In the US, for decadent and festive occasions we have roast turkey and the works. In France, they have foie gras. In case you didn’t know, foie gras is duck liver. It’s decadent, high in fat content, and delicious. It comes in the form of a flaky pastry, or a circle ready to be spread onto toast.
My close high school friend, Emily, is leaving Paris soon, and she wanted to splurge before leaving. That is how I found myself at one of the coolest dining experiences I’ve had so far in Paris. Au Petit Sud Ouest is a little, unassuming place that I walked right past before doubling back to enter what I had thought was just a butcher shop. Behind the counter selling duck in every form was a cozy little restaurant with genuinely friendly waiters, which always a pleasant surprise in Paris. The menu consisted entirely of duck: half a dozen types of foie gras, fried duck, duck stew, duck confit…
You really can’t go wrong at Au Petit Sud Ouest (assuming you like duck, of course! Vegetarians, you are out of luck). I ordered duck stew sautéed in red wine and accompanied by golden brown fried potatoes. Emily and her friend started with fried duck covered in a tasty brown sauce, and then finished with the duck confit. We ordered a red wine to go with our meal (the cheapest on the menu of course, we are students after all!), which made for the perfect accompaniment.
Nothing could be more perfect on a chill December night than some duck stew and catching up with a best friend. I left the meal reveling once again in how incredible my semester abroad has been.