undeniably modern and spare, but also warm, not forbidding. Something about dark wood and gently curved chairs gave me that feeling. Of course, this does not go for the glass-enclosed table in the lounge, where you'd be dining on display for the assembled crowd. We chose, instead, a table facing the courtyard. Slow day for them, which was good for us. Those fries, those fries, those fries. Supercrispy on the outside, soft within. Set off perfectly by salt and fresh thyme. The only problem is the palate fatigue, in that after you have three or four, your tongue cries "Enough!" and then they just taste like regular fries. Eat something else, and go back to them. They will amaze again. Other than the fries, we split two entrees: two cute, fat, short links of bratwurst with sauerkraut ($12), and a bright summery salad of seared ahi tuna ($19.) The ahi salad in particular was delicious, not much lettuce, but piles of fresh veggies, like baby zucchini, haricots verts, and tops-on baby carrots. My dining companion did think the spice combination on the tuna was a little aggressive -- it is extremely fennel-y, so be warned. Love that they list their sources for each dish (lots of Tuscarora Growers Co-op, Toigo, etc.) and I see that they are also on the Iowa proscuitto bandwagon (La Quercia must have an awesome local sales rep, because this stuff is suddenly everywhere.) Service was pretty much impeccable. Of course, low traffic day. Staff probably outnumbered the customers. Your mileage may vary. Tab for two came to about $50 before tip -- a lot more than I'd like to spend for lunch ($4.50 for iced tea? seriously?) but a quality experience with excellent, excellent food. [Edited to specify that this was a lunch.]
Sthitch Posted July 3, 2006 Posted July 3, 2006 two cute, fat, short links of bratwurst with sauerkraut ($12)Other than being cute how were they? I thought about ordering these last week, but went with the short ribs instead.
jm chen Posted July 3, 2006 Posted July 3, 2006 Other than being cute how were they? I thought about ordering these last week, but went with the short ribs instead.Delicious, but mild, not strongly flavored. Fairly close-textured with the fat well-mixed. Definitely perked up by the sauerkraut (which had additional pork in it) and mustard served alongside. I'd definitely get them again.
cf75 Posted July 7, 2006 Posted July 7, 2006 A couple of F&B friends and I headed to a late lunch at Blue Duck last Friday. Being that it was late, we were the only active table and what was supposed to be attentive service was somewhat menacing. (When staring at a table of guests, be sure to smile...otherwise its quite Dawn of the Dead creepy.) But why focus on that...the service was indeed impeccable and friendly...not sure how comfortable the staff is in their 3 piece navy suits in summer. Bygones -- the food, presentation and gorgeous view were the phenomenal dynamics that made the experience such a cherished one. The silver serving spoons and dishes are a class act and the option for "everything family style" was a warm & cozy affect. I'd like a side of Chef McBride's Carolina Corn Grits with every meal for the rest of my life. I'm not sure if its the butter, the cream, or the butter/cream mix, but they were heavenly. (perhaps the touch of barbecue sauce that gave it so much zest.) Those grits have replaced Matchbox mini-burgers as my latest sinful treat - to be eaten on rare important occasions when i've actually made it to the gym 4x a week. Simple olive oil-tickled scallops were an excellent choice - most loved by my guests. Herb Roasted chicken (delicate like cornish hen) was seasoned like my southern Grandma's - divine. The Cheesecake -- looked like a soft stick of butter and tasted rich and creamy - was a grand finally. At 3pm, as if they heard what i was thinking, the shades electronically came down and blocked out the summer sun. Chef McBride gave us a tour of his new oven (or should i say island of heat), which is gorgeous. I'm in love with the new design and excited that the food and menu are very approachable. This will be a top choice for out of town guests and special comfort-food occasions. Have a great weekend!
The Hersch Posted July 10, 2006 Posted July 10, 2006 I dined with two friends at Blue Duck Tavern this evening. My first comment would be that they need some signage outside to let people know the restaurant is there. It took us a while to figure out how to get into the place, and we never saw "Blue Duck Tavern" until we saw it on the bill. That aside, the food and the service were both very nice. I had the green pea soup with Amish poached egg and chanterelles. The soup itself was lovely, deeply flavorful and silken in texture. We did, of course, speculate that the poached egg would be dressed in black and driving a little horse-drawn buggy around the soup-plate, but it was quite nice. The chanterelles were strangely tough and chewy, but the dish was still a winner. My friend's heirloom tomato salad was kind of wan, but it's just too early for tomatoes. The lamb hot pot was wonderful, although apparently (judging from previous comment) there used to be more vegetables in it--aside from the sauce, there were only carrots in the pot, although they were lovely young babies. The roast black-feathered chicken had no feathers actually in the dish, and was just excellent. The rockfish was fresh and sweet, and simply presented. The fava bean side dish was an astonishing $12 for at most a cup of beans, but they were very good. The fries. The FRIES. Among the best fries I've ever encountered in a long career of seeking out good fries. Wow. We had one order, and as soon as they were delivered we ordered more, before even tasting them, they looked that good. And they tasted perhaps even better than they looked. They came to the table obviously just out of the duck fat, very hot, with a wonderful thin, crisp exterior, and a luscious, creamy inside--altogether so hot that you had to suck air into your mouth...oh, just astonishingly good. The espresso was pretty good, but SIX DOLLARS for a demi-tasse?? Overall, though, not an overpriced dinner. About $80 a person, including tax and tip, for apps, mains, sides, 2 desserts, 2 bottles of sparkling water, one coffee, a glass each of an Oregan sparkler, and a bottle of Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare...for food this good, that's not expensive. The place was almost empty, I'm sorry to report.
Mark Slater Posted July 18, 2006 Posted July 18, 2006 I had an outstanding lunch at the Blue Duck Tavern today. We ordered the smoked pork terrine and cured meat gallantine while we looked at the menu. Both were savory and delicious. My baked Rhode Island clams with bacon and tomato were just right. Large, tasty clams with just the right amount of topping. Excellent dish. For main, I chose the Veal Schnitzel. Served family style, as all the dishes are, it was easily enough for 2 to split. I don't know how they can give that much tender white veal for $20. A spectacular dish. Of the sides we ordered, the baked beans stood out as the most savory. Dessert seemed like a silly idea since we were so stuffed already, but......... the tin of old fashioned sugar cookies was excellent, the apricot sorbet, as my friend noted, was really "apricotty". The cream cheese cake was sinful, as a proper cheese cake has a duty to be. Service was brisk, attentive and unobtrusive. I'm glad they are off to such a great start.
Sthitch Posted July 18, 2006 Posted July 18, 2006 I had an outstanding lunch at the Blue Duck Tavern today. We ordered the smoked pork terrine and cured meat gallantine while we looked at the menu. Both were savory and delicious. My baked Rhode Island clams with bacon and tomato were just right. Large, tasty clams with just the right amount of topping. Excellent dish. For main, I chose the Veal Schnitzel. Served family style, as all the dishes are, it was easily enough for 2 to split. I don't know how they can give that much tender white veal for $20. A spectacular dish. Of the sides we ordered, the baked beans stood out as the most savory. Dessert seemed like a silly idea since we were so stuffed already, but......... the tin of old fashioned sugar cookies was excellent, the apricot sorbet, as my friend noted, was really "apricotty". The cream cheese cake was sinful, as a proper cheese cake has a duty to be. Service was brisk, attentive and unobtrusive. I'm glad they are off to such a great start.It appears like I am going to need to stop by the Blue Duck for Lunch. At dinner with my parents on Sunday the smoked pork terrine was excellent. It had a nice smoke flavor, and was incredibly moist. The table also shared the bone marrow, and sardines. My parents looked at the bone marrow was with a wry eye, but quickly proclaimed it the best of the appetizers. The sardines were given a mixed review. My father and I loved them, and the sardine lovers at the table (my mother and wife) were a bit cool towards them. That was fine, more for us. We went light on the entrees, just ordered two, the Bratwurst, and the Black Feather Chicken. The Brats were very tasty, and unlike jm_chin I liked the close texture of them. But the highlight of this dish had to be the kraut; it could stand on its own as a side dish. The chicken was simply roasted with a glace. It was simple, and perfect. The meat was still moist, and it had more flavor than almost any chicken I have ever had. Our entrees were accompanied by three sides, the insanely delicious fries (which were more crisp and less greasy than the last time), the glazed carrots, and the seasonal vegetables which happen to have been squash. All of the vegetables were executed with perfection, and not a morsel was left. Like Mark we also had the cheese cake, his words match my feelings about this cake. And we also had the strawberry ice cream, my previous description still holds. We spoke with the guy in the desert area after dinner and he told us that the next ice cream will be either peach or cherry.
DonRocks Posted July 19, 2006 Posted July 19, 2006 I had no idea Mark Hellyar (ex Chef de Cuisine at Nora) was back in town and sousing here.
Mark Slater Posted July 19, 2006 Posted July 19, 2006 I had no idea Mark Hellyar (ex Chef de Cuisine at Nora) was back in town and sousing here. Yes! Nora ----> Fat Duck -----> Blue Duck ! It appears like I am going to need to stop by the Blue Duck for Lunch. At dinner with my parents on Sunday the smoked pork terrine was excellent. It had a nice smoke flavor, and was incredibly moist. The table also shared the bone marrow, and sardines. My parents looked at the bone marrow was with a wry eye, but quickly proclaimed it the best of the appetizers. The sardines were given a mixed review. My father and I loved them, and the sardine lovers at the table (my mother and wife) were a bit cool towards them. That was fine, more for us. We went light on the entrees, just ordered two, the Bratwurst, and the Black Feather Chicken. The Brats were very tasty, and unlike jm_chin I liked the close texture of them. But the highlight of this dish had to be the kraut; it could stand on its own as a side dish. The chicken was simply roasted with a glace. It was simple, and perfect. The meat was still moist, and it had more flavor than almost any chicken I have ever had. Our entrees were accompanied by three sides, the insanely delicious fries (which were more crisp and less greasy than the last time), the glazed carrots, and the seasonal vegetables which happen to have been squash. All of the vegetables were executed with perfection, and not a morsel was left. Like Mark we also had the cheese cake, his words match my feelings about this cake. And we also had the strawberry ice cream, my previous description still holds. We spoke with the guy in the desert area after dinner and he told us that the next ice cream will be either peach or cherry. The lunch menu is quite different from the dinner menu. The fries were not the same fries I had last week at night. The duck fat fries came with fresh mayonnaise and were much darker. The lunch fries came with little bottles of Hellman's after asking for mayo. I ordered the seasonal vegetables as a side, also. Different squashes. Well cooked, but not great. The beans and pork were great and the snap peas were delicious. The ice creams and sorbets are served family style, also: a huge dish with 4 or 5 scoops inside. I was skeptical at first, but the family style dishes were fun to share.
mo2000 Posted July 19, 2006 Posted July 19, 2006 From a Post feature on their kitchen..."In addition to the six burners, McBride chose a mirror-finish stainless steel griddle, sauté station, two deep fryers -- one designated solely for duck fat to crisp french fries" one designated solely for duck fat to crisp french fries. NICE want to try those crisp FF
The Hersch Posted July 19, 2006 Posted July 19, 2006 The fries were not the same fries I had last week at night. The duck fat fries came with fresh mayonnaise and were much darker. The lunch fries came with little bottles of Hellman's after asking for mayo. We was robbed! No mayonnaise was offered with the fries I had at dinner. But then, the fries really spoke for themselves.
Sthitch Posted July 19, 2006 Posted July 19, 2006 We was robbed! No mayonnaise was offered with the fries I had at dinner. But then, the fries really spoke for themselves.Neither time have I had these times, they came sans mayo. But that would only be gilding the lily.
The Hersch Posted July 19, 2006 Posted July 19, 2006 Neither time have I had these times, they came sans mayo. But that would only be gilding the lily. To gild refined gold, to paint the lily, To throw a perfume on the violet, To smooth the ice, or add another hue Unto the rainbow, or with taper-light To seek the beauteous eye of heaven to garnish, Is wasteful and ridiculous excess.
SrtaJRosa Posted July 19, 2006 Posted July 19, 2006 Last week, I had the opportunity to dine at Blue Duck for lunch. Amazing!! My husband had the pea soup with chanterrelles and a poached egg, then enjoyed the trout for main course. I must say, trout in itself, doesn't have much flavor, but the way this was prepared was exquisite! It was sweet and delectable (did I make up yet another word?) I started with an heirloom tomato salad and was very pleased with both my first course and 2nd course (the 1/2 portion crabcake.) The crabmeat was hardly breaded, gently fell to my plate as I cut into it with my fork. This was a delicacy, yummy! We also shared an order of the leeks, recommended by our server, and it went splendidly well with our main courses. The iced green tea was unique and refreshing and a pleasant beverage accompaniment to our meals. I was delightedly surprised by all the flavor and color of cuisine for all our dishes, and upon asking the server, he shared that the foodstuffs are purchased directly from the farmers themselves, giving all their dishes a "fresher appeal." We will definitely be back. Kudos to everyone who made our meal at Blue Duck one to rave about!
Jlock Posted July 20, 2006 Posted July 20, 2006 This morning I find myself thinking about the Blue Duck Tavern - specifically about the "duck" and why is he so "blue"? Lackadaisi and I went to the Blue Duck Tavern for dinner last night and examined the poor "duck's" situation first hand: Perhaps the duck is "blue" because, although the space of the restaurant is lovely (clean and crisp with a bustling open kitchen, an attractive "open" wine cellar, and a comfortable, columnar lounge area), you couldn't hear yourself think due to all of the noise. Even our waiter had issues taking our order and when you can't hear Lacakadaisi at the table - well, you have a volume problem (sorry sweetheart!) They need some soft, sound-absorbing surfaces - fast! But maybe the duck is "blue" for other reasons? The serviceable, but un-seasoned flavored pea soup? The marrowbone that was overpowered by its toasted garlic country bread side? The overly-salty Hawaiian Shrimp dish swimming in butter? The duck could find some solace in the heirloom tomato salad (the goat cheese "discs" were nice and the tomatoes were ripe and sweet - and perfectly seasoned) and the sauteed leek sidedish, but as for our dinner last night, that's about it. We had read nice things about the Lamb pot - but were mysteriously steered away from this dish by our waiter (who told us, unsolicited, that he just "would not get the lamb dish or the baked clams". No real menu suggestions, just this lone statement. How can you order the lamb - or clams - after that?) The service was good, albeit a bit more pretentious than what I would expect to see at a "market style", share-your-dish restaurant. (For me, the formalness of the place just didn't seem to fit with the food). The staff was efficient and attentive, so the duck really shouldn't feel too bad about this. Perhaps they need a little more "tavern" in their tavern? I really did like the "market style" idea and seeing that tractor-trailer of an oven in the middle of the kitchen was pretty cool. The wine list looked interesting - although it was a bit strange when the waiter told us that the wines on the first couple of pages were 'specially selected by their wine shop'... (Does the Blue Duck have a sommelier? Is the chef ordering the wine? What does this statement mean???) All in all, I saw a great potential of ingredients in a nice (but acoustically challenged) space. I think the duck is "blue" because it is only "potential" at this point and not reality. It seems a lot of posters found lunch to be quite nice - so perhaps that is the way to go for now - as this hopefully restaurant finds it's groove. Cheer up, Mr. Duck, we will keep an eye on you and see what happens. But for now, we will continue "hunting" elsewhere...
Antonio Burrell Posted July 27, 2006 Posted July 27, 2006 A group of four of us had dinner here Monday. Overall, I loved the design of the kitchen and how it's all open and spills out into the dining room sortof. The food was very good, I particuarly enjoyed the marrow, pork terrine, cote de beouf, polenta, tomatoes and strawberry icecream, we ate to much food, drank to much wine and talked to much business. I had no idea Mark Hellyar (ex Chef de Cuisine at Nora) was back in town and sousing here I maybe wrong, but the info I have from people that work there is that Mark is the Chef de Cuisine. He sent out some things he was working on to the table, and seemed like a nice enough fellow.
Pappy Posted July 31, 2006 Posted July 31, 2006 I loved Melrose, and I'm a very big fan of McBride's cooking. So I looked forward to dinner at Blue Duck last Saturday. I came away really, really missing Melrose. I can see where they spent millions re-decorating. The quality and the craftsmanship is obvious. I just wish they hadn't. I, personally, don't find comfort dining in the neo-industrial dining room with it's bare floors, white column walls and angular spaces. The addition of shaker furniture seems out of place, and no more inviting. While some may enjoy a view of the busy, open kitchen and a gigantic stove, I find the whole scene distracting. It all adds up, to me anyway, to be a dark/shadowy and unbearably loud environment, and that was at 50-75% capacity. The staff is plentiful, extremely polite, and in most cases very professional. Communication among them was still lacking, perhaps because they have to scream to one another to be heard over the din. They are all dressed in black suits like the bad guys in The Matrix and few of them smiled. The waiter was not familiar with the wine list, and did not offer up anyone who was familiar with it. Needless to say, they didn't add to the Welcome mat. The food was mixed. I thought the Marrow was unique and delicious. I expected to be digging out of the hollow of a bone with a marrow spoon, so imagine my delight when I found the bone had been sliced along its axis with a band saw. The Roasted Clams were not so good. They were at least slighly overcooked, having become quite chewy. But worse, they came with an abundance of their red pepper topping, which had to be largely scrapped off to keep from overwhelming any other taste. My wife's Pork Chop was outstanding and served perfectly cooked. I don't recall the source, but this was clearly a gourmet varietal unlike anything in the pork section at Giant. Even better than several other "new" pork offerings I've enjoyed. My whole roasted Sea Bream was beautiful, if a little overcooked, a little dry, and a little bland. The sides were also a little disappointing. The fries were cut into large rectangles, and although well seasoned, seemed too dry. I expected, and looked forward to, a moistness, or even an oilyness(sp) from the duck fat. I'm sure others might find this to be a positive, as there is a fine line between moistness and greasiness when it comes to duck fat, but I missed the decadence. There are several "frites" in Washington that I like better. The Lima Beans with Mushrooms were just okay. These were very large lima beans, and I find the smaller ones to be sweeter. Dessert was delicious, home-made ice cream (ridiculously served in an enormous, deep glass bowl with a straight wooden spoon). Coffee and espresso were excellent. It may be worth noting that the prices are not as "reasonable" as they first seem. I don't have the menu in front of me, but entrees where maybe $21-25. But if you add an $8 side dish, it gets pricey. A Bombay gin martini, btw, was $14. Everytime I left Melrose I looked forward to returning. While I only had a sampling of the menu, I can't say the same for Blue Duck. A previous poster put it best, so to slightly misqoute him..."they seem to need more "tavern" at the Tavern."
Saycheese Posted August 9, 2006 Posted August 9, 2006 I went to the Blue Duck Tavern for the first time for dinner on Sunday night. First, the space is absolutely gorgeous -- very modern, sleek and elegant, but comfortable. Even without cushions, the beautiful wood chairs were very comfortable -- they resembled Thos. Moser or George Nakashima style pieces, which seem to perfectly fit most peoples' backsides no matter how big or small -- we ranged from 5 ft. tall to over 6 ft. and everyone was comfortable. Along the windows on M Street, however, there are long benches, and it looks like it might be awkward to sit there. Although some people have said it's noisy, we didn't have a problem --and we were seated right by the kitchen. We were impressed by how serene the kitchen was -- no shouting, no racing around with hot pots, no chaos, no banging or clanging of cookware. Second, the menu had so many tempting choices. For the appetizers, we ordered the heirloom tomato and goat cheese salad, the sardines and a special smoked trout dish. The portions were very generous, and 2 appetizers would have been plenty for the three of us. All were delicious. The tomato salad was very simple, but elegant -- the tomatoes were peeled -- you don't see that in too many places. Then for the mains we ordered the whole roasted sea bream, wild Alaskan salmon, and a halibut dish. The sea bream, which is served whole and unboned, was delicious, although a bit overcooked. The skin was nice and crispy, and the seasoning, which seemed to be just salt, pepper and slices of lemon inside the fish, was perfect. The fish was big enough that I ate only half of it and took the rest home. The salmon, on the other hand, was cooked to the right degree of doneness but was a bit bland and unexciting. The halibut was consumed too quickly for me to get a taste. Compared with the sea bream, the salmon and halibut portions seemed small or at best average. As a side dish, we had the fava beans, chanterelles and pistachios, which was delicious, and again, plenty to share among three people. I agree with some other comments about the side dishes being pricey. I'd rather have smaller, individual portions for less money, which I think would make it easier to order several side dishes. I would have liked to try the french fries and some other sides but it would have been too much food/money. I'm also not that keen on the family style service. It seems to create more work/expense by requiring that each person receive a plate to eat from and a casserole or dish from which the food is served, plus, the separate side dishes, and as I mentioned, some of the portion sizes of the entrees just seemed a bit small for that kind of service. It just struck me as a bit gimmicky. My impression was that the cooking is designed to be very simple, without heavy sauces or other embellishments, in order to allow the pure flavors of really fresh ingredients to shine. I think that backfired with the salmon, but worked well with most of the other dishes. For dessert -- apple tart and vanilla ice cream. The ice cream was very good, but the tart was just okay, not too special. There were other desserts that sounded really good -- peach ice cream stands out in my mind -- but we were all so full that we decided to share one (large) tart. The wine list was quite intriguing -- lots of things I'd like to try. I use a particular Rhone red as a benchmark to see if the list is expensive or not, and several of the selections did seem a little pricier than I have seen in other restaurants, but there do seem to be some well priced wines. We had a Domaine Weinbach Gewurtraminer which was fabulous and quite reasonably priced. There also seemed to be a good selection of reasonably priced pinot noirs. The service was quite good. Everyone was attentive, friendly, professional, accommodating -- and lots of genuine looking smiles. All in all a very good experience. For me, it is definitely worth a repeat visit to try other dishes -- here we stuck to fish so will try some of the meat dishes next time.
gnatharobed Posted August 16, 2006 Posted August 16, 2006 went here last night with my family and while the food was quite good, the service was anything but.... the servers were M.I.A. most of the night- though they were friendly the few times we did see them. water glasses went unfilled through almost all of dinner. they served my mother soup without a spoon and we waited at least ten minutes before we could find someone to get her a spoon, soup getting cold in the process. we were given dessert menus but twenty minutes later, despite many attempts at eye contact no one had come by to take our order so we gave up and just asked for the check when they finally came around. this is not the place to go for a romantic dinner- it's loud in there. maybe because we were sitting near the kitchen in the middle of the restaurant but my grandfather commented: this is the loudest non-Chinese restaurant I've ever been to. (it's ok, we're chinese ) hopefully they'll be able to sort out their service issues because the food was quite good, highlights included the marrowbone on country bread, bratwurst, the duck with molasses and the pickled tomatos.
cheezepowder Posted August 16, 2006 Posted August 16, 2006 went here last night with my family and while the food was quite good, the service was anything but....the servers were M.I.A. most of the night- though they were friendly the few times we did see them. water glasses went unfilled through almost all of dinner. they served my mother soup without a spoon and we waited at least ten minutes before we could find someone to get her a spoon, soup getting cold in the process. We were there last month and had the same problem -- soup but no spoon (someone also mentioned this issue earlier in this thread). Once we got the server's attention, though, he offered to reheat the soup (husband declined).
Spiral Stairs Posted August 17, 2006 Posted August 17, 2006 My crystal ball says Tom gives Blue Duck Tavern 2.5 stars this weekend. (Because he said in his chat he was reviewing it this week, and he said on WTOP that whatever he reviewed this week received 2.5 stars.)
crackers Posted August 18, 2006 Posted August 18, 2006 Get over there NOW and get that lamb hot pot before they raise the price. ... If this dish is on the menu six months from now at $20, and has the same quantity and quality of ingredients, I'll run down K Street with no clothes on during rush hour. Sietsema didn't like the lamb hot pot all that much (I wonder if it's still the same as when the restaurant opened): * * 1/2
Monica Bhide Posted August 18, 2006 Posted August 18, 2006 I have never had the lamb hot pot so I cannot comment on that but I agree with Tom on the marrow. It is so delicious. I am mad because I had to share it I also really enjoyed the apple pie - just perfect.
hillrat Posted September 5, 2006 Posted September 5, 2006 but I agree with Tom on the marrow. It is so delicious. I was at Blue Duck last night and started off the meal with it based on what I had read. I was not disappointed, they were exquisite!! Sorry if I sound like a gushing school boy with a crush, but they really were just that good. Unfortunately, I was also forced to share my marrow bones. As a relative n00b, I'm unsure how to relate my experience 'cause so much of it centered on the fact that my 17 month old was with us. Is that the sort of thing people care to hear about in the general dining thread or is there a dining w/ babies thread I should be talking about this kind of stuff in?
brioboy Posted September 8, 2006 Posted September 8, 2006 Apologies for the length - I got carried away... Blue ducks are indigenous to New Zealand and the few that are left there are among the rare few waterfowl anywhere that live, eat and rear their young entirely on fast flowing river water. As befits an endangered species, they are difficult to find. Perhaps it is in testament to this elusiveness and the danger that fast flowing water suggests that hot-shot design firm Tony Chi made the trip to the dining room at the refurbished Park Hyatt's restaurant so complicated and dangerous. For a space that cannot help be what it is – a hotel lobby – it is a fun voyage. Navigate past the "tea lounge" (a humidor displays blocks of cellophane-wrapped raw tea like contraband in some high-tech DEA exhibit). Check out the glass cubicles around the bar (the punters must look like like pinned buterflies at happy hour) although at lunch the whole tea/bar space is expansively empty. Dodge down narrow ramps, trip down artfully concealed steps and finally your voyage is over, the rushing waters subside, and you are in the relative oasis of the dining area. Only relative because the open kitchen is the first thing you see - full of men and women hovering over the blue beast: a massive Molteni range featured in the WaPo even before BDT opened. The Post wowed at the cost - about that of a small airplane - and the crane needed to bring it in. Now it is hooked up it lurks like some massive queen bee surrounded by worshiping dancing drones. I really liked BDT's predecessor Melrose. It was pricey and overrun with Georgetown Ladies Who Lunch with very, very good food. It felt bright and civilized – quite apart from the low roar of political/business drudgery that infests the vibe in most good restaurants in “this town.” It felt like the kind of place where the hotel restaurant revolution really had hit its stride. No super-chef and glitz; just a very reliable and pleasant place to eat. The Park Hyatt kept Chef McBride from Melrose but has now upped the glitz quotient and the PR seems to be trying to elevate this man to his rightful place as star of the show. Whether the rest of the staff will measure up remains to be seen. The restaurant is new so I can excuse the foibles of the wait staff with their hit and run service even if the place remains priced for the expense account and money-is-no-object crowd. Why, I asked, do the sardines with cured lemons showed no visible evidence of lemons? “I don’t know. Ask him (pointing to someone on the other side of the room). He might know.” Clueless on how to fix a rocking table. “It’s these stone floors.” Maybe that’s why a half inch thick bit of cork isn’t fixing the problem. And I still hold that whoever coined the phrase "Are you still working on that?" deserves a special place in hell. But frankly they could whip me with chains and drench me in leftover duck fat from the Frialator. I'd keep coming back. This is some of the best food in the city. The afforementioned sardines on super-light flatbread crisps with slivers of olives certainly do have the tang of cured Moroccan lemons. Green pea soup is intense and seems so creamy – until the sweet corn grits with chantrelle mushrooms arrive draped with slivers of what tastes like top quality cheddar . Like the cheddar, all the food fairly reeks of craft. The menu tells you what farm your veal schnitzel lived and died on, and your half black feather chicken too, whatever that is (other than an ostentatious refutation of the taste available from its plastic wrapped cousins stacked up in coolers at Safeway). Not everything hits the mark. The life of danger you flirt with as you order the “angry trout” evaporates as you get – a trout (albeit cut open head to tail, spread open and folded over itself so that all the poor bastard’s little teeth are flayed out in a useless defense). A side of sautéed young leeks rather lacks the punchy citrus taste for which true Welshmen weep. Batter fried soft shell crab is awfully good complemented with a great herby remoulade/mayonnaise sauce that saves it only just from being what you would get pretty much any competent where else. I’m looking forward to going back for dinner. The wodges of fried potato logs – they are beyond mere French fries as they sprout from silver ramekins – are dark with duck fat in the evening. And the bloggers here are in shock over the lamb “hot pot” in jus and bone marrow. I know, however, what I’ll be getting for desert: the apple pie may be the best I’ve ever tasted. Slightly tart. Well built crust. Not too wet. A la mode with vanilla ice cream flecked with pith of the beans. If this baker could make Moms as well as his pie the psychiatric profession in this country would evaporate. So never mind that you cannot hear your waiter as he mumbles his introduction because of the too loud fusion jazz (ugh) cascading out of the ceiling speakers and bouncing off the stone floors. Never mind the harsh architecture of the room clashing against the curvy Amish benches and willowy winding wood of the armchairs. Never mind the stiff drink prices. Overdesigned décor, hotel lobby ambiance and a bit of human chaos in the presentation only underscore the very high points McBride et al hit in the kitchen when they do – and at the moment they hit them over and over again. Like their New Zealand namesake Blue Ducks, they thrive despite an environment that can sometimes seem absurdly inhospitable. Here’s hoping that the caliber of their cooking continues to thrive through winter and well beyond.
marcos Posted September 10, 2006 Posted September 10, 2006 Like their New Zealand namesake Blue Ducks, they thrive despite an environment that can sometimes seem absurdly inhospitable. Here’s hoping that the caliber of their cooking continues to thrive through winter and well beyond. you are correct the chef is a great cook and they will likely continue to thrive. All hail the king.
porcupine Posted October 28, 2006 Posted October 28, 2006 A Miracle of Alchemy Recently at Blue Duck Tavern I ordered the bratwurst, because I was so in the mood for something like that. But it came with sauerkraut. What to do? Let me explain: my earliest food related memory is sitting at the dining room table for three hours after the family had finished dinner, with a small serving of sauerkraut on the plate and a promise that Pop had brought candy home from work just for me, if only I would eat my sauerkraut. I think I was about four years old at the time. I was sent to bed hungry, without dessert or candy or anything else, feeling triumphant. Over the years I might have developed at least a tolerance for the stuff, except for an unfortunate laboratory accident involving a 500mL bottle of glacial acetic acid (about 20 times stronger than white vinegar) that I tipped over, which ran all down the front of my shirt and jeans. It seemed like I was smelling vinegar for weeks. It was years before I could eat anything with vinegar in it, and now, 18 years later, I'm still nauseated by a strong whif of it. So there I was in Blue Duck, with two beautiful juicy bratwursts resting atop a tangle of beer-and-white-wine-braised sauerkraut. No promise of candy, either. Jesus, I think, I'm not four years old any more, and I did order the stuff, and it won't kill me to try it, and it probably won't gag me either, so just ignore your inner child and try the goddamn stuff already. Oh so carefully I forked a few strands, lifted it to my mouth (reflexively trying not to breathe), and... Well, whaddya know? I like the stuff! At least I like what chef McBride served me. It's mild and a little winey and yeasty. And it's delicious. The brats are damn fine, too. Perfect with some royal trumpet mushrooms and sweet dumpling squash. The free form apple pies, with a rich flaky crust and lightly caramelized fruit (big enough for two people) are also much, much better than any candy. Mom, Pop, you listening? Thirty seven years later, I finally ate my sauerkraut.
bilrus Posted October 29, 2006 Posted October 29, 2006 That bratwurst and saukraut is as refined and delicate a comfort food as I have ever had.
hillrat Posted October 30, 2006 Posted October 30, 2006 A Miracle of AlchemyRecently at Blue Duck Tavern I ordered the bratwurst, because I was so in the mood for something like that. But it came with sauerkraut. What to do? Let me explain: my earliest food related memory is sitting at the dining room table for three hours after the family had finished dinner, with a small serving of sauerkraut on the plate and a promise that Pop had brought candy home from work just for me, if only I would eat my sauerkraut. I think I was about four years old at the time. I was sent to bed hungry, without dessert or candy or anything else, feeling triumphant. Over the years I might have developed at least a tolerance for the stuff, except for an unfortunate laboratory accident involving a 500mL bottle of glacial acetic acid (about 20 times stronger than white vinegar) that I tipped over, which ran all down the front of my shirt and jeans. It seemed like I was smelling vinegar for weeks. It was years before I could eat anything with vinegar in it, and now, 18 years later, I'm still nauseated by a strong whif of it. So there I was in Blue Duck, with two beautiful juicy bratwursts resting atop a tangle of beer-and-white-wine-braised sauerkraut. No promise of candy, either. Jesus, I think, I'm not four years old any more, and I did order the stuff, and it won't kill me to try it, and it probably won't gag me either, so just ignore your inner child and try the goddamn stuff already. Oh so carefully I forked a few strands, lifted it to my mouth (reflexively trying not to breathe), and... Well, whaddya know? I like the stuff! At least I like what chef McBride served me. It's mild and a little winey and yeasty. And it's delicious. The brats are damn fine, too. Perfect with some royal trumpet mushrooms and sweet dumpling squash. The free form apple pies, with a rich flaky crust and lightly caramelized fruit (big enough for two people) are also much, much better than any candy. Mom, Pop, you listening? Thirty seven years later, I finally ate my sauerkraut. Cheers mate! Hearty congratulations to you for not being like these people.
bonaire Posted October 31, 2006 Posted October 31, 2006 Just had lunch at the Blue Duck Tavern -- my first time there. I won't go into too many details because many of them echo what's above. I will say that the scallops were fabulous, and the glazed carrots we got with them were wonderful -- still some crispness to them and not overwhelmed with sugary sweet. Also loved the desserts -- the way the ice cream is presented is pretty neat and we had a gingerbread ice cream that was yummy. Very gingerbready with a touch of something else I couldn't quite put my finger on. We also split the individually sized apple pie -- this was the highlight of the meal. The crust is flaky without tasting stale and it has delicious bits of caramel and cinnamon on top. I loved it. Service was wonderful. We had Zack (I believe) and he was great -- had good suggestions, was very pleasant and put up with our discussion about whether the Wahlberg brothers have matured into serious actors. Definitely try the apple pie if you go....
wolverine Posted November 2, 2006 Posted November 2, 2006 So I have an important evening planned. Blue Duck takes my reservation. I tell my colleague, "We'll be dining at Blue Duck at X hour." Blue Duck later calls back -- apparently, they made a mistake. No table will be availbale until at least over an hour later on that evening, which nears 10:00 p.m. In my humble opinion, and once they've effusively taken my reservation, this is unacceptable. Once you take the reservation, you agree to honor it. Otherwise, you should not so confidently take it. Some sort of accomodation, or apology, should be made. I actually want no apology. An apology does not restore the reservation I promised others. Rather, I'd prefer honesty, and not a subsequent phone call informing me that the restaurant cannot plan its evening. In any event, I presume Blue Duck's menu is better than its staff, or the person that responded to my request. In any event, somebody else better inform me that Blue Duck's menu outbalances this incident, because I doubt I'll be making a return reservation.
deangold Posted November 2, 2006 Posted November 2, 2006 In my humble opinion, and once they've effusively taken my reservation, this is unacceptable. Once you take the reservation, you agree to honor it. Otherwise, you should not so confidently take it. Some sort of accomodation, or apology, should be made. I actually want no apology. An apology does not restore the reservation I promised others. They made a mistake. And they called you to let you know. They could have, of course, just let you show up and cool your heels for an hour, all the while blaming the earlier customers for showing up late or dining slowly ( all of which do happen). But they were honest and told you of their mistake. And you won't be back. OK
DonRocks Posted November 2, 2006 Posted November 2, 2006 So I have an important evening planned. Blue Duck takes my reservation. I tell my colleague, "We'll be dining at Blue Duck at X hour." Blue Duck later calls back -- apparently, they made a mistake. No table will be availbale until at least over an hour later on that evening, which nears 10:00 p.m. In my humble opinion, and once they've effusively taken my reservation, this is unacceptable. Once you take the reservation, you agree to honor it. Otherwise, you should not so confidently take it. Some sort of accomodation, or apology, should be made. I actually want no apology. An apology does not restore the reservation I promised others. Rather, I'd prefer honesty, and not a subsequent phone call informing me that the restaurant cannot plan its evening. In any event, I presume Blue Duck's menu is better than its staff, or the person that responded to my request. In any event, somebody else better inform me that Blue Duck's menu outbalances this incident, because I doubt I'll be making a return reservation. wolverine, Blue Duck has done nothing wrong. Everyone else: Please don't pile on. Cheers, Rocks.
Mark Slater Posted November 2, 2006 Posted November 2, 2006 wolverine,Blue Duck has done nothing wrong. Everyone else: Please don't pile on. Cheers, Rocks. Blue Duck uses OpenTable. That is supposed to make it impossible to book tables when they aren't available. I wonder what really happened.
B.A.R. Posted November 2, 2006 Posted November 2, 2006 Blue Duck uses OpenTable. That is supposed to make it impossible to book tables when they aren't available. I wonder what really happened.Someone took a reservation when they were not in front of the Open Table terminal. Thank goodness they took the phone number as well.
Pappy Posted November 2, 2006 Posted November 2, 2006 Blue Duck later calls back -- apparently, they made a mistake. No table will be availbale until at least over an hour later on that evening, which nears 10:00 p.m. Be thankful that you now have to go somewhere that your guests will be able to hear each other speak.
deangold Posted November 2, 2006 Posted November 2, 2006 Someone took a reservation when they were not in front of the Open Table terminal. Thank goodness they took the phone number as well. Open Table allows you to add slots, to overbook slots and to change times. Any of these issues can result in an overbooking if the person making the change does not have or follow proceedures necessary to cover any of these changes.
wolverine Posted November 3, 2006 Posted November 3, 2006 Understood. Sure it's a fine place. Just was irritated at the time and venting. wolverine,Blue Duck has done nothing wrong. Everyone else: Please don't pile on. Cheers, Rocks.
mbalaver Posted November 3, 2006 Posted November 3, 2006 As for sitting at the bar, I'll just gently say ... don't. I have plans to meet friends at the bar tonight, possibly to eat in the bar. Don's mysteriously omninous quote gives me pause. Care to elaborate? Has anyone tried the bar menu? We'd be going on the early side.
DonRocks Posted November 3, 2006 Posted November 3, 2006 I have plans to meet friends at the bar tonight, possibly to eat in the bar. Don's mysteriously omninous quote gives me pause. Care to elaborate? Has anyone tried the bar menu? We'd be going on the early side. Bar service has much improved (it was in disarray when they first opened), so that comment is now outdated. I don't particularly care for the atmosphere at the bar there - it feels like you're in a sterile fishbowl - but I would happily return regardless. Note that only a portion of the dining-room menu is available at the bar. Cheers, Rocks.
mbalaver Posted November 4, 2006 Posted November 4, 2006 We ended up having quite a nice night in the bar. The service was both welcoming and efficient. We sat at a chair grouping, avoiding the fishbowl rooms, which seemed unappealing even more for their wooden benches than for their glass enclosures. The mini garlic breadsticks were a nice touch and went well with the Manhattan I ordered from their classic cocktails list. I had the angry trout with pears, bacon, hazelnuts, and sage. (I happened upon a recipe for the trout on The List. Looks reasonably easy, though I don't happen to have a ball of caul fat lying around.) It was really delicious -- slightly sweet, and with lots of different textures from the pear and hazelnuts (the dim light made each forkful a bit of a surprise). I was a little disappointed with the fries -- the flavor was nice, but I guess I prefer my fries more thinly cut. I also had brussels sprouts with chanterelles and pistachios; they were good, but not standouts. Four of us shared the gigantic apple pie, which I highly recommend (both ordering it and sharing it).
Pat Posted November 5, 2006 Posted November 5, 2006 We had dinner at BDT last night. I was looking forward to bratwurst, sauerkraut and fries, and the restaurant did not disappoint. I also got the beet salad, with goat cheese, endive, and pumpkin seeds. It was a nice combination of flavors. Beets and goat cheese are paired fairly often, but the addition of endive and pumpkin seeds really enhanced the salad. One thing I love about this time of year is toasted pumpkin seeds. My husband went for the tavern steak (which I enjoyed a bit of) and more fries I was too full for dessert and was disappointed because I wanted to try the apple pie. Next time, I guess. We each got a Sierra Nevada before the meal and I had a wonderful glass of Acacia Pinot Noir with the meal. There were a few, fairly small, issues that left me a bit The service was generally quite good, enthusiastic and helpful. I knew about the communal serving dishes ahead of time but was still a little bemused by serving myself. It did make it easier to share the steak, but the table seemed cluttered. I liked the delivery system for the fries, though. Biggest grump of the night: the butter for the bread was cold and rock solid . (Let the fact that that was the biggest complaint we had inform the reading of the rest of the post.) Another issue was service-related and it took me until this morning to figure out what really bothered me about it. My husband and I have different last names, so occasionally one of us (usually me) will get called by the other's last name. Throughout the meal, the waiter referred to my husband as Mr. my-last-name. My husband didn't mind, and we kind of shrugged it off. It seemed like an awkward thing to make a point of (and I never realized before we got married how many complications having different names would cause). I make all the restaurant reservations and have an ambiguous name, so it's understandable why it would happen. It was only well after the fact that I realized that the waiter only addressed him by name. He assumed that he was the the person who made the reservation. I could have been his wife, mistress, sister, or anything else, so he didn't have a name to call me. (I understand: How embarrassing to call me Mrs. my-last-name if I turned out not to be his wife.) It left me wondering if I should change my open table account to use more my feminine full first name as opposed to the nickname I always use. I'm not bringing this up to criticize this restaurant, because it has happened before. It's, I guess, a matter of managing to maintain some kind of traditional etiquette and formality in a world where people have ambiguous names. And, in the end, my husband was the one who paid the check. So, I'm throwing this out as a question rather than a criticism: Should I make it more explicit that I am female when I make reservations? Should I use my husband's name? Is it not worth fussing about? Is there a non-awkward way to bring it up with a server when something like this happens? I understand that people in the hospitality business are trying to be as hospitable as possible, and I'm not trying to make it any harder.
marcos Posted November 7, 2006 Posted November 7, 2006 We ended up having quite a nice night in the bar. The service was both welcoming and efficient. We sat at a chair grouping, avoiding the fishbowl rooms, which seemed unappealing even more for their wooden benches than for their glass enclosures. The mini garlic breadsticks were a nice touch and went well with the Manhattan I ordered from their classic cocktails list. I had the angry trout with pears, bacon, hazelnuts, and sage. (I happened upon a recipe for the trout on The List. Looks reasonably easy, though I don't happen to have a ball of caul fat lying around.) It was really delicious -- slightly sweet, and with lots of different textures from the pear and hazelnuts (the dim light made each forkful a bit of a surprise). I was a little disappointed with the fries -- the flavor was nice, but I guess I prefer my fries more thinly cut. I also had brussels sprouts with chanterelles and pistachios; they were good, but not standouts. Four of us shared the gigantic apple pie, which I highly recommend (both ordering it and sharing it).
marcos Posted November 7, 2006 Posted November 7, 2006 FUNNY, there is no caul fat around that trout.
brr Posted November 12, 2006 Posted November 12, 2006 stopped by the Blue Duck Tavern early on Thursday evening with kids in tow - I have to say I was quite impressed with the place, in terms of decor, service and food - the place is so sleek and chic that when you walk in you do worry that they'll be too cool for school but the service was just great from start to finish we grazed through the menu....fresh oysters were excellent, marrow bone was very good, fries were extremely tasty, biscuits reminded me that RTCs are basically impossible to beat and the black feather chicken is indeed succulent, moist and everything that chicken should be but so often is not they've realized their error with the Chimay pricing....its now $11 a bottle which is still pretty reasonable for 750ml....I went with a glass of Acacia pinot instead
Pat Posted November 17, 2006 Posted November 17, 2006 I went with a glass of Acacia pinot insteadI had that when I was there a couple of weeks ago. I thought that was a great glass of wine and set out to find a bottle of it. I found it at the Total Wine in Landmark/Lincolnia for (I think) $15.99. I'm looking forward to opening it.
susantf Posted December 26, 2006 Posted December 26, 2006 Today, Christmas brunch, was my first trip to the Blue Duck and it won't be my last. Like many on this forum, I was also intriqued by the bratwurst and sauerkraut on the menu. Being from Wisconsin, it's rare to see a good old brat on the east coast. But being from Wisconsin, I also know it's hard for an east coaster to beat a Wisconsin brat. The Blue Duck did it. This was by far the most incredible brat I have tasted. Tender, succulent, perfectly seasoned. It melts in your mouth. Sigggh. I've had brats all over Wisconsin, in Germany, in Denmark. I've brated around. Blue Duck. You beat them all. I'm, as soon as I finish typing, off to make my Restaurant Week reservation for the Blue Duck Tavern. Gotta have another brat. On another note, I booked this reservation through Open Table and had no idea that the offering for Christmas was an $80 buffet brunch (oysters, shrimp, etc.). While I love to eat, I've never been a fan of the buffet. I just can't eat that much. I politely asked the manager if my party could simply order the items offered on their entree menu for the brunch and be charged for these a la carte, and we were courteously accomodated. I'm a big fan of fine food, but an even bigger fan of fine service. I'll be back.
cjsadler Posted December 26, 2006 Posted December 26, 2006 off to make my Restaurant Week reservation for the Blue Duck Tavern Is Blue Duck doing Restaurant Week? They aren't listed.
cucas87 Posted December 27, 2006 Posted December 27, 2006 Is Blue Duck doing Restaurant Week? They aren't listed. I called them last week and they said they are not participating in RW.
Sthitch Posted December 27, 2006 Posted December 27, 2006 Is Blue Duck doing Restaurant Week? They aren't listed.Blue Duck serves its food family style, that is a format that is not conducive to the whole RW idea.
cjsadler Posted December 28, 2006 Posted December 28, 2006 Stopped by for lunch today... Cheers to the bratwurst, which is a late entry to my 'Best Dishes of 2006'. Jeers to charging $4.50 for a soda (a small cocktail mixer size bottle).
cocoagirl Posted December 28, 2006 Posted December 28, 2006 Has any one had brunch here. We are going New Years day. The say it will be the regular brunch menu. Thanks.
porcupine Posted December 28, 2006 Posted December 28, 2006 Has any one had brunch here. We are going New Years day. The say it will be the regular brunch menu. Thanks. Yes, several times. Nice selection of breakfast-y and lunch-y items, and dessert. Sorry I can't remember the details other than everything we've tried was excellent.
youngfood Posted January 25, 2007 Posted January 25, 2007 We had a superlative meal here last night. I was really pleasantly surprised to like the space (sorry Tom) and to find the food and service to be first rate. We mostly sampled things already praised here, and so I only add myself to the chorus of praises for the marrowbone, brats, carrots, the acacia pinot A, and the apple pie. The brats were really out of this world - how does one make brats that melt on your tongue? I was really pleased with the trout as well, so one need not be afraid to vere from the meat & potatoes categories here. We enjoyed the fries, but I wont order them again. They were interesting, rich, and crispy, but didn't do anything more for me than fries from Bis or Poste do. I guess fries are just fries to me and probably not something I will bother to order when engaged in fine dining. My only quibble would be that while the pie was one of, if not the, best pies I've had in a restaurant, it would be improved by being served above room temperature. If you didn't try Blue Duck when it first opened, you should.
bilrus Posted January 25, 2007 Posted January 25, 2007 We enjoyed the fries, but I wont order them again. They were interesting, rich, and crispy, but didn't do anything more for me than fries from Bis or Poste do. I guess fries are just fries to me and probably not something I will bother to order when engaged in fine dining. The first time I had those fries they were among the best things I had had all year. Piping hot, almost glistening with duck fat, rich and light, crisp and fluffy at the same time. The second time they weren't as hot and they paled in comparison - heavier, no contrast in textures, greasy.
MBK Posted February 5, 2007 Posted February 5, 2007 This morning I find myself thinking about the Blue Duck Tavern - specifically about the "duck" and why is he so "blue"? Lackadaisi and I went to the Blue Duck Tavern for dinner last night and examined the poor "duck's" situation first hand: Perhaps the duck is "blue" because, although the space of the restaurant is lovely (clean and crisp with a bustling open kitchen, an attractive "open" wine cellar, and a comfortable, columnar lounge area), you couldn't hear yourself think due to all of the noise. Even our waiter had issues taking our order and when you can't hear Lacakadaisi at the table - well, you have a volume problem (sorry sweetheart!) They need some soft, sound-absorbing surfaces - fast! But maybe the duck is "blue" for other reasons? The serviceable, but un-seasoned flavored pea soup? The marrowbone that was overpowered by its toasted garlic country bread side? The overly-salty Hawaiian Shrimp dish swimming in butter? The duck could find some solace in the heirloom tomato salad (the goat cheese "discs" were nice and the tomatoes were ripe and sweet - and perfectly seasoned) and the sauteed leek sidedish, but as for our dinner last night, that's about it. We had read nice things about the Lamb pot - but were mysteriously steered away from this dish by our waiter (who told us, unsolicited, that he just "would not get the lamb dish or the baked clams". No real menu suggestions, just this lone statement. How can you order the lamb - or clams - after that?) The service was good, albeit a bit more pretentious than what I would expect to see at a "market style", share-your-dish restaurant. (For me, the formalness of the place just didn't seem to fit with the food). The staff was efficient and attentive, so the duck really shouldn't feel too bad about this. Perhaps they need a little more "tavern" in their tavern? I really did like the "market style" idea and seeing that tractor-trailer of an oven in the middle of the kitchen was pretty cool. The wine list looked interesting - although it was a bit strange when the waiter told us that the wines on the first couple of pages were 'specially selected by their wine shop'... (Does the Blue Duck have a sommelier? Is the chef ordering the wine? What does this statement mean???) All in all, I saw a great potential of ingredients in a nice (but acoustically challenged) space. I think the duck is "blue" because it is only "potential" at this point and not reality. It seems a lot of posters found lunch to be quite nice - so perhaps that is the way to go for now - as this hopefully restaurant finds it's groove. Cheer up, Mr. Duck, we will keep an eye on you and see what happens. But for now, we will continue "hunting" elsewhere... What a great post, Jlock, and an accurate description of my recent night at Blue Duck as well. The food ranged from bland and unseasoned (the artichoke soup) to average but unmemorable (although the apple pie, that was tasty); the service, too stuffy given the family-style nature of the place; the atmosphere, surprisingly cold (both literally and figuratively). There was nothing particularly bad about my evening there (and the company was fantastic), but nothing would hasten my return either. Except, perhaps, a G+T (from a bottle, not the gun ) with my favorite G+T companion...
jparrott Posted February 5, 2007 Posted February 5, 2007 I do find BDT useful, but only for the lounge area. A bit of wine, a bit of marrow, a bit of cheese. Not so bad. But why are the wines-by-the-glass all American?
porcupine Posted February 5, 2007 Posted February 5, 2007 The food ranged from bland and unseasoned (the artichoke soup) to average but unmemorable (although the apple pie, that was tasty); the service, too stuffy given the family-style nature of the place; the atmosphere, surprisingly cold (both literally and figuratively). There was nothing particularly bad about my evening there (and the company was fantastic), but nothing would hasten my return either. Sadly, I have to agree with this. Finally made it to BDT for dinner, (we've been for brunch several times), and we were completely underwhelmed. But I still love the bratwurst. And the apple pie.
jdl Posted February 17, 2007 Posted February 17, 2007 What's the deal with Blue Duck's wine list? Prices generally seem to be on the higher side, which is strange given the relative value of some of the dishes on the menu. Or maybe that's not so strange - perhaps they're counting on making their nut from wine sales. The $25 corkage seems like a no-brainer.
mr food Posted March 30, 2007 Posted March 30, 2007 We're dining there tonight. any recent visits/comments??
jm chen Posted March 30, 2007 Posted March 30, 2007 According to a trusted source who ate lunch there today, the apple pie is still a winner. He also reported that they've changed a couple of suppliers, and the "meats [charcuterie] plate isn't as good as it used to be... it's still very good, but not stellar."
bonaire Posted March 30, 2007 Posted March 30, 2007 I concur with jm chen...the apple pie is not to be missed. I've gone several times just for the apple pie. I personally don't think the fries are all they're cracked up to be, so if you're not a huge fry fan don't waste your sides on those.
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