Midtown Lunch

It’s a new month, which means a new Sandwich of the Month from Certe (on 55th btw. 5+6th). This month’s sandwich is the Duck Duck Jus: Duck confit, white bean duck liver puree, steamed swiss chard, and duck cracklings on a duck stock dipped baguette. I have to say, I had high hopes going into this duck extravaganza because a) I like all of these things and b) Cer Te’s other duck sandwich was just plain amazing.

Now it goes without saying that any dish containing this many variations of duck is going to be a little greasy. So I won’t say it. I will say that this sandwich has potential, but it’s it’s not quite there yet. Each ingredient was awesome on its own, but the sandwich was definitely less than the sum of its parts.

The duck confit was succulent and had plenty of fatty duck flavor. The white bean duck liver puree tasted more white bean-y than liver-y, but liver isn’t for everybody and they’re catering to a large crowd. The chard added some variety in color and flavor and would make an excellent side on its own, but I wished it added more to the sandwich texturally. Most of the ingredients are wet and mushy, so some crunchy greens would break things up a bit. Duck cracklings speak for themselves. They somehow stayed crispy and were definitely the best part of this meal.

In the end, I think the baguette is what brought this sandwich down. Since it is pre-soaked in the duck jus, the bread is soggy, limp and, frankly, kind of gross. The whole time I was eating it I was thinking of my wet kitchen sponge. In fairness, the walk back to my office probably didn’t help, giving it some time to cool off.  But putting the jus on the side for dipping would make a world of difference. This sandwich is basically the definition of a gut bomb, but with some tweaks I think it has the potential to become something really great.

Cer Te, 20 W 55th St (btw 5+6th), 212-397-2020