Odd Duck — Restaurant in Milwaukee

While it has been a few years since I’d been back to Odd Duck, I was very excited to go back once again and eat my way through a sizable chunk of the menu.

Food: My wife and I had 6 of the courses, and 2 drinks. I figure it would be easier to go one by one: Kale Salad: 8/10: good portion, very flavorful the smoked hazelnut/pepita was a great compliment. Potato Bubble Waffle: 6/10: again, good portion, was more of a comfort food then a vibrant taste. If you like poutine, this may be up your ally. Duck Fat Cabonara: 9/10: The best dish we had. Portion size was pretty big, and the star was the spicy duck heart bits. We both said, ordering two portions of this could make a meal, and a very tasty one at that. Cauliflower Rojo: 5/10: Smaller portion size, and while everything separate was good, just didn’t overly work for us. Think a mole sauce over cauliflower. Beef and Broccoli: 8/10: HUGE portion size for the value, and tasted like a very clean version of the dish. Didn’t overly invent the wheel on this, however it was just a great version of a takeout food classic. Duck Egg Cornbread: 7/10: was a bit dry, but the flavors were good, presentation was nice too. Chocolate Ganache cake: ?/10: I don’t want to rate this one, because it relied heavily on orange/chocolate combo which is just not my cup of tea. That said, the cake was good, and the banana ice-cream was as well. Pomegranate Mezcal: 10/10: I always go for the mezcal drink on the menu, as I love the smokey taste. That said, most of the time drinks get weighed down by the heft of the smoke, and this one did not. A very flavorful drink with just the right balance.

Atmosphere: A very small space with a smaller bar, I have always been interested in the Odd Duck space. To me, it is very muted, and doesn’t speak nearly as loud as their food does…but hey, you don’t really need it when your restaurant is constantly full.

Service: Our waiter was great, kept plates staggered nicely so we could finish one before the other. All around very good.

My score: 8/10. A place I always like going to once or twice a year, when the menu shifts. My wife and I’s favorite restaurant is the Girl and the Goat in Chicago, so this is a good Milwaukee replacement. Pricey, and the atmosphere isn't as nice as others, but the portion sizes don’t make you feel cheated, and a wide range of interesting dishes to try will keep you...

Wandered in two years ago and had a delightful time. Found myself in Milwaukee and immediately made a reservation to come back. Boy, was I disappointed.

Food: Mediocre at best. Server: Great. Manager: Rude. Condescending. Disrespectful.

Tomato/Stonefruit Salad: Flavorful and well salted but two slices of plum and half a tomato cut into quarters did not quite deliver on expectations. Hilariously overpriced for a few bites of salad when everything is in season.

Fried Oyster Mushrooms: More breading than mushroom. Not much real sustenance to be had here. Flavor was alright, nothing to write home about.

Duck Confit: Lukewarm. Tortillas were stale in the same way the first tortilla in a package that's been left out too long gets stale. Assumed it was under a heat lamp for some time. Embarrassing that the manager tried to pass it off as "melted cheese". Was told "we don't even have a heat lamp, everything is sent out as soon as it is cooked" and "there is a small heat lamp the dishes are under before they go out". Gotta get your story straight before you come to the table.

Octopus: The octopus was lukewarm at best. Manager offered to fire a new one. Instead, they tossed the same dish into the oven and replated it into a bowl. When she dropped the octopus the second time, it was accompanied with a snide "normally the only hot parts of the dish are the potatoes and octopus, the vegetables aren't cooked in the oven but the kitchen put the whole thing into the oven for you. Also, the pickled onions (garnish) are cold". The issue was never about the other components. The octopus was cold. There was no need to deflect to the other components of the dish. Furthermore, the comment on the garnish being cold might as well been accompanied with the manager rolling their eyes with the amount of disrespect. Perhaps an overreaction - when approached on the way out of the restaurant, I directly said "Hi, I'm not sure if you had meant to sound patronizing when you dropped the octopus the second time but that's how it was received." To which her response was, "I was just trying to set expectations and...". Stopped listening. I had made my comment, gave them an opportunity to apologize but yet they doubled down so I left. Never going back again. Such a pleasant food...

Odd Duck regularly appears on lists for must-visit spots in Milwaukee and the Chefs behind their phenomenal dishes are nominated for the James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Midwest. It’s pretty clear why.

Edit: After writing this review they were also awarded one of the Best Restaurants in the US by USA Today.

Most plates draw inspiration from a variety of cultures. Their menu is filled with creative ideas and a wide range of ingredients that makes it difficult to choose. I would recommend coming here with friends and splitting dishes to get a full experience of their menu. Most dishes are small enough that you can put in the middle of the table and pick at it while having some drinks.

The top item for me had to be the mushrooms. Probably the best fried mushrooms I’ve had and a well balanced dish by including some acid from the green tomatoes and a fat with the mayo and a little heat from the creole mustard. It sounds like a lot on the plate but the balance between everything made every bite phenomenal.

Hainan Chicken has been a dish I’ve wanted to try for some time and I was elated to see it on the menu. I can’t speak on the authenticity of it, but it was delicious and met my expectations. They give a breakdown of the dish and the proper way to eat it when they bring it to the table. That really stood out to me because it shows respect and passion for the dish to ensure their customers enjoy it as intended. For being rice and chicken, it was bright and aromatic dish.

I don’t want to break down every dish, but I will say as a Filipino the lechon and kare-kare inspired plate was impressive. It was filled with familiar flavors like shrimp paste that is essential to kare-kare, but the addition of basil and mint was a nice touch.

I think a few dishes are priced a little too high but overall I think the prices are well worth the experience. These chefs take time to research, construct, and execute every item on their menu. Their hard work clearly shows with each dish and is a place I would not hesitate to support again. All the praise I’ve heard is well deserved. It’s great to see places like this in Milwaukee that stray away from the usual and introduce Milwaukeeans to a melting...