Daredevil Dining: Offal, Embryos and Amphibians
By Alison Kramer, Contributor
Growing tired of standard San Francisco fare? This city has no shortage of eclectic, offbeat eats, if--that is--you're willing to think outside the bread bowl. Intestines and insects might not be high on your list of cravings, but you’ll never know a true delicacy until you’ve tried. Whether they make your mouth water or your stomach turn, gear up for some of the Bay Area's freakiest foods.
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Incanto
1550 Church St, San Francisco, CA
A daily changing menu accents exotic meats with more appealing, Cal-Italian flavors. Standout options include cockscombs (the fleshy red morsel found atop roosters and turkeys) and cured tuna heart. -
Epic Roasthouse
369 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA
Eschewing the boundaries of your standard steakhouse, this Embarcadero hot spot dishes up what the others discard. Brave palates can opt for the hog headcheese (a gelatinous loaf made from pigs’ heads, cheeks and jowls) with a side order of blood sausage and bone marrow. -
Sakae Restaurant
240 Park Rd, Burlingame, CA
This Burlingame sushi bar offers shirako, the offal of the sea. Also known as cod milt or cod sperm, this reproductive delicacy is hailed for its subtle flavor and silky texture. -
Great Eastern
649 Jackson St, San Francisco, CA
This Chinatown classic specializes in seafood, but the real gastronomic gems are found in the “clay pot specials.” Whole fresh frog arrives sizzling hot, straight from the many aquariums that line the dining room. -
La Folie
2316 Polk St, San Francisco, CA
French fare reigns at this Russian Hill mainstay with classics like frog’s legs and foie gras lollipops. If fattened duck liver is simply too tame for you, try the terrine made of trotters and sweetbreads (a.k.a. pigs feet and thyroid glands). -
Taverna Santi
21047 Geyserville Ave, Geyserville, CA
House-made tripe is the signature antipasti at this Sonoma restaurant. The tripe (made from the lining of a cow’s third stomach) is braised with tomato, pecorino and a fried egg. -
El Farolito
2779 Mission St, San Francisco, CA
El Faro's not the only taqueira to stuff brains, head and tongue inside a burrito, but it's open the latest, giving you time to hit the bars hard enough to want to try something like this. -
Turo Turo Restaurant
984 Geneva Ave, San Francisco, CA
This Filipino restaurant in the Excelsior serves Balut--a duck egg incubated to the point where the duckling's features are recognizable--a la carte. -
Polarica, Inc. Game Exchange
105 Quint St, San Francisco, CA
Sure, you could stick to the goat cheese and lingonberries, but what fun would that be? Instead, hit this Bayview "grocery" store for whole suckling pigs, reindeer steaks, alligator sausages and pretty much everything else that's legal to eat. -
Splash Café & Restaurant
750 Ellis St, San Francisco, CA
Order the deep fried frogs, pickled pigs' ears or durian milkshakes at this super late-night Vietnamese eatery in the TL for authentic (if unusual) snacks.
