Quack Quack goes the Blue Duck.

Second time seems to be the charm at Blue Duck Tavern.  I went to Blue Duck Tavern in February of this year with a very dear friend.  While the meal was good, there was something left to be desired.  It just did not seem to live up to the hype, especially as compared to some of my favorite restaurants.  I always recommend that my friends go there, but have always said "it's really good, just nothing special."  I think I was wrong.

Thursday's lunch at Blue Duck was unbelievable.  Our server, Zac, was a great help.  I ask a lot of questions when I dine, and he went above and beyond to make sure that all my inquiries were met with great information.  Zac's attention to detail was amazing, swapping out used silverware whenever needed, exchanging dirty share plates for clean ones, and always keeping our iced teas refilled.  This level of attention is often missing at even the best of restaurants, but was ever present this afternoon.

I cannot even begin to explain how good the food was that afternoon.  Everything was perfectly portioned, well prepared, seasoned exactly as needed, and looked beautiful.  The menu is set up with various appetizers, salads, and entrees have accompaniments but no sides.  Sides are available a la carte.  We decided to order a salad, appetizer, entree, and two side, plenty of food for a relaxing lunch.

We started with the young lettuce salad with caramelized onion vinaigrette and parmesan crisp.  Quick question; Have you ever tasted heaven?  The sweet onion harmonized perfectly with the tartness of the vinegar, creating a tastefully mellow dressing.  The parmesan crisp played the roll of both cheese and crouton, lending a crispy, lactic edge that we often crave with our greens.  The crispy fried artichoke flakes, an unlisted addition, rounded out the dish.

Next up was the young pork terrine.  Sliced ultra-thin a la a NYC deli, this exquisitely arranged charcuterie came plated with pickled chantrelle mushrooms,  farm fresh corn, crispy pork skin (also unlisted) and gribiche.  Gribiche is a mayonnaise-style sauce with egg yolks, egg whites, capers and various herbs.  The pork terrine was very delicate, with a textured country mouth-feel made smooth by the thin slicing of the product.  The condiments paired nicely with the pork, not to mention their bread is fantastic.

Our entree selection, the braised "wreckfish" with peppers and onions, was a big hit.  The wreckfish had a large flake, similar to grouper, and was just fatty enough to braise without breaking apart.  The sauce pairing for the fish was "mojo" sauce, an olive oil, garlic, paprika and bread sauce.  This rich addition to the dish played well with the fish, giving a full, rich flavor to the simple preparation.  To cut some of the fatty richness of the fish and sauce, a cucumber and gherkin reduction was poured table side.  This sauce was clean and slightly acidic, a great pairing idea.  The pepper and onion saute, in my opinion, stood alone on the plate, especially considering that tucked beneath this neat stack of vegetables were two blue prawns, simply sauteed.

Our sides were the farmhouse cheddar grits and roasted mushrooms.  The grits were rich and creamy, and coming from a very anti-grits minded Northerner, were outstandingly tasty.  Blue Duck has changed my opinion of grits forever.  The cheddar flavor grabbed hold of my palate in a way that is indescribable.  The texture of the grits were a perfect combination of coarse and smooth.  The roasted mushrooms were perfectly seasoned, salty, peppery, and well herbed.  The mushrooms were roasted slightly more than is usually found, giving them a deep aromatic flavor.  The essence of mushrooms was the focal point of the dish.

Everything about this meal was special, from the perfectly detailed service all the way down to the cherry flavored green tea.  This was one of my best meals to date.  I went into this meal thinking "Good but nothing great", and left feeling "Always expect perfection from Blue Duck Tavern."