Who serves your favorite sweetbreads?

[slowcoooked]

I'm hankering a good helping of carmelized beef thymus (or pancreas) sweetbreads and am wondering who serves up the best? I often wonder why you have to hit a 20+ buck per plate joint to get these. I love Wink's version.

[foodiegal71]

Last fall I had them for the first time at VinoVino. They were a small plate, probably around $8-10. They were so wonderful. Fatty, creamy, a little crispy. I dream about them...

I had them last week at Contigo and they were just OK. Honestly a little on the dry side. I think they were $9 for the plate and came on parsnip puree with some pickled turnip.

[slowcoooked]

"A little on the dry side" ??? Sweetbread blasphemy. The thymus hasn't a single muscle cell.

[foodiegal71]

Yeah, the more I've thought about it, the more they weren't all that. The smaller ones were much better than the larger ones.

I need to get back to Vino Vino. Or try some of these other recommendations to make up for that.

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Vino Vino
4119 Guadalupe St, Austin, TX

[wayoutwestaustin]

The new BC Tavern in Bee Cave has great crispy sweetbreads. It was formerly Zoot and the owners also own Wink, so that explains the sweetbread connection. $11 & $16, depending on size - http://www.bc-tavern.com

[slowcoooked]

Gotta go back to Parkside, their salmon ceviche is stellar and worth the risk of not having the sweetbreads on the menu. I've yet to hit the 'swine, but am excited to do so. that's it?

[popvulture]

Congress also has em on the menu... but I've never been there, so I can't vouch. It just got named one of the 10 best new restaurants in Bon Appetit though, so probably worth a shot if you feel like putting a decent dent in your wallet. I'd personally rather save my splurges for Uchi.

[Steven Dilley]

There's an excellent sweetbreads-related item on the menu at Bar Congress (also available as a supplement on the Congress menu)... veal meatball slider with veal sweetbreads and arugula. $8.

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Bar Congress
200 Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78701

[slowcoooked]

Steven that sounds so so good, thanks for the heads up. I could eat that right now for breakfast on a sunday morning.

[abidonfood]

i agree, Wink's version is very good.

i've had a great version at Barley Swine also, but it's not on the menu right now. hopefully it shows up again for you to try it out there...

Taste used to have an awesome version, but alas they are no more...

haven't had it at Parkside, but i'd bet it's good there....

[popvulture]

Wink's version is really good– I agree. I had it once at the Driskill several years ago, but their menu changes frequently so who knows if they're doing them there these days. Plus that place is $$$$$, of course.

I've had em at Parkside on a couple of occasions as well, much more reasonably priced and pretty damn tasty. I'm sorry I can't remember the exact preparations/accompaniments, but I'd mark that down as a place on your list to check out.

[cpencis]

We has a nice appetizer sweetbreads serving at Haddington's last week... With good drinks, and other great small plates, I'm a big fan of this place.

[m3lissa]

+1 on Haddington's. Chez Nous also used to have decent ones (I haven't been in a couple years).

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Chez Nous
510 Neches St, Austin, TX 78701

[gilintx]

I went to Chez Nous in the same time frame as you, and I had terrible luck with the entire meal, including the sweetbreads. Chewy, swimming in oil. Not to mention that the rest of the meal was equally horrid. The pommes dauphines were essentially hockey pucks, our pate had the consistency of alpo. I mean, I suppose the salad was just fine. Even the service was largely absent. Nothing about the experience made me want to go back.
It doesn't look like they're on the menu currently, but I did have very good sweetbreads at Parkside. If they happen to have them, that would be my recommendation.

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Chez Nous
510 Neches St, Austin, TX 78701

[rudeboy]

I like your descriptions, gilintx. I've had up and down experiences at Chez Nous. But just one question, I've never *really* tasted Alpo....are there pates that ahve a different consistency? Like with chunks and gelatinous portions?

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Chez Nous
510 Neches St, Austin, TX 78701

[gilintx]

I have tasted dog food before (needs salt), but I have never actually tasted alpo. However, the consistency of this pate was just... off. It didn't really slice; it more like crumbled, and the resulting mess really wan't spreadable, like most pates are. I didn't have an opinion one way or the other about the taste, but the texture was very much like dog food.
As I said, perhaps they had an off day, or perhaps they served us pate that was too old. Either way, it was unpleasant.