I've recently come to the conclusion that has formed itself into today's blog title. A few weeks ago, my cousin David graduated from Georgia Tech (with highest honors, even) and we went to 5 Seasons Brewing for his graduation lunch. The special of the day was panko fried duck livers. Now, if you know me, or have read much of this blog, you know that I have an adventurous palate. For example, I got to a party this weekend a couple of hours early so I ended up walking into some strange Christian taqueria in Chattanooga, Tenn., while waiting for a more appropriate time to show up and ordered the beef tongue taco and the nopal asada (blackened cactus) taco. I was actually pissed off a little when they brought out the tongue and chicken asada instead. I'm quick to try new things and will never turn down a food that isn't poisonous or catfish stew (and I'm not sure that catfish stew that one time wasn't poisonous.)
There's just one catch. When I'm spending my own money I don't always take the new over the tried and true, except when I'm ordering beer. It's my own private shame. Some men wear their wive's underwear while vacuuming in time to Kylie Minogue dance remixes when they're alone. Others watch child porn in the dark, smelly confines of their homes. I don't always try something new when ordering in a restaurant. I'm just lucky that the world is run by culinary cowards or I'd be locked up with the pedophiles of the world. But for some reason I was in an experimental mood the day of David's graduation and took a chance on the duck livers. I like duck, but I don't like liver, so I had a 50/50 chance with the dish. Besides, David Larkworthy, 5 Seasons' co-owner and chef, is a great cook, so I trusted him on this one. Besides, they were served with a rather sizable side of spaetzle, which I love, so at least I'd end the meal full even if I hated the livers.
Luckily, I guessed right and really enjoyed the duck livers. They were really a treat and something I'd eat on a regular basis it turned out. That experience emboldened me today when K's parents took us out to eat at the Blue Willow Inn in Social Circle, Ga., where they had fried chicken livers on the buffet. The dark little nuggets were a little dry from either an original overcooking or their time under the lights, but the flavor was good. Apparently birds were created by God above for their edible internal organs. I'd never realize that before today. I'd just assumed that ducks were fucking awesome. Because, really, ducks are fucking awesome.
The weird thing is that I'm not really that fond of calf's liver. K loves the stuff, but there's a funk to the hunk of meat that I find unpleasant. Despite her perfect pleasure in chowing down on the toxin-cleansing organ of a baby cow, she refused to try my chicken liver today, which is much less funky. Her loss.
Actually, it really is odd that I've never had chicken livers in my life. I grew up in a town where all of the local fry shops have gizzards and livers platters. I'd never had either until today and I've still never had a gizzard. I think I may have to hit up Omar's Chick King tomorrow and order the livers and gizzards plate after all. I'm sure it wouldn't take that long to work off a giant plate of nothing but fried foods. It's just redneck health food.
10 comments:
I think you were just lucky. I have found in the past (and Matt concurs with a more recent visit just two weeks ago)that the 5 seasons is better suited to being a brewery and not an eatery.
Or, you are lulled into a false sense of liking because you know the people.
I wish I had your adventurous palate. I'm much less picky than I used to be, but I wouldn't even consider ordering duck liver. In my defense, though, I have had duck before and didn't like it.
This post made me want to vomit... not just because I'm pregnant and a little more sensitive to these things right now, but because I can't bring myself to eat the organ of an animal that has the purpose of filtering out the bad stuff. I suppose I am not as adventurous as you are, but I don't think I'll EVER eat liver. (Actually, I tried chicken liver once a LONG time ago and didn't like it.)
Julie: This is quite frankly the most bizarre thing I've ever heard you say. I actually go to the Sandy Springs location for the food and not the beer because I've had every beer they make. I've never heard anyone say anything bad about their food before. And I don't know the chef, so my love his food isn't that. The only owner I know at that location is Dennis Lange and that would just make me a fan of the service.
Courtney and Meaghan, while I disagree with your disagreement, your points of departure are perfectly sane.
And Julie, don't take my response personally. I've just seriously never heard a complaint about the place's food and I've trucked busloads of people there in my pub crawls in the past and so it came as a bit of a shock.
Kind of like if you told me that my mother had been a man who underwent a sex-change operation and managed to get knocked up despite not having ovaries.
And dammit, I really need to stop trying to comment on my own posts within five minutes of being woken up by a phone call.
Great. And now you've gone and made me cry. Jerk.
I was wondering where those seven comments came from.
I'll eat anything. Good for you and your adventurous palate, but isn't just about anything made palatable by frying it?
No sweat, Jacob.
I'm just going to go ahead and say what we're all thinking. Your palate sucks.
Chicken livers make decent catfish bait. Otherwise, the chickens can keep them for all I care.
I suppose I'm not very adventurous either. Internal organs just don't generally appeal to me.
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