2007 Fall Dining Guide
By Tom Sietsema
Washington Post Magazine
Sunday, Oct. 14, 2007

Fat apple pies resting on a marble counter, jars of canned fruit lining the walls and a garden of carefully arranged produce lead the way to the dining room at the Blue Duck Tavern, where spindly chairs and quilts on the wall further prepare a diner for something homespun. Not so fast. New York designer Tony Chi created the space -- a maze of glass, steel and wood -- and chef Brian McBride crafted the American menu, a document that pays tribute to farmers but also embraces McBride's 27 years at the stove. A table in the softly lighted inner sanctum -- near the vast open kitchen and the oven that burns oak and apple wood -- is like an orchestra seat at a cooking show. Current lures include tender squid sparked with olives, thickly cut hanger steak in a silver casserole crowded with roasted garlic and onions, wild striped bass capped with a disk of toasted sourdough, and pickled spiced tomatoes whose heat can bring tears to the eyes. Steer clear of the cloying braised beef barbecue and the faintly seasoned farm greens, but save space for the dreamy cheesecake, which sneaks in another popular American dessert with its thin layer of carrot cake.