Overview: Owned by Rob Evans, the James Beard award winning chef of Hugo’s, Duck Fat is an eclectic, European style Panini restaurant in Portland, ME. Although recognized as a sandwich and soup shop, Duck Fat is far from a Panera, offering house made sodas and kicked up sandwiches made with fresh, local ingredients that make the long wait worthwhile. The house specialty, and reason enough for the trip to Portland, is the duck fat Belgian fries served in a traditional white paper cone.
Medium Dead: Although I didn’t realize there isn’t a burger on the Duck Fat menu until after I drove two hours to eat here, the Panini selection was innovative enough to prevent me from being disappointed. Take the Reuben. In contrast to the traditional corned beef Reuben, the Duck Fat Reuben is made with corned beef tongue, marinated cabbage, swiss and house made thousand island dressing. The daily sandwich special, which outshone the Reuben, was the braised lamb and roasted red pepper Panini.
The Belgian fries fried in duck fat were easily the best fries I have ever had, and even surpassed the duck fat fries at Hot Doug’s in Chicago. The website describes them as "BELGIAN FRIES FRIED IN DUCK FAT FOR EXTRAORDINARY FLAVOR", but I describe them as heavenly. If you happen to be one who is turned off by fries cooked in rendered duck fat, I encourage you to give it a try. The substitution of duck fat for vegetable oil imparts a distinct, savory flavor, and contributes a golden crispy coating.
Bonus Bites: Don’t expect to find Heinz ketchup or Hellman’s mayonnaise at Duck Fat. The array of sauces that accompany the fries are all house made with local Maine ingredients. I chose the garlic aioli and horseradish mayo which were both great, albeit unnecessary since the fries were so flavorful on their own. Also on the menu is truffle Ketchup, Raye's Sweet & Sour Mustard, Curry Mayo, and Thai Chili Mayo.
Medium Dead: Although I didn’t realize there isn’t a burger on the Duck Fat menu until after I drove two hours to eat here, the Panini selection was innovative enough to prevent me from being disappointed. Take the Reuben. In contrast to the traditional corned beef Reuben, the Duck Fat Reuben is made with corned beef tongue, marinated cabbage, swiss and house made thousand island dressing. The daily sandwich special, which outshone the Reuben, was the braised lamb and roasted red pepper Panini.
The Belgian fries fried in duck fat were easily the best fries I have ever had, and even surpassed the duck fat fries at Hot Doug’s in Chicago. The website describes them as "BELGIAN FRIES FRIED IN DUCK FAT FOR EXTRAORDINARY FLAVOR", but I describe them as heavenly. If you happen to be one who is turned off by fries cooked in rendered duck fat, I encourage you to give it a try. The substitution of duck fat for vegetable oil imparts a distinct, savory flavor, and contributes a golden crispy coating.
Bonus Bites: Don’t expect to find Heinz ketchup or Hellman’s mayonnaise at Duck Fat. The array of sauces that accompany the fries are all house made with local Maine ingredients. I chose the garlic aioli and horseradish mayo which were both great, albeit unnecessary since the fries were so flavorful on their own. Also on the menu is truffle Ketchup, Raye's Sweet & Sour Mustard, Curry Mayo, and Thai Chili Mayo.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment