Yesterday, we got an email from fearless reader Diana, alerting us not only to the out-of-dateness of our Alinea menu (to be fair, only by a week and a half!), but also, and far more interestingly, that the new “Tour” menu lists “Foie Gras with spicy cinnamon and apple pâte de fruit” as the sixth item from the bottom! We don’t even have to tell you why that’s incendiary and scintillating; it would insult your worldliness.
So we called them up and spoke to a very nice woman named Julie, who explained that the FG (which is indeed foie and not faux) is not really on the menu, and instead, the listing serves to indicate to guests what form a little freebie from the kitchen might take if the chef deems the diner so worthy. God knows what sort of groveling and davening is required to earn such a bestowal. But for it to be possible for some people to get it, it must be impossible for everyone to get it (lest it be a salable item and not a gift), and even then, it obviously violates the spirit of the ordinance. Then again, so does everyone else, isn’t it. And if anyone deserves to do it these days, it’s Alinea. Capisce?
