CLUB • ICE HOUSE • LOUNGE
By Mike Cook Photography by Daniel Ortiz
OUR LITTLE SECRET
In French , “ canard ” means duck , and duck is a food we happen to quite like ( Food Issue on the mind ). Anyway , canard , when using the more common American use , is “ a belief or rumor that is not true .” But we ’ re not here to tell you about more restaurants ( Food Issue ’ s got that covered ), or start rumors . Our CANARD is a different story , a story about a hidden cocktail bar on N . Main like no other in the city .
Fortunately Treadsack ( Down House , Bernadine ’ s and Foreign Correspondents next door ) looks to have had some extra room next to Foreign Correspondents , and plenty of extra gusto ; Canard is the result . Or maybe it was the goal all along . Either way , the dark ( only a bit of light comes in through door and windows ), beautiful , French-style bar , adorned with purple cloth , teal walls and a mirror backed bar , is quite the surprise when you enter the deeply tinted doors just below the neon purple duck “ open ” sign . Or enter through the purple curtain from the Foreign Correspondents side because why not . The interior is also adorned with fresh flowers and ducks ( of course ); champagne bottles , perfectly French glassware and brass lighting help it glow . Seating is in rounded booths or on straight-up elegant bar stools . If you didn ’ t already infer , Canard is pretty intimate , but that ’ s just part of what makes it special .
The other part ? The cocktails and the service . Like mind blown . The Smoke Signals , holy crap . Basil Hayden Rye with lemon , apricot , ginger and honeycomb cordial and lavender laphroaig sprayed across the top for bouquet with a cherry on top . Yeah , that ’ s extensive , and rightfully so , as the entire bar seems like a monument to rare and special liqueurs and spirits . And the staff brings them to life . They go out of their way to make the detailed menu of Quelle ( seasonal house cocktails ) and Optics seem simple . Those Optics – bold , strong blends – are quite the treat ; just take a look at those four-glass dispensers . Don ’ t worry if you ’ re a stickler for original cocktails or sparkling wine , Canard spins classic cocktails and a choice sparkling list .
Shhh , the crowds still have not found Canard , so keep this one to yourself .
You ’ re in for a treat .
CANARD | 4721 N . Main St . www . treadsack . com / canard
Sun , Tue – Thu 4pm – 12am | Fri – Sat 4pm – 2am
24 L O C A L | august 16