Crispy Duck a l'Orange

[creamfinger]

Recently while dining at the Dal Rae in Pico Rivera I noticed someone at a nearby table eating Duck a l'Orange. It looked sooo good, and my brain immediately time-warped back to my childhood when it seemed that nearly every fine dining restaurant would serve some version of this dish. So I immediately started searching for this dish a little closer to home (being the Valley or West Side). On a friends recommendation I tried the version served Le Petit Chateau in North Hollywood. Sadly, it was quite mediocre. Dry, overcooked, and I found the sauce to be syrupy and far too sweet.

Are there any other restaurants in LA that serve crispy roast duck with an orange or cherry sauce? Let me be clear though, I'm not looking for restaurants that use duck breast. I know I'm going to be damned to the hot place for this, but for me, it's all about the crispy skin, the fat and the gnawing on those tasty bones.

[paprkutr]

Delmonicos on pico used to make a great one, call the one on Ventura, they might still have it on the menu. I also think Le Petit Bistro on La Cienega has it.

[2chez mike]

Musso Frank. I think it's a "special", so you should call to see what day they offer it.

[Kate is always hungry]

The best Duck a l'Orange I ever had was at an unknown restaurant in Ocean Park called Gourmenauts. It was incredibly crispy and the taste, well . . . indescribable. Last time I was at Rive Gauche in Sherman Oaks (years ago) they had it but I'm not sure they have it now. Maybe Mistral has it.

[kevin]

you could always get it at the restaurant the vietnamese-french restaurant in rosemead.

[fdb]

You mean La Vie? They make a very decent version of it.

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La Vie
2547 San Gabriel Blvd, Rosemead, CA 91770

[creamfinger]

Ever since Gourmenauts fired their head chef Optimus Prime the food just hasn't been any good.

[mstinawu]

Just in case anyone mentions it, do NOT try the Duck a l'Orange at Frenchy's Bistro in Long Beach. Their other dishes are perfectly good, but not the l'Orange which was dry and boring. I don't really remember too much about the sauce which probably isn't saying anything good about it.

[bluemonster]

Taix in Echo Park serves it--but only on Saturday nights. I've never had it there, but the surroundings would definitely take you back to a time when duck a l'orange was the height of classy dining!

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Taix French Restaurant
1911 W Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026

[Jack Flash]

Hmm. I think they may serve it at Le Petit Cafe in Santa Monica. Also try Lilly's.

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Lilly's French Cafe & Bar
1031 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, CA 90291

Le Petit Cafe
2842 Colorado Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90404

[Servorg]

I think this is something served at Anisette (at least as a special) in Santa Monica. I too tried the duck at Le Petit Chateau once, (instead of my standard Beef Wellington order) and it was incinerated. So very, very bad.

And now I want to register a complaint about Anisette. They never got around to posting their menu on their website. They used to have a link for the menu, but it had no content and some lame statement about "working on it" or some such nonsense. Now, and probably because so many people bitched to them about it, they took away the menu link part of the website completely. It is simply unacceptable that they don't post their menu, (with prices dammit!) on their website.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

[sbritchky]

Duck fat and crispy skin, worrying those tasty bones for the last shred of meat, fingers that reek of a lovely, sophisticated orange sauce ... If that awaits us in the Hot Place, O, Death, where is thy sting? (As W. C. Fields liked to say.)

I haven't had Duck a l'Orange in years, so I'm eager to see what our 'hounds scare up.