Duck Walk: Thai in Wakefield

One of the most popular restaurants in Wakefield center is the Duck Walk, a Thai place. It is a medium-sized restaurant with a large and hip-looking bar. It presents an elegant ambiance, resembling a place that would fit into Boston. They seem to be seeking to present a more high-end feel in the suburbs.

When you are seated, you are presented with a food menu and an extensive wine and alcohol list, including many high-end options. But the wine prices are expensive, generally seeming to be triple the usual retail cost, especially for their least expensive wines. Thus, I would not recommend ordering the wine unless you are willing to really overpay for it. In addition, I don't think this restaurant needs such an extensive list. They may have over 100 Cabernet Sauvignons for example, and I really don't see any need for all of those similar wines. I somehow doubt they get that much call for all of those Cabernets.

Food prices tend to be on the pricier side as well, making this one of the most expensive Thai restaurants I know. But, on the plus side, the food is excellent, high quality food that is likely to please, making the high prices a bit more palatable. On a recent visit, I began with the Chicken Fingers and Pan-Fried Dumplings, both around $8 each. The Chicken Fingers have a thinner batter, which I prefer, than what you find in many Chinese restaurants. So when you bit into it, you get far more chicken than batter in your mouth. The crispy batter covers moist white meat and there is a delicious sweet sauce for dipping. I definitely recommend these. The Dumplings were good too, though not exceptional.

For entrees, we had the Tamarind Duck and Garlic Shrimp, each around $22. The Duck is a half duck, boneless, with a delicious crispy skin covering a meaty duck breast. The Tamarind sauce has a nice sweetness to it and there is a hint of spiciness too. There was a lot of duck on the plate and it was well worth the price. I have had this duck before and it always has been very good. The shrimp was also an excellent choice, with plenty of shrimp in a mound of veggies with a flavorful garlic sauce.

On previous visits, I have almost always enjoyed the dishes I ordered. The food is consistent and service is usually very good. Besides the high prices, there is little to complain about. And the prices don't seem to keep the people away as it is often quite busy, especially at the bar. I do recommend this place with the caveat about their prices, especially in these leaner economic times.

Duck Walk
397 Main St.
Wakefield, MA
Phone: (781) 246-3715