The Duck Restaurant, 67 Cherokee Road, Lake Ozark, MO
OK, I'll admit it. Take a drop-dead gorgeous waterfront view, put a restaurant overlooking its shore and even if it sells burgers laced with E. coli I'll die a happy diner. If that restaurant is as fine an establishment as The Duck on Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks, I'd dine there every day if I didn't live 700 miles away.
Formula for Success
Owners Donna Ziegler and Mark Hooker bought the handsome wooded property perched on a bluff overlooking the lake in 2002 after successful corporate careers. Donna and Mark were to be the first in a lengthy list of owners I met in the Lake of the Ozarks district who had no prior restaurant experience. Yet an entrepreneurial spirit coupled with strong organizational skills, and a talented chef, is often the formula for success. Nine years later, awards from the Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast magazines plus inclusion in Ann Hazelwood's 100 Unique Eats and Eateries in Missouri attest that they got it right.
Chef Christopher Case
Of course, a restaurant's food has to shine and Executive Chef Christopher Case provides that polish. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, this young chef broadened his skills in Germany and the Virgin Islands before relocating to the Lake of the Ozarks. Due to inherited diabetes, Chef Case became a vegetarian to help control the disease, but that certainly does not limit his talent creating excellent dishes with Missouri's high quality meat, poultry and fish. It's daunting to please ten travel, food and wine writers, all members of the International Food, Wine and Travel Writers Association, but Chef Case's tasting menu won high praise - all thirteen dishes, paired with appropriate Missouri wines.
Appetizers
The appetizer selection alone would be sufficient for a satisfying lunch or light supper. Smoked Trout was moist, rich with an underpinning of hickory. The Tempura Vegetables were crisp and the coating delicate. A Thai coconut broth with just a hint of Thai chili heat gave Steamed Mussels new definition, and the Crispy Tuna Sashimi was a visual as well as tasty work of art. The chef's response when complimented on this selection, "I've always considered myself an artist. My food is art that can be consumed."
Entrees
The entree selection featured grilled Rosemary Rack of Lamb, fork-tender and unmasked by a light rosemary sauce allowing the sweet flavor of lamb to coat the mouth. Tournedos of Beef were prime Angus, rich and earthy which even the caramelized bourbon onions and bleu cheese sauce couldn't dominate. The French classic Duck a L'Orange was an homage to the restaurant and Chicken Jaeger Schnitzel was breaded paper-thin chicken breasts, crisp yet moist inside. Both the owners and the chef had lived in Germany, and the schnitzel's a favorite in this German-American region of Missouri. Sea Bass Provencal rounded out the entrees with the meaty fish sauteed in lemon and white wine complemented by the savory tomato, olive and caper sauce proving that this young chef has mastered classic cuisine.
Desserts
All breads, sauces, stocks and desserts are made in-house. The dessert selection was classic, no culinary surprises, but perfect - warm Molten Chocolate Cake with fresh raspberry sauce, Carrot Cake with pecans wonderfully moist with the addition of pineapple, rich Bananas Foster and, my favorite, a tangy creamy Key Lime Pie.
Missouri: Home of Fine Wine?
Unknown to me before this trip, Missouri is the founding home of fine wine in America. Prohibition destroyed the industry, giving rise to California's dominance. Its revival is barely 20 years-old but the state's boutique vineyards have gained international attention even though production size makes finding the vintages difficult out of state. Its premiere grape is the Norton - Missouri's State Grape - similar in bouquet and depth to Argentina's Malbec. The Norton grape is an American original first cultivated in early 19th century Virginia and associated with Dr. Daniel Norborne Norton (1794-1842). Before Prohibition, Missouri was America's largest producer of wine, and a Missouri Norton vintage won a gold medal at the 1873 Vienna World Exposition. Its revival over the past several decades is certainly a welcome addition to the American dining table. This dry, full bodied red wine is an excellent choice to pair with the rich flavors of the lamb and beef tournedos.
HK's at The Lodge of Four Seasons, 315 Four Seasons Drive, Lake Ozark
"My dad was a true entrepreneur; he liked to open businesses that he knew nothing about."
Susan Koplar Brown, co-owner The Lodge of Four Seasons
The Lodge of Four Seasons is the vision created by gregarious, multi-talented St. Louis risk-taker Harold Koplar in the early 1960's in what was then a remote, undeveloped rural area of rustic hunting camps, farms and cattle ranches. Today this premiere lodge, with beautiful lake views and shoreline, is a spacious complex of resort buildings with handcrafted Spanish furnishings, Japanese Gardens, golf courses, condos and home sites covering over 7,000 acres. Still family owned and operated, the Lodge is certainly not a cookie-cutter chain.
Executive Chef Joe Elliott
No matter how corporate the modern American hospitality industry looks to the guest, in reality it's as unique as the individuals involved and success depends on the talent of those personalities. Chef Joe Elliott, a graduate of Pittsburgh's Pennsylvania Culinary Institute, like many young chefs, is excited at the combinations of flavors and textures that America's growing food palate allow restaurants to create. General Manager Gordon Kane, a certified chef himself, and his staff have created an elegant yet relaxed fine dining experience in HK's. Soaring ceilings, massive walls of local stone and glass overlooking the gardens complete the setting. The menu highlights Missouri's fine farm products from quail to the herbs grown in the Lodge's own garden.
Missouri "Meats" Japan
The first course was a substantial spread of Chef Elliott's own Pheasant Terrine, 17-year old Italian prosciutto, 15-year Spanish Serrano ham and local farm cheeses. This was followed by Confit of Missouri Quail, an artistic arrangement of raisin couscous topped with succulent boneless quail, baby greens and an inspired cocoa vinaigrette.
I was stunned to read the entree on our menu, Wagyu Beef Fillet with Duck Egg. Wagyu, along with Kobe, are Japan's beef cattle pampered into perfection on a diet of beer and massages, and the cost per pound can reach $200. To my surprise, Missouri is producing Wagyu for a mere $16 a pound, all a result of the State's forward-thinking agricultural incentives, especially Missouri Legacy Beef. After enjoying this steak, fancifully topped with a duck egg, and having had $200 a pound Kobe, I assure you Japan's Wagyu would not result in a better dish. HK's young pastry chef crafted a delicious Warm Fallen Chocolate Cake accompanied with espresso gelato - chocolate and coffee, a nice finish. One curious note, all four courses were paired with Italian wines - all excellent choices - rather than Missouri vintages.
Fine dining in America: move over New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, The Lake of the Ozarks is joining the list.
Marc d'Entremont - Years of experience as a chef, historian and teacher guides my travel and food writing. I explore all things that shape a culture.
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