Guinea Pig in Brooklyn

[cabrales]

Wilfrid, Nina and I sampled the Ecquadorian specialty, cuy or guinea pig, at Salinas Restaurant in Brooklyn yesterday. It would be better to say that Wilfrid and Nina devoured two approx. 20-cm long whole guinea pigs, while I nibbled on a small piece of skin and meat with much difficulty. It took much of a 1/2 bottle of 1997 Lynch-Bagues for me to take in a little portion of the intrinsically salty meat and semi-crispy skin. The small bit I took in was from the more "normal-looking" part of the body of the animal.

Meanwhile, the head-intact (at least originally) guinea pigs were being sampled by Wilfrid and Nina. The body of the animal had liver, heart, kidneys and other interior parts intact, and these were soon gobbled up by Wilfrid and Nina. The hind legs; the front paws (Nina chomped at them happily and recommended them to Wilfrid); the meat near the throat of the animal; the brains (extracted after the animals were decapitated); the eyeballs! I leave the cuy taste to be described by my braver dining companions.

The cuy dish tends to be available only on weekends. It is $30/animal, with potatoes included. The dish is called Papas con Cuy. Pre-ordering is generally required, and the item might be unavailalbe on particular weekends. Apart from the cuy, the other dishes sampled were average-minus to poor (Ceviche Mixto, or mixed ceviche with corvina fish, shrimp, etc. -- this was cooked, instead of raw, and not particularly acidic; fried rice variety, etc.) The exception was Goat Stew in Beer with rice, which was good-minus. Not sampled was an intriguing Tree Tomato (Tomate de Arbol) Milk Shake ($3). Wilfird's Beloved ate fried fish; his baby and Beloved's relative also did not sample the cuy.

The restaurant lacks meaningful air conditioning. We were advised that some air conditioning was available. However, it was not adequate.

499-5th Avenue, Brooklyn, 718-788-9263

[Fat Guy]

I assume nobody took a photo?

Cabrales, when you say the meat was "intrinsically salty" are you saying you think it is salty by nature?

Also, when you get a moment, since you often assign quality-designations to dishes, could you familiarize us with how your rating scale of "good-minus" and "average-plus" and such is organized?

Still searching for meaningful air conditioning . . .

[cabrales]

Steven -- I didn't sample enough of the cuy to answer your questwions with confidence. I thought the saltiness of the meat was intrinsic to the cuy. Note I took in perhaps one bite of each of the skin and the flesh. I did take pictures using my non-digital camera.

[Fat Guy]

Do you get your film processed by a service that can provide you with Web-based copies of the images, or a disk? If so, perhaps you will begin posting some on occasion. These would I'm sure be of particular interest.

[cabrales]

Well, so far I've forwarded a few pictures to Andy. Do you have scanning capabilities? I sometimes have my pictures developed at a facility that could have them scanned on-line, but there are extra charges for the scanning.

[Fat Guy]

Yes, I have a scanner. Two of them, actually.

If you do your processing with York by mail, it's only 99 cents to have the images placed online, in a password-protected area, for your use.

[Bux]

If nothing else, I am greatful for the information on wine matching. I would have selected a St. Julien rather than a Pauillac in my ignorance.

[cabrales]

Well, when I get the cuy photos developed, I might send them to you by regular mail.

[LaNiña]

The meat was incredibly salty. We asked whether or not it had been marinated or anything, and they said no, but that's hard to believe. I liked the texture of the meat, and the flavor of the offal was quite strong. The meat itself was fairly gamey, similar to the squirrel I had at St. John's in London a few months ago - gamier and darker than rabbit. Wilfrid said it was a bit like wild rabbit, which I don't think I've ever had, at least knowingly - I think most of the rabbit we eat is raised rabbit.

The skin was quite chewy and thick, reminiscent of pork skin. The thinner parts, like near the legs, and toward the head, were a bit like cracklings.

Note: Cabby wouldn't even eat a potato because the cuy had *touched* it.

[Rail Paul]

Nina, Wlfrid and Cabrales -

Would you comment on the texture, flavour, etc of the internal organs? Specifically the heart and liver? Did you find the "strong" taste more intense than the pig, etc sampled earlier?

Cabrales -

was the Lynch Bages '97 an educated guess on your part? I can't imagine there's much literature or experience on matching first and second growths with hedge hogs.

Many thanks

Paul

[LaNiña]

The organ means were very intense, especially the liver. Dark tasting, if that makes sense. The heart, and kidneys were immediately recognizable to me because of the texture - similar to heart and kidneys of other animals I've eaten (sheep, pig, etc). The eyeballs were the same texture as the sheep's eyeballs I've eaten recently, and Wilfrid agreed.

Oh, Wilfrid and I drank rose, not the red.

[Sandra Levine]

hedge hogs.

Don't be fooled by the porky allusion: they are two different species, both cute. Hedgehogs are spiky, not furry.

[LaNiña]

Just to be clear: this was guinea pig. Squeak squeak.

[Sandra Levine]

When Alan mentioned to his Ecuadorean receptionist that he knew of a cuy quest in progress, she responded, sniffily, that they are eaten only by people in the "mountains."

[LaNiña]

Hey, they don't call it Park Slope for nothin'

[Sandra Levine]

nothin'

I thought that was spelled, "nuttin'

[LaNiña]

Well, it is Park Slope, after all. We do have *some* standards.

[Jinmyo]

cabrales, at least I'm not as afraid of you now.

[LaNiña]

Oh, be afraid, be very afraid

[Jinmyo]

Nina, I am. I used to be very very afraid. But now I'm just very afraid.

[Orik]

On a related note, does anyone know if capibara is served anywhere in or around new york?

Cuy before:

Cuy after:

[LaNiña]

Yep, that's what they looked like.

[Jinmyo]

Oh, so cuuuute!

[LaNiña]

Capibara seems to be a Venezuelan specialty, from what I can find. So now we have to find Venezuelan restaurants...

[Orik]

Capibara seems to be a Venezuelan specialty, from what I can find.  So now we have to find Venezuelan restaurants...

And a supposedly kosher venezuelan specialty at that (they chew their cud and have something that passes as hooves). Capibara (chiguire) is also said to be very salty and needs to be washed well before cooking. I think the typical venezuelan way of cooking it is to fry it in a sofrito, but this is getting a bit off topic...