Egri lunch, Budapest supper

Monday we decided to take a day-trip out to Eger, the home of the infamous Bull's Blood. After some annoying scheduling problems with the trains, we arrived just in time for lunch. Relying once again on the Rough Guide, we decided to go to Fehérszarvas Vadásztanya (unfortunately, only in Hungarian).

If you like stuffed animal heads and hides adorning your dining area, then this is the place for you. I thought it was super charming and lovely. They even had a table surrounded by chairs made from deer antlers and sheep hide. I'm personally a huge fan of using all the parts of an animal, so this practical and creative use of antlers made me really happy.

The food itself was also good. They did a fine goose liver trio, very tender and sweet, and very hearty portions for the entrées. (It's been a full 2 weeks since we ate there, so please forgive me for being sparse on the details!) Overall, lunch was a great experience.

After lunch, we walked out to the Valley of Beautiful Women to visit the numerous wine cellars and taste some wine. More details can be found here, but suffice it to say that I got thoroughly sozzled (some cellars failed to provide a spittoon, blargh). J had to steer me all the way back to the train station.

Because of my drunken state, we went back to Budapest rather earlier than we'd expected. On the train ride home, we looked up another restaurant, Alföldi. Being that it was a Monday, J reasoned that it ought to be slow enough that we wouldn't need a reservation. We were wrong again.

As we milled about outside this little restaurant, a couple stepped out and warned us off it. The food was hit-and-miss, they said, and the service was awful. Better to go to a place nearby called "For Sale."

After wandering for a good while, we finally found it. I was surprised to find that it was a rowdy, sawdust on the floor, basket of peanuts on bench tables sort of pub. We milled around uncertainly for a good few minutes before someone came to ask what we wanted. They tried to tell us they were full, but a couple was just finishing up, so we were spared this aggravating assertion.

Despite the questionable service, the food was decent. Their bean goulash was good and hearty, with wonderfully intense, rich meaty flavors and that ubiquitous Hungarian king of spices, paprika. The veal ragout was only passable. The weird Hungarian noodles were bland and dry, though their texture was interesting enough. The meat was also dry, and the sauce was not as intensely flavored. All in all, the ragout made for a rather poor follow-up to the goulash.

The portions were unbelievably huge, so we only got the 2 dishes... and even then, we didn't finish it all. Overall, it was a good cheap meal, but pubs aren't exactly my cup of tea.

Written 2010-05-31 13:15

Budapest, Hungary -- Day 2

Saturday, we went to Etyek for a little wine festival they were having. It was miserable, cold, and pouring. By contrast, the food we had -- a plate of chicken and a plate of ham -- was hot, filling, and near perfection. The chicken plate was good and saucy, with bell peppers and other vegetables mixed in. The ham dish was incredibly yummy, with the skin fried with the meat. It was moist and tender, and so flavorful that, as J put it, even the onions were tasty.

For dinner, we thought maybe we'd go to Cafe Pierrot, based on the recommendation of our guidebook the Rough Guide to Hungary. Unfortunately, we again failed to make reservations, and showing up at their door got us the familiar "We're full" rejection. "Maybe you try 21 across the street?" they suggested helpfully. We tried.

Again they told us they were full, but we insisted and looked skeptical, and finally they seated us in a little corner by the window which was actually extremely pleasant. We started with a bowl each of their cream of wild garlic soup. It was milder than I expected, and was properly creamy and delicious. I love a good creamy soup, and it had been an awful, cold and wet day of trudging about, so it really hit the spot.

We followed this up with their foie gras concert. Goose liver was delivered to us on a platter as a pate, grilled, and one other way which I can no longer remember. It was fabulous. The grilled lobe was sweet and smooth, the skin bursting under the teeth with a gentle but satisfying pip to disgorge the tender liver inside. The liver was not overcooked at all, and was perfectly soft and melted across the tongue so nicely. ♥

For an entree, I opted for a goose risotto, with roasted goose leg, stuffed goose neck, and seared goose liver on top. The leg was the tiniest bit tough, but the skin was crisp, the fat sweet, and the meat well-flavored and quite delectable. The liver was again fabulously tender, smooth, and sweet. The neck was the only thing I was not entirely happy with. The stuffing was comparatively bland and uninteresting, and the skin of the neck was quite tough and fatty without a whole lot of flavor. The risotto underlying these goosy treats was a little crunchy. The rice seemed just a bit underdone. The flavor was mild but good, and the frequent chunks of goosy bits in the risotto made for a fun time.

Unfortunately, J has forgotten what he had at 21. Ah well. Such is the risk of blogging several days and many good meals after the event.

Written 2010-05-20 20:56

Edit -- J remembered what he got as an entrée at 21. :) The enormous slab of goose liver, delivered on a pile of caramelized apples, was an awesome sight to behold. It was, by all reports, incredibly delicious. The mildly tart sweetness of the apples blended and contrasted beautifully with the sweet richness of the liver for an amazing in-the-mouth experience.

Edited 2010-05-30 06:27

Chili Liver

Ingredients (serves 2):

• 1/2 lb fresh chicken livers
• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 Tbsp Guilin chili sauce
• 2 Tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp black rice vinegar
• 4 Tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp ginger (grated)
  
• 2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
  
• 2 scallions (spring or green onions) (finely diced)
  

Preparation (15 minutes):

1. Mix the sauce. Combine the chili sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, rice wine, salt, sugar, and stock.
2. Grate the ginger.
   
3. Crush the cloves of garlic.
4. Finely dice the scallions.
5. Rinse the livers under gently running water, taking care not to burst the membrane holding the livers together.
   
6. Trim off the excess fat. If desired, cut the livers into smaller pieces. This will make cooking them a little messier in the pot.
7. Pat the livers dry with a paper towel. The livers will be going into a pan of hot oil, and you don't want to get hurt.
   

Cooking (10 minutes):

1. Pre-heat a medium wok with the vegetable oil.
2. Fry the ginger, garlic, and scallions until fragrant.
3. Toss in the livers, stirring gently so as not to rupture the membranes.
4. Fry over medium heat until the livers are close to done. (Done is internal temperature around 160 F).
5. Add the sauce. Stir well to coat all the livers evenly.
6. When the livers are done (internal temperature around 160 F), serve and enjoy!