Posts Tagged “tongue”

I do like to graze.  It seems a shame to take a meandering walk home without first giving the local eateries along the way a look, or a bite.  So I took a seat at the bar at Garden at the Cellar, Will Gilson’s localvore joint in the dwindling furniture district between Harvard and Central.   I usually go right for the tomato herb soup with a grilled vermont cheddar sandwich, a double dose of superb comfort food for only $8, but tonight I was seduced by a special, lamb tongue confit with fava beans, lentils and fiddleheads:

It shouldn’t diminish this dish at all to say that it wasn’t as satisfying as the lengua served at Toro, but as good as the lamb tongue was, I have to say the bright green beans and fiddleheads upstaged it a bit.  There was a generous portion of tongue chunks, tender and tasty in a rustic thick cut, identifiably lamb-flavored and different from the usual beef tongue you get.

I’ve also enjoyed fiddleheads recently at Hungry Mother, where they appeared with asparagus and ramps in another super-seasonal springy special.

Jumping back to Gilson, I should mention that he guest chef’d at the Savant Project a couple of weeks ago and served up (among other deliciousness) pickled ramps with oysters.

So spring is here, and the specials are flying.  Get out there and graze some!

I think everyone has a distinct memory of that “ah-ha” moment when you realized that the deli meat called “tongue” is in fact, exactly that.  It’s a little odd that so many of us live so disconnected from the source of our food, but, like Julia, I am pretty happy to have discovered the delicious lengua at Toro – and unlike her, I’m pretty happy to keep my distance from raw, whole and/or living beef tongues.

I recently discovered that nearby Anna’s Taqueria sometimes has lengua, (you can tell by the paper sign taped to the counter that says, “we have lengua”) which I have enjoyed in taco format with corn tortillas, onions and cilantro.  It’s cubed and cooked to a tender state, altogether different from what you find at Toro (or Rubin’s for that matter) but delicious all the same.

Gotta love the glow in the dark Mexican lime soda, too.  And while I’m on a taco tangent, I should mention that Boca Grande has got a wonderful version of Tacos Al Pastor, marinated pork with a non-guacamole avocado sauce served in three tiny corn tortillas.  Ironically, there’s no sign of tongue at Boca Grande, but Anna’s also offers Al Pastor.  Further comparative research is required.

And if you happen to be at Boca Grande with a design geek, you should be sure to cross the street (look both ways!) and visit Abodeon for some mid-century modern goodness.  Too bad their website isn’t.