• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Tiny Urban Kitchen
  • About Me
  • Travel
  • Recipes
  • Michelin
  • Subscribe
  • Taiwanese
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About Me
  • Travel
  • Recipes
  • Michelin
  • Subscribe
  • Taiwanese
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • About Me
    • Travel
    • Recipes
    • Michelin
    • Subscribe
    • Taiwanese
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » US Travel » Maine » Portland

    Duck Fat (Portland, Maine)

    Published: Aug 22, 2014 · Modified: Oct 22, 2014 by Jennifer Che

    _DSC7950.jpg  _DSC7959.jpg 
    This is the second post about our weekend trip to Portland. Other posts in this series include A Summer Weekend in Portland Maine.

    Portland's the type of city that's perfect for a weekend trip from Boston. It's a little over a hundred miles away, which if there's no traffic (and hrs could be a BIG if), takes less than two hours by car.

    As the largest city in Maine, it boasts many of the state's best restaurants. Yet because we're in Maine, It's not an overwhelmingly huge city either. Unlike huge metropolises that would require a week or more to explore, you can easily conquer Portland in a weekend. There's great craft beer, excellent restaurants, and a really good vibe over all. The city is surrounded by ocean on three sides, which means lots of gorgeous views and a plethora of ocean-related activities.
    _DSC7946.jpg
    Do any search for best restaurants in Maine or Portland"and there's no doubt that Duck Fat will show up on the list. Duck Fat is the second restaurant for chef-owner Rob Evans, who previously owned (but has now sold) the more upscale and very well regarded Hugo's just down the street.

    Opened since 2006, Duck Fat is one of the most popular destinations in the city. In the summer, there is virtually always a line out the door.

    On our second day in Portland, we decided to drive back to Portland from Freeport just to eat here. We were prepared to wait, no matter how long it was. Thankfully, after only waiting about 15 minutes, we were pleasantly surprised that they had seats for us at the bar.
    _DSC7944.jpg
    It seems like all the restaurants in Portland have good beer selections, typically involving several (if not all) local craft beers. There are so many excellent breweries nearby, it's really fun to sample different beers at each restaurant.
    _DSC7950.jpg
    Duck Fat is most famous for its Belgian Fries ($5 for a small; $7.75 for a large), which have received accolades and recognition from all over, including a coveted spot on CNN's top 10 fries in the U.S. list. The fries are twice fried in duck fat and come with your choice of dipping sauces like garlic mayo, lemon-herb mayo, truffle ketchup, horseradish mayo, Thai chili mayo, and toasted curry mayo.

    There were definitely some diners (tourists like me, I'm guessing?) who came just for the fries. I saw some folks order a large to go (which I guess is smart if you don't want to wait in line).
    _DSC7947.jpg
    Another alternative is to try their Poutine (large $12; small $8), which is essentially a pile of their Belgian fries mixed with cheese curds, gravy, and (optionally for $2) topped with a fried duck egg.

    We thought both of these were good, though part of me was a bit puzzled by the hype. I mean, the fries are pretty tasty and all, but I don't necessarily think these were the best fries I've ever had. If anything, I wouldn't have minded if they were just a tad more crunchy (but that's my personal preference - I LOVE crispy fries).
    Bryan, who loves anything duck, really enjoyed the poutine and ended up eating most of it. That worked out for me because I preferred the normal fries, which don't get soggy from all that gravy.

    _DSC7953.jpg
    Of course, Duck Fat is more than just about the fries. They have soups, salads, charcuterie, sandwiches, and a nice selection of craft sodas, milkshakes, and duck fat fried doughnut holes (yes, I'm serious).

    We started with a simple Leafy Salad, which came with Dandelion Farm greens, hakurei turnips, watermelon, and feta. It was simple, refreshing, and pretty good.
    _DSC7957.jpg
    The server convinced us to try one of their signature sandwiches, yet another duck item. We ordered the Overnight Local Duck Confit panini ($13), which came with super soft and tender duck that had been confit overnight in duck fat, pickled tomatillo, local cheese curd, and a spiced orange mayo. The sandwich was well executed and also quite enjoyable.

    General Thoughts
    Duck Fat is a fun place to go. The food is reasonably casual but definitely has a gourmet slant to it. Overall, every menu item we tried was solid. The whole place has that great vibe of your local, neighborhood restaurant. The fries are good, but I'm not sure if they are necessarily worth the extra hype. There are lots of places that make really good fries (though to be fair, very few places make poutine).

    All in all, despite the hype and slightly touristy obsession surrounding this place, I still think it's a great place and worth a visit if you're in the area. The food is good, the local craft beer is fun to try, and the desserts actually look pretty awesome (though I unfortunately had no room for it after all those fries!). If I came back, I might not order two dishes that involve fries just so I could have room to try some of their other fun looking sandwiches (plus at least one dessert!)

    Duck Fat
    43 Middle St.
    Portland, ME,
    04101

    ©2009-2014 Tiny Urban Kitchen
    All Rights Reserved

    More Maine

    • Weekend Trip to Portland and Freeport Maine
    • 24h Trip to Portland - Fore Street Portland Maine
    • 24-hour Trip to Portland Maine - LUNCH!
    • Happy New Year! A Look Back at 2015 - Part I

    Recent Posts

    • La Salita Valencia Spain January 16, 2023
    • El Poblet Valencia Spain -2 Michelin Stars December 29, 2022
    • MercatBar by Quique Dacosta - Valencia December 9, 2022
    • La Pepica Waterfront Paella - Valencia December 5, 2022
    • Llisa Negra Valencia Spain December 1, 2022
    • Central Bar by Ricard Camarena - Valencia Spain November 29, 2022
    • Casa Ripoll Valencia - Beachside Paella November 27, 2022
    • Valencia Spain Trip Report - Itinerary November 23, 2022

    Primary Sidebar

    Jennifer Che Tiny Urban Kitchen
    Jennifer Che Tiny Urban Kitchen

    Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am an expat who moved from Boston to Hong Kong 5 years ago. Born and raised in Ohio to Taiwanese immigrant parents, I am a chemistry nerd, patent attorney by day, blogger by night, church musician on weekends, and food enthusiast always. Feel free to explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!

    More about me →

    Explore

    • Recipe
    • Restaurant
    • US Travel
    • World Travel

    Popular Posts

    • La Salita Valencia Spain
    • El Poblet Valencia Spain -2 Michelin Stars
    • MercatBar by Quique Dacosta - Valencia
    • La Pepica Waterfront Paella - Valencia

    Recipes

    • Appetizer
    • Snacks
    • Meat
    • Vegetables
    • Soup
    • Salad
    • Seafood
    • Noodles

    Recently Traveled

    • Hong Kong
    • France
    • Belgium
    • Boston
    • California
    • United Kingdom
    • Germany
    • Spain

    Support Us

    Recognition


    Featured on the front page
    of the FOOD Section: 2015

    Best Food Blog Awards:
    Restaurant & Dining 2012

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Me
    • My Equipment
    • In the Press
    • Project Food Blog
    • Privacy Policy

    Eating Guides!

    Eating & Travel Guides
    Trip Reports
    "Kawaii" (Cute Foods)
    Around the World

    • Pinterest
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Mail
    • RSS Feed

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Shop at Amazon

    Copyright © 2022 Tiny Urban Kitchen