In early February, we gathered with a bunch of our friends for Nor’Easter Island, which is a wintertime event put on by the Greater Boston Vintage Society where we gather at the Sturbridge Host hotel in Sturbridge, MA for several days of vintage vending, swing dancing, and tropical drinks (all communities with more than a little overlap). However, in the middle of the winter, the Sturbridge Host is more than a bit of a ghost town, with no on-site dining, so when it came time for dinner, a bunch of us all decided to meet up at an old standby dining spot in Sturbridge’s downtown: The Duck.
The Duck is an interesting sort of restaurant space. Originally a large barn attached to a colonial-style house (the latter of which contains The Duck’s sister restaurant, Aviello, which also shares part of its menu with The Duck), the barn loft was converted into a restaurant about 30 years ago (lovingly called the Ugly Ducking), that several years ago was renovated by its owners (Table 3 Restaurant Group, who ones several nearby restaurants) into a much more modern space, and the result is a fairly welcoming dining room, bar, and back room, with some nice decor and a lot of exposed beams.
At the back of the restaurant, they have a bar where we enjoyed a few cocktails while waiting for our whole dinner party to assemble. It’s one of those odd “sunken” bars, where the area behind the bar sits a good foot lower than the main floor, so you end up looking down at the bartender. I think I understand the rationale (it allows the patrons to sit at floor level instead of bar stools, while still allowing the bartender to stand), but it’s still a bit of an odd vibe. But the house cocktails were enjoyable, with both their house mule and bee’s knees variants being well enjoyed by our party.
Once our party all arrived, we moved over to the dining room, and ordered our entrees. Carol ended up ordering the Statler chicken. A classic Statler chicken breast with attached drummette (also known an “airline chicken”), served up with a cornbread cranberry stuffing and Brussels sprouts. This was a well-prepared chicken breast, with a particularly moist breast and good, crispy skin. Overall, a great entree.
But when I saw that Thursday nights are “Prime Rib Night”, I decided that it had been a while since my last prime rib (back at Lakehouse Tavern back in September), that I just had to get this, and I was really happy with the resulting meal. This was a simple presentation, served up with with potato mash, broccolini, and an above-average horseradish sauce. The roast itself, however, was perfectly executed: moist, perfect medium-rare done-ness, good marbleized fat, and a really flavorful herb crust. No separate jus, but served just wet enough that I didn’t find myself needing it. Really, this was just about a perfect prime rib, and I’m glad I got that.
Really, I liked the Duck. It’s a nice, inviting spot, has a good combination of tavern food and a few Italian items (from the Aviello kitchen), good cocktails, and a nice location in downtown Sturbridge. I’m sure if I got to future Sturbridge events (or repeat a childhood visit to nearby Old Sturbridge Village), I’d be happy to have a return visit.
