calf liver

[mrbigjas]

ok so my dad and i like a nice piece of liver. both of our wives don't. in fact, my mom can barely handle the smell of it cooking in the house; the mrs, as those of you who have met her know, is not nearly as strident about it, but wouldn't choose to eat it if she had another option.

so we say, forget them, let's go out the two of us, get a nice big plate of liver, and have a good bottle of wine, whether we bring it ourselves or buy it there.

so where should we go? divan has a really tasty beef liver appetizer, but i think we'd be looking for something more traditional, the kind of thing you think of when you say, 'i'll have the calf liver.' i've been out so rarely of late that i can't remember where else i've seen it on the menu.

of course, i could get some and cook it, but that's less fun, and i've never cooked it at home. so in a larger sense, what i'm looking for is a benchmark, that i can aspire to when i start torturing the boy with offal.

so where should we go?

[mattohara]

oy-yah, we just went to deux chem and saw it on the menu but alas, no more. :\

[KatieLoeb]

Another one in the annals of the past. Judy's used to make a killer liver plate that I'd get a hankering for once or twice per year. My liver lovin' comes infrequently, but I need to satisfy it when it does. Must be an iron deficiency thing in me...

This brings up an interesting question. Does anyone do liver the old fashioned way anymore, or is foie the only incarnation we see? It would seem so from the menus I've looked at.

I suspect your best bet might be a really good diner with a phone book sized menu for your liver jones. Maybe Ponzio's or Olga's over the river? I'm pretty sure I've seen it on both those menus before.

[wkl]

pif,ansil or caribou?

maybe call ahead and request it at pif or ansil. i'm thinking a french place may do it.

[mrbigjas]

hey, good point, an old-school diner. not a bad thought. i was thinking that somewhere like southwark might have it now and then.

[serpentine]

I've had it at Southwark, last year I believe.

And on the old-school tip, I think Shank & Evelyn's does liver n' onions.

[Rich Pawlak]

I should think we might be able to find it at old school diners like the Oregon Diner, Melrose Diner, Broad Street diner, Penrose Diner, and Mayfair Diner in Philly. I seem to recall it on the menu at the terrific Gateway Diner on Ridge Pike in West Norriton, PA. I might also check out Big George's Stop N' Dine in West Philly or the Llanerch Diner on City Ave and West Chester Pike. Gotta be an old school place, no question about it.

I bet Rick Nichols at the Inky could track some down.

[cwdonald]

If you don't mind traveling Manon in Lambertville does a nice calves liver in a sherry reduction.

[mrbigjas]

i don't mind traveling; i just don't know if we'll be able to pull it off, timing-wise.

i checked caribou's online menu, no go. same with ansill. i don't mind calling, but i'd prefer to know that they actually do have it.

googling southwark came up with minor gourmandry's blog. he wrote good stuff.

but anyway, calling around, yeah, good thinkin. i didn't grow up with this stuff, so really i don't have a lot of the baggage people do.

i'll let you all know what we figure out.

[SouthPhillyFoodie]

Two weeks ago I ate sautéed Chicken Livers with Dried Cherries and Sweet Balsamic sauce at Davio's -- although the dish is very Fall/Winter friendly -- it can definitely satisfy a liver craving

[mrbigjas]

today at table 31 for lunch, I had a dish of sauteed calf liver with bacon and onions, over mashed potatoes, in a very rich raspberry vinegar sauce. the sauce wasn't overly sweet; the whole dish was really good.

$17, which seemed reasonable to me considering the location. i'll be back.

[san]

davio's chicken livers are my favorite....