Foie gras seared, not as pate - available? How to ask?

I look forward to seeing what native speakers say because I am not sure that you need to know how to ask. My husband loves foie gras whether it is poêlé or not and so we are always looking for places that are known for serving it. I happen to loathe it but can almost deal with it if it is not poêlé so we are always checking the foie gras description on menus. I don't recall ever seeing the words "foie gras" without the word "poêlé" on a menu and the ensuing dish was hot. Every time the dish has been hot the description has included the word "poêlé." In fact, as an aside that is how I learned wha the word poêlé means when he ordered foie gras for us to share and we thought it would be cold because at the time we did not know that foie gras could be served warm and so did not ask what poêlé meant. It will be interesting to hear from native speakers if "foie gras" alone can mean anything but what you refer to as a pate or terrine.

The poster above has it right, the seared dish is always known as "foie gras poêlé", whereas foie gras full stop will be a pâté/terrine--and is far more common. And don't be fooled by foie gras "mi-cuit", it's also a pâté.

I love the seared foie gras as well and have had it only a few times. Can anyone recommend a restaurant where it is currently on the menu? We have had it at La Cordonnerie and at L'Inititial but it wasn't on the menu the last time we went to each of these places.

A lesson on Foie Gras: :)

Technically it's not a paté, and it certainly shouldn't be a terrine. The paste-like texture of foie gras comes from the raw liver itself, not from being processed.. The best foie gras never encounters any heat in its preparation, the "cooking" comes from the salt/wine it encounters whilst being prepared. "Mi-cuite" means foie gras that has been heated whilst being prepared - great for cheap stuff that goes into tins, ok for picnics (and Amercicans to take home) - but not considered the best quality. It may sometimes arrive at the table warm, but the mi-cuite refers to the original processing (heated rather than cured).

If you are offered terrine it usually means it's been through a blender at some stage, and could contain many things not liver related.

As for "seared" foie gras, it's not something I have encountered. It may be I haven't encountered it because it's not tradition (at least not around here), and we tend not to go to restaurants where they get all jiggy with traditional ingredients. I notice its traditional in Alsace, but you can only use uncooked foie for searing. We sometimes put a slice on top of a steak whilst we are cooking it, but that's a special Christmas eve tradition, and we can afford to do so because we prepare our own foie every year.

Finally - and most importantly - it should never be treated as a paté. Never spread it , especially if you want to "look local". Cut a slice that is as thick as the piece of bread you are eating it on and do no more.

If you want to know more about foie gras we hagve written extensively about it on our blog https://daysontheclaise.blogspot.com/search?q=foie

(all of this is written from a Loire Valley point of view. As usual, other points of view are equally valid, except for just being plain wrong!!)

What fantastic info -- thank you!! I've learned just what I needed to know from your answers, JHK and balso, and Simon -- wow! -- I learned what I didn't even know I needed to know, too. Despite it being non-traditional, I do share Janet's interest in recommended restaurants serving foie gras poêlé.

For seared foie gras, try Le Comptoir de la Gastronomie on Rue Montmartre in the 1st arrondissement. It is also served sometimes at L'Avant Comptoir on Carrefour de l'Odéon in the 6th. L'Avant Comptoir is usually crowded. It is a wine bar with the emphasis on bar because unless you luck out and get one of the two tables in back, you will be standing the entire time. Try going on a weekday at around 10:30 AM or 2:30 PM to avoid the crowd.

We've encountered seared foie gras in France many times, often, but not exclusively, in the countryside.

The seared foie gras we had as one of the entrees at L'Initial is one of the tastiest things I have ever eaten -- their menu changes and so it wasn't on the rotation when we last ate there, but it sure was fabulous when we had it.

Thanks all! I'll come back to let you know if I encounter foie gras poêlé anywhere else while we're there.

Just to report back...

Foie gras poêlé was indeed the phrase to look for, and while we didn't find it on as many menus as the more traditional preparations, it wasn't entirely uncommon, either. We saw it on many menus we walked by, and ordered it at two dinners, practically next door to one another in the 7th: Firmin Le Barbier and Au Bon Accueil. At the former, it was seared perfectly, so while the preparation was a little plain, it was delicious. At the latter, it was overcooked to a texture I associate more with whole chicken livers, but the preparation was an inventive and successful combination. Each was very enjoyable, and the foie gras from the former served like the latter would have been a complete knockout.

Thanks again for the help!