cm83's Profile
Offal/Extreme Cuisine in DFW Area?
I used my day off today to go to First Chinese BBQ (Parker/Coit) and the Asia World Market (Legacy/75). I might go for a few bites of sushi later at Masami when my belly gets a little more room.
At First Chinese I got their "#210 Marinated Combination Special" and their "Duck Feet in Chef's Special Sauce". The Marinated Combo is a wonderful heaping of all of their extra bits. Beef tendon and stomach along with pig stomach, ear, and tongue, all with a nice simple salty sauce that didn't overpower them and let you enjoy them for what they were. The duck feet were good but I felt as if I would have rather had a different sauce on them, maybe more of what they used for the combo platter.
I stopped at Asia World Market to pick up a few packs of the ubiquitous Pocky and lo and behold, they had fresh durian. I picked one up. I think it was underripe, the stem was softer and the flesh hadn't really started splitting yet. The smell was really understated, I had to stick a piece of the fruit under my nose to get what people have talked about with the aroma. The fruit itself wasn't totally like a custard like I hoped. It was a bit more fibrous. Overall the fruit was enjoyable (nice and fruity, with a little bit of the almond flavor, and a slight green onion aftertaste that lingers for a long time) but I still haven't finished it because a) It's super rich, especially after all that chinese food and b) It's HUGE. Again, I think the ones at the store were just a little underripe, I can bet they get way stinkier and way creamier. Do they ripen once picked?
Offal/Extreme Cuisine in DFW Area?
Perfect! Great start. I loved El Ranchito and any excuse to go back is a good one. I usually get everything in my pho in the places I've been and it's one of my favorite dishes of all time, I'll have to check out Pho Bang.
I should have known that some would be vietnamese. :) There's an Asia World Market right by me on Legacy and 75 that I've been in a few times (bought 1000-year old eggs, shark fin soup, and some mochi ice-cream) but I haven't spent a huge amount of time in there. Maybe I should re-visit.
What are chaupalines?
Edit to add on: In one of your other posts, LewisvilleHounder, you said you liked Taquerias El Fuego and that they have huitlacoche. They still around?
Offal/Extreme Cuisine in DFW Area?
I have a fascination with food exploration.
I want to find good places to try anything weird, interesting, or off the beaten path. Nose-to-tail eating, organ meats, meats from animals other than cows, pigs, and chickens, other strange things like durian. I realize that places that do this food well are few and far between so even though I live near Legacy and 75 in Plano, I'm willing to drive pretty far for an excellent bite.
The most interesting things I've found so far on my own is tripe in several forms (menudo, pho), beef tongue at Cuquita's, and cabrito (goat) at El Ranchito. I still haven't had uni (sea urchin) in a sushi bar despite its appearance on quite a few menus, because of the price, not the idea of eating sea urchin. If someone convinces me it's worth the money, maybe I'll try it.
I'm a cook by trade and although I *could* probably figure out how to cook some of these things on my own, I'd much rather try it the real way, made by someone with years of practice who knows what they're doing, before I attempt it on my own. Organ meats can be tricky to work with sometimes. If you know of a good butcher / market though, I'm all ears anyways.
Anything around? And what do they offer?
The only thing I could scrounge up on the boards was Watel's Allen Street Cottage in Uptown. Looks like from their website that they offer calf brains, sweetbreads, veal kidneys, and calf liver. All things I've wanted to try, especially sweetbreads and kidneys. http://www.restauranteur.com/watels/menu.htm
