By Preston Knight -- Daily Staff Writer

FRONT ROYAL — Success for The Wine and Duck will be measured by the area's ability to change its attitude.

Although the menu is not too duck-heavy, the restaurant's name does not hide what makes it unique to the area. For The Wine and Duck to find a niche, people will have to shed the initial scoffing at the idea of eating Donald and Daffy.

"I definitely questioned whether I should come and do this in Front Royal," said executive chef Ashton Carter, 28, who had spent more than six years in two different stints as a seux chef at the Flint Hill Public House with three years in Chicago in between, "but I feel it's ready for it."

The restaurant, at 117 E. Main St., held a soft opening March 4 and offered a full dinner and augmented lunch menu March 17. Owner Paul Bakos said he thought the town needed another restaurant, and he wanted something that doesn't serve manufactured food. Duck made sense to him.

"I just really enjoy it myself," Bakos said.

The Wine and Duck is part classy and part casual, and by mixing the two, Carter and Bakos think it has a chance to be a part of everyone's dining itinerary.

Ten wines are available by the glass. The goal is to increase that number to 25, and the restaurant is one of the few places for many miles to offer duck — two features that set the restaurant apart from others. The Wine and Duck is as simple as a name can get.

But the title doesn't say it all. There are burgers, shrimp, chicken, tenderloin and pasta to order, as well as about 20 types of beer and a full bar. That's enough to get any person interested, Carter said.

"It's casual upscale," he said. "People in shorts, T-shirts can eat alongside someone in a suit."

Since The Wine and Duck can seat only 32 people, different classes have no choice except to coexist. The intimacy, though, is part of the appeal, Carter said, and it played a role in getting him to take a chance on the restaurant.

"If you can make people feel comfortable in the setting, they may be more likely to try something new," he said.

And he's not talking about wine. Duck eats more like beef, Carter said, and can be cooked to a unique temperature. It's a versatile meat that can be prepared in 12 minutes, he said. Since presentation and taste are everything to Carter, no two plates or flavor and texture of duck are alike. That makes people feel appreciated, he said.

Early returns show customers are liking what they are seeing, too. About 80 percent of the business has come from return customers, Carter said.

The restaurant uses Long Island and Peking ducks. It would like to find a local purveyor, but Carter said keeping up with supply and demand would be difficult for that person. It's 45 to 60 days from hatching to a meal, he said.

Items that include duck on the menu, which features lighter fare for spring, are duck rillete with baguette as an $8 appetizer during lunch, and seared duck breast with black pepper strawberry sauce, Asian pears and watercress as a $22 dinner entree.

Carter said he made sure the menu is not filled with duck, even if it's the feature item.

"There are people who have come in and never had duck and don't want to," he said.

Carter, who was raised around Fauquier and Warren counties, is self-trained. He said his style is to keep things progressive.

"No antiquated stuff," Carter said. "Nothing too classic."

It's a way to describe the restaurant as well. By the end of the month, the restaurant would like to extend Friday and Saturday hours until 1:30 a.m. and provide live music, a feature in limited supply around Front Royal.

Carter said Bakos' long-term goal is to open a bakery or high-end steakhouse. Diners have some duck consuming to do in the meantime.

"The town is evolving," Carter said, referencing a wine and cheese store that will open across the street. "There's like-minded people in the community. As long as that stays together, it'll be good."

The Wine and Duck is open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and for dinner 5:30-10 p.m. seven days a week. Breakfast is available from 7:30 to 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information, contact the restaurant at 636-1000.

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