In an earlier posting I lamented the fact that, so far, finding the perfect Ultimate Offal dish--tripe--has eluded me in Philadelphia.
That has now changed.
My dining companion and I dined this past weekend at the (relatively) new Abruzzese restaurant Le Virtù. Located on South Philadelphia's own "Restaurant Row," Passyunk Avenue, and steered by chief Luciana Spurio, Le Virtù has a number of unusual offerings that hail from Signora Spurio's former haunts on along her native Adriatic coast.
At the restaurant's Website , where you can click through to a nicely done (with music), full representative menu, I couldn't find the kind innards you and we crave. But there it was, in all its splendor, a perfect bowl of stewed tripe that stands out among the appetizers.
The quest is over. This is tripe like your Nonna made, if she happened to've learned how to do it from her own Nonna nella antica campagna. Tender little morsels swimming in the perfect red gravy--an appetizer but next time we're going to see if they'll upsize it to secondo piatto portion. Brava Luciana!
Surf over to their Website for directions, hours, and so on. They take plastic and have a wine list--a damn fine one at that.
Highly recommended. Now, who's going to pony up with the perfect andouillette, that other tripe of our dreams? And who the classic Normandy dish, tripes à la mode de Caen?
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Extreme Offal: When Oh When? Where Oh Where?
Those of you who've consumed andouillette, the tripe sausage thought to've originated in the village of Troyes in France's Champagne country, know it as the ultimate in eating-on-the-edge.
Maybe, like us, you're already addicted? But if so, where have you found it, anywhere west of Paris or south of Montreal? Do let your fellow bloggers know!
According to the Troyes village office of tourism--check it out here-- about 20 million andouillettes are made every year, representing the "offal of 15,000 pigs per day."
They also point out that "[a]longside the andouillette is the andouille, representing 250 tonnes each year," but let not any of our readers think for a moment that the "andouille sausage" available in this country is anything at all, whatsoever, like the véritable item itself.
Years ago, on request, we were able to cajole a few links of this wonderful sworl of rolled-up innards, mixed with a bit of onion and what-not, out of our man Sonny D'Angelo in the heart of the Philadelphia Italian Market. Those were splendiferous. But Sonny, who doesn't list this variety on his sausage list, rightly noted the market was not exactly exploding for these little bags-o'-guts. And we're sure the prep for all those intestines wasn't exactly fun, either.
Once, years ago, we tried to bring andouillette into Philadelphia through the old International Terminal at PHL. Hard to remember exactly what happened--were there already the drug-sniffer dogs there back then, 15-20 years ago, smelling guts in our suitcases? Or were we just too honest: "gee, officer, these cry-o-vac goodies we were told are just like canned goods"? (We were, over there; but they're not.)
We just remember the fervent cry of the customs officer to his colleague: "AGGGGG!!"
Has anyone in our readership got a hot wire into some good sources--for home-cooking or better yet, in local restaurants, for these plump little marvels? Anyone with a yen for that special whiff of intestinal fortitude that you get when you make that first juicy cut into a grilled specimen of one of these puppies?
Maybe, like us, you're already addicted? But if so, where have you found it, anywhere west of Paris or south of Montreal? Do let your fellow bloggers know!
According to the Troyes village office of tourism--check it out here-- about 20 million andouillettes are made every year, representing the "offal of 15,000 pigs per day."
They also point out that "[a]longside the andouillette is the andouille, representing 250 tonnes each year," but let not any of our readers think for a moment that the "andouille sausage" available in this country is anything at all, whatsoever, like the véritable item itself.
Years ago, on request, we were able to cajole a few links of this wonderful sworl of rolled-up innards, mixed with a bit of onion and what-not, out of our man Sonny D'Angelo in the heart of the Philadelphia Italian Market. Those were splendiferous. But Sonny, who doesn't list this variety on his sausage list, rightly noted the market was not exactly exploding for these little bags-o'-guts. And we're sure the prep for all those intestines wasn't exactly fun, either.
Once, years ago, we tried to bring andouillette into Philadelphia through the old International Terminal at PHL. Hard to remember exactly what happened--were there already the drug-sniffer dogs there back then, 15-20 years ago, smelling guts in our suitcases? Or were we just too honest: "gee, officer, these cry-o-vac goodies we were told are just like canned goods"? (We were, over there; but they're not.)
We just remember the fervent cry of the customs officer to his colleague: "AGGGGG!!"
Has anyone in our readership got a hot wire into some good sources--for home-cooking or better yet, in local restaurants, for these plump little marvels? Anyone with a yen for that special whiff of intestinal fortitude that you get when you make that first juicy cut into a grilled specimen of one of these puppies?
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Offal in New York: Dovetail
Today's New York Times provides splendid details of a must-try new place on the Upper West Side. We couldn't get any info at all from their high-concept Website. But the Times piece, and a nice review at New York Magazine from about a week or so ago, suggest it'll be the basis for an early junket to the B.A.
Anyone who gets there first, puh-leeze blog about it!
Anyone who gets there first, puh-leeze blog about it!
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Welcome
Welcome to PhilOffal, the official organ you should pardon the expression of the Offal Society of Philadelphia, "dedicated to all things offal." Our Website may be found at www.philoffal.org; right now, it's mighty basic. But just wait.
In the meantime: if it's offal, we're there.
This is the blog for Delaware Valley food lovers who crave innards. Innards of the pig, the cow, even the little lamb. Especially the pig.
Come on out, folks, we know who you are anyway. Admit it: you love kidneys, sweetbreads (forget about whether that's thymus or brains or whatever, just eat 'em), foie gras, and all those lovely delicacies that used to reside in the, um, head of the pig.
Your patron saint is Fergus. You've eaten--or soon will have done--at Cochon near 6th and Catherine. And a lot of other spots we'll soon be guiding you to.
Our motto: it's offal out here. Our credo: it's much better when it's offal. Look, there are doctors here, would they steer you wrong?
If interested, just e-mail the Webmaster and he'll sign you up as an offal blogger.
In the meantime: if it's offal, we're there.
This is the blog for Delaware Valley food lovers who crave innards. Innards of the pig, the cow, even the little lamb. Especially the pig.
Come on out, folks, we know who you are anyway. Admit it: you love kidneys, sweetbreads (forget about whether that's thymus or brains or whatever, just eat 'em), foie gras, and all those lovely delicacies that used to reside in the, um, head of the pig.
Your patron saint is Fergus. You've eaten--or soon will have done--at Cochon near 6th and Catherine. And a lot of other spots we'll soon be guiding you to.
Our motto: it's offal out here. Our credo: it's much better when it's offal. Look, there are doctors here, would they steer you wrong?
If interested, just e-mail the Webmaster and he'll sign you up as an offal blogger.
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