Balthazar Duck Confit

When Kristy arrived for her quick little visit I took her straight to the place that I think every NYC tourist (and nontourist alike) should go--Balthazar. Even though I have an obvious French bias and even though Balthazar is French--not American--I think it qualifies as an ambassador to the city. It reflects NYC's breadth of culture, diversity, food, wine, atmosphere, and leisure dining. You can't leave Balthazar without feeling love for those around you and the city surrounding you. Once you pass through 3 sets of doors you're swept up immediately in the bustle of the dining room, bar, and hostess stand....asked if you want sparkling or flat water....given rustic artisan bread and butter....and presented with a menu that features anything from Foie Gras to Onion Tart to Steak Frites. Wooosh! We're not in Applebee's anymore, Toto.

Normally at Balthazar I order Moules Frites. Because hey, it's Moules Frites. Can ya go wrong? But this time I decided to try something new and boy am I happy I did. This time I ordered the Duck Confit. I did so because my mom and I had the Duck Confit at Casa Mono the week prior and theirs was fantas-TIC! I asked the bartender exactly what "confit" means and he explained that it's when you cook something in its own juices. So. Duck....cooked in duck fat. sign me up. I once read that the secret to any good french fry is frying in duck fat so I knew I couldn't go wrong.

Ingredients as follows:

Duck leg crisped and cooked in duck fat
wild mushrooms
paper thin sliced potato

*Key Ingredient: duck fat*

The duck meat was so tender, juicy and crispy on the outside that it slid off the bone with barely any effort on my end. I can't describe how delicious a forkful of duck, mushroom and potato is--it's heavenly. You have to close your eyes to fully enjoy and savor these bites. Duck confit is the way to go. I am a lifetime believer in the confit way of cooking. If it's on the menu I'm going to order it. Garlic confit. Pear confit. Duck. Ahhhh. This was savory at its absolute best.