Cafe Campagne

I have told you about honey's weakness for duck, but I forgot to mention mine. Not only would I order foie gras at EVERY place (yes, I know that traditional foie gras is goose liver, though most, if not all, foie gras served in the US are duck livers =P) , my knees would go weak at the mention of duck too. So when I found out that Cafe Campagne, my favorite happy hour place, was offering the Twenty Buck Duck deal last month, I knew we had to go.

Hubby shared Soup du Jour ($6), a spiced carrot soup, with J. It was creamy and well seasoned. Hubby thoroughly enjoyed it, he didn’t even detect the ginger flavor that he dispises. However, cumin and ginger, such spices are more suited for matured taste buds, instead of a 6-year-old.

My Twenty Buck Duck started with Oeuf de Canard Poché. A poached duck egg sat on two thick potato slices deep fried in duck fat, with duck jus. I'm not big on runny yolk mixed into the dish, but I have to admit that it makes things better. Individual component wise, it was really bland despite the fact that the egg was flawlessly poached, the potatoes were perfectly fried. J, however, preferred this and ditched his soup.

My entreé, the Confit d'Cuisse de Canard, was a flavorful Muscovy duck hen leg confit with the skin beautifully pan fried to crispiness. Now, as much as I love duck, I often hesitate on ordering since I've had more than my share of dried out tough legs, and gamy breasts. I vaguely remember (I must be getting old and forgetful now =) visiting the Campagne restaurant upstairs during the Duck offer last year, and feeling disappointed. That's when Campagne dropped off of my favorite restaurants list. However, this time, Campagne has certainly rectified itself, even though the leg was completely intact, it was so tender that the meat fell apart at the lightest touch. The surrounding puy lentil ragout, studded with finely diced carrots, onions, and bacon, was wonderfully savory. Even the escarole pieces, soaked with the juice, was delightful. As picky as I am, I have nothing to complain about this dish! =)

Hubby's Steak Frites ($23) was roasted to a nice medium pink. It was served with garlic sautéed escarole (a little too garlicky for our liking), and crispy pommes fries. The star of the dish though, at least to me, was the Roquefort butter accompaniment. The smooth butter not only mellowed out the salty and tangy Roquefort cheese, it also made it lighter with a hint of sweetness. It was so good that even though I was already satiated with all that duck and lentils, I still couldn't help myself but smearing a thick layer of this on a large piece of bread. Yummmm!

Now, if only they have more dairy-free offerings, this would be the perfect place for us. (Yes, I know I'm greedy, but a girl can dream, can't she? ;)

Cafe Campagne
1600 Post Alley (between Pine St & Stewart St), Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 728-2233