Meunier Gourmet Specialties

Exhibit A of why, in terms of raison d’etre, France, more than any other nation or culture, gets it and always has.
Meunier is a tiny specialty concern that does not sell retail (it has plans to do so). During the recent Madison Sq Park Eats Festival i stumbled upon their unassuming booth, at which point i spent all my pocket money and would have brought more if i had known what i was going to be getting into. Meunier himself is a small frenchman, exceedingly polite and gracious, a determined lover/​advocate of food of uncompromised high quality.
They sell pâté, somewhat loosely defined to include chicken liver mousse, duck rillette, and tradional country pâté. all are rich in fat. more than rich. goldfinger rich. total decadence, a dreamland where only flavor matters.
the mousse is marinated in port, then mixed with pork fat. yup. silky and creamy and extraordinarily flavorful. and it’s kind of pink, which is a kick.
the rillette is basically shredded duck from leg meat, then slow-​cooked in duck fat. yup. no fillers, just the duck, ma’am. duck fat. whew.
the pâté is pork-​based, wrapped in a thin layer of pork back fat. it’s more coarsely textured and comes with cornichons. add the baguette and when you are done you will sleep for a week.
back in the old avenue B days, when it was a thrill to frequent what seemed a very upscale East Village Cheese, i would sometimes splurge on their pâté, thinking i was living pretty high on the hog so to speak. grateful as i am for that opportunity, i really had no idea what it was all about: compare a potted plant with a national forest, or something like that.
i thank my good fortune for finding meunier’s little stand during the last hour of the last day of the Festival, and i look forward to the day when they get their retail operation off the ground so that the masses can partake of what thus far has been available only to the hotel and restaurant trades.
we will eat, we will get heart disease, and we will die happily.
om veritas. urp!