It’s a beautiful thing and all you have to do is force feed a duck to fatten up its liver for it! Sometimes I wish I could feel bad about that, but then Anthony Bourdain does a little expo and shows that it’s not so bad and plus it’s just so scrumptious that the sinner in me is a happy to be ingesting such a smooth delight. I had only one bad experience with foie gras and that was in a very lovely little ristorante around the corner from my apartment in Milano. Apparently, in Milan and perhaps most of Italy, foie gras is prepared very differently — it’s not the deliciously hot grilled fatty lobe I’ve come to love. I believe it was a paté and I’m sad to report I really just couldn’t finish it: the richness alone and in that quantity was overpowering and it was cold which threw me off too. With the kind of foie gras I love I feel like a nice lambic or maybe even a sour would be a fitting pairing with this creamy, fatty, buttery gift from the gods.
However, I had a gorgeous rendition of the heated type in Toano, VA at Dudley’s Farmhouse Grille. If you’re ever near this place, go! They specialize in wild game and have a small seating area which provides for a more intimate atmosphere, which is furthered by the owner who is also the chef. I wish my liver could wind up in such a happy state after I’m gone. Anyways, the foie gras was my primo and my secondo was a mixed plate of venison, wild boar and quail. Then I slipped into a loverly food coma.
