Chef George Mendes Takes His Duck Rice to Chefs Club Counter

Chef George Mendes has hopped on the “fine-fast” concept of dining. The Portuguese chef, known for churning out authentic dishes at his Michelin-starred restaurants Lupolo and ALDEA, is currently featured at Chefs Club Counter (CCC), the new concept from Chefs Club. The spot, located in NYC’s SoHo neighborhood, curates various dishes from acclaimed chefs, such as Alvin Cailan of Eggslut and Jean-Georges Vongerichten of Mercer Kitchen.

Mendes is taking inspiration from both his mother’s cooking and from his menu at ALDEA to serve a traditional one-pot duck rice (pictured on page 2). “When the team conceptualized the counter – the fast-casual counter concept – they invited me in to feature the duck rice,” Mendes told us. “They were looking for a rice component to the menu so they reached out to me and it was a fit.”

The recipe features deconstructed duck (and its cracklins for a crunchy surprise) and chourico (chorizo) as the protein components of the dish. “We decided to take the duck rice and fine tune it (or adapt it a little bit) – make a few minor changes for it it be served a little quicker and in a more casual environment,” the chef explained. “We concentrated on the duck confit, and removed the duck breast component like we serve at ALDEA, and that’s the major difference. And we par-cooked the rice a little bit further so that we can expedite the process.” 

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The rice also has two surprising ingredients: black olives and a sweet, tangy apricot puree. No wonder the dish is currently a best-seller at the counter. “It was a matter of applying the same techniques, the same components, the same ingredients, and adapting them for a faster pace environment,” Mendes said.

CCC may have cracked the code on innovative, fast-casual dining, which is why countless other chefs have adopted the concept, too. For starters, there’s Jose Andres‘ Beefsteak in D.C. and Roy Choi’s Loco’l in San Francisco, but surely there’s more to come. “People can get very high-quality food, from well established chefs in a fast time. I think it’s a concept that has a lot of sustainability,” Mendes noted, on the revolution.  

See here for more details on CCC and Mendes’ dish.