French cuisine: Delicious home made foie gras at a friendly price

One thing you should never miss when you travel is to try local cuisine!

When I travel, I never forget to include at least one meal at a nice traditional restaurant in my itinerary for each city I visit. I believe that learning about their local cuisine, as part of their culture, is a valuable experience too. 

Talking about French cuisine,
I'm sure you've heard of a luxury food product mainly produced in the south west region of France.. >>> FOIE GRAS.

The French law even states that "Foie gras belongs to the protected culture and gastronomical heritage of France."

Do you know how it's made?

Foie gras is made of the liver of a duck or goose that has been specially fattened by force-feeding corn with a feeding tube, and we call this process "gavage".

Foie-gras can be prepared in many different ways. For cold preparations, you can make it a moose, paté, or terrine while for hot preparations you can have it roased, sauteed, pan-seared, or grilled.

If you're looking for a place to try a delicious foie gras at a friendly price (17 - 20 euros per dish), Le Comptoir de la Gastronomie should fit your needs. I discovered this restaurant a year ago and still keep going back every time I feel like having some foie gras in a cozy atmosphere.

But wait!!! Even if you're not a fan of foie gras, this place is still highly recommended! Although this old restaurant are widely-known for foie gras, people do come for many other classic French dishes, such as Onion soup, Escargots de Bourgogne (Burgundy snails), Parmentier de confit de canard (Duck confit), Homemade French smoked salmon, Pork cheeks stew, Chicken breast stuffed with herbs and fresh girolles, etc.

 

Let me tempt you with the pictures of some dishes I had there.. starting with a rich French onion soup which was actually quite heavy for an entrée. Next, unless you're a foie gras-hater, I strongly suggest you try this delicate home made duck foie gras terrine with chutney and toast.. try and you will understand why people love it!

Enjoying my super cheesy Onion Soup

Home-made duck foie gras with chutney and toast

Now let's move on to the main course. Again, if you like foie gras, pan-seared duck foie gras won't disappoint you. Although I have to warn you that it's very rich and you might not want to finish the whole thing alone. 

Escalope de foie gras poêlée (Pan-seared duck foie gras)

Magret de canard or a seared duck breast, a famous dish from south western France, is also my favorite. This dish you will taste a very thick but soft and juicy duck breast dressed with a sweet sauce that gives a honey and orange flavor.

 Magret de canard (Seared duck breast)

  

Filet de boeuf façon Rossini (Rossini beef fillet)

But I have to say I never get to try any dessert there yet, because I'm always too full after entrée, main course, and some little bites from other people's dishes. LOL

By the way, for those who love to enhance a dish with a nice drink, the restaurant offers a wide selection of champagne, wine and spirits that you can pair your dish with.

Me and my pan-seared duck foie gras

Le Comptoir de la Gastronomy is a small cozy restaurant, so if you plan to go there, a reservation might be a good idea. To reserve a table, call 01 42 33 31 32.

The restaurant is located in the first (oldest) arrondissement of Paris, opened from 12.00 - 23.00 on Monday - Thursday, and from 12.00 - 24.00 on Friday and Saturday. (closed on Sunday)

Address: 34 Rue Montmartre, 75001 Paris