Elite Event at 2 Duck Goose

«i’m in love with the coco
i’m in love with the coco…» –OT Genasis
okay so that dope-​boy song has nothing remotely to do with this joint except there was a sweet signature cocktail called ‘Coco’
REWIND…
on a bright balloon of a Sunday afternoon filled with chillyesque weather, Unilocal Elites cruised into Gowanus to sample Cantonese-​Chinese foods cooked by the relatively newish eatery.
walked in and got check-​ed in by NYC ruler Ruggy J. named and tagged myself (WHAT happened to fine crafted Peter’s penmanship on Unilocal name tags???). took in the medium-​sized open space before it filled to capacity. really soft palette of colors. mostly off-​whites that brighten with exposure to the sun. casually painted-​over exposed brick. some accent colored walls and then colorful simple modern Asian-​esque decorations throughout that don’t crowd the space or your eyes, but gives the space a fun light feel.
tables line each side of the restaurant. light wood. sturdy chairs. everything is well spaced so you have breathing room. the kitchen is, of course, in the back as well as the bar. high ceilings.
the food: much like the décor… light, colorful, tasty (ful).
enjoyed the dumplings. right amount of savor without being weighed down by oiliness or superthick dough/​skin.
the wings flew off the server plates. simply because they were delish, savory, and spiced right. moist (NOT chewy). easy to eat finger foods I LIKE! popular dish of the day, with bones piling up like bodies on the Walking Dead. haha #nerdhumor
the bite-​sized roast pork spoke to me. it said: EAT ME because otherwise someone else will. ha. the roast pig slices amazed me! i could have vacuumed up every bit and then some.
there were some veggie options too like the pea shoots and the smacked radishes. folks seemed to be gorging on the plant options.
okay to the drinks:
the Coco (mentioned before): coconut sake, pineapple, coconut milk. fairly sweet cocktail not cloying though. very summery. fresh. light. creamy. definitely a drink of the more femme persuasion.
the Ginger Jacket: ginger beer, ginger sake, and ginger syrup. the trifecta of gingerness! it’s a smooth warm Spring drink with some spice, bite, and a lil bit of kick. i enjoyed several of these jab-​by mixed drinks. this was definitely the knockout of the day. ding ding WINNER.
the staff at 2 Duck Goose – supernice. welcomed us. fed us. and taught us a little about the food and drinks there. Kay, the owner, a very gracious host… made sure plates of food were bountiful and was quick to answer folks’ q’s about the food, drink, etc. a very fun Sunday in Brooklyn indeed.
big big thank you’s to Peter D. and team Unilocal for putting this shindig together to highlight another eatery with a bright future in Brooklyn.
drops mic to put these Ginger Jackets on…
i out.
zzzz

I was happy to be a part of this Elite Event because not only was the establishment new to my radar but it would fit seemlessly into my schedule of photographing some bands. I had done a show the night before and needed to head to another on the same day of the Elite Event but the timing was superb. Anyway about the event.
2 Duck Goose is a cozy space with a decent amount of tables to sit and chill if that was what you wanted to do but as I have observed in most of the Elite hangs that I have participated in this is a standing crowd. 2DG was kind enough to invite us in to sample two of their specialty cocktails and I opted for the one with the Coconut Sake and milk but not the Ginger one. It was probably best to stick to one choice. Very smooth drink and again in a sampler size so a return visit will get a better examination.
The food offered up was exceptional and super tasty (did I just repeat myself there? I hope not). The servers wandered the now tight space offering up slices of pork, kale dumplings, pea shoots and chicken wings what were to die for. Okay perhaps there was a little too much salt to them but I still managed to inhale a couple of them and really cannot wait to get a full order when I come there again. There was salads put out for those who wanted by I bypassed that.
I didn’t see many Unilocalers that I knew already but did meet a bunch of new ones that I hope to see again in the future. The two hours of pleasant company and offerings went by too quickly but we got a few words from Peter D and restaurant owner Kay who did a stand up job and merits applause for her kindness. Of course since this was mostly a sampling afternoon I was still ravenous and with a lengthy show ahead of me I zipped over to Duke’s Bar near the venue to add to the food and kill a couple of more beers. Overall a great day for food, life and rock and roll.
PS: This spot is a quick walk from the nearby «R» train.

This was the first Unilocal event i’d been to in a while, and it was long awaited and well received. It was small and intimate, and I met a bunch of new Unilocalers who were all really nice. it was also really fun to see Pete and Ruggy, who i haven’t seen in a bit and they’re always a laugh riot. Hopefully everyone had as much of a good time as i did, though i feel like, after talking to some drunk people afterwards, people might have had a better time than me!

Monday you can work like hell,
Tuesday, Wednesday I don’t tell,
Thursday does not even start,
Friday is the party night,
Saturday we all just wait
For Sunday Funday Elite Event…
…2 Duck Goose!!!
The sun was shining, doors of this wonderful place opened for us, and sweet drinks never stopped. (I am not a fan of coconut, but I must say both drinks were very well done — altho Ginger sake cocktail won my heart.)
Food was delicious — Kale dumplings and Pea shoots, tho — oh, man! I can eat those all day every day!
Thank you to most-​friendly owners that invited us here, and to Peter & Ruggy for setting it up!!!
PS1. I am grateful we got to discover this place thanks to the fact that Ajay likes to sleep late.
PS2. Alan, that song was in your honor, albeit it was not as dirty as your version.

It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon as I moseyed down the F train steps on the 4^th and 9^th St stop into one of my favorite Brooklyn neighborhoods, Gowanus. I love spending afternoons here, grabbing slices of pie at 4 and 20 Blackbirds and checking out taxidermy at The Morbid Anatomy Museum. But on this day, I was venturing into a new establishment, 2 Duck Goose. As a pescatarian, I had my concerns that there might only be the bird varieties to consume. Lucky for me, that was not the case.
I walked through the doorway and stumbled on my phone photos to find the valuable «Party Pass». As soon as I was scanned, I saw a sea of friendly and familiar faces. Jess P (my prodigal daughter) is always a party companion of mine. And it was a treat to bump into the Jennifer S. After I said my «hellos» I worked my way to the cocktail area. There were two cocktails to pick from. There was «Coco» the sweet but dangerous cocktail with coconut milk, pineapple and coconut sake. This is the kind of drink that goes down easily… a little too easily. The «Ginger» cocktail stole my heart. I love the spiciness of ginger and the refreshing tang of ginger beer. I was hooked! After grabbing a cocktail, setting my bag down, grabbing important tip money, and phone, I was ready to mingle. I finally met some Unilocal friends in person, «Hilary P» and Ajay R”. I was then greeted with some delicious pescatarian friendly dumplings. I love dumplings and these were no exception. And I also enjoyed the radish salad. The radishes were served family style in a large bowl with chili oil and cilantro. I jumped right in and served up some ramekins for all my buddies. And then we had the pea shoots. They were a little messy. I got some oil on my dress but Hilary was ready to go with a Tide stick; talk about a prepared Unilocaler.
I also want to mention that Kay was the sweetest. She is the owner and she made sure to introduce herself and ask how we enjoyed the food. We assured her that we definitely enjoyed everything.
And always a big shout out to Peter D. for organizing such a fun event.
And of course, a thank you to Ajay for finding this Gowanus gem.
I will be back for brunch for sure. People know I love brunch!

I love the location. It’s pretty close to my house, but I never noticed it. So unassuming.
The food was really good. I loved the wings. They had a unique, soy flavor. I also enjoyed the radishes, which is really odd because I generally don’t like radishes at all. I couldn’t get enough of these. I didn’t hear the name of the green veggie in the tiny bowl, but it reminded me of sauteed spinach. Very good.
The drinks were a creative take on sake. I liked the ginger one more than the coconut one, but that’s mainly because I’m not a coconut fan. Apparently this opinion was common since the ginger drink ran out pretty early.
Kay was incredibly sweet. I’m glad I had an opportunity to visit this little gem.

Afternoon weekend Elite events are rare, but I love them. You don’t have to worry about leaving work early to make it to the event, you don’t have to worry about afternoon drinking, and everybody is a bit more relaxed.
At 2 Duck Goose we were treated like kings by the super-​friendly staff. All the food I tried was delicious, from the roast pork, to the wings. I particularly enjoyed the kale dumplings, and both the pea shoots and spicy radish salad were as simply prepared as they were tasty
The TY KU sake drinks were delicious: «Coco» with coconut sake, coconut milk and pineapple juice; and the Ginger Jacket with sake, ginger beer and ginger syrup. The Ginger Jacket was my weapon of choice for the afternoon.
4 stars instead of 5 because I was really hoping Ajay would take the stage and take his clothes off. Oh, well, one can still hope.
Flickr photos (by Clay Williams) here:

I was happy to hear that 2 Duck Goose was hosting a Unilocal event as they are a fairly new established restaurant in the neighborhood. This event had a cozy friendly atmosphere where everyone was just meeting other Unilocal Elites all while enjoying the delicious food and the specialty cocktails (coconut sake and ginger sake).
The Cantonese food served had a modern twist on the traditionally served foods like the chicken wings, dumplings, pea shoots, char siu, etc. Diners will have to come with an open mind that this is not your typical Cantonese restaurant.
Kay was a generous hostess and greeted everyone with smiles and positive energy. She even recognized me from the one time I had dined there previously!
Great find and great event Unilocal

The 2 Duck Goose event was a fun time.
Not as much as playing actual Duck Duck Goose, but close enough. You see people tend to respond to sound, and not what you actually say. So if you ever find yourself playing Duck, Duck, Goose with some folks, walk around casually. Saying «duck“each time. Then when you see someone who is ready to jump, tap them, and scream «DUCK». They’ll get up and tag you, and you’ll be like «What are you doing? I said duck. Learn the rules!» Then continue to casually tap them on the head saying «duck» until you come across someone who is not ready and calmly say «goose» just as casually you’ve been saying duck, then continue to walk around saying «duck». They’ll sit there for a bit, questioning if they heard you right and while you’ve walked half way around the circle, they’ll finally get up. But it’s too late!
What does this have to do with my review? Not much. I just don’t ever know if there will be a forum to discuss my strategy for Duck Duck Goose, so I took advantage of the moment.
As I mentioned the event was a fun time. What makes these events is the crowd of people. It was good to see so many people I haven’t seen in awhile and catch up for a bit. It was pleasant to see them, get familiar with what’s going on with them, and enjoy their company. I needed it.
The drinks being served were not up my alley. Coconut Milk, Pineapple, and Saki, are not some of my favorite ingredients. They didn’t seem to contain much booze either. Regardless they were much appreciated refreshments on a nice Sunday, and I made sure to tip well. I even handed in a $ 10 I found on the floor and they said they’d hold it if someone came forward. (Don’t even think about now. You had your chance!)
The food was great. The best was the roast pork dish. Reminded me of the delicious roast pork I would get growing up as a kid on Avenue U. I also enjoyed their dumplings very much. The wings fell right off the bone, and were in a delicious soy bean sauce. Perfect sauce for non dipping wing. The pea shoots were also pretty good.
The hospitality owner Kay, and her amazing staff, showed was tremendous. Much appreciated. Thank you so much to 2 Duck Goose. Thanks to the Unilocal staff who help setup the event. Ruggy for working the door, and even though he didn’t get me that hat! Good looks to Peter D for helping organize a great Sunday afternoon, with some help from Ajay! Thanks guys.
DUCK!

I have been «following» this restaurant since the very first days they opened. Being very close to my place but not being open for lunch I have been postponing a visit there for months (don’t know why but… Lunch closeby, Dinner far away)
I enjoyed a lot the vibe created by the staff and the Ysquad, my fav bite was the marinated and fried chicken wings, even though not being American and moved here from Italy for not so long… I am not yet in the «chicken wings world». I am sure I will get there, soon.
The staff has been really kind and I have been asking a lot of questions about their dinner and brunch menus, and the duck
Preparation etc, and they were really happy to answer.
They will definitely see me soon.

Dear first Bk YEE experience,
You were delicious and boozy. At first, you were very intimidating because I did not know a familiar face but luckily, I was able to make a few friends.
I did not know that the food here would be so good! I am used to going to Chinese/​Cantonese restaurants around 8^th ave of the bay aves but 2 Duck Goose is authentic and modern at the same time. The radish with sweet soy sauce was very unique and something I will be making in the summertime as a snack. Along with that, I simply loved the pea shoots, which were very fresh. They are my favorite Chinese vegetable and they made it right! They can be expensive and often times, I have gone to restaurants that served it to me «old». You can tell that the roast pork was high quality, as Kay had said, if you compare it to the meats you get at restaurants that are hanging up by the window. And I personally downed about 4 of the ginger sake cocktails. Delish! Personally, I am not a fan of coconut flavored drinks but I still had a few of those as well.
Kay, the owner, was wonderful. She personally went around the room and chatted a bit with each group, welcoming us and getting to know how the whole Unilocal Elite processed work. You can tell she was excited for us to be there and I really admire that passion and enthusiasm.
Thanks for letting me in Peter and thank you for the crew and the members at 2 Duck Goose for a yummy, midday rendezvous!

thank you so much to 2duck goose for hosting my first Unilocal event! I wish I could have come in earlier because I missed the dumplings. I’m a vegetarian so no chicken for me, but I happily sipped cocktails and ate salad and pea shoots. I hope to come back and really fill up. small bites weren’t enough ;)

Another great event organized by the amazing Peter D!
The space is lovely – they have beautiful blue & white porcelain plates hanging on one wall that gives the space a kind of old & airy quality, mixed together with an otherwise modern look. The owner is lovely and super welcoming, too, which together gives the place a warm, comfortable vibe. And of course, happy friendly Unilocal Elites help, too!
Beyond the nice feeling of the space & the event, Two Duck Goose also seems to put a lot of attention to detail in their food. I’m a pescatarian, so I didn’t try the chicken wings that everyone was raving about, but the sautéed pea shoots and kale & tofu dumplings were delicious.
Will definitely be back for a full meal! Thanks, Unilocal

I was there for 45 minutes of the two hour event, and I tried a cocktail of coconut milk, coconut sake and pineapple juice with canned pineapple chunk garnish and a ramekin of bok choy. I missed the wings, but I met Peter D. who organized the event and did an awesome job.
I met some lovely fellow Unilocalers, and they gave me excellent restaurant suggestions for the West Coast. I look forward to attending more events out there.

This restaurant is on the corner of 6^st and 4^th ave.
The décor is cute and I think this store needs more advertising because of its competitive stores an avenue away.
I love the red/​gold lanterns hanging from the ceiling.
Met some new people and had a couple of drinks.
The host was smart, by having the drinks ready instead of waiting for the bartender to make the drinks.
I favored the Coco over the Ginger Jacket, probably because of the sweetness which consists of the coconut milk, juice with a piece of pineapple. I couldn’t really taste the ginger beer because the flavor of sake overpowered it in the «ginger jacket» drink which is a good thing. If it was chilled, the drinks would be 10 times better.
I missed the kale and tofu dumplings (it looked really good, placed on top of a locus leaf) and beet salad.
The wings was a bit salty, but the meat was tender.
Same with the roast pork, a bit on the soft and tender side.
The Sautéed Pea Sprouts 豆苗 was my favorite, where it did not lack in juiciness taste, but they should hold the oil if it’s not to be eaten with rice.
This is a great restaurant if you want to be introduced to Asian food.
I’m going to come back to try the kale and tofu dumpling.
Overall, had a great time.
Thanks Kay, Peter and Unilocal Elites.

This event was fun. The food options weren’t my favorite. The wings were good, but really salty. The bok choy was amazing. Other than that, I didn’t care for anything else.
The drinks were hit or miss. One was a hit and one was a miss.
The company was great per usual. I mingled more than usual and met some awesome people who gave me some great restaurants to try out.

Had a great time at 2 Duck Goose! Thanks Unilocal and TYKU for this event!!! :)
Saw some fellow elite friends and meet some new ones! :)
Yummy little snacks served like fall-​off-​the-​bone chicken wings with some type of black bean sauce, kale and tofu dumplings, tender roast pork and little dishes with Chinese greens which name escapes me.
They also had 2 sake drinks:
— «Coco» with coconut sake, coconut milk and pineapple juice
— Ginger Jacket with sake, ginger beer and ginger syrup
The Ginger Jacket was popular and was my choice since I’m not into coconut: P
Kay, the staff and the Unilocal peeps were all amazing (as usual)! A Unilocal event isn’t complete without the awesome Peter D. — thanks Pete!
It was such a fun time and I’d definitely come back here!
I heart Unilocal!:)

As usual I had a great time at this Unilocal event. 2 Duck Goose is an intimate and friendly restaurant.
I’ve never had Cantonese food so this was certainly new for me. The owner Kay is extremely friendly and sweet welcoming us with open bar! Lol
The two cocktails were a coconut sake and a ginger sake. Both were refreshing but Id much rather had preferred the ginger sake as I was not crazy about the coconut sake, but preference would depend on your palate.
The food consisted of chicken wings, dumplings and a sautéed green. The greens were de-​licious. The wings were good but I could have definitely used some dip for them but they were flavorful. The dumplings were pretty good as well. Unfortunately I did not get to try the pork as that was flying off the trays quickly but as always everything was greatly appreciated. It was evident that everything was made fresh on premisses. This place is really cute and the staff was extremely nice. If you want to try something completely different like Cantonese I would suggest this place.