A Little Head to Tail...and A Lot of Growing Up...

So last night was the Head to Tail dinner at Incanto Restaurant. Chef Chris Cosentino and his team did an amazing job. The dishes were beautiful and good, the wine pairings (and one beer pairing!) were great, and everyone from the front of the house greeters to our servers were spot on. I was surprised by how totally crowded the restaurant was, even at our early reservation time. A lot more foodie people in San Francisco than even I thought! (The dinner was sold out Monday night!) It was nice to see and refreshing to see that people had an open mind about food and what we eat.

What did I take away from the experience last night? Lots of things. I like ox tongue, blood sausage can be good, and umm, goat kidneys are not my favorite. I have a great group of adventurous friends that will try anything (and most that loved it!) and who are great to spend an evening eating, drinking and laughing with. That I've found my place in this city...with these friends that share my interests, thoughts, philosophy, and passions. Oh. And that my friend Tim sure can eat a lot of spleen!

What else did I learn? That other people can be naive about what is edible and good and what is not. People tend to stick with their comfort zones and can even be narrow minded about the world we live in. I think we forget that most people in every other country around the world eats many things we don't (including offal) and appreciates it, and considers it 'normal'. Only Americans are especially squeamish about eating innards and can't get past the visual and thought of what they are eating.

I took some shots of the dishes we experienced last night. The dishes were cooked beautifully, and if I do say so myself, my photography skills aren't half bad. :) The food looked good. If you didn't know what the dishes were, or if I had told you they were a 'normal' cut of meat, most people would have thought everything looked delicious. However, once people know they're looking at (or eating) an organ, or a 'non-traditional part', then they have a hard time with it. Some friends even told me it 'was the most disgusting thing I've ever seen'. Hmmm. Did it really LOOK disgusting or did you just think too much about what it was...and what it meant to you and then decided it was disgusting?

Now, I'm not saying that everyone has to love eating offal, or even want to. BUT, I am saying that it's something worth trying. And that you should respect the people that do eat it. That you shouldn't judge or decide if you're going to like it or not without having first tried it. If you've tried it, then you can say you don't like the taste. But only then, when you are making up your mind based on your own brain and thinking and experience, can you say that fairly. It makes me mad.

In any case, here are the shots. Aren't the plates beautiful? Anyone want to guess what the dishes are?

I guess when it's all said and done, all I've got to say is, we've got a long way to go...