Day 205

Foie Gras Torchon: Today's post is being written just under the wire, and it was definitely a last minute surprise. I attended my first ever "Tweetup" tonight at the Livingston Hotel in Atlanta, and I was fortunate enough to be invited to dinner at Top Flr afterward with some new faces I'd just met. It's funny how you can have daily contact with so many people via Facebook and Twitter and never put a face with the name, but tonight that came to an end. I met several of my followers, and luckily, they were all super nice.

Anyway, onto the food. If you aren't familiar with Top Flr, you should be. It's one of my favorite restaurants in town, and its sister restaurant, The Sound Table, is just as good. Even though their menu is eclectic and tasty, I wasn't sure if I'd find anything brand new to me tonight. After ordering a cocktail (an insanely good concoction called a "Strange Horse"), I scanned the menu for something blog-worthy. I thought I'd struck out at first, but then I noticed something really interesting: foie gras torchon with candied apricot & saffron jelly, served with crostini. I've had foie gras in a terrine before, but never in torchon form.

What's a torchon? I had that same question a few months ago when I saw it on TV, and it actually refers to a method of cooking where the foie gras is placed inside a towel (torchon) or cheesecloth and poached. I had no idea what Top Flr's would look like, but when our bartender brought my dish, I was surprised. The foie was actually sliced into 4 small discs, and the jelly/crostini was served on the side.

After knocking out a killer starter of parsnip soup w/truffled yolk and parmesan croutons, I was ready to attack the foie gras. I decided to try a bit of it alone before smearing it on the crostini with some jelly, and I was glad I did. If you've never had foie gras, you're missing out. Imagine eating a chunk of butter, only richer and fattier, and you'll have a good idea of what it's about. It's not something I can handle much of due to it's richness, but this torchon was awesome. The apricot/saffon jelly added a nice tartness when spread on the crostini with the foie, and I could have gladly eaten more of this if it weren't so rich (and unfortunately, expensive). I've never had foie in its pure form until tonight, and I'm really glad I finally experienced it.

On another note, I just did some research on how the foie gras torchon is prepared, and it's a fairly laborious process. Thanks to Top Flr for taking the time - it was delicious. Oh, and thanks to Sarah for the great photo!