100 Best Restaurants 2009: Blue Duck Tavern

Reviewed by Todd Kliman , Ann Limpert , Cynthia Hacinli , Rina Rapuano , Eve Zibart

No. 42: Blue Duck Tavern

Blue Duck Tavern

1201 24th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
Phone: 202-419-6755

Cuisines:
American, Modern

Opening Hours:
Mon,Tue,Wed,Thu,Fri,Sat,Sun:
Morning: 06:30 AM - 10:30 AM Afternoon: 11:30 AM - 02:30 PM Evening: 05:30 PM - 08:30 PM

Wheelchair Accessible:
Yes

Nearby Metro Stops:
Foggy Bottom-GWU
Farragut West

Price Range:
Expensive

Dress:
Business Attire

Crowd:
A noisy mix of expense account diners, families, and hotel guests.

Noise Level:
Chatty

Reservations:
Recommended

Special Features:
Party Space, Weekend Brunch

Parking:
Valet

Website:
Click here to open in new window.

Price Details:
Appetizers $8 to $18, entrees $18 to $32.

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Reader's Rating:
5 out of 5

Cuisine: Rustic American cooking given an upscale gloss—nearly every farm that supplies the kitchen is named on a menu where roast chicken and apple pie share space with rillettes and roulades. Plates are meant to be passed around, as at a family dinner—one that’s about $65 a head.

Mood: The design of the hotel dining room is as severe as it gets—all glass walls and sharp angles—but everything else strives for a gather-around-the-hearth feel: Shaker quilts, Windsor benches, a row of apple pies cooling near the front door.

Best for: Dinner with meat-and-potatoes folks and adventurous palates alike; summer lunch by the fountain on the patio.

Best dishes: Smoky mackerel rillettes topped with shaved cucumber and crème fraîche and served with toasts; airy pumpkin custard with tangy pomegranate seeds; whatever terrine is on the menu, especially if it comes with foie gras pâté; saffron-scented fisherman’s stew; roasted chicken; rack of pork with apples (peaches in summer); crab cakes; macaroni and cheese; baked beans with rabbit confit; house-made ice creams, especially chocolate and strawberry.

Insider tips: Sides tend to be heavy—buttery carrots, duck-fat-fried French fries, bleu-cheesy grits. Eating at the bar here won’t get you any deals: The menu seems aimed at hotel guests willing to pay $25 for a burger and $15 for a martini.

Service:••

Open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Expensive.

See all of 2009's 100 Best Restaurants

Reader ReviewsWrite your own review
 
Excellent Great experience
chimark — October 23, 2009 1:00 AM
The food at BDT is to die for!
Ask for the bone marrow... it is not on the list, but seems to always be available. My friend and I ate 3 orders during meal. Pheasant is delicious and try the new swiss chard pie side dish! Good wine list and More ...
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Excellent Yum
kilabean — June 27, 2009 4:24 PM
I'll start off by saying the service could be better, some try too hard and others not hard enough. It always seems as if too many people are being herded into the restaurant at one time. It may not be the servers fault. The food continues to amaze More ...
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