Diversions > Dining Out
The Shaved Duck
A Cozy Roost
Thursday, June 5, 2008 11:23 PM CDT
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| The Shaved Duck | 2900 Virginia Ave. | 776-1407 | photo by Bryan Schraier |
The Shaved Duck has opened its doors in the little neighborhood storefront that formerly was Pestalozzi Place. It’s a homey corner spot in the middle of a residential street near Lafayette Square. Decorated with wooden ducks here and there, the new place has gotten an attractive face-lift that includes colorful walls, dark-wood tables and stained glass panels that separate the front bar area from the small dining room of about a dozen tables.
It has a gourmet ambience imparted mostly from the small, appealing menu and the visible and friendly presence of chef Wes Johnson. There are about 10 small plates and four large ones, and a small selection each of charcuterie and cheeses. As you’d expect, duck is well represented, with duck confit, duck breast salad, duck fat frites and duck liver pâté. But don’t avoid the place if you’re not into duck; there are plenty of other goodies.
An order of duck frites ($6) yielded a clump of shoestring fries heavily flavored with duck fat. That’s no surprise, as duck has a very distinctive flavor, and I have to admit that although I like it in meat, I wasn’t really crazy about the fries, which were quite greasy. The two sauces that came with the dish, however, both house-made, were stellar. One was a tangy ketchup, which had a little bite and plenty of vinegar, and the mayo was rich and fresh-tasting.
Another noteworthy thing was the bread basket, a selection of house-baked goodies that on our visit included a soft, sun-dried tomato focaccia and crusty French bread. These tasted like they just came out of the oven, which they probably had. They came with two spreads, also house-made: apple-pear-cherry chutney and avocado cilantro oil, both excellent. The one was sweet and chunky, the other more of a dipping oil. These little touches make the diner feel like no aspect of their dinner has been overlooked, and you don’t find that everywhere.
Orders of duck confit ($10) and duck pâté ($6) were good. The confit had the richness imparted by sitting in fat, and the meat was tender and indulgent. The pâté, the usual small portion, was similarly rich and flavorful. Our last small plate, ‘The Un-Meat’ ($7), was an exotic slice of crusty tofu in Key Lime sauce. The preparation was very appealing, with red curry and coriander baked onto the slab of tofu to form a firm, dry coating. The sauce was sweet and citrusy, with a touch of heat and garlic.
The soup of the day ($6) was fish stew, and it was outstanding. Although it contained essentially the same ingredients as the classic cioppino (sans tomato), everything was finely slivered to yield a pleasant, more soup-like consistency. It was deliciously fish flavored, with seafood and fish bits, as well as tiny minced carrots, onion, garlic and a wonderful sprinkling of fennel greens.
Our two large plates, the fish of the day ($15) and Meat & Bone ($17), were both very good. The meat dish was a playful pairing of filet and large marrow bone topped with a plump roasted shallot. The filet had been poached with a bit of added butter, then slapped on a hot cooktop for finish. It was a small serving, about 4 ounces, but enough food, especially at that price and with the sides we ordered.
The fish dish was fried perch, headless and tailless, served propped on top of mashed potatoes. The flesh was tender, sweet and very fresh tasting. The crust was wonderfully crispy, and the dish came with a small portion of the veggie medley.
I ordered two sides for my steak: veggies and mashed potatoes, $3 each. The vegetable of the day was a wonderful medley of roasted seasonal veggies: baby squash, garlic, carrots; that were slow-baked and really flavorful. They also tasted of butter, probably what they were basted with. The potatoes were just the way I like them, smashed rather than mashed, and slightly flavored with fresh garlic.
Dessert was limited to some homemade sorbets and ice creams and monkey bread à la mode. The yeasty dessert is made with wads of dough doused with butter and cinnamon sugar, stuffed into a small ramekin, baked and topped with delicious cinnamon ice cream. It was rich and very tasty.
The Shaved Duck is exactly the type of dining spot I really enjoy. It has interesting food and a friendly staff that is both professional and knowledgeable. Most of all, I enjoy this kind of ambience, a little bit funk, a little bit fancy...no pretense.
It has a gourmet ambience imparted mostly from the small, appealing menu and the visible and friendly presence of chef Wes Johnson. There are about 10 small plates and four large ones, and a small selection each of charcuterie and cheeses. As you’d expect, duck is well represented, with duck confit, duck breast salad, duck fat frites and duck liver pâté. But don’t avoid the place if you’re not into duck; there are plenty of other goodies.
An order of duck frites ($6) yielded a clump of shoestring fries heavily flavored with duck fat. That’s no surprise, as duck has a very distinctive flavor, and I have to admit that although I like it in meat, I wasn’t really crazy about the fries, which were quite greasy. The two sauces that came with the dish, however, both house-made, were stellar. One was a tangy ketchup, which had a little bite and plenty of vinegar, and the mayo was rich and fresh-tasting.
Another noteworthy thing was the bread basket, a selection of house-baked goodies that on our visit included a soft, sun-dried tomato focaccia and crusty French bread. These tasted like they just came out of the oven, which they probably had. They came with two spreads, also house-made: apple-pear-cherry chutney and avocado cilantro oil, both excellent. The one was sweet and chunky, the other more of a dipping oil. These little touches make the diner feel like no aspect of their dinner has been overlooked, and you don’t find that everywhere.
Orders of duck confit ($10) and duck pâté ($6) were good. The confit had the richness imparted by sitting in fat, and the meat was tender and indulgent. The pâté, the usual small portion, was similarly rich and flavorful. Our last small plate, ‘The Un-Meat’ ($7), was an exotic slice of crusty tofu in Key Lime sauce. The preparation was very appealing, with red curry and coriander baked onto the slab of tofu to form a firm, dry coating. The sauce was sweet and citrusy, with a touch of heat and garlic.
The soup of the day ($6) was fish stew, and it was outstanding. Although it contained essentially the same ingredients as the classic cioppino (sans tomato), everything was finely slivered to yield a pleasant, more soup-like consistency. It was deliciously fish flavored, with seafood and fish bits, as well as tiny minced carrots, onion, garlic and a wonderful sprinkling of fennel greens.
Our two large plates, the fish of the day ($15) and Meat & Bone ($17), were both very good. The meat dish was a playful pairing of filet and large marrow bone topped with a plump roasted shallot. The filet had been poached with a bit of added butter, then slapped on a hot cooktop for finish. It was a small serving, about 4 ounces, but enough food, especially at that price and with the sides we ordered.
The fish dish was fried perch, headless and tailless, served propped on top of mashed potatoes. The flesh was tender, sweet and very fresh tasting. The crust was wonderfully crispy, and the dish came with a small portion of the veggie medley.
I ordered two sides for my steak: veggies and mashed potatoes, $3 each. The vegetable of the day was a wonderful medley of roasted seasonal veggies: baby squash, garlic, carrots; that were slow-baked and really flavorful. They also tasted of butter, probably what they were basted with. The potatoes were just the way I like them, smashed rather than mashed, and slightly flavored with fresh garlic.
Dessert was limited to some homemade sorbets and ice creams and monkey bread à la mode. The yeasty dessert is made with wads of dough doused with butter and cinnamon sugar, stuffed into a small ramekin, baked and topped with delicious cinnamon ice cream. It was rich and very tasty.
The Shaved Duck is exactly the type of dining spot I really enjoy. It has interesting food and a friendly staff that is both professional and knowledgeable. Most of all, I enjoy this kind of ambience, a little bit funk, a little bit fancy...no pretense.
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