The best chicken in the world

Last week I had dinner with a couple of my French friends at a Japanese fusion restaurant called San San Trois. It has become one of my favorite places to go, because some of their specialties are just so amazing. And we always have the same courses.

We always start out with two types of sushi: seared toro, where the delicious fat just melts in your mouth; and foie gras sushi, where the foie gras is pan-fried and is then paired with rice and nori. A great way to start dinner.

Then, if the restaurant happens to have it, we would order the "neck" of the tuna, the part between the gills and the rest of the fish. This is roasted and again the fat is really delicious. The dark meat of the tuna here actually makes a good match with red wines.

What usually follows is the pièce de résistance: the Bresse chicken. These are free range chickens which were the first to achieve appellation origin controlée (AOC) status in France. They are pretty big birds and are simply gorgeous when they are roasted, feet and all. This is why we come to this restaurant and it never disappoints. I think it's the most delicious chicken in the world.

Finally, we end up with the US ribeye which is also wonderful. It may not have the buttery fat of wagyu, but it is oh-so-tender and they can actually do it bleu the way Frenchies like it. By this time, the three of us are completely stuffed, but also completely satisated.

BTW, the wines we had were the 1999 Didier Dagueneau Blanc Fume de Pouilly Pur Sang, from one of the best Loire winemakers today; and the 1990 Jayer-Gilles Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Hauts Poirets.