In today’s edition of things you don’t need to know about Joanne: I have a thing for deviled eggs. I don’t know why exactly. I think because they were so novel to me. They aren’t exactly a part of the Chinese diet. I didn’t discover them until college, and I was hooked.
The problem was, I didn’t know how to make them and I didn’t know where to get them. Until one day, quite a few years ago now, when I stumbled upon a menu posted outside a small bar that was about to open. That little bar was the locally-owned Mad Duck Neighborhood Grill & Taphouse on Willow and Herndon.
They serve deviled eggs sprinkled with bacon, and they are delicious. But they also serve many other things are that are equally yummy. My personal favorites include the the Gilroy Burger (which has a burger patty with dried cranberries, topped with melted brie and toasted garlic aioli), sweet potato fries with curry dipping sauce the fried egg & bacon sandwich and the ginormous caramel swirl brownie.
Mad Duck describes itself as “a place to meet and enjoy friends. A place to make new friends … A place to be happy with food we love, beer we love and people we love. It is our other home.” And it is certainly all of those things.
The problem with Mad Duck is that it’s kind of small, like your neighborhood pub wants to be. It’s a bar and full-service restaurant in a space slightly larger than your local Subway. Although I actually love its coziness, and it’s totally worth it, sometimes it takes a little strategy to snag a table. Stuff like, “You’re leaving work early so go get us a table and sit there for 20 minutes and wait for me,” or “We can’t go tonight because it’s Monday Night Football and it’ll be packed.”
Fortunately, the solution to this total #FirstWorldProblem is finally here! A full-sized restaurant, The Mad Duck Craft Brewing Co., has just opened up at Campus Pointe on Shaw and Chestnut! (The original Mad Duck remains open as well. Maybe it will be easier to get a table there now!) I was so excited that I went to check out the new restaurant a couple days after it opened.
The menu is a little bigger than the original’s. In addition to well-known appetizers, burgers, sandwiches and salads, there is traditional pub fare like shepherd’s pie, beer can roast chicken and fish & chips. I went with some old favorites, but I can’t wait to go back and try some of the new items.
Mad Duck also brews its own beer in a space that opens up to the restaurant, which really amps up the brewery atmosphere. The menus features some pretty funny odes to beer using classic poems. I’m not really a beer connoisseur, so I didn’t test any of those for you, but I’m sure they’re as good as the food, so you’re in for a treat. And I can tell you from experience that the cocktails are excellent.
Service was also excellent. When my friend politely told our server that her meat was cooked incorrectly, not only did the manager come over personally to apologize, but he comped her food and offered us dessert.
The biggest problem now is deciding how I’m going to choose between the two Mad Ducks! It will probably depend on my mood. Maybe it will be easier to get into the original now, and I can just slip in whenever I want to enjoy some deviled eggs! I know one thing: you can’t go wrong with either location!
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