While the food press has turned the benign foie gras ban into the gastronomic Brown v. Board of Education of our lifetime, you won't likely see the fattened liver off too many menus come Monday. Yet some chefs are getting creative. They're mad as hell and shan't take it anymore. LA-based chef Michael Cimarusti will leave a blank space on his menus with an inscription that simply says, "formerly a foie gras dish." (Not since Rosa Parks sat in the VIP section have we been this moved.)
Meanwhile, an article in Bloomberg reported that Incanto owner Mark Pastore might start charging a "foie-kage fee," similar to a corkage fee, but would allow the chef to prepare meat purchased in another state. However, SFist talked Pastore who explained, "No, we actually do have no plans to do that. I was responding to a question where the reporter asked me if that [a foie-kage fee] would be legal. I was musing, 'Hmm, a foie-kage fee? I guess it would be legal.' But we currently don't have any plans to do any such thing. Although it sounds like a great idea."
Overall, the ban won't be enforced, overwrought loopholes seem to exist, and — seeing as how authorities will ignore the provision about selling, especially since the liver will now come from out of state — it's a bit of a non-story. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't check out some of the impassioned foie gras dinners happening this weekend.
Later today, SFist will also have a brief rundown of foie gras you shouldn't miss. If violently fattened duck liver is your thing, that is.