Birthday meal: liver and onions?

[bbbamI]

I know without a doubt I will not live to be 113.
Pass the wine and dark chocolate please....

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo Orchidflower, I hate to pour cold water on your Luby's liver and onion memories, but alas, Luby's Cafeteria today isn't the Luby's you remember. The chain fell on hard times in the late 90's which, according to some theories, led to the 1997 suicide of John Curtis, the company CEO. After a few more years of decline the chain was taken over by the Pappas brothers, Houston owners of several restaurant chains. Under their management the cafeterias almost crashed and burned but are now (or at least prior to the recent economic problems) doing better. But the liver and onions as well as other traditional dishes on their menu just aren't the same. In the old days we ate there on a weekly basis. Now we rarely go - and when we do we are reminded of why.

What I remember about Luby's is that there was a TERRIBLE food poisoning incident at one of them, I think in the mid or late 1980's. I'm a little hazy about the details but I think several people died. Anyway, my ex would not set foot inside a Luby's because of that, fearing their food handling procedures, so I have never been to one.

I kept telling him that Texas really was part of the United States, and had restaurant health inspections and everything....

[WhoDaresWins]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo Orchidflower, I hate to pour cold water on your Luby's liver and onion memories, but alas, Luby's Cafeteria today isn't the Luby's you remember. The chain fell on hard times in the late 90's which, according to some theories, led to the 1997 suicide of John Curtis, the company CEO. After a few more years of decline the chain was taken over by the Pappas brothers, Houston owners of several restaurant chains. Under their management the cafeterias almost crashed and burned but are now (or at least prior to the recent economic problems) doing better. But the liver and onions as well as other traditional dishes on their menu just aren't the same. In the old days we ate there on a weekly basis. Now we rarely go - and when we do we are reminded of why.

Well, I will have to go someplace else in Houston then. I had company from Houston staying with me until this morning. Might visit them after the New Year. I told them I only want to go to GOOD Mexican places.

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Want2retire What I remember about Luby's is that there was a TERRIBLE food poisoning incident at one of them, I think in the mid or late 1980's. I'm a little hazy about the details but I think several people died. Anyway, my ex would not set foot inside a Luby's because of that, fearing their food handling procedures, so I have never been to one. I kept telling him that Texas really was part of the United States, and had restaurant health inspections and everything....

Are you sure you aren't confusing food poisoning with lead poisoning?

Luby's massacre - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo Are you sure you aren't confusing food poisoning with lead poisoning? Luby's massacre - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That happened too!! But also there was a food poisoning incident that bothered my ex even more, honest! It is possible that only two or three people died in the food poisoning but that was enough for him. Besides, we moved there in 1984 and I never got to eat at a Luby's even once. It had to be somewhere between 1984-1988 or so.

[calmloki]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Want2retire What I remember about Luby's is that there was a TERRIBLE food poisoning incident at one of them, I think in the mid or late 1980's. I'm a little hazy about the details but I think several people died. Anyway, my ex would not set foot inside a Luby's because of that, fearing their food handling procedures, so I have never been to one. I kept telling him that Texas really was part of the United States, and had restaurant health inspections and everything....

Sure it was food poisoning? Wasn't lead poisoning?
Luby's can't catch a PR break....
Luby's massacre - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[mickeyd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orchidflower If any liver and onion lovers here ever get to Texas, go to the Luby's cafeteria (which are all over the State and some others, too) and have their liver and onions. Best I've ever had!!! I miss it now.

I agree. L&O is Luby's best dish. By far.

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by calmloki Sure it was food poisoning? Wasn't lead poisoning? Luby's can't catch a PR break.... Luby's massacre - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Quote:

Originally Posted by Want2retire That happened too!! But also there was a food poisoning incident that bothered my ex even more, honest! It is possible that only two or three people died in the food poisoning but that was enough for him. Besides, we moved there in 1984 and I never got to eat at a Luby's even once. It had to be somewhere between 1984-1988 or so.

That's the trouble with talking about a tragedy associated with a restaurant, that happened years BEFORE a much bigger and nationally publicized tragedy as in this case. It causes immediate erasal of everyone's memory of the prior, smaller tragedy.

Believe me, my ex was full of the "I told you so!"s after the massacre at Luby's. "See? If I hadn't put my foot down we might have been eating there during the massacre!"

I think the food poisoning was associated with fried chicken.

[calmloki]

Sheesh - between my slow hunt n' pecking and the slow Wild Blue interweb connection i sure do look derivative as well as repetitive.

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by calmloki Sheesh - between my slow hunt n' pecking and the slow Wild Blue interweb connection i sure do look derivative as well as repetitive.

Just when I was about to compliment you on your sharp thinking and razor wit...

[calmloki]

Yep, low grade minds think alike

[freebird5825]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CuppaJoe Liver and onions is one of those things that goes in and out of fashion; I’d pick my health guru on that issue alone. Freebird, you are awful to describe that family table, I still remember those gobs of liver with strings attached, going from my mouth to Saint Lucky, the dog’s mouth. I can still taste it and feel the texture. It might depend on not overcooking it, mom made sure it was thoroughly cooked.

I knew there had to be someone out there who came up with the same trick.

I did confess the "L&O fake chew, cough, quickly to the dog" trick to my Mom when I was an adult, in one of those silly "Did you ever know that I did x or y or z ?" discussions with her. I had her groaning and laughing at the harmless plots I schemed up and got away with when I was younger.

[heyduke]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbbamI I know without a doubt I will not live to be 113. Pass the wine and dark chocolate please....

.... now as much as i like liver and onions... give me a nice cabernet.. shiraz.. chianti.... pinot noir... malbec... (you get the point) and a piece of a nice really dark chocolate... and hey... I am with bbbamI or my beautiful DW...





how can I lose...

[bbbamI]

Well...hmmmm....errrr....ahem...

[JOHNNIE36]

Liver & onions is one of my favorite dishes. DW will never fix it in the house but we love it at restaurants. Mostly the mom and pop places. Never see it at up-scale places. When I was a kid during WWII, Mom would send me to the local store for "veal" liver (calf's liver). It was more tender but the grocer generally saved it for the older people. Thinking back it might have been rationed or you needed special stamps to get it. You were lucky to get veal liver and most of the time it was just plain beef liver. Still great with the grilled onions, mashed potatoes and gravy. Yum, yum!!

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by haha I love liver and onions, or fried chicken livers, or grilled liver kebobs. My Mom served one of these weekly, and we all looked forward to it. I used to eat liver and onions at a joint in Everett I think named Sportsmen's Cafe. Since I moved south I haven't found a replacement, so I cook it from time to time. Generally I have to go to a Mexican Carniceria to buy it; it seems that all the Anglos who eat liver are gradually being composted or cremated. ha

YEAH, ha! We are on the same wavelength.

Long ago, KFC in Baton Rouge used to sell chicken livers. Great memories.

I use chicken livers in my boudin blanc. Tried the pork liver first, per the classic recipe, but like the chicken livers better. Easier to find, too.

[TromboneAl]

Quote:

Did the dog live to 113 in dog years? My mom served it to our family

[megacorp-firee]

I too love L&O. But have cut it down to once a year treat for health reasons ... to much organ meat is not good for you, I hear.

I also love fried chicken livers and fried chicken gizzards ... fry up the hearts too while your at it. Don't eat these often either ... see reason number 1

Funny I just came across this post today. While in the store, I came across some pig kidneys and DW bought them and cooked them up today ... yum yum
At the same store, I found some goat heart/kidney/lung. DW said that I could only have one meal of organ meats ... and to choose. so piggy kidneys it was .

[tmm99]

I like liver and I used to order liver & onions at greasy spoons (I never could cook it right myself), but now with all the hormone injections into cattle and corn/soy being fed, I feel like all the bad stuff is concentrated in the organs, so I haven't had liver in a long time. Liver is supposed to have a very high nutritional value (tons of vitamin A and B's I think) but nowadays you hear it's too high in cholesterol, so who knows. Just like butter, organ meat may become a good thing soon...

[Khan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by freebird5825 I knew there had to be someone out there who came up with the same trick. I did confess the "L&O fake chew, cough, quickly to the dog" trick to my Mom when I was an adult, in one of those silly "Did you ever know that I did x or y or z ?" discussions with her. I had her groaning and laughing at the harmless plots I schemed up and got away with when I was younger.

I don't like liver or onions (let alone together). Parents liked it. I simply refused to eat it.
"You won't get anything else to eat." 'Fine.'
"You won't get dessert." 'Fine.'