Spicy Beef Tendon at Red Pepper

They were running a special appetizer at Red Pepper last night: spicy beef tendon. I've had beef tendon only in hot soups before. This was a cold dish. Prosciutto-thin slices of tendon in a mildly spicy sauce topped with refreshing cilantro, green onions, and tiny pieces of celery. Delicious, and, for me at least, surprising. I loved it. One thing I love about places like Red Pepper is that I don't really know what I'm ordering most of the time, but I'm almost always pleasantly surpised. If they're running the special, it's worth trying.

That was my first app I got there, I love it.

I remember Ethan and I having that dish the first time we hung out together. Can you imagine the scene? Two of us, alone in the place during 'business decline,' sitting right in front of the kitchen window. Taking notes, so to speak...

There is a tone chefs tend to take when they are evaluating another's (or their own) work. The gaze never leaves the plate. Every statement becomes minimized. There is an absolute lack of emotion in vocal tones. Even the most egregious of mistakes and triumphant of successes are recognized and passed over like one was reading off a checklist.

I still remember Ethan posing the question (that he already knew the answer to,) 'where do you think this comes from?' I lifted my leg above the table surface and pointed to Achilles, unable to resist the urge to be irreverent in an empty restaurant. Unfazed, he nodded and turned back to the matter at hand: analyzing and learning from what this chef was teaching on the plate.

It was during this experience that I had an epiphany regarding Asian cuisines, in general: Many times, in an effort to use soy sauce as a substitute for salt, they miss out on the minerality that this ingredient provides. I felt that dish would have gone from a 9 to a 10 with this addition. What do you think?

So describe this Ethan...emotionless if you must. Is it chewy? I would think it would be like a rubber band. Is it white? Aren't tendons white in color?

Is it chewy? I would think it would be like a rubber band. Is it white? Aren't tendons white in color?

Last time Anne and I had the beef tendon it was more or less pink in color. It is not chewy as the tendon is sliced very thin. It almost melts in your mouth. One time we had it and the spice level was pretty high(hot),but on our last visit it was alot more toned down,which was more to my liking. This dish is also very good as a cold leftover in the morning.

So describe this Ethan...emotionless if you must. Is it chewy? I would think it would be like a rubber band. Is it white? Aren't tendons white in color?

John pretty much nailed it. I liken the texture to cellophane noodles.

Is it "beefy" tasting? Or does it taste like cellophane noodles too??

Is it "beefy" tasting? Or does it taste like cellophane noodles too??

Very mild in flavor, with a slight fatty unctuousness.