Restaurant: Blue Duck Tavern

I hadn't heard of Blue Duck Tavern until it came up in my TripAdvisor search for a higher end downtown restaurant. We meet my dad for Christmas dinner every year and like to use the opportunity to find new places. BDT got decent reviews and being located in NW DC, we managed to get there in a half hour since it was Sunday night. It's located in the Hyatt on 24th and M but if you didn't know that going in, you wouldn't think it was a hotel restaurant.

The restaurant is pretty small, with probably no more than 15 tables, and the decor has a casual elegance that asks a bit more of your appearance while avoiding the old-world stuffiness of other places. The kitchen is very much open, so much so that it actually seems like part of the dining room. Open kitchens are definitely trendy these days, but this one avoids all the cliches of being open for the sake of openness. It seems likely they did it because the restaurant would feel smaller with a closed kitchen, but in this case it works well. The kitchen is efficient, professional, subdued and far from a distraction. Should you choose not to pay attention to the cooks preparing meals, you won't notice they're there.

Warm Roasted Beets, Poached Hen Egg
Bayley Hazen Blue, Frisée and “Lardon”

Game Terrine with Foie Gras
Quince Jelly

Lamb Shank Braised in Stout
Gremolata

The food (my first 3 courses above) was surprisingly good. Going in, I expected a decent meal with nothing really impressing. While not all the dishes were home runs, most were pretty darn good. The portions seemed shockingly small at first but if you're doing the typical 3+ course meal, you won't likely finish all of them. (I think that says a lot about portion size conditioning in America.) My first and third courses were simply outstanding and had I gotten the bone marrow instead of the terrine for the second course, I think I would have gone 3 for 3. Our sides were baked endive, mashed potatoes and blue cheese grits; the latter two equally as delicious as my other winning courses. Desserts impressed everyone as much as any other dish, although I'd recommend sharing or getting 3 for 4 people.

The prices for mains were actually reasonable but I'm sure the margins are a lot higher on everything else, especially sides. After everything is said and done, expect to pay $80/head with 3+ courses and alcohol. All the courses were exceedingly rich, which I like in a nice meal, but you couldn't make a habit of eating there. Given the decor, the high level of service and good food, I'd recommend it as a date night, dinner for a special occasion or anything else where you're all dressed up and need somewhere to eat (hint: Kennedy Center is close).