Non-Awful Offal-Like Food

Yesterday, I was in San Francisco for the first performance of the ballet season. We made it to the city early enough to eat at Zuni Cafe--a restaurant Toni loves and one that I've been longing to eat at ever since I started reading food blogs. I've noticed that Judy Rodgers' The Zuni Cafe Cookbook has made many foodies' list of top ten cookbooks and is often praised for its clear directions and evident passion for food. When Toni mentioned on our drive up that it was one of her favorite restaurants and close to the War Memorial Opera House (where the San Francisco Ballet performs), I was in.

When we arrived at Zuni Cafe, there was a bit of a wait. We kept our eyes on the tables in the bar area, but a table opened up in the restaurant area quite quickly. I sat down, enjoying the view of floor to ceiling windows, the beautiful copper bar, and the intersecting grottoes that show Zuni Cafe's growth. Our waitress was friendly and helpful when I asked her questions about the dish I was interested in ordering. Over the years of watching food T.V., I've often admired the adventurous spirit of someone like Anthony Bourdain who has no problem eating offal and other kinds of meat that frighten me. But yesterday, I decided to try something different, a little more risky--though definitely not as daring as Bourdain's offal (awful?) choices. I ordered an egg baked in oxtail sugo, presented with arugula and grilled levain bread. Oxtail. Maybe for you who have tried it that's not such a big deal. But I was picturing something similar to the "pig butt" I once ate, well, tried to eat, in Portugal. Still, when the waitress told me that there weren't really pieces of fat in the broth, just bits of meat, I realized that I really wasn't being that daring, perhaps.

The meal was delicious--hearty, meaty, rich counterpointed with the peppery taste of the arugula. And the egg made it feel like I was eating steak and eggs. I was glad that the bowl was small, since the amount provided was quite filling. Although I wish that the dish had been a little less oily, still I really enjoyed my foray into eating a less common cut of meat.

Toni ordered a dish that looked divine, the type of dish I would normally order: Poached eggs with gigante beans, rapini, and breadcrumb salsa. The food was beautiful to look at and I had food envy when it first arrived. Toni let me have a bite of the garlicky combination.

This was a really good lunch--I'd like to go back to Zuni Cafe . . . perhaps when we go to the ballet in May, although there are many other restaurants we want to try, as well.