Philadelphia Sicilian restaurant to introduce horse meat

[alfieb]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...estaurant.html

Philadelphia chef plans to introduce HORSE MEAT to menu at popular Sicilian restaurant

Philadelphia restaurateur Peter McAndrews is planning to add horse meat to his menu amid a controversy in Europe over the equine fare being sold as beef.

McAndrews, who specializes in Italian cuisine, owns more than a half dozen restaurants in the Philadelphia area including Monsu, Modo Mio, Popolino, La Porta and Paesano's sandwich shops.

He told restaurant blogger Victor Fiorella that he plans to 'embrace horse meat wholeheartedly' at his popular Sicilian spot, Monsu, in the spring.

'In Italian food, a lot of [horse meat] is made into salami or cured meats, and some parts are also good like regular steak would be, just like a cow,' McAndrews said.

McAndrews has served 'caballa finto,' or 'mock horse,' at Monsu in the past, which is his horseless version of an Italian favorite. He makes the dish instead with goat meat.

The slaughter of horses in the U.S. was outlawed until 2011, when President Barack Obama lifted the ban.

Other American chefs have tried to introduce horse meat to their menus in the past to little success.

New York chef Hugue Dufour made national headlines last year when he began serving horse tartar at his restaurant M. Wells Dinette.

The white building pictured, formerly Butcher's Cafe, is now called Monsu, where McAndrews plans to serve horse meat on the menu

A mere two weeks after releasing the new menu Dufour was forced to nix the dish because of protests from animal rights activists.

McAndrews told Fiorella that he’s not concerned about any potential fallout from introducing horse to his menu, however.

'There’s too much meddling,' he said. 'If you’re serving something and it’s not doing well, that’s when you don’t serve it anymore. Not because you get letters about it.'

I'll eat there. I don't see why it's a big deal?

[Sikeliot]

I don't see the big deal. I just didn't know Sicilians ate it!

The thing I like that other people get grossed out by is alligator. But that's a southern thing in the US.

[alfieb]

I've had it (Gator) at Brazilian restaurants before. Not bad.

[Sikeliot]

I've had it (Gator) at Brazilian restaurants before. Not bad.

It's like chicken only with a texture more like fish.

[alfieb]

sounds about right.

they serve ostrich meat at brazilian restaurants, too. i think that's far more exotic than horse is.

as for horse, it's most associated with catanese cuisine. being western myself, my family was never really into it.

[Peyrol]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...estaurant.html



I'll eat there. I don't see why it's a big deal?

Why not?

Horse meat is very good tasting and a popular pan-italic meat for cooking.

[Allenson]

I've never eaten horse but I certainly would be willing to try it if I ever came across it on a menu somewhere.

Our ancestors ate wild horse for tens of thousands of years before these wonderful beasts were domesticated. It was a staple of the paleo and mesolithic diet.

No big shakes.

[Vesuvian Sky]

I had horse meat in Kazakhstan and liked it.

Since then I have been looking for the long lost Sicilian-Kazakh connection. This lastest development clears everything up nicely.