I’ve actually had it at weddings as part of the banquet meal, but the weddings were at OC hotels, so I don’t know where the catering came from. They were roasted, not fried…pain in the ass to eat when you’re all dressed up…you can’t really get in around all the damn bones.
Squab is pigeon.
Quail is different from squab, though. Not sure if you are actually talking about quail?
I am sufficiently confused now as well. Perhaps something is getting lost in translation.
This is what most Vietnamese Americans eat. I assume it’s the same in the homeland but can’t always be sure.
Yeah, of course, see the roasted squab at places like J. Zhou.
I’m curious on your thoughts about why squab is so rare in SoCal versus NorCal. I had one of the most splendid squab dishes at a place as unassuming as NOPA in SF last year. Butterflied thighs, fried wings, skewered heart, and a crostini of its liver. Exceptional. You can easily stumble about squab in a variety of preps in SF, whereas in LA you either go Cantonese or bust most of the time.
Can it really be simply a regional tastebud thing of diners? I always feel like SF diners are comparatively more squeamish in many ways, so the squab thing is an amusing exception.
Not sure it’s about regional tastebuds.
It could simply be that Philip Paine, whose squabs are some of the best, operates out of Carneros (Sonoma), and he delivers directly to restaurants (and a few butchers). When you’re eating a fine squab at a nice Norcal restaurant, chances are it’s from Paine Farms.
Paine farms squabs are indeed wonderful.
I’ve wondered if it was simply a sourcing issue, but then, where are the Cantonese places getting theirs in Socal?
Squab is basically ubiquitous on Cantonese banquet type restaurants.
As to where they’re sourcing them? Wholesalers.
Really delicious looking. As usual, love the pictures.
Edit: Just checked it out. So tempted!
Those are some nice pictures. The execution looks top notch.
2 Likes
Yes, I completely agree.
Chef Eme may not use breakfast cereal puree with myoga foam to garnish his dishes. But damn! That man can execute like nobody’s business. He knows his ingredients, takes great care with them, and produces great tasting food. Old school proficiencies at work here. I miss the "solid"ness of this type of cooking in the current French scene here in L.A.