Have Another Offal Day to test city's most adventurous eaters
Adventurous eaters will be challenged with offal offerings this weekend at Have Another Offal Day, a follow-up to last year’s culinary extravaganza where Sacramento chefs got a little experimental with the lesser-used parts of cow, pig and fowl.
Offal refers to organs, heads, feet and other parts of animals used for cooking after the more conventional cuts are spoken for. Chefs like Billy Ngo (Kru), Mike Thiemann (Mother), Michael Tuohy (Block Butcher Bar) and Jason Poole (Dawson’s) will be among the dozen who will gather on Sunday at Mulvaney’s Building & Loan to serve up dishes comprising parts like these for curious carnivores.
Host chef and Offal Day founder Patrick Mulvaney describes the event as another way to celebrate the farms and food of the Sacramento region—while also treating the area’s most curious carnivores.
“The impetus [of the event] is getting people together to celebrate food and foods they wouldn’t normally eat to maybe expand their horizons,” he says. “Not many people have eaten things like lamb brains or duck testicles.”
Last year, Mulvaney’s “Balls to the Wall” appetizer (featuring fried duck tongues and testicles served on skewers stuck in a board styled to look like a brick wall) was an event highlight, as were the lamb brain samosas made by Ravin Patel, executive chef of Selland Family Restaurants.
This year’s offerings, drawn from farms like Lucky Dog Ranch and Emigh Lamb, will be kept largely a secret until Sunday, when attendees can be as surprised as their taste buds. Diners can count on Wes Nilssen from deVere’s Irish Pub to bring haggis (a traditional Scottish pudding of sheep liver, heart and lungs) to the party, while adventurous patrons can reserve balut—a Filipino delicacy of boiled duck embryo—when buying tickets in advance.
For Mulvaney, the Offal Day is just another way for the community to share in some of the area’s best food.
“Here in Sacramento, we are a foodie town, no matter how you slice it,” he says. “And whenever you have a chance to cook with friends and family, it’s going to be a good day.”
Aug. 10. $65. 2-5 p.m. Mulvaney’s Building & Loan. 1215 19th St. 595-7822. facebook.com/offalday
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