eating out

It's a testament to the size of this city that there are several "cult" paleo restaurants frequented by various "tribes." I don't know all of them and most of them I know from the grapevine, but Crossfit South Brooklyn's are Bierkraft (ask for the paleo "muffin") and Palo Santo. Apparently Crossfit Virtuosity's is Fette Sau, a famous Williamsburg BBQ place. Lately Eating Paleo in NYC's has been Takashi, which serves Korean-Style Japanese BBQ in the West Village. John and I have entertained various people here, including the reporter for a show that will be airing in January. Last Weekend we hosted the Eades alongside Jenna from Lean Machine NYC. All I can say is that it's great to meet authors that look as good in person as we're supposed to look on this diet. Remember, if you are representing paleo or high-fat it's your absolute responsibility to look as sexy as possible.

So about Takashi: imagine a temple of meat. The walls are decorated with praises to the wonders of liver and the health benefits of short ribs. Underrated cuts of meat are elevated to the point where eating liver is a joy and not a chore. Did I mention they serve their liver raw? It's fresh from the farm and marinated in a bit of sesame oil. You dip it in a bit of sea salt and it tastes like good fresh bluefin tuna. There is no hint of the deep bloody mineral taste that makes liver normally such a difficult meat to sell. Now that we are overfishing bluefin, perhaps this is the future of sushi? I did try to replicate this at home (I was unsuccessful) and my roommate's horrified reaction reminded me that this is not something normal people eat. But they would want it if they just tried it once here! This is the sort of place where you should go to dive into offal because they do it so well.

The first course is raw grassfed meat, the second is thin slices that you BBQ at the table's grill. Both are very good. The chuck tartare, liver, and spicy tendon are outstanding for the first course. If you want some balance the bowl of pickled and fresh fruits and vegetables, called namul, is a good choice. For the second there are succulent fatty sweetbreads that crisp perfectly. I was afraid of sweetbreads, the euphemistic name for the thymus gland or something horrible sounding like that. But they are nothing but goodness. The stomachs are good two, but mainly a reflection of their marination. This isn't to denigrate the muscle meats, which are also excellent. I believe John and I have eaten everything here.

Now that winter is coming, there are the kind of things I need. Though winter has been slow to come this year, perhaps to keep the birds from flying away. I suppose it's strange to have been here long enough to be saying goodbye to people who are moving on. I know I can't tarry here for too much longer myself. I enjoy the city, but I don't love it. When I see ads for travel on the subway my heart leaps a little. And I'm not thinking about just going for a week, I'm talking leaving—  immersing myself in another place again. Maybe it will be a place that refreshes me rather than steeps me in a type of fetid torrent like this city often does. 

At least lately I am certainly well-nourished. I have been struggling to eat all my food before I go away for Thanksgiving, including a pork roast from Meatshare, blood pudding from Mosefund, beef liver, and turkey sausages from Brooklyn Cured. I've also been on a bit of a kimchi kick. I think I've probably eaten 4 types of kimchi this week. Maybe I need to move to Asia? But you know I also have this desire to settle down and find a place I'm not afraid to plant trees. I have all these tree catalogs on my nightstand and I always like to read them to relax. Some of them take nearly a decade to bear fruit or nuts. I don't feel my current life in on that kind of a timescale. It would be wonderful to be somewhere I loved well enough to put down those sort of literal roots. 

I will forewarn you with the fact that this post involves the eating of animals that many Americans consider pets. Which is a damn shame...why are American parents being food for their children to keep as pets? It precludes many delicious culinary experiences and everyone knows that parents who get Little Timmy (to use Bourdain's literary device) Floofy the Rabbit instead of Fido are just lazy. 

The Gastronauts is an NYC supper club of sorts for adventurous eaters, recently featured in the NYTimes. The meals served at that dinners are a vegetarian's worst nightmare— a morass of strange blobby organs, tentacles, eyeballs, and faces. They say macabre; I say marvelous.

For me as a (mostly) paleo eater these dinners are usually fine. Last night's was unusually good for me. Apparently, Peruvian food, besides some corn, which is served as a fresh vegetable anyway in most cases, has some great meaty options.

I found myself in Jackson Heights, Queens...actually the site of some of the city's tastiest and most adventurous restaurants. We went to Urumbamba, mostly for the guinea pig, which is called cuy in Peruvian cuisine.

Guinea pigs are certainly stupider than regular pigs and certainly not deserving of carnivore amnesty. Think of them as fattier rabbits.

But apparently the Gastronauts organizers, Curtiss and Ben, found this dish hard to procure— some people even told them it was illegal. That never stopped them though, as they have even braved torrents of PETA hatemail to ensure us diners access to seafood so fresh that it fights back.

So what was on the menu? First we had octopus in a rather ugly pink olive sauce. It was salty and not much else, but I've never been very enthusiastic about pulpo anyway.

Next up was lovely little red and orange peppers stuffed with ground beef and topped with a cap of velvety melted cheese, which burst with spicy flavor:

Next up was spicy grilled veal heart, which was incredible. I must learn some Peruvian recipes because the marination of all the meats with just perfect . Whatever they did, it brought out the best in this under-appreciated cut of meat by cutting the mineral flavors and accentuating the highly delectable savory "umami" notes. I didn't really bother with the corn, as it lacked flavor:

Black clam ceviche was refreshing tart and seabreeze salty:

Now for the coup d'etat: guinea pig/cuy. It was definitely interesting. As I said before, it does taste a lot like rabbit, but much fattier, particularly in the skin. Unfortunately, the skin was tough like pigs skin and could have used a good frying :) Some of our tablemates ate the eyeballs and the rest of the head, but what happened to the heart? That might have been nice to get on a skewer.

I found cow's foot stew the most challenging. The texture was gelatinous and unpredictable. Some pieces of foot were chewy, others melted in my mouth like little tapioca balls. At that point perhaps we were feeling a little food fatigue, but we were revived by a plate of various marinated meats, the best being fragrant unctuous lamb,  with some sweet potatoes.

Next up was a more conventional rodent, rabbit, which was just slightly spicy in all the right ways. A nice surprise was how well the juices went with the boiled cassava. I definitely want to explore cassava more, as I get tired of sweet potatoes after workouts.

 I'm definitely interested in exploring more Peruvian flavors and elements in my own cooking. Not sure where to get guinea pig meat though!

Bets asks "Where does one even buy an eye or a nose to eat? The thought of peeling a tongue invokes pain to my core. That said, I never say never and am game."

From Offal Good's store

Offal can be scary, but it can also be mind-blowingly delicious. I hate to admit it, but if I had started out on offal with a bag of bloody livers bought from the farmer's market, I might not be writing this blog (the same goes for fish...I'm never would have tried shrimp or lobster if I didn't eat out). Let a good restaurant usher you into the wonderful world of offal, starting with the least-scary things- cheeks and marrow bones, which are so delicious they probably don't qualify as offal. Tongue is also delicious, but hard to cook right. If you are willing to eat non grass-fed meat, most authentic Mexican places serve it, but it's increasingly found in upscale restaurants. Liver you might not need to go to a restaurant for, since pates can be found at a good butcher or grocery store.

Eating food prepared by an expert can give you a taste of how great offal can be when prepared properly, which is a great motivation to cook it yourself. When I started cooking from Nose to Tail, I knew what I liked about offal and was able to modify the recipes accordingly. For me, the route to a great offal recipe is tons of spicy chili and lime.

I also admit to being very inspired by the offal adventures of one Anthony Bourdain.

Another reader pointed out that most of my advice seems cleared towards people in major metro areas, but I started out eating offal in Champaign, IL, which is three hours from a major city. You might have to travel some, but supporting a good chef and eating great food is worth it. Also, sometimes ethnic restaurants in American towns will have offal items not on the menu, so it might be worth asking.

My latest offal adventure was at Traif with Rhys Southan & friends. I admit I was a little scared to try the sweetbreads, but both of us have reputations as adventurous eaters to uphold and we bravely ordered them. Thankfully, they were absolutely delicious...who knew they would have so much delicious fat! I remember when I was a kid and I thought sweetbreads were cinnamon rolls and asked for some. When my grandma told me what they were I was totally appalled and couldn't believe anyone would eat such a horrible thing. Hehe. 

However, Rhys and I were sorely dissapointed by X'ian famous foods. When we ordered the lamb face salad we expected it to be absolutely ghastly, full of macabre parts of eyeballs and gums, but instead it was a mixture of nice spicy fatty cheeks and vegetables. Sometimes you want your offal good, other times you want to just eat it because it exists.

 Last week I was soooooooo busy. Between snowstorms and planning events, I had no time to go to the grocery store. I ended eating out for more meals than I care to admit, especially since I just finished The Art of Eating In by Cathy Erway. It's mostly a fun book about cooking, cookoffs, and secret underground restaurants, but it's also an impassioned defense of cooking. In New York City, land of busy people, cooking needs it! Cathy talks about how cooking not only saves money, but gives you a whole new view of food. Instead of being just a foodie, you really get to know food. 

Cathy doesn't follow any special diet, but if you follow the paleo diet, cooking is even more beneficial. You get to manage every single ingredient, which is hard in a restaurant. Yeah, you might order just meat and vegetables, but who knows where the meat came from or what oil was used to stir fry the vegetables? If you are using the paleo diet to battle health problems or to improve the quality of your life, you have to remember that these little things can make a big difference.

It's interesting because this week I'm totally committed to eating in, so now I can compare how I eat. Here's my diary:

Monday LAST week: Got a salad with mixed greens, buffalo, yam, and mushrooms at The Pump for about $9. It sounded delicious, but really it's just flavorless. By the afternoon I'm totally wilting and spacing out...I snack on some dried fruit I had next to my desk, but it just makes me more hungry. Ugh. I bet the lean buffalo was cooked in some crap canola oil. 

Monday THIS week: Presidents Day, so I didn't have to work. I eat some delicious delicious pork belly, using up my frozen supply. Guess I need to buy more.

Tuesday LAST week: Got Chipotle salad bowl for $8.50 with some pork. Asked for more pork...but sadly it seems like it's mostly lettuce and tomatoes. One hour later and I'm sooooooooooo hungry. What's for dinner?

Tuesday THIS week: Pumpkin soup made with coconut milk/chicken stock and buffalo with a seaweed and walnut salad. Pretty delicious and nutritious! I'm satisfied!

Wednesday LAST Week: Lunch buffet at Free Foods. This looks promising. I'm really excited to eat wild salmon, marinated portobello mushrooms, raw vegan pad thai, cashew creme, and roasted beets...but it ends up costing an arm and a leg. Frustratingly enough, I end up hungry again and ravenous by the time I get home for dinner. Like most "healthy" midtown restaurants, Free Foods skimps on the fat. I don't know how anyone survives on this kind of food. I contemplate going to a vending cart, but reconsider when I think too hard about what might be in the delicious creamy white sauce at the Halal cart...last time I ate there I ended up with a stomach ache. 

Wednesday THIS week: Simple sausage sauteed with butternut squash in some coconut oil, plus a small seaweed salad. Didn't seem like much food, but I'm full the rest of the day. 

Conclusion: Well, the week isn't over yet! But I've got some more killer lunches planned. In the past I learned that my lunches need lots of fat, pumpkin/yams/beets or other substantial vegetable for calories, and a salad. Last month I had trouble because I was just eating things like fish and mushrooms, which is not enough fat or calories. But once I got simple and satisfying lunches down, I saved money and felt better! Eating out isn't bad, but I think I'll reserve it for restaurants that don't skimp on the fat and use meat I feel good eating, like Momofuku or Lot 2.