Blue Duck Tavern — Restaurant in Washington

My girlfriend booked us in to dinner at the Blue Duck Tavern this past Friday. They were able to accommodate us outside for an 8pm reservation. From the moment we arrived, the service was warm and gracious. We were seated promptly at a table, albeit a little too close to the service station for my liking, but in these times I feel bad nit picking. The setting in the garden was quite nice, despite the lights from the ambulance which had been called for a customer's allergic reaction. Tip: if they can accommodate it, you'd be wise to ask a table closer to the intersection.

Our server introduced herself, she was incredibly warm and gracious. She promptly took our drink order and returned with water. I don't often take time to comment on the cocktails at a seated dinner, but my gin martini was excellent-compliments to the bartender-and came garnished on the side with both a twist and olives, which was a nice touch. The menu was a lovely selection of items, so lovely in fact we couldn't decide what to order.

Ultimately, we opted for the 4 course tasting menu, and were overjoyed with the parade of dishes that seemed to miraculously appeared from the kitchen. Dinner started with a lovely amuse-bouche--a thick celery soup with crisp pork belly garnish, served hot form a kettle. We were also served a pair of warn, thick and crusty rolls paired with delightfully creamy butter. Our server also helped us pick a lovely 2012 savigny-les-beaune that was very fairly priced, it certainly helped dinner go down smoothly!

The first course arrived with flourish, the server also brought us a complimentary order of their day boat scallops seared to perfection, with a sweet and savory puree...delicious! The fall salad was gorgeous medley of heirloom greens, root vegetables like watermelon radish, and citrus which was perfectly dressed. The fluke crudo was fresh, and had such a wonderful balance of flavors between citrus notes and the sweetness of the fish. All three dishes were impeccably plated.

The second courses we're no less spectacular. My girlfriends halibut came in a savory brown butter sauce and was perfectly cooked. My duck was almost maroon in color, with a beautiful glaze. I almost cried when I took my first bite. Again the presentation here was top notch. We thought it couldn't get much better, until the chef brought out our main course, seared wagyu sirloin with potato puree, a real show stopper. The meat was so tender you could cut it with a fork, the glaze was outrageous, and the puree was the perfect blend of creamy and salty. It was nice to get to chat with the chef a bit as well, we felt really welcomed and appreciated.

Dessert we a strawberry citrus panna cotta and a caramel pot de crème, which we paired to their very affordable Emotions de la Tour Blanche Sauternes 2017. Presentation was once again top notch, we preferred the pot de crème, but the both were venerable takes on these classic desserts.

All in all, this was a great meals. Certainly in my top 5 for 2020. I apologize for the bombastic hyperbole, call it a lingering side effect of our prolonged Covid quarantine....but this is the single nicest meal I've had in months. It just checked all my boxes: excellent quality and inventive dishes, excellent and gracious service, comfortable ambiance, and a nice attention to detail. I would love to come back when we feel safe eating inside, as the room looked quite lovely as well. Til next time I guess!

TLDNR: $$$ but worth it. Service and food is top notch. If you've got something to...

Went here for dinner tonight with my girlfriend. The space was beautiful and I love their "Open Kitchen" floorplan where you can almost accidentally walk into the kitchen on your way to the bathroom (and in fact, it's faster to go through the area where they prepare the desserts than to go around it... And they encourage it!). It gives the whole place a nicer, more homey feel, while still keeping it formal and upscale. I think it's a hard balance to achieve and they have really done a good job here.

The service was on par with an upscale restaurant. He asked about tastes and preferences and accurately described dishes both while we were perusing the menu and when they arrived at the table.

My girl ordered a glass of wine and I got the "Quiet Desperation" which is basically a 'Dealers Choice' whereby the bar picks a higher end whiskey after you tell them neat or on the rocks. I opted for the full dealers choice (had them choose neat or rocks) and was served a delicious rye with one big rock. It's not what I'd usually drink (I'm a big fan of peated scotch whiskey) but it was tasty and I liked trying something new.

For our starters we had the Meat and Cheese board and the Duck Wings. The meats and cheeses were good, but the price was high for what we got ($36 for three pieces of bread, a few slices of 3 kinds of meats and 3 kinds of cheeses) but the duck wings were great. Perfectly cooked and drenched in a unique tangy sauce.

For our mains we had the Roasted Duck and the Cavatelli. The duck was VERY salty, it actually reminded me of sausage it was so salted, but still well cooked. The Cavatelli was very good and had a zesty sauce that I really enjoyed. When the server asked about the duck I mentioned it was very salty but wasn't really complaining -- without hesitating he put in an order of the shortribs (which was the other dish k was contemplating with him about ordering) which was completely unnecessary but was a very nice touch. I was really pretty full at that point, so I tried to eat a few bites of the shortribs when they came. They were seasoned really well -- in this indian-esque turmeric/tamarind sauce and the meat basically fell apart. Seriously, you could (and I did) cut it with a fork.

All in all I'd say our food experience was a 3 (albeit the Duck Wings and Shortribs were exceptional) but the ambiance and service was a 5. Will definitely come back to try some of the...

During our recent trip, we stayed at the Park Hyatt for one night and had breakfast at the Blue Duck Tavern. Unfortunately, the dining experience was highly disappointing. The service was disorganized; after taking our order, our server vanished, leaving us to flag down several different servers throughout the meal. My husband’s coffee, which we ordered at the start, didn’t arrive until we were nearly finished eating. Apparently, they had run out and had to brew more, but the coffee that eventually arrived was so strong it was undrinkable.

We also had to repeatedly ask for basic items like spoons and side plates. We were dining with our two small children, and the menu didn’t seem to offer anything specifically for kids. This assumption was challenged when the family next to us received waffles and pancakes just as we were finishing our breakfast. I finally managed to track down our server, who had returned from his mysterious absence, and asked if there was a separate kids’ menu. He informed me that while there was no kids’ menu, they could make smaller portions on request—although neither waffles nor pancakes were actually on the menu. It seems obvious that if these options are available, they should either be listed on the menu or suggested by the server, especially when dining with young children.

When it came time to pay, the server brought the bill without a word, a thank you, or even a smile—just handed it to me in silence. As someone who has worked in hospitality for years, including as a server, manager, bartender, and now a restaurant owner in NYC, I found the lack of management oversight shocking. Where was the restaurant manager while the staff wandered around aimlessly? Spills were left on the floor, and the tables on either side of us were also struggling to get service. You might think the restaurant was busy, but there were more staff on the floor than there were filled tables, yet the service was atrocious. I've seen better service at a Taco Bell at 3 a.m. After leaving the restaurant and returning to our room, husband commented that he felt the issue was down to him being Mexican, and the servers having a sense stuffy superiority About them. However that sense of superiority is delusional given the level of serving skill shown. Management have a lot of work to do here. The service does not match the...