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April 6, 2006

Black Duck a cozy hangout on the river

By LEE STEELE

Crooked floors, leaning walls, broken chairs. In Westport, land of posh martini bars and upscale eateries with contrived themes, this is actually refreshing.

So when I wanted to meet an old friend for drinks, I knew I would impress her with my cool, insider-y choice on the Saugatuck River:The Black Duck Café (605Riverside Ave., Westport; 227-7978).

It may have all the trappings of a working-class dive, and maybe you could call it that, but I first discovered the Black Duck at an office party for a previous job. And the night my friend and I met there, another office party was in full gear. Every time I go, there are also families with kids in the dining room. It was a mix of blue-collar workers, corporate white-collar types and small children drinking from sippy cups.

My theory — and I’m not really going out on a limb here — is that the Black Duck’s success stems from its lack of pretense, snootiness or fake perkiness. It’s a genuine neighborhood bar, not a bar that has affected a neighborhood theme.

Hidden from the street, but well known to locals, the location is striking. The Black Duck is practically under the I-95 overpass in a rustic 19th century refrigerator barge. It’s not exactly pretty, but it does exude a homely charm. It gives the appearance of being about to fall into the brink, but the building is firmly planted.

The neighborhood includes other restaurants, some shops, and the train station, and the streets are narrow, often requiring the services of a traffic cop, so it gets hectic sometimes.

I returned the following week for Sunday brunch, just to see the place in the light and try some menu items. Brunch begins at 11:30 a.m.; I got there at noon and the 40-foot bar was already packed, so I missed out on the only place for water views.

The menu selection was large and diverse, with eggs benedict and other typical brunch or lunch items. Service was a little slow, but my chili and buffalo shrimp (I was in the mood for spicy food) was delicious. Mainly, I enjoyed the atmosphere, even if I couldn’t see the water from the dining room.

According to the bar’s Web site, the Black Duck’s structure has been anchored in Westport since 1961, and sits atop a sunken barge. In previous incarnations, it was a bait shop and a dress store. In 1973 it became a restaurant called Davy Jones’ Locker. Then in 1978, the Black Duck came to be.

The Black Duck is named for a boat that served rumrunners during Prohibition, according to its Web site. What a perfect name, then, for this place. It’s that speak-easy ambiance that makes it all come together here. We all feel like rumrunners hiding from the law in this cozy, out-of-the-way hangout on the river.

Posted by getout on April 6, 2006 8:04 AM