The Best Thing I Ever Ate - Round 2

So I'm actually in disbelief that it's taken me this long to write a Duckfat blog.  For over a year now, Duckfat has been a slight obsession in our household and every time we make it up to the Greater Portland area, we have to stop in for milkshakes and french fries.

Duckfat is this quaint, quirky little sandwich shop in downtown Portland, Maine.  Sometimes I wish it was a better kept "hidden gem" because the wait for a table can be well over an hour but I promise, you will not be disappointed.  The secret to their success really isn't very well kept... they deep fry everything in duck fat.  Have you ever had a french fry cooked in duck fat?  You're missing out.  I was a peanut oil fry purist until my first Duckfat endeavor and I'm now a full blown convert.

Their fries are hand cut, blanched in oil and then crisped to a rich golden brown in a sumptuous vat of delectable duck fatty goodness.  A large order is actually large enough to share.  They also make a poutine with house-made duck gravy and Pineland Farms cheese curd (check out my recent blog on the wonder that is Pineland Farms here) which is incredible as well.

They also make their own soda, which may not initially sound like anything amazing, but their grapefruit and ginger flavor is light, refreshing, and exactly what I want after devouring a giant cone of fries.  I'm typically not a huge soda drinker but when you can give me something that's made to order, with fresh ingredients and still has that fun, effervescence that tickles the back of your throat, I'm in.

The piece de resistance at Duckfat however is their Original Milkshake.  Now, some of you will be tempted by the chocolate, caramel or strawberry flavors - you're going to have to trust me on this one.  The scrape Tahitian vanilla beans into a fresh creme anglais  and blend it with rich, creamy gelato for the silkiest, most luxurious milkshake you'll ever experience.  They even serve it old school, soda shop style where you get your glass and the half full mixing tin as a backup.  My personal recommendation, dip your fries into the milkshake.

They always have fantastic sounding specials and we've tried a panini once, which were good, but nothing warranting of a blog post.  All in, definitely worth a stop if you're the Portland area - heck, it might even be worth planning a trip to Portland for!