A Half Dozen Duck Dishes

Duck confit is having “a moment,” as I like to say. That has been my thought for a while, and then I noticed it on so many menus for Réveillon this season just past that I actually counted, and fully thirty percent of restaurants had duck confit on their holiday menu! Who would have ever thought?

As a self-admitted pill when it comes to eating, it shocks me that I love duck confit. I eat an astonishing amount of duck for one so compromised when it comes to adventuresome eating. Duck breast aside, I’m all about this bird. Crispy Asian duck, coffee lacquered duck, or duck confit, which is the preparation we’re most likely to encounter.

I don’t remember the first time I tried duck confit, probably with Tom’s encouragement, but I was immediately smitten.  It offers two things I find irresistible in meat: a crust of some sort, and meat that is braised to disintegrating. This particular dish is something I order often when I see it. Rarely does something else speak to me louder from a menu. So I eat my share of duck confit.

My favorite execution of this dish is a tough call. There are some exceptionally good versions out there. The one I like the best is at Chemin À La Mer, a place I adore. I would go more often if it wasn’t such a chore to get there. With validation, the valet-only parking is still $16 (at last visit.) But the view of the river from the 5th floor patio is exceptional, and the interior space is only slightly less inviting. The food here is not as “country-intense” as Cochon, and every bit as sensational.

The duck confit is a single leg quarter served over beans, as is customary. The skin is appropriately crispy and the meat is so tender. I loved the cassoulet just as well, making this the pinnacle of duck confit, in my view.

Also on this level is the duck confit at Gautreau’s. Newish chef/owner Rob Mistry  imparts a little pinch of his Indian heritage to the dish, making it unique to the genre. Even with my fierce traditionalist mindset, I don’t object to his very subtle boost of this French classic. It is also served with the delicious requisite beans underneath.

Holding its own with the aforementioned heavy hitters, little Cafe Lynn in Mandeville serves consistently fabulous French food with a smattering of Italian and of course local tastes.The duck confit is served over the usual sides here of perfect roast potato slices and asparagus in a light butter and cream sauce. Chef/owner Joey Najola keeps the menu manageable. This is a fantastically well-run little gem with predictably delicious food. They may certainly be forgiven for the absence of the classic accompaniment of beans with duck confit. A duo is available, but the single leg is plenty enough for one.

I was lucky enough to have a duck leg at August in a particular Friday lunch a few Decembers back. That is not something normally seen on that menu. But I was happy to have it there as a safe choice in a place really too gourmet for me. Naturally, it was superb, as all things are there. The skin wasn't as crispy as I like, but the sauce made up for it. 

What surprises me most about this list is that the least interesting of these versions of the French classic turned up at the only French restaurant on this list.  As much as I adore Cafe Degas, I was surprised to find the duck confit there not as good as others around town. Its only flaw was the lack of crispy skin. The leg was served over cassoulet and was tender and meaty, but the skin lacked the crispness I needed to offset the softness of the meat. There were tender green beans in this as well. And it was very good, but not up to the level of the others on this list.

The last of these duck dishes was found at Charmant, a new little place in Mid-City. It was not named properly. It should have been called a duck confit salad. I have never seen it served this way. It was tender pieces of duck leg served amidst a lot of frisée greens with some currants and a little sweet vinaigrette, There was a dusting of grated cheese on top. 

I wish it had been called a salad on the menu, and I would have gotten something else. As a traditionalist I expected and wanted it to be on the bone. A salad underneath would have been fine, but not just pieces of duck interspersed with the greens. It tasted fine but again...expectations.

There is never going to be a time when I say that tender morsels of duck meat are bad, but I like the image in my mind to match what’s on the plate. I think most people prefer their surprises somewhere else.

Duck confit on menus all around town is not something I would have thought would be a thing, even now. But it's always welcome to me. I often say “a moment” can be brief or really long. I hope the duck confit “moment” lasts a while.