Finding Foie – Shin-Sen-Gumi Yakitori’s Hudson Valley Foie Gras

People get finicky over trivial things because of how “viral” those things get. For example, the world goes into an uproar over the death of one lion, yet hundreds of people get murdered on a daily basis. According to human nature, people get deeply involved with things that have no direct impact on their lives. A few years ago, California voted to ban the sale of foie gras due to the inhumane method of procuring it. That ban lifted earlier this year, but all the negative propaganda the past few years means that many restaurants still fear serving it. Little by little, Californian restaurants have slowly integrated foie gras back into their menus, and by now, people can savor this delectable delight in select places, such as at Shin-Sen-Gumi Yakitori in Gardena.

Southern Californian food fans swear by the name Shin-Sen-Gumi. Heralded as one of the premier Japanese restaurants of Southern California, Shin-Sen-Gumi does not follow American norms in terms of in-house dining. All of the staff at any Shin-Sen-Gumi live by the traditional eastern culture, as apparent by the shouting of the staff inside. At a normal restaurant, staff communicate face-to-face. At Shin-Sen-Gumi, staff shout their orders overhead for EVERYONE in the restaurant to hear – you can kind of hear it in this video. Shin-Sen-Gumi restaurants fall into a number of different categories based on what they serve. This post focuses on their Yakitori restaurants, a category that focuses on small eats A.K.A. tapas style. Three of these exist in Southern California: Gardena, Monterey Park, and Fountain Valley. I recently visited the Gardena location and discovered that they do indeed serve seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras from their Specials menu. I had not savored foie gras in years, so having this opportunity presented in front of me again meant I had to brace myself for the incoming wave of meaty goodness about to attack my face.

Sure it costs $14.50 for a small piece of this seared piece of animal fat, but how often do people get to treat themselves like this? I obtained this from the Gardena location, so I do not know if the Monterey Park or Fountain Valley locations carry this.

Finding Foie: The Playground’s 6 oz Grade A Hudson Valley Foie Gras “Burger”

Today is the last day to enjoy Foie Gras in California before the CA Foie Gras ban settles in. That being said, there is little time to consume as much of this delicacy as you can before you have to find alternate means of acquiring foie gras. Luckily, there is a place where you can consume a large portion of foie gras in one sitting. When I say large portion, I mean more than what the average person should consume in a day. Of course you could settle with The Playground‘s small foie gras dishes, but you ought to take a look at their 6 oz Grade A Hudson Valley Foie Gras “Burger” before ordering anything else.

There are no words to describe this burger. You are receiving a “burger” made entirely of foie gras… six ounces of it. The average human should not consume more than two ounces daily – any more than that greatly increases cholesterol levels. The intensity of this foie gras will linger in your mouth for days, and you will savor the foie gras’ aftertaste for that long too. You would expect such a fine dish to come with great add-ons. Unfortunately, The Playground never actually describes what is on the burger. In every menu iteration, it simply says Foie Gras “Burger” and nothing more. I can say that there are some kind of caramelized onions (or shallots), a mustard sauce, and lettuce. If there was anything else, it got lost in the madness of the burger. If you want to experience burger madness, this all can be yours for $50 at The Playground in Downtown Santa Ana.

Long Live Foie Gras!