Mini Post: Excellent Ribs at the Duck

My favorite bar in Ibaraki is hands down the Drunken Duck. They make excellent drinks, have a fun atmosphere, and produce some amazing dishes. The Duck was the second post I ever did on the old Ibaraki Eats website. If you want to check it out, here is the link (Go easy on me. It was the second post I ever wrote and I still kind of cringe when I read it):
https://regaladom24.wixsite.com/website/post/every-night-here-is-a-great-night
What I love about the Duck is they also have a monthly specials menu that has had delicious dishes that I still dream about till this day. Last Saturday night, I was around Katsuta station after a full day of surfing in Oarai (post coming later). My wife had just finished working and we decided to grab some dinner at the Drunken Duck. We headed in, greeted the owner Jamie, and checked out the specials menu.

Twin Peaks at the Drunken Duck

Want to know what's awesome? When my favorite Tsukuba brewery joins forces with my favorite bar in Hitachinaka. That's right! Twin Peaks Mountain Brewery, which makes delicious German beer in Tsukuba, has had its beer on the Drunken Duck's specials menu quite often. The one I had at the Duck when I visited last Saturday was the Dr. Summer Fresh Lager. I know it is getting a bit cooler now with Autumn around the corner, but this beer was very refreshing and tasty. Perfect for hot weather and it went well with my ribs and pulled pork quesadilla.

Pulled Pork Quesadilla

Another specials menu item the Ibaraki Eats Duo got to try was the pulled pork quesadilla. I love quesadillas and I love pulled pork. Put those two together and it is a match made in heaven. A meaty surprise just waits in between two toasted tortillas with melted cheese. Biting into that quesadilla was wonderful and full of cheesy meat. I would have liked a bit more pulled pork in my quesadilla but it was good none the less.

Baby Back Ribs with Mashed Potatoes and Cheese

The ribs looked glorious and we couldn't wait to dig in. First, let me get into the mashed potatoes.

Look at those mashed potatoes! With all that gravy in the middle and topped with that delicious looking cheese. It looked very inviting. My wife got a spoonful of mashed potatoes and gave it a try. She gave me a thumbs up and handed the spoon to me. I got mashed potatoes, cheese, and gravy on my spoon and gave it a try. My taste buds were dancing with delight at all the different flavors they were getting. The cheese was a bit harder than I thought it was going to be but that worked in the mashed potatoes favor. The mashed potatoes were so soft and creamy, full of spices and delicious gravy. I can't wait to have these mashed potatoes again and I hope I do soon.
Next, let's talk about the ribs.

Look at those baby back ribs completely slathered in BBQ sauce. It looked like a feat of great BBQ art. You know when people talk about how meat is so tender and good it falls off the bone? With these ribs, the meat literally fell off the bone. I grabbed the end of one of the rib bones and the meat completely fell off. I grabbed my fallen meat and began chewing. It was incredible. So meaty and full of delicious BBQ sauce. I could have probably ordered four more of these baby back ribs specials. Mixing some of that meat with the mashed potatoes was also an amazing treat. I am still thinking about those ribs while I write this and I think I need to go back to the Duck and have them again asap.

Jamie my good man, you are a genius and I applaud your great specials menu and BBQ abilities. It is always a fun and delicious time when I order anything from the Drunken Duck's specials menu. I hope to do so soon whenever I am back in Katsuta. I highly recommend my fellow Ibarakians do too. It will be a tasty time you will not forget.

By the way, the Drunken Duck Katsuta will be having their annual Halloween party later this month! More details will be posted as the date gets closer. The Duck's Halloween party is always a great time and I hope to see you there.

For more information on the Drunken Duck, check out their Instagram page:
https://www.instagram.com/drunkenduckjapan/