Blue Duck Tavern, in the Park Hyatt, West End - Chef Daniel Hoefler the Latest in an Ever-Growing List

[Meaghan]

When will the duck go quack?
Any word from the street?

[DonRocks]

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]

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]

That never happens. Never.

This is the place in the Park Hyatt, right? I'm thinking in a couple weeks according to my sources

[Jonathan]

what sources?

[ustreetguy]

what sources?

If you must know, a friend of mine is working there as a line cook.

[Mark Slater]

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.

[Stretch]

$5 says it still opens before Ray's Classics.

[oliveDC]

They're hosting a dinner June 14, so it has to be before then ... The phone message still says May too.

[brian]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

The website for the Park Hyatt does not have a menu posted yet. Is anyone with "connections" able to do that yet? Thanks.

[cjsadler]

There's menus here.

[DLB]

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]

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]

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]

Oven Roasted Herb and Garlic Crusted Marrowbone, Country Bread

I am going to have to go just to have this.

[asundstrom]

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]

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]

excessive lamb pot...

Rocks' naked bollocks appal,

o linger ye not.

[gks_eats_dc]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

And they have Citadelle. And Schweppes in small bottles.

And they have Diana.

[TinDC]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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!

[Meaghan]

Hey, that's my avatar!

[The Hersch]

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]

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]

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]

I had no idea Mark Hellyar (ex Chef de Cuisine at Nora) was back in town and sousing here.

[Mark Slater]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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!