Minutes of the Organ Meat Society, Five-Course Dinner at Hospoda

The third course was a chunky beef-heart stew in bacon sauce served over steamed and sliced dumplings.

Organ Meat Society Meeting
Friday, January 22, 2012
Hospoda
321 East 73rd Street

The meeting was called to order precisely at 7:30 p.m., at Hospoda, an elegant Czech restaurant on the Upper East Side. The Society occupied an alcove with some diverting murals in the rear of the restaurant. There were seven Organ Meat Society members present. The meal lasted until 11:15, at which point, after shaking the hand of chef de cuisine Marek Sada, farewells were said and the meeting adjourned. Following is a report on the food.

The menu included the above five courses, but not in that order.

Course 1: Pork Blood Soup With Barley and Marjoram -- This dish was like a liquid version of French blood sausage, not at all bloody-tasting, but with a rich, coarse texture, nicely bumpy with barley, given an extreme floral shot by the fresh marjoram. Everyone went for seconds.

Course 2: Truffled Cow Tripe in Béchamel Sauce -- Served like several of the other courses in metal bowls from which we could help ourselves, the cow tripe was so supple it must have been cooked for hours. The bechamel sauce was rich, and the scent of truffles (well, truffle oil) was powerful. The membership was beginning to realize at this point that every dish was going to be impossibly rich. Very nicely cooked brussels sprouts accompanied this course.