Blue Duck Opens a New Bakery in Greenport

The sign with the blue duck on it in front of the white Colonial house on Front Street is very fitting for a neighborhood bakery. The interior is a little more modern, with big white light fixtures and small, round tables that are also white, which gives the place a “French café” feel. Then there’s the gleaming bakery case filled with all sorts of decadent treats—pies, chocolate cigars, turnovers, cupcakes, giant sprinkled cookies, mini and full-size cheesecakes and assorted rugelachs. And behind all that is the artfully displayed artisan bread of all shapes and sizes. How could anyone choose?

I asked the manager, Victoria, what their best sellers are and she told me the blueberry scones, the bread and the croissants, both chocolate and plain—which were unfortunately sold out of by the time I got there! I could only imagine how perfectly flakey and buttery they must be. She also mentioned that the foot traffic has been nonstop, something I witnessed while in the bakery. It was a Thursday and people just kept coming for a cup of coffee and a sweet treat. A customer told me that this bakery has been a long time coming and she is so happy that The Blue Duck is now part of her town, so much so that she comes every day, if not twice a day. That just goes to show how wonderfully addictive these baked goods are. The little boy with this particular customer had devoured an apple turnover with a smile on his face. I had to try one.

My party went home with a huge bag full of baked goods and we’re not too proud to say that we ate the majority  after dinner. First we sampled the signature Buck Duck artisanal sauerkraut rye and olive bread. The sauerkraut rye was surprising because it was actually sour, but in a different way than sour dough. It was tangier and heartier because of the rye. I don’t like olives, but I loved this bread! It’s speckled with pieces of black olives that give the bread more of an olive oil flavor, rather than a briny olive flavor.

Next we dug into the sweets. The infamous apple turnover was like eating a compact apple pie, but made even better with the smooth, luscious icing on top. The pie crust was flaky, but didn’t crumble, and the presence of lots of butter was…yum…there. Then it was on to the peach pie, which had a brown sugar crumble on top. The peaches weren’t too mushy and, again, the pie crust was phenomenal. I saved the blueberry scone for breakfast the next morning and it was a great way to start my day. It had a light sugar crust on top, blueberries running all the way through, and a moister, muffin-like texture, which is not normally found in scones. It was delicious and I can see why it’s a best seller.

The Kouris believe that every neighborhood deserves a good bakery and at this rate, with the loyal following they have and the outstanding pastries and breads they make, they will have a bakery in every town in no time. Even if you don’t live close to any of their four locations, it’s worth a trip just to try an apple turnover.

Blue Duck Bakery Cafe, 130 Front Street, Greenport, 631-333-2060, blueduckbakerycafe.com