Taste heaven at the Warren Duck Club

From a female point of view
By Becky Castle

We all like to be treated like princesses every once in awhile, don't we, girls? The Warren Duck Club is a perfect setting for those occasions.

Imagine... the host ushers you to your table, pulls out your chair for you and places your napkin across your lap. Resplendent furnishings, dim lighting and soft jazz music surround you. Your waiter exudes charm; your wish is his command. The food? Exemplary. The service? Impeccable.

Interested? Let me tell you more.

We went on a Monday night, so the restaurant was pleasantly quiet. If you plan to go on a weekend night, I recommend making a reservation.

Each table boasts a white tablecloth, a fresh flower and a small oil lamp. The place settings are china with a different duck painting on each dinner plate.

We started our meal with freshly-ground coffee. It was the best coffee I've had in a very long time, and I drink a lot of coffee. A chilled cream pitcher was served with the coffee.

The service was immediate. Before I even realized I needed something, the wait staff was right there providing it. For example, our waiter, Hamid, a delightful gentleman from Iran, kept our coffee cups filled the entire evening. When our cupfuls grew cool, he whisked them away and brought fresh cups, already filled with cream because he had noticed we take our coffee that way. I was impressed.

For an appetizer, we tried the Boursin Portabella ($8.95). It was a six-inch stuffed-mushroom-cap island swimming in a sea of cheesy red pepper sauce. The spice combination was perfect-flavorful, not too hot-and the contrast between the creamy filling and the toasted bread crumbs was wonderful. The mushroom itself was meaty and effused flavorful juices.

With the appetizer, which was plenty for two people, Hamid served us complimentary garlic bread. This was definitely not your ordinary accompaniment bread. A crusty French loaf, split, the middle filled with melted Parmesan cheese and a spice blend, not to mention the butter and garlic. Delectable.

Between the appetizer and main course, Hamid brought out a sorbet intermezzo to cleanse the palette. Goblets with tiny scoops of mauve sorbet-not too sweet, icy around the edges and incredibly creamy in the middle. An excellent raspberry interlude.

I ordered the Four Ounce Petit Filet Mignon and Pistachio Crusted Tiger Prawns ($26.95). It was served with Garlic Whipped Potatoes (incidentally, one of my favorite foods. They met my rigorous standard for the dish) and mixed vegetables. The steak was good (the bearnaise sauce served on the side was phenomenal), but the prawns were incredible. The black currant sauce was an excellent complement to the crisp pistachio crust on the giant prawns.

Matthew ordered the Rotisserie Duck, but I'll let him tell you about it. I do want to say, however, that it was better than the Peking duck I had in Beijing last summer, and I ate at a famed duck restaurant in China.

We finished the meal with a massive slice of Tuxedo Chocolate Cheesecake ($5.95), an innovative and beautiful dessert. Amazing cheesecake sandwiched between two layers of chocolate cake, the whole thing wrapped in a fudge icing. I was too full to eat more than a few bites.

Girls, if you need a night of pampering, make it an evening at the Duck Club with some close friends. Guys, if you want to make a special girl feel like a queen, this is your place. Pull out the nice clothes, wash your car (if you don't want to navigate the free parking garage yourself, the restaurant will validate the hotel's valet parking) and enjoy an evening at the Duck. And say "hello" to Hamid for us.

From a male point of view
By Matthew Miller

Stuffed Boursin Portabella mushroom on a sea of exquisitely seasoned sauce. Sweet intermezzo of mauve sorbet; "It's homemade," our Iranian-extract waiter said, exuding his obvious pride. Delectable rotisserie duck, sweetened or spiced (according to your liking) from the sauce in any of its three satellite dishes. Renowned tuxedo cheesecake layered according to its cognomen: black-on-white-on-black.

They say you get what you pay for. I'm not sure who "they" are, but they're certainly right. The Warren Duck Club pushed my understanding of fine dining to altogether unexpected heights.

Although this probably goes without saying, I'm going to say it anyway: the food was excellent. I elected to try the Duck Club's masthead entre, the Rotisserie Duck, flown in from Long Island for my gastronomic enjoyment. Cooked to perfection and girded by wild rice and al dente vegetables, the duck performed its final voyage with a finesse that made the restaurant's name perfectly understandable. Aiding and abetting its flight was an array of ladled dishes containing black currant and peppercorn sauces, as well as the standard brown gravy. The entre was a sensation to be reckoned with.

Ultimately, however, I think the best part of my dining experience at the Warren Duck Club was the outstanding service. Hamid Baghestani, our waiter, was, well, really more of a customer service rep than anything else. He had an ancillary waiter working with him to cart away dishes and assist in the delivery of new ones, which left him free to wait on us pretty much hand and foot. He anticipated each of our needs before we had yet realized we had them. He even, at one point, brought me a fresh cup of coffee with the same exact amount of cream in it that I had placed in my previous cup. He was on the ball.

I'll admit that I vacillated a bit on my decision regarding dessert. In the final analysis, however, I knew that you, the discerning reader, would want a complete set of data in making your own choice of dining establishment. It was for completely altruistic reasons, therefore, that I ordered the Warren Duck Club's signature Tuxedo Chocolate Cheesecake.

You must understand that I consider myself something of a cheesecake connoisseur. I've eaten the best of cheesecakes; I've eaten the worst of cheesecakes. All I need to say is: this ranks up there with the best of them. Get it. Now, I know what you're thinking. If you're anything like me, your idea of "splurging" on "fine dining" probably means Taco Cabana instead of Taco Bell. You might even be of the slightly wealthier "I make $7.25 an hour" sort who can handle the Olive Garden or Bennigan's on occasion. I know you're thinking, "Sure, Matthew. Like I can afford the Warren Duck Club. I can't even afford ranch dressing with my chicken fingers in the Eagle's Nest!"

And that, my friend, is where you are wrong. Yes, a meal at the Warren Duck Club is hard on a college student's budget. Is it financially fatal? Not at all.

Gentlemen: is that ring burning a hole in your pocket while you frantically search for the right place to "pop the question"? Search no more; a quiet, romantic dinner for two at the Duck Club will run you between $75 and $100 and provide the perfect setting for the creation of a lasting memory. Senior Aaron Svenby took his now-fiance on that fateful evening, and, well, they walked in a dating couple and walked out engaged.

Not quite at that point in your relationship? The Duck Club would be the ideal place to go for a birthday or anniversary. They also serve lunch, which is comparable in price to a dinner at Outback or the Black-Eyed Pea. Meeting a prospective employer? Show him you have style by suggesting you "do lunch" over Halibut Zucchini Wellington and coffee at the Duck Club.

So there you have it. Searching for style? Tired of the same old, same old? Dreaming of the perfect night out? The Warren Duck Club is the place for you. But you don't have to take my word for it...

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