Happy Hour: Beef tongue's tasty comeback, in a sandwich at June

HAPPY HOUR |

Beef tongue has made quite the comeback, popping up at catered events, on bar menus and featured as the "Special of the Day."

Most notably, chef Thierry Rautureau, of Rover's and Luc, featured a braised and grilled beef tongue and caramelized onion crostini at the popular Foodportunity networking event earlier this month. Foodies were still Tweeting and blogging about his beef-tongue snack days later.

Here's another take, similar and just as memorable: the pickled beef-tongue sandwich at June restaurant in Madrona, $5 during happy hour.

Brined, braised and grilled to a smoky finish. Spread with a rich aioli on a grilled baguette. Tasted like a hanger steak, only tender, better.

Get used to seeing more chefs — like those in Asia and Europe — using cheaper, rarely used cuts of meat (think pig tails and lamb neck). There is a public appetite for it. Or at least a public appreciation of discarding no part of the animal.

The Madrona restaurant is the new venture by Vuong Loc, chef and owner of Portage restaurant in Queen Anne. That's his formal, classic French cuisine place.

June is his casual joint, a mixture of Northwest cuisine with some twists on Vietnamese food. It also has one of the more eclectic happy hours around.

A rabbit rillette made more palatable for the mainstream — not gamy. Some airy, cheesy and addictive fried spaetzle.

Some forgettable Vietnamese interpretations, though. Some dry meatballs in salty broth. Some hard shrimp and pork-hock dumplings in the same salty broth.

There's a smoky cheeseburger, charred and pink in the center. Beef from Thundering Hooves. Brioche from Columbia City Bakery. There are a lot of gourmet burgers within a five-mile radius, though. You come here for the beef-tongue sandwich.

June, 1423 34th Ave., Seattle, offers happy hour 5-7 p.m. Mondays-Fridays with bar food and sandwiches from $2.50-$7 and drink specials from $5-$7 (206-323-4000 or www.juneseattle.com).

Tan Vinh: 206-515-5656 or tvinh@seattletimes.com