Brains anyone?

I am fairly new to LTH and I was wondering if you know any places that serves good brains (as food!). I am also interested in some other unusual food such as hearts or balls.

Thanks!

serkansener wrote:I was wondering if you know any places that serves good brains ... I am also interested in ... hearts or balls.

Emerald City might be a good place to start

Eating locations for brains, balls, and more are discussed (and at one point, some items eaten) during my conversation with Jerry Agar (WLS) from last summer:

http://bandyrooster.com/hammond/wls2.htm

Although brain tacos (taco de sesos) are on most menus in Rogers Park, they rarely carry them these days - apparently they are somewhat difficult to find due to fear of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. We did find, along with tacos de ojo (eyeball,) brain tacos at the Maxwell Street Market, which was arranged by David Hammond! Somebody just mentioned heart at D'Candela. I have heard that sometimes you'll see cojones (testicles) (huevos del toro in Mexico) on an Argentine parillada, but I haven't found them here. All the above are usually beef.

Are you looking for offal in general? A lot of South and Central American restaurants offer at least one kind of variety meat: liver, tongue, head, sweetbreads, blood sausage, etc. Asian restaurants also offer a take on these "leftovers," and sometimes delve into animals other than cow. Do a few keyword searches here and you'll find places - there are quite a few of us (myself included) who enjoy and have reported on the so-called "Nasty Bits." (I have two beef tongues in my freezer as we speak )

There are alot of taquerias in the Chicago area that serves sesos (brains) but I haven't tried them yet.

You can find brain masala at Sabri Nehari

Best,
Michael

eatchicago wrote:You can find brain masala at Sabri Nehari

Best,
Michael

was just going to say that (along with a few other places on Devon)... Most Nehari recipes use brain as a thickening agent for the rich gravy as well.

I do recall someone ordering brains and eggs for breakfast at Ednas well into the All Night athon some years back.

Edna's Restaurant
3175 W. Madison
773-638-7079

serkansener wrote:I am fairly new to LTH and I was wondering if you know any places that serves good brains (as food!). I am also interested in some other unusual food such as hearts or balls.

Thanks!

I have it on my driver's license. If I'm killed in an accident, my brains, balls, and heart can be donated to any restaurant in Chicago or New Guinea.

saps wrote:

serkansener wrote:I am fairly new to LTH and I was wondering if you know any places that serves good brains (as food!). I am also interested in some other unusual food such as hearts or balls.

Thanks!

I have it on my driver's license. If I'm killed in an accident, my brains, balls, and heart can be donated to any restaurant in Chicago or New Guinea.

ab wrote:

eatchicago wrote:You can find brain masala at Sabri Nehari

Best,
Michael

was just going to say that (along with a few other places on Devon)... Most Nehari recipes use brain as a thickening agent for the rich gravy as well.

Oh, man. Please no one tell my husband this. I've just now gotten him to a grudging acceptance of my nehari jones - if he knew it had what the little calf thinks wiz in there, we'd never have it again.

Mmmm, Brains

You could also go Peruvian for anticuchos. I'm still a little unclear on whether the term only refers to heart or any skewered meat, but I believe Rinconcito Sudamericano serves it.

And I had a dynamite shaved sous vide veal heart with pickled celery and yellow curry at Trotter's about a year ago. Don't know if he's still serving it:

was just going to say that (along with a few other places on Devon)... Most Nehari recipes use brain as a thickening agent for the rich gravy as well.

I have never heard of brain being used as a thickener. In India and Pakistan, brains are considered a great delicacy. As such, they are expensive and not always available. Frequently, one has to place a special order for these with the butcher.

Nihari is essentially a stew made with inexpensive meat parts and always includes the bones. It is the length of cooking time - generally six hours or so, that gives the dish it's rich gelatinous texture. Restaurants these days do not adhere to the long cooking time and may use flour as a thickner to speed the process.

Jyoti

jygach wrote:

was just going to say that (along with a few other places on Devon)... Most Nehari recipes use brain as a thickening agent for the rich gravy as well.

I have never heard of brain being used as a thickener. In India and Pakistan, brains are considered a great delicacy. As such, they are expensive and not always available. Frequently, one has to place a special order for these with the butcher.

Nihari is essentially a stew made with inexpensive meat parts and always includes the bones. It is the length of cooking time - generally six hours or so, that gives the dish it's rich gelatinous texture. Restaurants these days do not adhere to the long cooking time and may use flour as a thickner to speed the process.

Jyoti

I've heard of them being used (and eaten it w/ brains ... in Pakistan), though I didn't know their purpose was as a thickener, and I certainly am not aware of their use routinely.

Octarine wrote:Mmmm, Brains

I dig this guy. Though GWiv doesn't (because he doesn't understand him).

atomicman wrote:I do recall someone ordering brains and eggs for breakfast at Ednas well into the All Night athon some years back.

Edna's Restaurant
3175 W. Madison
773-638-7079

I believe that was Seth Z...though apparently one helping of brains was not enough that morning, as we ordered them again an hour or so later at Shan.

David "I'm not really a monster... well, technically, I am" Hammond

Brains located last night at 10pm (open 'till midnite) at

El Rey Del Taco
7104 N. Clark Street
Chicago, IL
773-272-0411

$1.84 for a taco, also had tripe available

jygach wrote:

was just going to say that (along with a few other places on Devon)... Most Nehari recipes use brain as a thickening agent for the rich gravy as well.

I have never heard of brain being used as a thickener. In India and Pakistan, brains are considered a great delicacy. As such, they are expensive and not always available. Frequently, one has to place a special order for these with the butcher.

Nihari is essentially a stew made with inexpensive meat parts and always includes the bones. It is the length of cooking time - generally six hours or so, that gives the dish it's rich gelatinous texture. Restaurants these days do not adhere to the long cooking time and may use flour as a thickner to speed the process.

Jyoti

Nihari does use brains as a thickener in most cases. Not sure if Sabri uses it, but I'd guess they do, as they also have brains in the kitchen for the Brain Masala. Ask around - Nihari is a richer and better dish for it - not just as a thickener, but one reason why the gravy is so delicious. I've seen it with my own eyes multiple times in Pakistan.

here's a link that confirms:

http://jhovaan.blogspot.com/2007/05/nih ... style.html

jygach wrote:

was just going to say that (along with a few other places on Devon)... Most Nehari recipes use brain as a thickening agent for the rich gravy as well.

I have never heard of brain being used as a thickener. In India and Pakistan, brains are considered a great delicacy. As such, they are expensive and not always available. Frequently, one has to place a special order for these with the butcher.

Nihari is essentially a stew made with inexpensive meat parts and always includes the bones. It is the length of cooking time - generally six hours or so, that gives the dish it's rich gelatinous texture. Restaurants these days do not adhere to the long cooking time and may use flour as a thickner to speed the process.

Jyoti

I *have* heard of brain being used as a thickener.. but I agree, I dont
belive it is *routinely* used that way. And IMHO it is highly unlikely
that it is used that way in Chicago - at least, Id be stunned to find it
used at Sabri or Usmaniya.

Iam not sure Id agree entirely with the "stew made with inexpensive parts",
or the "6 hours cooking time", or even neccesarily the "gelatinous
texture" parts I consider the nehari-gravy to be rich, very
rich.. but not really gelatinous - the truly gelatinous dish is, of
course, paya - ie trotters. Isnt paya (trotters) also actually
the inexpensive part of the animal in many places?

Really good nehari is made from the meat of the upper-thigh,
from what Ive always been told (paya is made from the
lower leg, the trotters). The upper-thigh meat can be rich and
meaty, and not always inexpensive. And the best nehari
Ive eaten (at Noor Mohammadi in Bombay) is actually cooked
for *12 hours* every day.. it goes on the slow-low-fire at
6pm exactly every evening, and comes off at exactly 6am
the next morning (and if you arrive after 9am, you wont find
any remaining). It is often also served (for a little upcharge
in price) as "nalli nehari" - ie bone-marrow, which is a
delicacy and expensive. (However, again, Ive not had it
served with brain myself- I ate a fair bit of brain growing up,
but am not a fan of the taste, and would have certainly noticed
if I had been served it).

c8w

c8w wrote:I *have* heard of brain being used as a thickener.. but I agree, I dont
belive it is *routinely* used that way. And IMHO it is highly unlikely
that it is used that way in Chicago - at least, Id be stunned to find it
used at Sabri or Usmaniya.

Had lunch today at Shan and amongst the delectables we over ordered was nehari. As we were nearing the end of our meal I asked the waiter, who fielded the question over to the next table, consisting of one of Shan's owners, if they used brains as a thickener for nehari. The unequivocal answer was no and they had not heard of the practice.

As Hammond mentions upthread, Shan serves up a mean brains masala.

Enjoy,
Gary

Shan
5060-A N. Sheridan Rd
Chicago, IL. 60640
773-769-4961

serkansener wrote:I am fairly new to LTH and I was wondering if you know any places that serves good brains (as food!).
Thanks!

You can always head 310 miles straight south via Highway 41 to Evansville, Indiana for a big fried brains sandwich on a hamburger bun. Several tavern type restaurants still sell them but I believe they now use pig brains, as the USDA restrictions on the sale of beef brains stopped wholesalers from supplying them.

On the Last Minute a thon three years ago, we had sesos (brain) tacos at Don Pedro Carneceria:



Carnitas Don Pedro
1113 W 18th St
Chicago, IL

Regards,