I feel like there's a new "World's Most Expensive Burger" story every year. Made with Wagyu beef, topped with foie gras, buns studded with diamond dust (OK, not really), it's a gimmick that never fails to elicit gasps. The rank-and-file shake their heads in disapproval at the decadent rich - "a $50 hamburger, what's the world coming to?" while those with money to burn get to feel very ironic and high-low (the pinnacle of this attitude can be found at Las Vegas's Palms casino, where they'll serve you a $6 Carl's Jr. burger with a 24-year-old bottle of French Bordeaux for $6,000).

For a brief history of the trend, see this story on Forbes Traveler. There's a slideshow of haute burgers, from the six-pack of Kobe sliders at the Continental in Atlantic City to the $150 truffle-stuffed version at DB Bistro Moderne to the $5,000 burger n' 1990 Chateau Petrus combo at Fleur de Lys in Vegas.

As one chef put it, "We're going to paint the town with foie gras."

Um, that might be taking it a little far, but okay.

After just over a year of the law that banned restaurants from serving foie gras, the city of Chicago has done an about-face, making the fatty liver of ducks and geese available to diners. Many parties are involved with the issue of serving foie gras in Chicago restaurants, from animal rights activists to restaurant owners to foie gras producers, and even to those interested in the political process in Chicago's city administration.

Maryland state legislators have stepped away from a bill that could have banned foie gras in the state. Key legislators withdrew support after the bill's hearing March 4th, despite a legion of animal rights activists pushing for the bill. Apparently, the legislators decided that it was not their place to intervene.

Maryland isn't the first state to toy with the idea of banning foie gras -- similar battles have been staged in Philadelphia, Chicago (which successfully banned it) and California (where selling or raising it will be illegal by 2012). Anyone care to weigh in -- should governments step in to ban foie gras?

Foie gras is one of the most controversial ingredients in the food world these days. Chicago has banned it and California has a law on the books that will make it illegal to sell or raise foie gras in that state by 2012. Here in Philadelphia, a city councilman has proposed a ban similar to the one passed in Chicago. There's a local group called Hugs for Puppies that targets area restaurants that serve foie gras and stages large protests in front of those establishments.

Now area restaurateurs are fighting back, having formed a group called Philadelphia Chefs for Choice that is championing the cause of foie gras throughout the city. During the week of October 1st, twenty local restaurants will be serving foie gras specials on their lunch and dinner menus for just $5. They say in their press release, "In the city of Philadelphia, the birthplace of American liberty, we want to keep the right to serve foie gras."

If you need a little more information about how foie gras is raised, check out Liver Let Die, a balanced article about how Hudson Valley Foie Gras treats their animals.

Photo link

I know some people love it and others think it sounds pretty horrible, but personally I've always been a big fan of regular Poutine - crispy french fries smothered in gravy with cheese curds throughout. But this? Well, I have no idea what to even categorize this under exactly - food porn, perhaps? Maybe food oddities? Regardless, this is definitely something that you just don't see everyday.

Rob at Hungry In Hogtown has created his own version of Foie Gras Poutine with Horse Fat Fries, based on a recipe from Montreal-based restaurant Au Pied de Cochon, which features a veal demi-glace, artisanal sheep's milk cheese for his fresh cheese curds, seared foie gras, and his (soon to be infamous?) horse fat fries. Rich and decadent? Definitely. Controversial? Absolutely. But it certainly ranks as the most unique recipe I have seen on the web all week. Maybe even all month.

Just before New Year's Eve we learned from Nicole that several eateries in the Windy City intended to transform themselves into duckeasies to ring in the new year. That's right, they planned on serving foie gras in spite of the city's recent ban on the sale of the luxurious liver.

Yesterday I read that several Chicago restaurants and specialty markets are continuing to flout the ban. At Hot Doug's, a gourmet sausage store, the owner continues to sell foie gras and has framed his warning letter as a point of pride.

While some restaurants such as Sweets & Savories continue to openly sell foie gras, others have devised creative ways to fly under the radar as it were. Rumor has it that ordering the "special lobster" at several restaurants will help you score a plate of the banned delicacy.

And the award for the most straightforward way to skirt the ban goes to Bin 36, which also has the dubious honor of being the only eatery inspected to date. It seems the restaurant wasn't actually selling foie gras, it was giving it away. Well, not quite giving it away. The menu offered a complimentary foie gras terrine with its wild mushroom confit salad. The inspectors neglected to ask whether the salad would cost as much without the terrine. As anyone who's ever purchased any foie gras can tell you, it wouldn't.

Funny post over at Boston.com's Dig blog. They list a number of items that you can get with $50, including the season two box set of Grey's Anatomy, a car model, and an entire dinner at one of Boston's finest restaurants. Or, you could get one omelet.

That's what they're offering for brunch at Tremont 647 in Boston. And before you say, "$50 for, what, a ham and cheese omelet?!", note that it is stuffed with foie gras, lobster, shrimp and steak (gah - except for the steak and eggs it sounds like my meal in hell).

I've often wondered what I would eat if I was ridiculously wealthy. Would I start eating at the finest restaurants all the time? Would I eat only the best steaks? Would I have a personal chef? Would I spend money on $50 omelets and other expensive foods we always here about, like $100 hamburgers and $10,000 bottles of champagne? If I was ridiculously rich? Yeah, probably.

In spite of the laws in Chicago and the thread of a fine if they are broken, many Chicago area chefs are planning on turning their restaurants in to "duckeasies" for New Year's Eve diners, adding foie gras to one or more menu items on the grounds that the "holidays just wouldn't be the same without a little fattened liver." Restaurants that will be serving foie gras include Gioco, Wave in the W Hotel Lakeshore and Cyrano's Bistrot & Wine Bar, among others.

City health officials are not surprised by the news, saying that there are some restaurants that never stopped serving the stuff. Health inspectors say that looking for the fatty livers is "without question the least-important thing [they]'re called upon to do" and some chefs even report that their health inspectors have turned a blind eye to it when it is in plain sight.

Like Adam and Meg before me, I was recently given the opportunity to sample some of the foie gras from Mirepoix USA, arguably the best distributor of foie gras in the country and certainly the most accessible. Unlike my fellow bloggers, however, I opted to go for the already prepared Whole Duck Foie Gras w/ Armagnac Au Torchon Style instead of starting from scratch with the whole duck liver. I invited a group of friends and family, ranging in ages from 10 to 80, over to share the foie gras. For most of them, it was their first experience with the product and everyone seemed excited about the impromptu dinner party. Almost everyone had some prior knowledge of the controversy that surrounds the delicacy, but any pangs of conscience were overridden by hunger pangs and curiosity. That may be a bit of an overstatement, so let's just say that no strong feelings either way were expressed.

Having encountered it more than once in a restaurant, I am not a complete neophyte to foie gras, but I had never before prepared it or served it at home. I opted to serve the foie gras in two ways. First, I served toast points with slices of foie gras and fig preserves. The liver is very fatty (obviously) and the jam serves to lighten the heaviness of it on the palate, as well as to add some dimension to the flavor.

There are a lot of different types of foodies, from those who love to cook at home to those who eat out exclusively, those who relish a great selection of seasonal veggies and those to whom meat is the most important part of a meal. No matter what types of food they fancy, there is going to be something out there, something extraordinary, that will make your favorite foodie's mouth water with anticipation. It could very well be one of the items on our list here. These are top of the line gifts, so some are quite expensive, but each and every one will be well-appreciated.

You can't go wrong with a good balsamic vinegar. It makes a wonderful addition to salads, as well as to sauces and marinades for all kinds of meat and vegetables. If you get a really good one, aged 25-50 years, the flavor will be rich and strong to the point where you might only need a drop or two to finish of a main dish or dessert. Aceto balsamico di Modena and balsamico di Reggio Emilia are the best types you can get, and they'll cost quite a bit more than the average grocery store brand, but are well worth it. Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena - 25 Years, $150.

Say it ain't so. Scant weeks after the furor over New York City's proposed ban on trans fats, a small movement to ban foie gras arose in my fair city. Thankfully, Gotham has not yet followed in Chicago's footsteps.

Earlier this week Alan Gerson, a member of the New York City Council, decided not to introduce legislation that would keep the luscious fatty liver out of markets and restaurants. He held off on the ban pending further investigation. One can only hope that his research includes the ingestion of a lobe or three and a bottle of Sauternes.

For the record, the proposal for the ban came from League of Humane Voters of New York City. I'm still not entirely sure that foie gras is inhumane toward geese, but these days I'm starting to side with my fellow gourmands. My stance is partly due to an open letter regarding the proposed ban. Granted the detailed and well-argued missive comes from Ariane Daguin, the founder and owner of D'Artagnan. That aside, I'm with Gerson. Further investigation is required. I intend to start with my evening repast.

[via: Gothamist]

What ever is a food blogger to do when offered a free lobe of foie gras from Mirepoix USA? One option is to do nothing. Another is to call Peta and complain. The best option, however, is to gather recipe suggestions, find a second blogger who received one and challenge her to a virtual face-off over who can prepare the better torchon of foie gras. In this case, the showdown was between Adam, the Amateur Gourmet, and Meg, of Megnut. Take a look at Adam's account of his adventures with the fatty liver, as well as at Meg's account from her kitchen. Since we weren't there to taste either of the finished products, we only have photos and Adam's video of his friends' reactions to the tasting to help us decide whose cuisine, in this case, reigns supreme.

Also, if you think that foie gras comes in those nice little rounds you see above, think again. Click past the jump to see what it looks like as it is being prepared.

Appreciating sushi involves a learning curve for non-Japanese. I know that's an obvious statement just as sure as I know I still haven't yet crested that subtle, briny wave. After I realized sushi has nothing to do with Philadelphia rolls and such, things got interesting. I learned that if you ask your sushi chef what's in season, you'll be richly rewarded.

Yesterday was a perfect example. For weeks I'd been inquiring about ankimo, since I know it's available in the fall. I was pleased to hear that I happened to visit my local spot on the first day this year that they were serving what many call the foie gras of the sea.

Ankimo, or monkfish liver, with its pink to orange color and rich melting texture, is very much like foie gras and has scarcely any oceanic flavor . It also has the distinction of coming from one of the gnarliest looking fish out there. The liver is prepared by first steaming, then chilling and finally slicing it up. It's dressed with ponzu sauce and perhaps some spicy roe. I usually order ankimo sashimi, so I can get an opulent portion.

Last year I was lucky enough to sit down at the sushi bar just as they were about to chill the warm ankimo. The owner bestowed a few slices on me. The warm, creamy liver melted on my tongue evoking a swoonworthy memory of the first time I tried foie gras. Oishii!

Assemblywoman Joan Voss is disgusted by foie gras.

But she doesn't want to go the way of Chicago and ban the sale and serving of it. Voss simply wants to regulate how it's produced. She wrote a bill that would prohibit farmers from force-feeding ducks and geese through tubes. "I don't care if people eat it. My bill just says produce it in a humane way."

Such a regulation doesn't go without opponents. Foie gras distributors in New Jersey would lose millions of dollars in sales.

Chicago's foie gras ban went into effect last week (and has already had its first violation!). Philadelphia and New York state officials have also discussed outlawing production and sales. California currntly has a ban on force-feeding poultry.

Chicago's ban against the sale of foie gras has been in effect for just one week, and one chef has already been given a warning for a violation of the ban. Chef Rick Spiros, from the restaurant Block 44, served eight orders of foie gras on Friday night simply to use up several "leftover" pieces of the expensive stuff. The violation was discovered when an anonymous caller tipped off city officials, but Spiros says that it was a "one-time thing" - unless the injunction seeking to stop enforcement of the law takes effect and restaurants are permitted to serve the delicacy again.

If the restaurant receives a second violation, they will be forced to pay a fine.