The Oysterfest

Author Hector Bolitho once wrote, "Oysters are the most tender and delicate of all seafoods.  The stay in bed all day and night.  They never work or take exercise, are stupendous drinkers, and wait for their meals to come to them." The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum brought these words to life on August 27, 2018 at its annual OysterFest. 

It was a very rainy and windy day. The gray pallor of the clouds that moved overhead.  However, it did not tamper down the enthusiasm of thousands of people from all around Maryland and beyond who came to the small town of St. Michaels, Maryland to celebrate, and more importantly, eat oysters.   Amongst the thousands were myself, by beautiful Angel, our two little kiddos and my Angel's parents.   

As one entered the OysterFest, he or she could see one of the major events at the festival: the Oyster Stew Competition.  There were six competitors: (1) Sunflowers & Greens of Easton, MD (which won the competition last year); (2) Milestone Catering of Easton, MD; (3) Bistro St. Michaels of St. Michaels, MD; (4) Theo's Steaks, Sides and Spirits of St. Michaels, MD; (5) Crab N Que of St. Michaels, MD; and (6) General Store of Royal Oak, MD. I got to be one of a few hundred who would judge the oyster stews.  The competition was blind (labelled A through F); however, so judges did not know which stew was being made by which competitor. 

Here is the thing about oyster stew, at least from my experience: there are generally two types or styles.  The first style is more like a cream colored soup, with a thinner consistency that gets its off-white color (tinged by the fat used as part of the soup's base) from the use of half and half. The other style is more like a chowder, with a whiter color and thicker consistency with heavy cream. Regardless of the type, an oyster stew should have minced vegetables (celery, shallots), potatoes and, of course, oysters (either whole, which I prefer, or chopped).    

Both types of oyster stew were on display at this competition.  To be sure, all six of the contestants produced some very tasty oyster stew.  When it came to my judging of the stews, I needed something, either in terms of texture or taste, that it the stew apart from its competitors.  Right out of the gate, the Contestant A set itself apart, with a lighter oyster stew that had a very smoky taste.  That flavor is most likely due to the use of smoked bacon as the base of the stew.  As someone who loves a smoky taste (just check out the Savage Boleks BBQ posts on this site), the stew got my attention.  Admittedly, the smoky taste may be off-putting for someone who does not like barbecued or smoked meats, but I liked it.  Contestant D also had a smoky flavor, which was more subdued.  The taming of the smoky taste is most likely because, unlike Contestant A's lighter stew, Contestant D's stew had more of a light chowder consistency.  The use of heavy cream can tamp down the smokiness of the bacon.  In the end, it came down to Contestant A and D in my mind, with Contestant A winning my vote.  (As of the date of this post, I don't know who actually won the contest, but I will update the post when I find out.)

UPDATE: The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum announced the winner of the oyster stew competition: Bistro St. Michaels.  It was Contestant F.  Contestant D -- Sunflowers & Greens -- won second place and Contestant A -- The General Store -- won third place.

The other contest was the oyster slurping contest.  After having eaten one and one-half dozen oysters, I had the chance to fill out the second dozen by trying to be the fastest person to slurp six oysters.  I was part of Round 3, along with my beautiful Angel and a third person named Jack.  To make a long story short, I lost the contest, coming in last. I won't post any excuses.  If I have any other career ahead of me, it will not be as a competitive food eater.  That was made clear after about the twenty or thirty seconds of the competition.  

The biggest event at the Oysterfest was the re-lauching of the Edna E. Lockwood, the last existing nine-log bugeye.  John B. Harrison built the Edna in 1887 -- the seventh of the eighteen bugeyes built by Harrison.  The purpose of the Edna, as it was it all bugeyes, was to dredge oysters in the Chesapeake Bay.  With its shallow draft, the bugeye could reach parts of the Bay that were not as accessible to schooners and pungies because of their deeper draft.  The bugeye's lower bulwark, as well as its less complex rigs, made it easier to engage in dredging with less crewmembers.   While a typical bugeye could be expected to be in service for about 20 years, the Edna continued in service until 1967. It outlasted not only the other seventeen bugeye built by John B. Harrison, but also the many skipjacks that were built long after the last bugeye.

The Edna had been gifted to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum with the expectation that it would be restored and used to educate the public about a true Chesapeake tradition.  The latest restoration began in 2016, with volunteers working to restore the log hull. That work continued until it was completed earlier this year, and the vessel was moved to the marine launch for the OysterFest.  

This was the first launching of a vessel that I have witnessed.  There was the traditional opening remarks, along with the thanks to all of those individuals who helped to restore the Edna.  (The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum contains its own shop where the work was performed.) This was followed by the traditional breaking of a champagne bottle -- or, in this case, three champagne bottles -- on the bow of the vessel.  After the initial ceremonies, the vessel was slowly lowered into the water, a couple of feet at a time, until the vessel could float on its own.  At that point, the Edna was immediately moored and the celebrations concluded. The Edna will eventually begin a tour of the Chesapeake Bay

Not only is the the first time that I witnessed the launching or relaunching of a vessel. This was also the first time we went to the OysterFest, or, for that matter, any oyster festival.  It was a lot of fun, even with the wind and rain.  To be sure, the weather probably depressed the turnout, which made it a little easier to navigate all of the attractions, vendors and events.  At this point, I have just realized that I did not take any pictures of any oysters from the festival.   

But, I did take some pictures after the OysterFest. We went to a local restaurant where I could sample some Maryland oysters.  This time, I remembered to take a picture so that I could remember the oysters that I tried.  I tried four different oysters.  Two are farmed: (a) Wild Ass Ponies, described as having "good salt content, briny"; and (b) Fisherman's Daughter, described as having "mild salt content, sweet finish.  The remaining two are wild: (c) Deal Island, described as "medium salt, smooth, mild brine"; and (d) Wild Divers, described as "medium salt, full-bodied, buttery."  

All of the descriptions were on the spot and demonstrated the range of Maryland oysters, from salty to smooth, briny to sweet.  The oysters are even better with a local brew, such as the St. Michael's Ale from Eastern Shore Brewing Company (it is photobombing the picture of the oysters).  A red ale with a good malty backbone, the beer was a great complement to the full range of oysters that I tried. 

A great festival, great oysters, great beer and, of course, great company.  This festival has inspired me to make my own oyster stew.  Stay tuned for that.  Until next time ...

ENJOY!

Project Maryland BBQ: Part 2, Old Line Barbecue Chicken

The first element of any regional barbecue style, in my humble opinion, is the protein. In the Carolinas, whether eastern, western or southern, it is pork. Whole hogs. In Texas, whether it is brisket or barbacoa, it is beef.  In between, either in Kansas City or Memphis, it may be beef or pork, depending upon the cut. (Go north to Kentucky, it is mutton.)  But, what would the protein be in Maryland, if Maryland had a regional style of barbecue?

The protein for barbecue is defined by what is around you.  If you are in the Carolinas, it is hogs, because there are a lot of pigs.  More than four million hogs are being raised in North Carolina alone.  There are more hogs currently in North Carolina than there are people in the entire countries of Bosnia & Herzegovina or Uruguay.  There are more than 12 million cattle cows (for beef) in Texas.  That means there are more cows in Texas than there are people within the borders of Belgium or Cuba.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, there were only 46,000 cattle for beef production and 26,000 hogs for pork production in the State of Maryland. If there was a barbecue style in Maryland, it would most likely not involve either beef or pork. However, there are 306,700,000 chickens in the State of Maryland.  That's right, there are more chickens in the State of Maryland than there are people in the countries of Pakistan, Brazil or Indonesia.  For a point of reference, there are over 326,000,000 people in the United States.  There are almost as many chickens in Maryland as there are people in this country. 

The location of large scale chicken farms in the State of Maryland.

So, if there is a such a thing as Maryland style barbecue, then the protein would be chicken.  A lot of chicken. And, if one were to drive through the Eastern Shore of Maryland, he or she would agree.  Drive the backroads of the DelMarVa (the region of Delaware, the eastern Shore of Maryland and the Virginian peninsula), and you will see -- and maybe even smell -- a lot of chicken houses.  Many of those chicken houses are owned and run by hardworking chicken farmers (and, just how those farmers are treated by big chicken companies will definitely be the subject of another post, because I have a lot to say on that subject.)  Many more are large scale chicken operations, either CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) or MAFOs (Maryland Animal Feeding Operations).  (Just what is a CAFO or a MAFO, as well as their impact on the environment, is also a subject for another day.)

Thus, the first element of a regional style of barbecue is in place.  Maryland style barbecue, if it exists or existed, should or would be centered around chicken. Just like Texas style barbecue focuses on beef and Carolina style barbecue focuses on pork.  That is not to say that there can't be beef and pork in Maryland barbecue (after all, there are those 46,000 cattle and 26,000 hogs in the Old Line State).  All it means that we need to nail down a recipe for smoked chicken that could serve as the foundation for Maryland barbecue.

It seems only natural that chicken should be the protein.  After all, there is the Delmarva Chicken, which is a tradition on the Eastern shore. Local groups and firehouses get together, marinate large amounts of chicken, grill that chicken and offer it to anyone willing to enjoy it.  The thing is that Delmarva Chicken is as much barbecue as pit beef is barbecue. The recipes for Delmarva Chicken involve grilling the bird or its constituent parts, as opposed to the low and slow smoking of the meat.

Nevertheless, the recipe for Delmarva Chicken can serve as the basis for Maryland barbecue. It starts with the rub.  Delmarva Chicken calls for a rub of poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and garlic powder.  Rather than use poultry seasoning, I think that a good substitute could be Old Bay seasoning.  Old Bay is practically synonymous with Maryland because of its use with our beloved blue crabs.  What is little known (despite the advertising) is that Old Bay can be used in other recipes, including chicken.  With Old Bay, and the remainder of the ingredients, I have the basic rub for Maryland barbecue. 

The recipe of Delmarva Chicken also includes the use of oil and vinegar.  These liquid ingredients could work well with barbecue chicken and provide a distinctive character. Most recipes for Delmarva Chicken, such as this one, call for the chicken to be placed into a bowl, with the rub ingredients added, followed by oil and cider vinegar. Those instructions baffle me a little bit, to be honest, but, if they are rearranged, then they could provide a basis for preparing the chicken.  Place the chicken in a large bowl, whisk the cider vinegar with the oil to create an emulsion, pour that emulsion so that it covers the chicken, both on the skin and underneath, and then spread the rub over the chicken both on the skin and underneath.  The emulsion will help the rub stick to the chicken and, if you get it underneath the skin, it will also flavor the meat.

While the Delmarva Chicken provides the basis for the preparation for the Maryland barbecue chicken recipe, I have to say it ends there.  If you look at Delmarva Chicken recipes, there are no mops (after all, it is grilled chicken).  The recipes call for a "sauce," but, in my humble opinion, the sauce is somewhat questionable in the context of barbecue.  Many recipes describe a sauce that consists of 1 part oil and one part salad dressing or mayonnaise. Salad dressing is out of the equation.  That leaves mayonnaise.  However, a mayonnaise-based sauce for chicken that is clearly and indisputably identified with Alabama barbecue (see Big Bob Gibson's Chicken with White Sauce).  This project focuses on defining Maryland barbecue. Thus, Delmarva Chicken can take us far towards Maryland barbecue chicken, but, just not across the finish line.

In any event, the sauce for Maryland barbecue is a subject of its own, and, it will have its own post in this project.   Until then. the basic recipe for Maryland-style barbecue chicken, which I have dubbed "Old Line Barbecue Chicken" ...

OLD LINE BARBECUE CHICKEN

Recipe adapted from Lang BBQ Smokers

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, spatchcocked

1 1/2 cups of apple cider vinegar

1 cup of olive oil

2-3 teaspoons of Old Bay Seasoning

2 teaspoons sea salt (or kosher salt)

3 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 

1  1/2 teaspoons granulated garlic powder

Chunks of hickory, pecan or apple wood
     (I used apple wood)

Directions:

1.  Prepare the chicken.  Place the spatchcocked chicken into a large bowl.  In a separate small bowl, combine the spices (Old Bay, salt, pepper, and garlic powder) and mix well.  In a medium bowl, add the vinegar and then whisk in the oil.  Once the oil and vinegar have been whisked into an emulsion, pour some of the mixture over the chicken, rubbing it into the skin and beneath the skin on the meat.  After the entire chicken is covered with the oil/vinegar mixture, move the chicken to a cutting board.  Apply the rub to all sides of the chicken, both on the skin and under the skin on the meat.  

2.  Prepare the smoker.  Start a chimney and, when ready, place the coals in the smoker.  The desired temperature is 275 to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.  

3.  Smoke the chicken.  Place the chicken on the smoker.  Add the wood chunks to create the smoke.  Smoke the chicken until it reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit.  Remove the chicken from the smoker and cover with foil.  Let rest for 10 minutes until the temperature comes up to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.  Carve the chicken into pieces - sliced breast meat, thigh, legs and wings for service. 

ENJOY!

Project Maryland BBQ: Part 1: The Beginning

Barbecue is regional, albeit the names are more local.  There is Eastern Carolina barbecue, with smoked whole hogs served with a piquant vinegar sauce (perhaps my favorite).  There is also Western Carolina barbecue, which is still pork based, but there is an added tomato tang to the sauce.  Then, there is Southern Carolina barbecue, which goes its own way with a mustard based sauce.  Travel west, and one finds Kentucky barbecue, Memphis barbecue, Kansas City barbecue, Texas barbecue and, even further west, Santa Maria barbecue.  Add to all of these the international styles of barbecue, brought to the United States by immigrants who brought their culinary traditions with them (think, barbacoa, for example).  

I am a big fan of barbecue, but I don't live in the Carolinas.  I don't call Memphis, Kansas City or any part of Texas my home.  I live in the Mid-Atlantic, the State of Maryland to be exact.  These questions got me to thinking about barbecue in the State where I live.  To be sure, there are a lot of good barbecue joints across Maryland, and, I have eaten at quite a few of them.  Those restaurants feature barbecue that draws its inspiration from those major regions ... Eastern Carolina vinegar-based pork; pork ribs with the tangy, spicy Kansas City barbecue sauce; and central Texas style brisket.  

If one were to look past the barbecue joints and ask what is true Maryland barbecue, the first answer might be Baltimore Pit Beef with Tiger Sauce.  But, as much as I love pit beef, it does not fit the definition of barbecue, that is, the low, slow cooking of proteins over wood smoke.  Pit beef is more about grilling, using a higher heat to generate a crust on the beef, which is thinly sliced, piled onto a bun and dressed with the sauce.  Others may say Delmarva chicken (which someday will be a post of its own), but that is really just grilled chicken dressed with a sauce that is one part oil and one part salad dressing or mayonnaise.  To be sure, one could have smoked chicken with a mayonnaise sauce; after all, Big Bob Gibson's in Decatur, Alabama perfected it. (You can check out my effort to make the recipe here.)  However, there is little doubt that Delmarva chicken is more about grilling than it is smoking.  

So what is Maryland barbecue?  Is there such a thing as Maryland barbecue?

There is no easy answer to these questions, because there is no accepted concept of a Maryland style of barbecue. That does not mean that it does not exist.  I will need to look around the Old Line State.  I need to go beyond the barbecue joints and focus upon the essence of barbecue: cooking protein over over wood smoke in a low and slow fashion. Even if there is no such thing as Maryland barbecue, I will take the initiative to create one.  Hence, the Chef Bolek's "Project Maryland BBQ" Series.  

A disclaimer ... this entire endeavor is for fun.  Over a series of posts, I will explore those fundamental elements of barbecue -- (1) protein; (2) rubs; (3) mops/sauces; and (4) wood/smoke -- and how they fit into a style of barbecue that could be called Maryland's own. I will also focus on other aspects of barbecue as they would relate to a style. Only time will tell whether or what will come of this endeavor.  Until then ...

ENJOY!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am continuing what I hope will be a tradition on this blog for Thanksgiving.  No recipes, just thanks.  I want to take this opportunity to thank my family and my friends.  Over the past year, I have had the opportunity to cook for many of you, and, everyone has been very supportive (even when I am unsure of the final results). You have also been very supportive of my efforts to experiment with tastes and flavors, along with my work to learn about beer and wines.  I have to say that whenever I am blogging, I do not feel like I am typing for myself, because I know that somewhere there are people who are taking the time to read the blog posts.  And, when one of you tells me that you saw my post about a particular recipe or a wine or beer.  Your support gives me the confidence to continue my adventures through cooking and beer/wine.  I am thankful for each and everyone of you.

I should also say that I am thankful for all of those out there who visit my blog without even knowing who I am.  As you can see from the little rotating globe about halfway down the page (on the right), a lot of people have visited this blog.  In fact, the "Top Ten List" for visitors to this blog are (1) the United States; (2) Canada; (3) the United Kingdom; (4) Australia; (5) Italy; (6) the Netherlands; (7) Belgium; (8) India; (9) Germany; and (10) the Philippines.  In all, people from 114 countries have visited my blog.  And all of this since March of this year!   I never would have thought that people would be visiting my blog from around the world.  I am thankful for all of you as well.  

Well, I'd better go.  I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!  Until next time ...

ENJOY!

How It All Began, Exactly Five Years Ago Today ...

I thought that I would take a break from the recipes and reviews.  The reason is that today -- September 14, 2011 -- is a milestone of sorts for me.   Exactly five years ago to the day, I was on a plane crossing the Atlantic bound for Bologna, the capital city of Emilia-Romagna in Italy.  I had booked a nine day vacation through the Smithsonian Institution.  The vacation was aptly called the "Joys of the Italian Table." Along with about two dozen other tourists, I had the opportunity to learn about the foods and wines of Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany.  The tour leader was Francesco Ricchi, a Tuscan born chef who owns one of my favorite restaurants in the Washington, D.C. area ... Cesco Trattoria in Bethesda, Maryland.

The importance of this five-year milestone cannot be understated.  Before taking this trip, I actually did not care about cooking.  I worked in a restaurant to make money for college.  I started as a dishwasher and worked my way up the kitchen hierarchy until I was working the sauté station.  The problem was that it was my second job.  I had a forty-hour a week office job and this cooking job was something I did in the evenings and on the weekends to earn extra money.  It was a horrible job.  I made anywhere from $5.00 to $5.50 per hour, working several hours per shift in a hundred degree kitchen.  After working at this restaurant, I did not want to have anything to do with cooking.

That was until my "Joys of the Italian Table" vacation. I had the opportunity to see a completely different side of food and cooking.  I was able to develop an appreciation of the ingredients, the cooking or winemaking processes and, perhaps most importantly, the significance of food and wine to the Emilian-Romagnan and Tuscan cultures.  

Put simply, if I had never experienced the "Joys of the Italian Table," I would not have thought about cooking as a hobby and a means of relaxation.  If I had not started cooking, I would have never cultivated an interest in exploring the history of foods and their importance to cultures around the world.  And, perhaps most importantly, I would have never started this blog.

I could write a very long blog post detailing everything I ate and drank, as well as all of my experiences during that trip.  I can still recall almost all of them vividly in my mind, and, many of those experiences have been incorporated into past blog posts and will be incorporated into future blog posts.  For this post, I decided to use my editing skills and put together a short video piece from the pictures that I took during the trip.  These pictures tell a story of my experiences. I added a little dramatic music, Andrea Bocelli's O Sole Mio, because I thought the music was appropriate for the impact that this one vacation had on my life.  (And, yes, I purchased the song prior to using it in the video.) 

So, without further ado, the Joys of the Italian Table as I experienced it:  

That trip was the start of a very long culinary journey for me.  Since that time, I have rekindled my interest in cooking, as well as a desire to learn not just about other cooking, but also about cuisines and cultures. I have begun to share what I have learned, both in terms of cooking and cuisines, through this blog. That journey may seem slow at times (especially when it comes to the Around the World in Eighty Dishes or planning future Iron Chef Nights), but I am taking my time to learn and share as much as I can.  I look forward to all the new experiences to come, as well as all of the dishes I will make. 

I hope that everyone who visits this blog enjoys reading these posts as much as I enjoy writing them.  Speaking of which, I think it is time to get back to those posts.  Well, until next time ...

DIVERTI!

The First Smoking of the Season

Having returned from a vacation in the Outer Banks and really wanting to do my first barbecue for the year, I decided that I would smoke some pork in the Eastern Carolina style.  Barbecue in North Carolina is exclusively pork.  There is a historical reason for the pork-centric nature of Carolina BBQ. The early explorers from Spain, beginning with De Soto, and settlers from England brought pigs with them on their voyages to the new world.  The pigs thrived much better in the woodlands of the South than cattle.  Over the years, decades and even centuries, pork became the principal form of protein in the South.  And, in the eastern part of North Carolina, barbecue means smoking a whole hog, pulling the meat and bathing it with a vinegar/pepper based sauce. 

The problem is that I do not have the facilities to smoke a whole hog at my home.  (One of my dreams is to be able to smoke or roast a whole hog, but the strident objections from Clare remain an obstacle to realizing that dream.)  I initially wanted to smoke a boston butt, but the pork I bought had been sliced by the grocery store.  I did not realize this until I got the pork home and unwrapped the tight clear wrap, only to watch the shoulder fall apart.  A little annoyed at the grocery store, I decided to buy another one from a different store.  That store did not have any boston butts, but it did have picnic cuts.  I have never smoked with the picnic before; all of my prior BBQ adventures involved smoking boston butts.  

Photo from whatareyousmoking.files.wordpress.com

Now a little background about the terminology.  The "boston butt" and the "picnic" comprise an entire shoulder of the pig.  Actually, the front two haunches of a pig.  Although they are both part of the same haunches, the two cuts have some important differences.  Most notably, the boston butt has more fat on it than the picnic, while the picnic almost always has a good amount of the skin (which has some fat underneath it).  

The differences between the butt and the picnic are important when it comes to smoking, at least from what I have learned.   The picnic has less fat interspersed in the meat, with most of the fat in a layer just underneath the skin.  Thus, a picnic requires a good mop sauce and a lot of mopping to keep it from drying out.  By contrast, a boston butt has more fat throughout the cut, which helps to keep the meat more moist during the cooking process.  Normally, with the a boston butt, I would mop maybe once an hour after four or five hours of smoking.  With a picnic, however, I would do it once every forty-five minutes or even once every half hour after four hours depending upon how the smoking is going. 

My first smoking of the season was also my first effort at smoking a picnic.  The shape of the picnic proved to be an obstacle, because part of the edge dried out and  a little difficult to pull, while the rest of the pork, especially around the bone, remained most and easy to pull.  The pork is very good, although it was a little more like chopped pork than pulled pork.  Still, I would call this a success because the vinegary, East-Carolina sauce worked very well with the pork. It reinforced why I like Carolina BBQ.

All of the fixings I need for a good pulled pork sandwich

I debated about whether to post the recipe with this blog post.  I decided that I would hold off until after I tried to make this BBQ using a boston butt.  I think that it will be even better, and more blog worthy, when done with the butt rather than the picnic.  I'm already planning the next smoking sessions.  So, until next time ...

ENJOY!

The Top Five Weirdest Foods that I've Eaten ... to Date

I thought I would take a break from the recipes and reviews to reminisce about the one other aspect of my hobby that is often neglected in this blog ... eating.  As I have always told Clare, I am willing to try something once.  Well, actually, twice.  I'll try something once to see if I like it and I'll have it again to confirm my initial impression.  I got that view of eating from Andrew Zimmern, who made a passing reference to trying everything at least twice in one of his episodes of Bizarre Foods.

So, I got to thinking lately about the really weird things that I've eaten, and, I could come up with five things.  So, here is my rundown of the five weirdest things that I have eaten ... to this date:

(5)  Pig Trotters at Nick's Italian Cafe: During our honeymoon, both Clare and I had dinner at Nick's Italian Cafe in McMinnville, Oregon.  We ordered a special dinner with multiple courses.  My appetizer included Pig Trotters, which, as the name implies, is prepared using pigs' feet.  This dish was very good and, from what I could recall, fairly fatty.  For me, it was more reminscent of pork belly than pigs' feet.

(4)  Lamb Heart at Home: For one of my challenges during the Around the World in 80 Dishes, I made sauteed lamb heart.  I found the lamb heart by accident one day while perusing the meat section at my local Whole Foods.  I bought the heart and prepared it according to a Libyan recipe that used spice mixes such as bzaar and hararat.  This is the only dish in this "countdown" that I made myself.  Although it may sound weird or gross, the fact of the matter is that the heart tasted like lamb.  The texture was a little different.  I expected it to be a little tougher than it was.  All in all, considering this was the first time that I ever cooked with heart, or any offal for that matter, I have to say that it was good. 

(3) Grasshopper Taco at Oyamel: Clare and I met a friend for dinner at Oyamel, one of the restaurants owned by Jose Andres, a famous chef who rose to prominence from the D.C. area.  Oyamel had a lot of interesting tacos, such as pork belly and beef tongue.  But, the one taco I wanted to try was the grasshopper taco.  This taco is based upon a Oaxacan recipe.  The picture is not too good because it was dark in the restaurant.  That was a good thing for both Clare and our friend, both of whom were completely grossed out by the sight fo the taco.  As for the taste and texture, I still cannot really identify the taste of grasshopper, but the texture was definitely just cartilage.

(2) Blowfish Porridge in Fugu Broth at Sushi Taro: This dish was my most recent attempt at eating something weird.  The whole time, all that Clare and I could think about was the Simpson's episode when Homer ate the blowfish.  In actuality, the blowfish had the texture and taste of a flaky white fish.  I got much more in terms of taste from the other ingredients in the porridge, such as the dill, seaweed and egg, than I did from the blowfish.

(1) Veal Sweetbreads at AMP 150: Actually, I've had sweetbreads twice, once fried and once grilled.  I have to say that I liked the grilled sweetbreads much more than the fried (although both were good).  The sweetbreads have a very different texture, which is a little hard to explain.  The taste of the sweetbreads was mild, leaving me to focus more on the texture. 

Well, that is it for this little break in the recipes and reviews.  Hopefully, I have not grossed you out too much.   Until next time ...

ENJOY!