Revisiting a Favorite: Great Meal @ Blue Duck Tavern

Needed to  heading back to Blue Duck Tavern (in the tiny 'West End' section of Washington DC).

• Rated as a 2012 Top-100 Restaurant by the Washingtonian (& each year since 2007)
• Editor's Pick in the Washington Post

FOOD: Modern (foodie) take on classic American tavern fare focused on quality fresh-from-farm ingredients. Chef Sebastien Archambault recently took over as the new Executive Chef & food hasn't missed a beat. Many dishes are produced using the restaurant's wood-fired oven. Nice dishes to entertain include the Roasted Bone Marrow (starter), Middle Neck Clams (starter), Octopus Confit (starter), Scallops, & Braised Beef Rib.

Oh & save room for dessert, the fresh straight-from-oven Chocolate Cake (w/ Maker’s Mark flambé) was particularly great during the Winter season, but like all dishes here it regularly gets a 'refresher'.

Service is quite good here as well, typically attentive but not intrusive. They don't distract from the dining experience.

Average entrees prices are pretty wide (i.e. you could definitely spend $ here), ranging from $23 - $36. Wine selection is nice here too, but is on the higher-end of the area restaurants.

Really do love this place, but be mindful of the pricing if attending ;)
---> Review an example of a recent dinner menu for dishes & prices

SPACE: Upscale, modern but comfortable. Large open kitchen as well. The restaurant is attached to the Park Hyatt hotel, & is one of the nicer spaces in DC.
Hint: Take a walk to the bathroom & you'll find yourself walking intentionally through the middle of the kitchen. Kitchen staff is typically nice enough to chat with you for a minute if you want ;)

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This 'Bread Making Station' view immediately is available once you reach the Host Stand, Blue Duck Tavern boasts an open kitchen. So much so that diners need to walk through the middle of the kitchen to reach the bathroom haha.

Oven Roasted Bone Marrow w/ Spiced Pumpkin Butter. A signature, tasty appetizer from Blue Duck Tavern.

Wood Oven-Roasted Maine Scallops w/ Black Mussels, Sea Bream & Lemon Butter. Fantastic sear on the fresh scallops.

12-Hour Roasted Suckling Pig w/ Baby Root Vegetables & 'Mustard Jus'. Wow, that was tasty. I cracked into block of the suckling pig to see the tasty insides.

Molten Chocolate Cake with Brandied Cherries. Well, it's 'Cherry Blossom' season in Washington DC, & Blue Duck Tavern honors this time of year w/ a special version of its famous 'made-to-order, fresh out of the oven' chocolate cake. A molten version (warm & chocolately gooey in the center) with accompanying brandied cherries.

Milk Chocolate Banana S'Mores. Nice treat to end a fantastic dinner

Missed Dishes: Ray's Coconut Cake

Light meal @ Ray's the Classics in Silver Spring tonight, and tempted by dessert.

Miss much the long-retired Coconut Cake (available at both Ray's locations at the time). That was crack. Light subtle coconut flavor, huge tall slice. Even coconut haters liked. Sigh. Reminded me of other retired dishes or restaurants which have come & gone who offered dishes that I really enjoyed.

But I digress ... back to eating lol.

Wanted something a little lighter tonight (i.e. just worked-out, felt guilty haha) & always waned to try Ray's "Wild" Turkey Burger. I've heard good reviews from the foodie boards when it first auditioned over at Ray's Hellburger. As burgers are now available at the Ray's main restaurants, I've always bypassed that option for a steak or perhaps the fantastic Crab Royale (like a deconstructed crab cake, I've gotten many a friend hooked on this over the years). Tonight seemed like a great candidate to give this a try.

First reaction? Wow, it's a huge sammie. Not surprising as all of the Ray's burgers can be described that way. I'll venture to guess between 8 - 10 oz of juicy fresh house-ground Turkey and spices. Includes grilled red onions and a sweet bourbon glaze on-top ... I decided to include a nice White Cheddar for $1.00 extra. Comes with good, crisp traditional fries or sweet potato fries. Great flavors & surprisingly juicy throughout. This is a nice alternative to the normal beef burger. Will have to try this again.