Black Duck Weathers Hurricane; Floor No More Crooked than Usual

The Black Duck Cafe on Riverside Avenue was lively tonight as blue skies appeared above the nearly 200-year-old barge. The “Duck” has served patrons from its perch beneath the I-95 overpass for nearly five decades - weathering dozens of blizzards, floods, and hurricanes (or near-misses, like Henri). Although locals still wonder when the old ice barge may slide off its foundation into the Saugatuck, the building is virtually unchanged year after year, storm after storm.

A traditional bar and grill, the restaurant has live music every Sunday from 6 until 8 in the evenings, which didn’t miss a beat tonight as the Saugatuck institution opened up like it always does - Hurricane threat or not. The neighborhood watering hole nearly shut down in Fall of 2018 due to financial troubles, but after negotiations between creditors, landlord and investors - Barge Burgers and beers continued to slide across the bar as an agreement allowed to keep the business in operation. It grew to national fame in 2011 when chef Guy Fieri featured the Duck on his Food Network show: Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. WestportLocal.com photo