Eats, Food, Restaurant

Offal Good: Bitterroot Lets Down This Liver Lover

bitterroot-liver-640-8086I’d heard mixed reviews about Bitterroot, one of several restaurants comprising a BBQ boom in Ballard. One item that gets consistently good marks for quality: the Buffalo Fried Chicken Livers. These I simply had to try.

What I love most about eating chicken livers is the minerally, musky flavor that almost oozes out upon biting into their soft, smooth texture. Bitterroot’s, though, fell flat. The liver itself was chalky and gritty. As for the “Buffalo-ization,” the tangy, spicy flavor was there, but the breading was a little heavy. I much prefer the version I ate recently at Radiator Whiskey, with brighter flavors and breading that was more delicate and crispy—though even there I was craving more liver flavor.

Given the other food I tried at Bitterroot (pulled pork that was too dry, and a roller-coaster of overseasoned and underseasoned appetizers and sides), I’m not surprised by my disappointment. Anyone else in Seattle doing Buffalo fried chicken livers? Joule did a great treatment of them in a few years ago as part of their Urban BBQ series, but if there are no current options, I’ll just have to settle for a bag of the plain-fried livers (and gizzards!) from Chicken Valley at Pike Place Market.

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Jay Friedman

Food and Travel Jay Friedman, gastronaut, is one of the most intriguing and innovative food and travel writers in Seattle. You may know him from Seattle Weekly’s "Sexy Feast" column (Jay is a unique combination of food writer and professional sex educator) or City Arts’ “Dish-Off," in which he challenged chefs to create meals based on songs. (Jay is also a former disc jockey!) He is also a regular contributor to the national Serious Eats blog, and is the co-editor/author of the Fearless Critic Seattle restaurant guide. Jay travels extensively and shares his hedonistic adventures in occasional “Passport to Pleasure” pieces. When not eating out or writing about it, he is most likely in the kitchen making biang-biang noodles, bibimbap, or anything with offal. You can find most of Jay’s writing at his personal blog, Gastrolust.

One thought on “Offal Good: Bitterroot Lets Down This Liver Lover”

  1. In general Bitterroot is one of the only consistently good BBQ places in Seattle. Try the Cowboy Killer next time for variety. The best thing there is the Brisket. Judging a BBQ place by its liver also seems kinda random and contrarian, What BBQ place anywhere is defined by its liver for chrissakes?

    The best pulled pork is at Pecos Pit in SODO. If you dont agree with that, you dont know BBQ or are just another Yelp malcontent.

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