restaurant review #4: duckfat
hopping back to the northeast to move onwards and (literally) upwards.
an introduction
welcome to another week of simmer with sally! as promised, today we’re focusing the spotlight on a tried and true maine institution: duckfat. congratulations to monica, who guessed correctly a couple of posts ago! a quick note - this review will focus on their og location at 43 middle street (they do now have a smaller frites shack location about 15 minutes away near oxbow blending on washington ave).
a quick update re: korea content — it seems like folks would really love quick, daily notes on food eaten in korea on both the substack and insta polls, but there’s also significant interest in keeping things to my regular weekly reviews. as a compromise, i’m going to focus on writing detailed reviews for a couple spots, but also release a post when i return on must-go food recommendations in korea. this way, y’all still get the content you’re demanding without email fatigue (and i don’t get carpal in my hands). you’re welcome!
before we start, a quick reminder on how my food reviews are structured:
a quick, 5-sentence review that summarizes my entire experience, along with a numerical rating out of 5
a more detailed, in-depth review that spills ~all~ the tea
ready? let’s dive right in.
the tl;dr 5 sentence review
duckfat is a self-proclaimed european leaning restaurant known for their fries, paninis, and milkshakes located in portland, maine. this place has EVERYTHING: consistency, delightful food, decent price points, and stellar service. in all, they’ve mastered the perfect culinary storm that’ll give you a big ol’ food orgasm every single fucking time and leave you begging for more. the only thing i pray for is more space to serve this incredible food (and maybe some reservations). i’ll simp for duckfat until the end of time.
rating: 4.68/5
the hot and juicy deets
the reservation.
the one thing that has stayed the same the entire time i’ve been making my yearly pilgrimage to duckfat since 2019 has been that they do not take reservations. yes, you read that right. they only offer in-person text waitlist options. to be honest, they don’t need reservations because this place is constantly packed (special reservations for larger parties, though, would be nice).
i’ve been seated anywhere from right away to waiting upwards of 2 hours. the key is to show up at the right time. my pro tip would be to do one of the following, and then pray to the food gods:
show up about 15 minutes before duckfat opens so that you’re able to put your name in right away - on weekends or holidays, i would even suggest coming 30 minutes early if you’re serious about nomz
show up at a very weird off time during regular restaurant hours (3-4pm would be my suggestion)
show up closer to the end of their operating hours (8pm-ish)
my most recent jaunt to duckfat was with my friend danny as we were traveling back to boston from skiing at sunday river for the day. we arrived around 3:30pm-4pm and were asked to wait about 20-30 minutes before we were seated.
the location, getting there, and accessibility.
duckfat is located in portland’s old port - a historic district that’s filled with lovely stores, amazing restaurants, and cobblestone streets (which may make it difficult for those who have mobility aids to get around). in fact, duckfat holds its own being right across the street from two other portland food juggernauts - the honey paw (asian fusion) and eventide (some of the best oysters and seafood in town).
it seems to me that most folks who are visiting portland or duckfat in particular are driving. it would be the method of transportation that i suggest for folks that don’t live in the area. it’s an easy 1.5 hour or so drive from boston - and there’s plenty of parking structures that are nearby as seen on the map that aren’t $3489794238493284 per hour. there is also the downeaster train that takes folks from boston to portland as well for those of us who refuse to fold to american car culture (but just so you know - tickets are around $30 - $45 one way, and takes about 2.5 hours). from the train station in portland, you will probably need to take a bus or hitch an uber, so you may need to really think about how you’d like to get here.
there’s also a couple of bus stops that surround duckfat (routes serviced are the 8 and HSK), but i can’t comment further on the reliability of the public transpo system here. the casco bay ferry system is also nearby, which services the islands right off the… you guessed it, casco bay. a complete aside, but i highly recommend everyone take a ferry ride when the weather isn’t shitting rain and hail outside to visit and enjoy some of these beautiful islands (at the time of editing, it is an absolute nightmare outside here in boston, with howling winds and the like).
the vibes.
my review last week was of a small little spot in berkeley called imm thai street food, where i noted that i wished i saw a little more effort put into the overall vibes of the space.
imm thai should take some notes from duckfat, as it does the most it possibly can to create a cozy, inviting space in their tiny spot on middle street. yes, there is a way to keep the vibes vibin’ while also focusing on the quality of the food. there’s less than a handful of legit tables - the rest of the seating available is either at the bar, or at a table that runs parallel to the bar leading to the restrooms. i’ve been to duckfat in warmer months where they have a sizable outdoor seating area available which i have thoroughly enjoyed - though i’m not sure if this is something they’ve offered regularly since things that “returned to normal” post-covid (any mainers there can that let me know in the comments??). but regardless, every time i have stepped inside, it feels more like i’m being invited to hang out in someone’s living space than spending time in a restaurant.
my only ding re: the space is how small it is. i can imagine that the interior and layout of the space would be more difficult for folks who have mobility aids or need additional accommodations to navigate - especially if they need to walk the tight space in between the hi-top and low-top bar seating to use the restrooms. outside of just these immediate concerns, it feels to me that duckfat has outgrown this current space with the demand for their nutworthy food, even with their frites shack location nearby. i hope i’m able to see duckfat absolutely kick ass and take names in the future in a bigger spot that doesn’t make diners feel at times like they’re packed into a sardine tin.
the drinks.
duckfat has a great list of both alc (beer, wine, cider) and non-alc drinks available. i’ve always truly enjoyed the non-alc options here - their craft sodas (especially their grape and wild cherry flavors) are superb, and they also sell some smackin’ tea and coffee.
danny and i both ordered non-alc drinks during our time here. at the suggestion of our wonderful server, i ordered the lemon-thyme spritzer (fresh lemon peel & juice infused with thyme with cane sugar), and danny ordered the original duckfat milkshake (vanilla gelato with crème anglaise & fresh tahitian vanilla bean). phew. the drinks truly were just a little taste of what was to come for us because they were truly so phenom.
first, duckfat gave danny his money’s worth with his milkshake, because they not only brought out the goods in a classic milkshake glass, they also brought out all of the extra they couldn’t fit into the glass in a metal cup - shoutout to the kitchen and the serving team. outside of the value we received for the price of the shake, the taste was out of this world. i’ll be the first person to let you know that i was a true vanilla hater growing up as a kid, and up until somewhat recently - it always the boring flavor to me. très blasé. but shit, this shake is one of the few drinks that really changed my perspective because there was so much depth and nuance to this particular vanilla flavor that was only enhanced by the gelato and crème anglaise. note to self: that’s what you get for using the good (and real) shit vs imitation vanilla. the shake itself was nice and thick, but not stodgy and could still be easily slurped.
my lemon-thyme spritzer was also phenom. lemon-herb combos are a tricky balance to navigate: sometimes it tastes too lemony, while other times it feels like you just inhaled a fistful of garden and earth. this was a great balance of punch-in-your-teeth tartness with hints of the spicy earthiness from the thyme coming through. it also wasn’t too sweet. absolutely delectable.
the food, price point, and value.
the menu of the og duckfat location provides diners with options running from salads to poutines to paninis to doughnuts. the most expensive item on their menu by far is their poutine, and that’s only if you add the extra accoutrements (the duck egg and duck confit, both of which are highly recommended). most of their menu items are under $25 otherwise, and the portions you get are decent for the value. like the other spots i’ve reviewed on simmer with sally, this may not be the most allergen / dietary accommodations friendly spot (most of their food items are fried in duck fat, and some of their menu items may not be possible to modify significantly).
danny and i ordered the following menu items (note: danny also ordered a sandwich which i won’t include in the review here, mainly since 1. it was a solo food item we didn’t share and 2. sorry danny - i don’t remember what you ordered).
a small duckfat poutine (belgian fries topped with locally sourced cheese curd, duck gravy, and fresh chives) with the slow cooked, pan-seared duck confit and the sauce flight for dipping
the duckfat caesar (baby romaine, house smoked duck breast, cured duck egg yolk, sourdough bread crumbs)
the doughnut holes (duck fat-fried & citrus scented, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, served with duck fat caramel dipping sauce)
just a quick tl;dr: the food here is scrumdiddlyumptious. duckfat has enshrined itself in the “sally has sobbed hysterically here” club, because the food is so good and hits. every. single. fucking. time. the food also comes out decently fast, so you’re not left simmering in your hanger for too long.
the poutine (ft. the duck confit and the sauces flight).
if i had one word to describe duckfat’s poutine, it would be asdfjdalkjfarghoiwef. straight gibberish. every time i eat it, i feel like i’m literally transcending time and space and the tears start freely flowing.
let’s start with the foundation of this dish, the fries. duckfat at its core labels itself as a belgian fries spot, and LORDT do they know what they’re doing. i wish every single food spot that serves fries could spend a day in duckfat’s kitchen observing and taking notes. duckfat most consistently makes my ideal type of fry - golden brown fries that are a little thicc and of a consistent length with a wonderful crunch on the outside with a bit of pillowy, starchy goodness on the inside. these fries also hold up well for a good chunk of time even with wet ingredients on top. wins all around.
i also have no notes for the gravy and cheese. i’ve found with other poutine dishes that the combination of the fries, gravy, and cheese is overly salty. it’s not the case here. the cheese is perfectly melty and gooey (and pretty light flavor wise) and compliments the savoriness of the duck gravy phenomenally. the gravy itself isn’t overly salty, or overly duck-flavored. it just really serves to enhance what’s already present.
the duck confit is 1000000000000000% worth adding onto your poutine. it’s perfectly cubed up right on top - and while the outside is nice and crusty due to the pan sear, the inside totally dissipates and melts in your mouth. you don’t need a lot of the confit with the rest of the poutine to taste it, or get the intended effect. the confit is perfectly juicy and tender with that classic duck taste: full bodied and robust af - savory and sweet with just a touch of gaminess.
lastly the sauces flight. we ordered all of their sauces just to try a little taste of everything. when we went, the flight consisted of truffle ketchup, thai chili mayo, garlic mayo, horseradish mayo, and katsu mayo. out of all of these sauces, my top favorites really were the truffle ketchup (great truffle flavor without overpowering the ketchup), the thai chili mayo (just a hint of spice), and garlic mayo (just how i like it, creamy and garlicky af).
the duckfat caesar.
i’m a bit of a caesar salad elitist, so i was really excited to give duckfat’s take on the caesar salad a try. overall, i was pretty impressed! the romaine is fresh as hell - super light, crispy, and fresh. the dressing is also really scrummy - creamy with just a touch of savory, garlicky, and fishy good good. the cured egg yolk was a nice addition that added to the depth of creamy and savory found in the dressing. i really enjoyed the sourdough bread crumbs as well, because sometimes full croutons can skew the salad balance and sometimes can be a touch too stale. this was my first time ever having smoked duck breast, and i was pleasantly surprised by the taste! it definitely is smoky (so if that’s not something you love, i’d suggest steering clear of this dish) - but the added texture and flavors of the smokiness with the added profiles from the duck itself really added to the salad and made it a fun food experience in my mouth parts.
i only have one suggestion for the duckfat caesar, which would be to give diners the option to add anchovies to their caesar. i feel like the actual anchovy meat would play really well and provide a nice break to the smokiness of the duck breast.
the doughnuts.
danny and i didn’t even take photos of the doughnut holes because we popped them in our mouths faster than the speed of light. these come out nice and warm straight from the fritter - and what a world of difference getting them fresh makes!! frying these doughnut holes in duck fat might give you some worry, but you don’t get any specific notes of duck or animal fat (at least in my opinion) - unfortunately, this also means that you don’t get much of the citrus scent as noted in the menu either. but what you CAN taste is the delectably balanced cinny sugar (which in my opinion, is hard to fuck up). the dough is also deceptively light and fluffy, and goes incredibly well with some of the best from-scratch caramel sauces i’ve had to date. *insert waterfall emoji here because sploosh*
the service.
much like the vibes of the space, the service here has always felt like i’m being enveloped by a warm hug welcoming me home. the folks who work here are a true unit in the sense that they all truly know each other and they know this menu. they help one another out to ensure smooth, efficient service of all their guests. AND, they’re all fully committed to providing you with the best experience, whether it’s your 1st time at duckfat or your 1000th time. our server really hooked us up to provide us with great recommendations (especially with our drinks).
a conclusion
well, there you have it folks - if you don’t know, now you know. maybe i’ve even convinced you to start you cars to rev up back to portland soon so you can nosh on some of this goodness. let me know if you’ve been to duckfat below, and what your favorite menu item is!
if you liked what you read, please consider sharing the word on my substack with those who you know would enjoy it.
next week: a review focused on a spot in winooski, vt that serves up an interesting but iconic combo leading up to my prodigal return to korea. i know i promised a double header… but ya girl is overwhelmed with finishing up work for my upcoming ooo, so i hope y’all are ok with just one. don’t worry, i’ll still be reviewing the spot in washington dc in a future week.
see you soon.
love, sally
Spot on review Sally! Your description of the poutine was immaculate
I'll have to try this next time I visit Portland!