Offal? Offal good!

24. Try 5 new foods

After a great weekend floating on Lake Marburg at Codorus State Park and spending some quality time with Eric and Kristen, friends we don’t get to see all that often, we swung through Philadelphia to visit more dear friends, Aaron and Meghann and their (in awesome game show host voice)……brand new house!  Can’t begin to say how happy I am for them to be homeowners with a kick-ass new place down in South Philly.  After a quick tour, we went off to some lunch at the South Philly Tap Room, a short few blocks away from their swanky new pad in Newbold.

I’ve eaten a wide variety of food over the years, but the world of offal is one I’ve only taken cursory and hesitant steps into.  Offal, in case you didn’t know, is the term used to refer to organ meats and innards other than bones and muscle.  The most common type of offal that I’ve had chance to eat is liver.  Chopped chicken liver is a standard at most Jewish family gatherings, but I’ll admit that it’s not one of my favorites (but may be worthwhile to try again).  I am, however, a huge fan of foie gras in all forms, especially the terrine preparations at Restaurant Nicholas.  I’m getting hungry just thinking about it…

So I am, sitting at the bar, reading the special menu and I see “Duck Heart Skewer, Baby Spinach, Pickled Pork Skin, Warm Bacon Fat” and both Aaron and Meghann look at me expectantly.  It’s nice that my friends know me well enough to know that that is the kind of thing I’m going to order, just to say that I ate it.  After a decently long wait, here’s what I got:

I’ll admit, not the most mouthwatering presentation, a trio of three pieces of meat on a skewer over some greens and bacon.  Cutting into the hearts, I found them to be a bit tough, a fact confirmed when I started eating.  The hearts had a bit of a very slight gamy flavor, but I found that the warm bacon fat overpowered all of the other flavors with its unctuousness and smokiness.  The pickled bacon skin was a nice acidic foil that cut through the richness of the dish.  I was a bit sad to find that the hearts on their own were a bit chewy and tough, as well as only hints of flavor.  I’m glad for the experience of trying something new, and I think I’d try them again if they were prepared a bit differently.