| | Stephanie called me on my lack of updates, so here we go...
Not much going on recently, really. One thing, though. I have discovered a new favorite food, and I'm almost afraid to even tell you what it is: tripe and tongue. I mean, not together. Well, not entirely together. I found a half-hidden tienda on Washington Pike with a dining area in the back, next to the butcher counter. After watching way too many episodes of Anthony Bourdain and reading two of his books, I decided that organ meat couldn't be as bad as I imagined. So I go in to this shady (literally) little place, and, lo and behold, they offer fresh, made-from-scratch tacos with beef tongue and tripe. I know most of you are beyond convincing, so you may stop reading whenever you'd like. For the rest of you, however, know this: beef tongue is incredible, and beef tripe is even better. I'm actually kind of upset that I've lived so long without realizing it. Tongue (or La Lengua, for those of you with el español. Also, for anyone who may actually try to order some "off menu".) is almost identical to slow-cooked pot roast. It's skinned and cut into small pieces (or large, depending on the serving style) so that it's actual place of origin seems quite normal and benign. The same goes for the tripe, except that its taste is less like steak and more like crispy awesomeness. If you've ever had fried calamari, imagine if the little rings of squid were left unbattered, and then very quickly stir fried (for those of you who haven't had fried calamari, you're missing out). The meat is super tender, with little crispy edges. The taco shells are soft, doubled corn shells, and otherwise filled with heaps of cilantro and diced onion, served with quartered lime and salsa verde (also essential ingredients to the whole). They go for about $1.50 apiece, so with a large horchata, it makes for an incredible and cheap meal. A note, however, to the gung-ho: don't order either of these if they aren't made freshly. I once had some lengua and tripa that had been scooped from a steam table, where it had been sitting for several hours, and it had lost all flavor and texture. Not unsafe, just kinda gross. So there you have it. A new food! **Now be adventurous, go find una restaurante where the servers don't expect to see white people, and ask if they have tacos de tripa, or los tacos de lengua.** Trust me, it's totally worth it.
 
**Repeat after me, "tee-EN-ay Lohs TAH-cohs day TREE-pah?" or "... ... TAH-cohs day LEHN-gwah?"
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| | Posted 5/13/2009 4:56 PM - 27 Views - 4 eProps - 2 comments
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