Blue Duck Tavern Blog

Our Growing Wine List

For my first blog post, I would first and foremost say what a thrill it is to join the Blue Duck Tavern team.  It is an immensely talented team!  I hope to keep us moving forward, improving more and more each day.

Secondly, I am proud to introduce two excellent additions to an already impressive wine list.  We have recently added Thomas George Chardonnay and Zinfandel, both available by the bottle.  They are atypical California wines and really terrific values. Thomas George is a family-owned estate in the Russian River Valley dedicated to making small production, hand-crafted, artisan wines.

The Chardonnay reminds me of the style of Gary Farrell, but I think Thomas George is an even better expression of what California Chardonnay should be.  Often times the "traditional" California style, while it can be delicious, is too overwhelming for many foods.  The Chardonnay, with only 900 cases produced, is barrel fermented, but only sees about 20% malolactic fermentation.  The result is a beautiful texture, and not overly oaked or buttery.  It reminds me of an Oregon chard, but with a little less minerality.  It has beautiful pear and tropical fruit nuances with fresh, bright acidity.  In the mid-palate, you get a nicely balanced apple and vanilla with a finish that makes me think of preserved lemon.  I would pair this lovely wine with our Crumble of Brussel Sprouts and possibly the Oven Roasted Bone Marrow to start (definitely acidity to cut into the richness of the marrow) and then with our Olive Oil Poached Escolar.  In Blue Duck Tavern, we are currently offering the 2008 vintage.

Thomas George's Zinfandel, from Dry Creek, is also a nice expression of how well a good Zinfandel should taste.  Often times Zin can be so high in alcohol that they can be borderline unpleasant, but not the case here.  You taste the flavors of dark fruits, such as plum and blackberry, baking spices and cocoa.  This is a concentrated, full body wine, with nice structure and balance.  Although it is a 2007 vintage, one might think it is too young, but it is drinking beautifully now.  I would definitely have this wine complement the second half of my dinner, pairing it with our Braised Beef Rib and then finishing the bottle with our Flourless Chocolate Chiboust Cake. 

Mid-Summer Menu Updates

Hi All! Now that July is here we are happy to bring you the best ingredients of the summer at Blue Duck Tavern.  Several new items on our dinner menu include: Roasted Maine Scallop with Green Tomato Marmalade (Viking Village, ME), Crispy Sweetbreads with Mustard, Pickled Red Onions and Bacon (Four Story Hill, PA), Barbecue Pork Belly with Croquette of Trotter (Eco Friendly Farm, VA) and Constant Bliss Ravioli with Artichokes, Dates and Almonds (Jasper Hill Farms, VT). 

Brunch at Blue Duck

Once again it looks as though it may rain in the late afternoon on both Saturday and Sunday.  So why not take advantage of the sun during the earlier parts of the day and enjoy a leisurely brunch on the Blue Duck Tavern terrace. 

We've added several new menu items using the season's freshest ingredients.  Such dishes include the Sour Dough Baked Pancake with port poached figs, fig molasses and clotted cream; Baked Eggs with oil preserved tomatoes, cured tuna roe and creme fraiche; Croque Madame with country bacon and sauce mornay; and Short Rib Hash with olive oil poached eggs and horseradish sauce. 

These items go great with our Ginger Lemonade or Cherry Iced Tea, both part of our summer cocktail menu. 

New Lunch Menu

Michael and the team launched a new lunchtime menu today, complementing our dinner selections that started several weeks ago.  A few new additions include: Rocket Salad with black olives and Parmesan cheese, Soft Shell Crab with spicy remoulade, Lobster Friccassee with gnocchi and English peas, Whole Roasted Fish of the Day with lemon thyme and Spring Vegetable Cocotte.

 

Soft Shell Crab with spicy remoulade

 

Whole Roasted Fish of the Day with lemon thyme

New Spring Menu

I've put Michael to work, and after countless hours, he has created some new springtime dishes that will go great on Blue Duck's menu.  Here's a few shots of the team in action, along with several dishes.

 

 

   

Roasted Maine Scallops with cauliflower, almonds, brown butter (Viking Village, ME)

 

"Vitello Tonnato", sliced veal with white tuna sauce (Marcho Farms, PA)

 

Rabbit Terrine with turnips, carrots, warm rabbit jus (Marcho Farms, PA)

New Seasonal Ingredient: Shad Roe

It's that time of year again where shad begin to swim into the Delaware River and leave behind their delicious roe sacks.  Here at Blue Duck Tavern, we are taking full advantage of this very short "shad" season, by experimenting with this tricky little item. 

Under cook it and it's mealy, overcook it and it's way too strong of flavor to eat.  Here, we're poaching it gently in brown butter, providing a hint of flavor into the roe, and then adding thinly sliced Virginia ham, baby leeks and bourbon barrel aged sherry vinegar. Tough to go wrong with that...