Eat The Menu: Duck, Duck, Black Duck

“Oh, no,” I fretted when a fire truck flashed by us as we drove home from dinner: Not Black Duck!

Not to worry. Chef/owner/head Vulcan Jason Sawicki, of Black Duck Spirits & Heath, had the open-hearth flames of his new (and already destination-worthy) restaurant well under control. As was every aspect of his long-awaited dream.

He’s the carnivore behind the Fare Game food truck that got him through the pandemic as he secured financing and fine-tuned the menu of his long-awaited brick-and-mortar, a worthy addition to this cozy Northeast neighborhood.

It has a neighborhood feel, indeed — and that includes the ‘hoods of Warsaw, thanks to more than a few delightfully young Polish émigrés serving the front of the house, who cheerily enhance the dining experience. But it’s duck that takes center stage, including a spin on the cocktail menu.

The bar’s old fashioned includes duck fat in its list of ingredients, along with walnut, corn liqueur and burnt agave (which my tastebuds couldn’t discern, but oh well — it hit the spot nonetheless). My companion’s choice — the “Try It, It’s Sexy” cocktail — was built, says the list, upon “Supergay Vodka.” He already was, but who could resist?

The bright, cozy setting — once a gas station, according to our server — hummed with a convivial murmur that allowed us to chat without sign language at our corner table while scanning the five sections of the Minnesota-forward menu. Leaving the Cold Fare list for a warmer day (beef tartare with smoked bone marrow aioli will bring me back), we inaugurated our meal with an order of pierogi. (How much more Polish can you get?) The quartet of ripple-skirted pasta bundles held a comfort-food filling of mashed potato, onion and white farmers’ cheese, augmented by a side dish of chive-brightened sour cream ($18.50). Winter winds, take that! Off to a good start.

Next, we summoned the pork belly app ($18.50), which celebrated this key member of the Forbidden Food Group (says my doc): yours to enjoy for its meaty, fatty profile, brilliantly enhanced with a snappy harissa glaze; bright, herbal chermoula; and a sweet wisp of carrot purée. Another winner.

On to the main attraction: hearth fare. And the main attraction of this main attraction is — duh! — duck ($37). The tender, ruddy slices of breast meat, flavorful as all get-out, fairly flew off our plate. But we weren’t thrilled by this evening’s accompaniment — a red mole sauce of faint character abutted by a pile of lentils and beets. Bland and blah. (Previous menus on the web had promised better, so this combo may change.)

Can’t get enough of duck? Me neither. So, we proceeded to split the menu’s duck burger ($15.50), too— and relished every last bite. The handsome patty is presented on a plump milk bun, with onion accompaniments, along with sweet-tart mustard pickle rounds, a swipe of Dijonnaise to cleanse the richness, and a veil of Havarti cheese — just because, and most welcome. To carry the theme to extremes, add duck bacon ($6) and/or duck egg ($4) if you choose.

A quintet of veggie accompaniments ($16) stands ready to complete one’s meal, ranging from Delicata squash with agrodolce, mint pesto and walnuts to roasted carrots with yogurt, sunflower dukkah and mint, and our choice, smoked cauliflower.

The overflowing serving brought us a mountain of florets overwhelmed by a guajillo pepper marinade, along with pickled carrots and a pecan cream sauce that might have carried the day if presented sans those other helpers. A Caesar salad draped with smoked whitefish might be our choice next visit. Should you succumb (and why not?) to a side of waffle fries, do order them with the optional white BBQ sauce with its welcome little punch of heat.

There’s dessert, too — but alas, we didn’t make it. For those of better pacing, choose among four house-made sweets: a puddingy chocolate budino; Basque cheesecake with salted caramel ice cream; paczi — doughnuts (for bypassing an order, I’m weeping as I type: What was I thinking?). They’re filled with raspberry or pumpkin, then glazed. But, exploring further, here’s a sip on the dessert list I’d really crave: a Black Manhattan, born of Eagle Rare, Averna, Angostura bitters and orange, $16.

So, go. It’s a warm, welcoming ultra-local experience. But not all y’all at once, or there goes the neighborhood.

Black Duck
2900 Johnson St. NE
(612) 331-1421
blackduckmpls.com

SPECIAL NOTE:

EATSS Minneapolis, The American Indian College Fund event, returns to the Guthrie Theater on February 18, with a dinner from 5:30-7 p.m., followed by a Rufus Wainright concert (doors open 7 p.m.). Enjoy dinner created by award-winning American Indian chefs and the concert ($195) or concert only ($100). Contact Twin City EATSS for further info and tickets.