I noticed Distilled, located in the upscale Tribeca, when walking to the New York Academy of Art where Jodi is taking painting classes. Yes, I noticed it for one thing: the country fried duck and waffle in their brunch menu. I love fried chicken and waffles, so why not doing a pairing with any type of bird?
This is a fairly big place, the high ceilings contributing in giving this impression. On the right of the entrance is the bar.
On the left is the main dining room.
With a smaller section in the back, overlooking the kitchen.
So, we sat at out table and ordered our beverages.
Jodi ordered her tea and I wanted to have an espresso. Unfortunately, they do not have any espresso machine, that is surprising for a place like this. So, I ended up with some American coffee served in a mug:
At the same time they brought our beverages, they brought some delicious spicy popcorn that was made with various condiments such as pepper, chili flakes and cumin.
Jodi decided to order two sides as she could not find anything she wanted on the menu.
First was scrambled eggs that were very good: soft and moist like I love them.
And tater tots served with a Manhattan Island sauce, probably their interpretation of Thousand Island sauce.
I liked the tater tots, although some of them were a bit overcooked.
Then came the long awaited fried country duck and waffle:
It definitely looked good. So, I poured the smoked chili maple syrup over the French toast style waffle and had a first bite.
Unfortunately, this was not good: the spices in the maple syrup were totally overpowering; I did not like the waffle that was very dense and did not taste at all like a waffle and the duck was not only very salty (even for a confit), but the crust tasted as if it sat there for hours, not being crispy at all.
This was such a disappointment for such a promising dish. Well, I guess I will have to find other spots to find some great bird and waffle dishes!
Enjoy (...)!
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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!