The Current got goosed in last week’s QueQue. Central Texas Animal Defense picketed Bistro Vatel September 15 because chef and owner Damien Watel serves foie gras — the duck/goose-liver delicacy produced through gavage, force-feeding with tubes — on the heels of a press release announcing that local fine-dining establishments Biga on the Banks, Las Canarias, and Le Rêve were no longer selling it. A trip to Biga seemed to confirm this, and the Las Canarias order comes from owner Omni, but Le Rêve’s Andrew Weissman didn’t call back before press time. Post-deadline, however, he told us that while it’s true he wasn’t serving foie gras when CTAD called, it is, in fact, on his menu. “A little information is a dangerous thing,” says Weissman of the protestors, adding that purveyor Hudson Valley uses the entire bird, including feathers. More on this discomfort food soon.
In the meantime, avoid (most) controversy at the Pearl Parkway farmers market Fridays from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. (just off 281 at Grayson) The crops are back in full force — look for tomatoes, okra, yellow squash, and honey this week, and perhaps greens — but, says organizer Brian Montgomery, they need more customers to make it worth the farmers’ effort.
