Meat butter. That's the way foie gras is most often described, and the torchon at Étoile is the perfect example. It's almost gamey but delicate at the same time, and when rolled into a torchon — so named for the dish towel in which it's wrapped — and cooked in a double boiler, the fatty duck or goose liver can be spread onto toast much like butter. At Étoile, chef Philippe Verpiand makes the torchon himself, trimming, seasoning, wrapping, simmering then compressing and chilling the fatty liver into an incredible dish using techniques he learned in France. And oh, is Étoile's foie like soft butter on your tongue! Pink, smooth, creamy, ringed with a thin layer of light-yellow fat, not a hint of grit or vein, no sour flavor, no crumbly texture. The attention Verpiand pays to the preparation of this small but important dish is impeccable.