by Nikki Metzgar - 206 Reviews - 77 List
Does lamb no longer seem like an adventurous proposition? Is bone marrow a been-there-done-that offering? Then we triple-dog dare you to test the freaky food waters. Here are some places in Houston to chow down on the best and worst in "Fear Factor" foods, from brains to butt. We're still looking for a place that serves Peruvian guinea pig--so if you find it, let us know. (Photo: Flickr/daveiam)
Updated: August 23, 2010
This Galleria area butcher shop is at once the purveyor of a simple, delicious hamburger and some of the oddest meats in town. There's hardly a thing you couldn't order here. Kangaroo? Check. Ostrich burger, emu kabob and the mighty turducken? Check, check and check.
When a gaucho at this Brazilian churrascaria offers you a skewer of grilled chicken heart, you a should actually consider accepting. These tiny little nuggets of muscle are chewy but flavorful.
Who was the poor slob desperate enough to eat grasshoppers for the first time? We can only imagine man resorting to bugs when no kangaroo or tripe were at his disposal. Hugo's offers the fried chapulines done up with with guacamole, tortillas and chipotle tomatillo salsa, which only makes them sound remotely more palatable.
The French regularly eat a lot of items sissy Americans find off-putting and all that foie gras and escargot is naturally on the menu at Cafe Rabelais. But if you're really feeling adventurous, order the andouillettes--steamy, course ground tripe sausages. The smell alone will turn your stomach (speaking from personal experience).
Feast is infamous for its dedication to nose-to-tail dining so we're aware that there are various offal options to either avoid or seek. The tricky part is the English naming system. Pig's ear cake is self-explanatory. Bubble and squeak, bath chaps and cock-a-leekie are not obvious. They might sound adorable, but you might end up wondering why there's blood sausage on your plate.
It's a question any newcomer to dim sum must ask himself: Do I try the chicken feet? But they're all skin and tasty sauce--not much of a challenge. Real champions go for the metallic tasting cubes of pig's blood, reminiscent of what we imagine penny jello to be like.
