Blue Duck Tavern Blog

Seasonal Dinner Menu

As the season and weather changes, that means a change in ingredients available to us.  Last week, we updated our dinner menu with some new dishes hailing from neighboring farms in Virginia to Ohio to California.  

Some of my new favorites include: Crispy Pork Terrine with Sunny Up Egg and Elixir Vinegar (Four Story Hill, PA), Venison Torte with Warm Mushroom Vinaigrette (Millbrook Farm, NY), Traditional Bratwurst with Confit Red Cabbage and Oyter Gratinee (Eco Friendly, VA), Wood Burning Oven Roasted Maine Scallops with Lemon and Thyme (Viking Village, ME), and Purple Top Turnips with Raisin Mostarda (Path Valley, PA). 

Washington City Paper's "Best of" Poll

Are you a fan of our BDT Triple Fries? Love the Apple Pie with Hand Cranked Vanilla Bean Ice Cream? How about our Oven Roasted Marrow Bone? Then, we'd love to have you take a moment to vote for Blue Duck Tavern as "Best American Restaurant" in Washington City Paper's "Best of DC's Readers' Poll 2011."  

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/bestofpoll/nominations/vote/358

Thanks!!!

Brioche, Bloody Marys & Benedict

This past weekend, we launched our late-winter brunch menu, keeping many of our popular dishes, Scrambled Eggs with Rock Shrimp & Potato Roesti, Short Rib Hash with Olive Oil Poached Egg and Sunnyside Eggs & Cod Cakes with Spicy Buttermilk Sauce, and adding some new creations.  

Join us soon for Lemon Ricotta Souffle Pancake with Poppy Seed Gastrique, Baked Eggs with Pipperade, Proscuitto and Creme Fraiche, and the already-popular (thank you to Urban Daddy) Brioche Doughnut French Toast with Oat, Brown Sugar and Nut Crumble.  

Masters of Food & Wine Returns

Park Hyatt's Masters of Food & Wine, Tour of the World 2011, returns to Washington, June 2 - 5.  We are busying finalizing all of the details, but so far we have a great lineup of events, activities and partners to help kickoff summer.  

Thursday, June 2                                                                                                                           

Opening Cocktail Reception, Enjoy the finest flavors of farm-fresh cuisine and celebrated American wines.

Blue Duck Tavern Terrace, 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm (Invitation Only)

Winemaker Dinner, Intimate five-course dinner led by winemaker, Luca Paschina, from the historic Barboursville Vineyards  in Charlottesville, VA.  An evolution of Virginia wine over the past ten years, complemented with a special menu I will be preparing.

Blue Duck Tavern Chef's Table & Semi-Private Area, 8:00 pm, $140, inclusive

Friday, June 3    

Local Wine & Cheese Tastings, Dave McIntrye, Washington Post wine columnist and blogger at dmwineline.com, will lead an educational tasting, introducing  varieties of local wines.  While across the Lounge, local cheese makers from our friends at Firefly  Farms, located in Maryland, will provide samplings of their artisanal cheeses, paired with unique wines from around the country, selected by Sommelier Andrew Stover

The Lounge's Communal Tables, 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm, $35 (per each event), inclusive

Taste of America Dinner, Discover America's best tastes and flavors with a special four-course menu prepared by The Publican's  chef de cuisine Brian Huston, hailing from Chicago, along with another guest chef, paired with  America's best tasting wines.  

Blue Duck Tavern, 6:00 pm first seating; 8:30 pm, second seating, $125, inclusive

Winemaker Dinner, Intimate five-course dinner hosted by Caymus Vineyards in Napa Valley and myself.

Blue Duck Tavern's Chef Table & Semi-Private Area, 8:00 pm, $140, inclusive

Saturday, June 5

Barrel Tasting, Gather at the entranceway of Blue Duck Tavern, surrounded by barrels, and sample the true flavors of American wine and local Virginia whiskey.  Nibble on light fare and learn the process from the barrel to the bottle.  

Blue Duck Tavern, 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm, $25, inclusive

Chefs' Farm Table Dinner, Join all of the participating chefs amidst the sunken grounds and soothing fountain of Blue Duck Tavern's Terrace, and feast on an all-American picnic with seasonal salads, cheese, meats, fish, handcranked ice cream and more, accompanied by a collection of American wines.

Blue Duck Tavern Terrace, 7:30 pm, $125, inclusive

Sunday, June 5  

Lunch at Barboursville Vineyards, Pastry Chef Peter Brett, Park Hyatt Aviara Executive Chef Pierre Albaladejo, and I will join  Barboursville Chef Melissa Close Hart for a special luncheon at this historical Virginia winery.  

Barboursville Vineyards, 1:00 pm, $95, inclusive (For reservations, please call Barboursville Vineyards at +1 540 832 7848.)

For tickets or additional information on the Masters of Food & Wine, please call +1 202 419 6768 or email masters.phwashington@hyatt.com. 

New Winter Desserts

Over the past few weeks, our pastry chef Peter Brett has been hard at work, developing a new winter dessert menu for Blue Duck Tavern. Starting at lunch today, Peter will unveil his new creations, including: 

Carrot Bread Pudding, Rum Raisins, Cream Cheese Mousse

Puree of carrots spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, flavored with vanilla and orange peel.  Fresh bread crumbs folded into the puree along with butter and cream. Garnishd with carrot chips and crushed hazelnut brittle, golden and dark raisins marinated in dark rum and a quenelle of cream cheese mixed with whipped cream.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake, Kumquat Pineapple Confit

Blue Duck Tavern's spin on this traditional American dessert.  Moist cake is flavored with pineapple  puree, topped with pineapple baked in brown sugar, butter, cinnamon and cardamon.  Served with pineapple and kumquats preserved in sugar and vanilla bean.

Milk Chocolate and Banana S'mores

A combination of flavors and textures of this American favorite.  Milk chocolate custard flavored with banana liquor, topped with sauteed bananas, homemade marshmallow and graham cracker crumble.

Pisco Sour Day Mixologist Competition

Did you know that this past Saturday was National Pisco Sour Day, celebrating Peru's national drink.  To honor this beverage, the Embassy of Peru, along with the local Macchu Pisco liqueur, hosted a pisco sour competition on Thursday, February 3. 

Our own Robert Rex-Waller, along with 9 area mixologists, prepared their own specialty cocktails for a panel of judges of attendees.  Unfortunately, the "Park Pisco" lost to the "Chi Cha Sour" prepared by Rasika's Jason Stritch.