Photo by KayOne73.Dish of the Week: Fried pig ears
Everyone’s got their particular food hang up. Some people can’t stomach the idea of eating raw seafood or eggs, while others turn their nose up at anchovies or mayonnaise. Organ meat, or offal, is also a high on the list of foods that many Americans will not eat. However, these “throw away” cuts–think hearts, intestines, trotters–are popular in ethnic cuisines from East Asia to Latin America to the American South. They’re also making an appearance on an increasing number of upscale restaurant menus as part of the “nose-to-tail” cooking fad.
Fad or not, there are a couple reasons to embrace offal. We know that raising animals is costly, particularly on the environment, so if you’re going to eat meat, it’s less wasteful to consume the entire animal. Secondly, it tastes good — once you get used to some occasionally unusual textures. A good way to start is with some crispy fried pig ears. Deep frying is kind of like a gateway cooking technique, rendering otherwise unsavory items into something you’d be hard pressed not to like. Freaked out by the squish of raw oysters? Creeped out by the slimy coating on your okra? Deep frying hides many a textural food sin, including the hallmark chewiness of pig ear. Sliced into thin strips, the first bite is all salt and crunch, giving way to a slightly gelatinous interior.
Fried pig ears make a great bar snack or add a nice textural flourish to a main dish. At The Pig (1320 14th Street NW), which honors all things porcine, pig ears top a meaty salad of argula, caramelized onion, and tomato. And on the revamped Room 11 (3234 11th Street NW) menu, they mingle with frizzled kale atop a warming pork and hominy stew. Offal may not be for everyone, but you gotta try it before you knock it.
Small Bites
The best ramen you’ve never tasted?
Two years ago, amid our false Wagamama dreams and general dearth of good ramen, food nerds got wind of some exciting news: Daikaya, a ramen/izakaya hybrid by Sushiko owner Daisuke Utagawa was coming to Chinatown. In the intervening time, several new Japanese restaurants have opened up to fill the void, but the hype around Daikaya is no less fierce. So much so that LivingSocial has paired up with the yet-unopened restaurant to offer a “pop-up” dinner for $79 on January 18 and 19. Nearly 300 tickets have already sold, so if you absolutely can’t wait until their opening at the end of the month, best reserve a spot now. As for the rest of us, we can only hope this means 300 fewer people fighting for reservations during opening week.
Shots, shots, shots
Who doesn’t love free booze? Mari Vanna (1141 Connecticut Ave NW) hasn’t officially opened, but they’re already serving alcohol. The Russian restaurant is giving away free infused vodka shots in anticipation of their full opening on January 17th. In the meantime, you can hit up the bar for drinks and snacks (and maybe a glimpse of Ovechkin), with free shots available between 5 and 7 p.m.
The only time of year it’s okay to hide a baby in a cake
Whether you’re a displaced Lousianan or just like finding little plastic toys in your food, the time between the Epiphany (January 6) and Mardi Gras is king cake season. While you can order king cakes online for delivery, Washingtonian has a nice round-up of local bakeries selling the festive desserts.
