The Foie Gras And Sea Urchin Espressos That Kept Me Up All Night
While sitting at my desk yesterday contemplating changing my last name to “Burger,” I began to doze off. In my sleepy state, I heard a rumor that a restaurant in Pasadena, CA, served an espresso made with foie gras.
Holy shit, I couldn’t tell if that sounded disgusting or delicious, but I was more than ready to seek it out. I grabbed fellow writer Reach and hopped into my car ready for a foie gras adventure.
We arrived at Alexander’s Steakhouse in Downtown Pasadena where were were seated at the bar. It was right at the peak of Happy Hour and folks were ready to get their booze on after a long day of work.
I asked the bartender if she served an espresso made with foie gras. She confirmed it and, shortly after, brought us a cup they called Kuki to sip on.
Two hours in traffic we sat through, waiting for this beverage.
You can definitely taste the foie gras right off the bat. While subtle at first, the flavor gets more and more intense as you get to the bottom of the cup. The top is filled with a smooth foam, while the middle is a tad oily. Finally, when you get to the bottom, you can easily find chunks of foie gras settling at the base.
The bartender was eager to hear our thoughts, as she had never tried the drink before. Not many customers had. As we happily gave her our review, she mentioned there were two other espressos on the menu we needed to try.
One was made with Wagyu fat and the other with Uni (sea urchin).
I quickly looked at Reach who gave me a nod of approval. We ordered the drinks.
The Wagyu fat, called Tochi, didn’t taste too crazy. The sweetness from the chocolate and honey overpowered the fat, but it made for a pretty delicious dose of caffeine. Probably the most normal of the trio.
While I was sipping on the Wagyu espresso, Reach had just done the same to the Uni. His eyes lit up like it was Christmas. The dude isn’t normally a coffee drinker, so when he says to try it, I don’t hesitate.
The foie gras was good, but the there was something about the uni beverage they named Umi that blended so well with the espresso. Hands down the best of the three. At the bottom, like the foie gras, you can clearly spot bits of sea urchin swimming about.
The three drinks were definitely a cool take on espressos.
After a jittery car ride home, I spent the rest of the night watching New Girl episodes on Netflix. Can’t handle three espressos after 5pm any more. Not if I want to sleep at a decent hour.
You can get the espresso trio for $30, or $10 a piece.
