When it comes to dining, we each have our own comfort zones. Some avidly down handfuls of Sichuan peppercors, relishing the burn, while others consume animal glands of the earthiest and most arcane sort as if they were poached chicken breasts. Blood is a tasty turn-on to many, while others are not quite happy unless eating insects and snakes. The world is a vast cornucopia of foodstuffs, and in it we can certainly find something to alarm everyone.
?The firefly squid at Momokawa has an elusive texture.In assembling our list of the city's most challenging dishes, we cast no aspersions against any food preferences or nationalities that produced them. We guarantee that every dish on the list, no matter how edifying we may have found it, scared us at least a little bit at first. Not as much as a Big Mac scares us, but gave us a scare nonetheless.
Here without further ado are Our 10 Most Challenging Dishes.
10. Tete de Veau -- One evening the Organ Meat Society attacked a calf's head at French old-timer Tout Va Bien in the Theatre District. Arriving on a large tray, the pieces of face had been laid out methodically as if Hannibal Lecter had performed the dissection - ears, lips, tender cheeks, and pieces of brow, the parts as recognizable as animal illustrations in children's books. A sprightly vinaigrette was served alongside, and many of the parts were gelatinous or chewy. The ears made the biggest impression, causing an audible crunch when bitten into. 311 W 51st Street, Hell's Kitchen, 212-265-0190
9. Large Pig Intestines with Duck Blood -They say it's good for blood pressure, impotence, dropsy, and all sorts of human ills, but who likes the taste and surreal texture of the wobby blocks of congealed blood that form one half of the focus of the stew seen at the top of the first page, from the restaurant called Island of Taiwan? The porcine intestine is another horror show for those who can't appreciate its squishy and skanky majesty. 6817 Eight Avenue, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, 718-680-0033
8. Firefly Squid - Some are fans of the raw octopus served in sushi bars, because it has a creepy, slightly sweet mouth feel. Take that a step or two further, and you have firefly squid at Kyoto-style restaurant Momokawa. This tiny, naturally phosphorescent denizen of the sea is served raw, slimed with a solution of seawater and ink. The texture, as you suck it off the end of your chopsticks and into your mouth is, well...strange. 157 East 28th Street, Murray Hill, 212-684-7830
7. Barbecued Pig Head - While it may sound like a romp in the forest, assaying the barbecued pig head at Fatty 'Cue is hard work, peeling layer upon layer of trembling yellow fat from the face and jowl, as the bloodshot eyes look up at you pleadingly, the ears tremble, and all sorts of bodily fluids squirt in various directions. 91 South 6th Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 718-599-3090
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