Mallard, 1337 14th St NW, Washington DC (14th St Hall) (sound stage: loud)
A fast preliminary tackle Mallard, a brand new low-country/southern restaurant within the Outdated Birch & Barley house on 14th St. The chef, Hamilton Johnson, has the chops: born and raised in South Carolina, he cooked in a number of kitchens in Charleston earlier than coming to DC and main the kitchen on the late, nice Vidalia.
A few caveats. First, that is based mostly on one go to and it was simply Sonia and me, so we didn’t get to attempt a lot of the menu. Second, Mallard has solely been open a couple of weeks and remains to be settling in. In some methods it’s too early to evaluation them, however they’re open and charging full value, so there’s that. Plus there’s quite a bit to love about Mallard and the shortfalls are eminently fixable. The sooner they hear in regards to the hiccups, the higher.
The Good:
- The delicacies. We don’t have many native eating places specializing in the low-country cooking of coastal South Carolina and Georgia. Positive, you’ll find a pimento cheese unfold right here, some fried oysters there, and shrimp & grits just about in every single place, however that is welcome specialization.
- The cooking. Chef Johnson is popping out some scrumptious meals. These fried oysters are terrific and the duck — fortunately, given a reputation like Mallard — is an impressed mixture of rosy breast meat and a chicken-fried, confited duck leg. It’s excellent for these of us who hate to decide on between healthful consuming and a coronary heart assault.
- The service. The room is stuffed with folks seeking to make your expertise higher. The runners run. The water glasses are stuffed. And there are a number of JD Vance-looking guys (no offense, simply referring to white guys with beards) who appear to be overseeing the entire shebang. There could also be three or thirty of them, I’m undecided, however scratch your nostril and one in every of them might be tableside pronto to see how they are often of service.
The Not-So-Good:
- The accompaniments. Pretty much as good as the principle proteins are, the opposite components on the plates aren’t fairly on the identical stage. Take the duck, the place the plate was ostensibly stuffed out with glazed turnips, summer time squash, and greens. True, there have been loads of (barely undercooked) turnips, however you needed to seek for the dabs of greens and squash. (Scroll down and play The place’s Waldo’s Greens? within the pic beneath)
- The desserts. One among my pet peeves is deconstructed desserts. Desserts ought to have some stage of consolation and familiarity, and that’s doubly true in the case of classics like banana pudding. You may excellent banana pudding with higher substances and improved method, however nobody needs it pulled aside and its parts splayed out on a plate. It’s fascinating that solely desserts get disrespected like this. Should you ordered lasagna and acquired a plate with separate piles of noodles, sauce, ricotta, and meat, you’d ship it again and ask them to make you lasagna.
- The noise stage. Slender quarters, brick partitions, and hardwood flooring are an excellent climate entrance for sound (I refuse to say excellent storm). A minimum of it’s the completely happy sounds of individuals chatting and never, like some locations, repetitive techno-backbeats that make you’re feeling such as you’re trapped in a Tel Aviv disco.
The Pics:
Fried Chesapeake Oysters w/deviled egg aioli
Ahi Tuna Crudo w/whipped buttermilk, bulb onion, zucchini pickles, basil French dressing, benne seed tuile
Asparagus & Endive Salad w/parmesan, radish, pickled Vidalia onion, tremendous herbs, inexperienced goddess, crispy hominy
Labelle Farms Orvia Duck – spiced breast, chicken-fried leg, summer time squash, glazed turnips & greens, foie gras jus
Seared Sea Scallops w/Appalachian crackling cornbread, charred peaches, dandelion greens, younger garlic
Banana Puddin’ w/white chocolate namelaka, cracker jacks, nilla wafers, markers mark bourbon caramel
“Espresso & Cigarettes” w/malted chocolate mousse, macadamia praline, tobacco caramel, espresso ice cream, smoked olive oil
