Happy birthday foodrockzfan!  Yep, today's the big day . . . and we got foodrockzfan's birthday weekend off to a great start last night at DC's Blue Duck Tavern, where Executive Chef Brian McBride and Chef de Cuisine Mark Hellyar run the show.  We showed up early for our 8:30 reservation with plans to grab a drink in the bar/lounge.  Things got off to a good start when the crew pleasantly accommodated foodrockzfan's request to substitute Champagne for vodka in a menu cocktail that resembled foodrockzfan's brilliant Thanksgiving creation featured here . . . resembled, that is, with the substitution for a bubbling wine for the vodka.  The bar/lounge staff alerted us when our table was ready . . . about 15 minutes later than our reservation . . . and we headed for the dining room.

Aesthetically, the place is beautiful . . . a landscape of wood and glass with a wide-open kitchen, where a wood-burning oven is in plain view.  (This pic of the oven is borrowed from the restaurant's Web site.  I couldn't resist giving you a visual, but I didn't bring my camera to the restaurant.)  Had I known better (I'd never been there before), I would've requested a table in view of the open kitchen when I made our reservation.  Next time I will.  Wood-burning-oven-roasted dishes featuring regionally-produced ingredients are the focus of the Blue Duck Tavern's menu.  Most items on the menu are identified by the region of their origin . . . the farm where they were grown or the waters where they were harvested.  The service was very good at the beginning of our visit . . . questions answered knowledgeably, warnings given regarding a menu item we weren't familiar with and (might or) might not like.  I'll get my only gripes out of the way here . . . and they're minor ones.  In addition to our table not being ready at the time of our reservation—again, it was only 15 minutes late, not a big deal at all—the quality of service diminished a bit as the meal progressed.  My water glass sat empty for the last half-hour . . . maybe even 45 minutes of my visit.  I drink a lot of water . . . I'm a water junkie . . . and it was tap water that I was drinking last night.  I suspect that if I had been paying for bottled water they would have gladly sold me as much as I would drink.  I know how to ask for water and I usually do, but sometimes I choose to sit back and see how a restaurant's crew is doing it's job.  This water issue was an annoyance . . . a minor blemish on an otherwise excellent dinner.

The food was, in a word, excellent. My choice of a starter was inspired by a book my sister gave me last month, My Last Supper: 50 Great Chefs and Their Final Meals.  It had stuck in my mind that Tony Bourdain would choose as his last meal roasted bone marrow . . . it probably stuck because I had never tried it . . . and there it was on the menu . . . wood fired bone marrow with a garlic parsley crust and a few pieces of grilled sourdough.  I don't think it quite rose to the level of my last supper, but it was delicious and I'd eat it again in a heartbeat.  It melted in my mouth . . . buttery, very slightly gelatinous, meaty goodness.  Foodrockzfan ordered (sort-of at my urging—she was actually considering not ordering a starter—can you imagine the madness!) the wood fired king crab "mac and cheese" gratin . . . another excellent dish.  King crab, good . . . mac and cheese, good . . . king crab mac and cheese, great.

Both of these starters were large portions—which brings me to a very important point.  I will return to the Blue Duck Tavern and, when I do, I will bring more friends.  The portions throughout the meal were large and served family-style.  The starters could easily have been shared among 3 or 4 friends, same with the sides we ordered with our entrées.  I brought food home in boxes, something I rarely do at higher end restaurants because the portions typically don't result in leftovers on my plate.  So, if you visit, bring some friends.

My entrée was "country venison sausage" with braised sauerkraut from Shaffer Venison Farms in my home state of PA.  Foodrockzfan had half of a roasted Maine lobster.  As sides we shared sweet potato heirloom grits with goat cheese, buttery braised baby leeks and small pot of roasted wild mushrooms.  Foodrockzfan ordered the banana milk chocolate custard for dessert—I was too stuffed for dessert, but had a bite of hers.  I'm not in the mood to conjure up some flowery adjectives to rave about all of these dishes.  I'll just repeat that the food was, in a word, excellent.  I recommend everything we ordered and I think foodrockzfan would echo this recommendation.

This was easily one of the best restaurant meals I've had in months . . . it exceeded my expectations.  The presentation of the food wasn't spectacular . . . served family style, looking like it had been pulled out of the oven in vessel it was served in . . . but the food itself was spectacular.  The Blue Duck Tavern is a refreshing reminder that fancy presentation isn't everything.  In fact, the restaurant's rustic presentations suit its rustic cuisine perfectly.  In the words of my former governator on the left coast: I'll be back.  And I'll bring friends.