Foie Gravitas

Dinner in Kingston on Tuesday night. Made a point of stopping into long-time institution Chez Piggy. Excellent wine list. Innovative cocktail menu. My chaperone started with the "Bloody Dane". A twist on the Mary using aquavit and horseradish. I had the "Hunter S Thompson". Grapefruit juice and premium tequila which according to the menu was "stirred with a dirty knife". There was no such dirty knife behind the bar, so my chaperone whipped out his Swiss Army knife and took care of business for me.




Then I spied the wine list. Oh! The Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc. The epitome of the beloved fruity grassy New Zealand character. First discovered it in New Orleans in 2002 and the sipping white of choice whenever it surfaces, often in the most unexpected of venues.

Decided to do an appetizer meal, mixing and matching. Everything was lovely: the mussels, the spring rolls, the garlicky caesar salad (just the right hint of real anchovy). But the star of the night was my little foie Gras. Lightly seared with grapes in a brandy demi-glace. 12 bucks. Just a little pink in the middle. It was like warm butter in my mouth. Melted away without even chewing. My chaperone was equally blown away.

It surpassed the lovely appetizer done at Ottawa's 18 bistro. That's where I introduced a squeamish semi-vegetarian American friend to this indulgent pleasure. She who has "texture issues" with her food now will order it anytime it's on the menu.

I brought back a tin from Harrod's last year. Served it with a late harvest Pinot Gris when some friends were visiting. Felt particularly decadent when I polished off the "leftovers" the next day with port jelly and pancakes.

Bird flu should worry all of us. Especially those who count on imported fowl to keep us supplied at reasonable prices. Last week the federal government put restrictions on ducklings from France, limiting the availability of the preferred species for cultivation in Quebec's emerging foie gras economy.

The Globe and Mail outlined the concerns of local producers and the difficulties keeping the supply of the preferred hybrid species open in the wake of avian flu threats in Europe.

I forgot to ask where Chez Piggy gets their supply. I know I meant to. Must have been that "Last of the Mojitos" (no sugar) that made me forget.