June 30, 2012 was the last day that a California restaurant could legally serve foie gras. What better place to say farewell to foie other than at Incanto? Chef Chris Cosentino and owner Mark Pastore have championed and endured protests regarding service of foie gras in the past.
Eating at the bar is definitely the place to be since you can order from their “Odds and Ends” board that offers off-the-menu daily specials. Here’s a great example from a previous visit of what can be ordered off the specials board – a huge piece of Chicharrón (pork rind) served with various dipping sauces:
But on this night, we ate both their foie specials along with 2 other items from the O&E board. Most of the specials that night featured slivers of summer truffles, so what could possibly go wrong with some liver served with pungent truffles?
We started with the foie gras crudo with hints of douglas fir pine and blueberries(!). The squash blossoms stuffed with baccalao was perfectly enhanced by tomato and basil:
Next up was beef tongue with seared foie and purslane:
Incanto also served up some legal liver in the form of chicken liver raviolis topped with summer truffles:
Lastly, as a final send-off, we had the foie gras ice cream:
It was a great way to say farewell to foie for now (at least here in California) – may it one day come back soon.
December 2014 Update: Sadly, Incanto closed in March. You can find Chef Cosentino at Cockscomb.
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