Also known as piballes, these squirmy little critters come from a river in Maine, where the Browne Trading Company gets them from whomever goes fishing for such things.

Then, they find their way to Daniel (and a select few other multi-starred temples of gastronomy in NYC) where the James Beard  Restaurant of the Year 2010 and uber-chef Daniel Boulud springs them on special customers as a little amuse bouche…a small, lively little something to stimulate and titillate your gueule.

We were surprised to say the least, when they showed up at our table a night before the Beard awards. Having had them once before (at DJT) we remembered the powerful punch of their briny mouth-feel, and the light tomato and caper broth they came in let the taste of  these subtle-y fishy, salty and rich little elvers come through. They’re not for everyone (in more ways than one) but the taste is one of the rarest in the world of gourmet delicacies, and we were honored to have a porti0n bestowed upon us.

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