Chicken liver kabobs @ Dancin’ Jimmy’s upstairs

I’ve written before how I came to love chicken livers at an early age. I grew up about a half a mile from a Kentucky Fried Chicken (they didn’t start calling it “KFC” until years later) and we got take-out all the time. I started with the Colonel’s Original Recipe, then Extra Crispy when they added that to the menu. I noticed that instead of chicken, my grandmother often got fried chicken livers, which were sold as a dinner at KFC back then. One day I asked if I could try one, and I really liked it. I realized chicken livers were sort of old people food but I didn’t care.

Yesterday, in one of those “random stuff that happens Downtown” kind of nights, I hung out with two pilots. We met up at the Blind Bear. One of the pilots told me that we needed to go to Dancin’ Jimmy’s on Beale Street because one of her friends was managing there. So, down to Beale we went. We found seats in the elegant upstairs bar.

We were handed menus, and I noticed chicken liver kabobs atop the appetizer list. “Rumaki marinade, chestnut puree, pickled fennel,” read the description. I’m not a foodie so I had absolutely no idea what any of that meant, but I ordered the kabobs anyway.

Totally different experience from eating fried chicken livers out of a box, but if you are a chicken liver fan, you will love it. The pickled fennel ‘n stuff (pictured above, sitting next to the livers on the stick) complemented the kabobs beautifully. They really enhanced the flavor of the livers in a way I had not experienced before. I was quite pleased with my appetizer, both in terms of taste and the value I got for my money. Also, this dish was not “old people food” in any sense.

Now, having said that, I will warn you that chicken livers are an acquired taste. Not everyone grew up with a grandmother like mine. One of my pilot friends tried a bite and an “ewww” reaction immediately came across her face. If you aren’t sure if you like chicken livers, you might want to order this to share among two or three people to give it a try.

I’m titling this post “@ Dancin’ Jimmy’s upstairs” because I am not sure this is the same menu they serve in Dancin’ Jimmy’s corner bar on the first floor. The corner bar is more of a neighborhood bar, whereas upstairs is swanky. One of my friends commented that the upstairs would be a good place to bring a first date. I agree, to an extent. If I already knew my date well, I’d bring her there, definitely. If I had only just met her and talked briefly, I’d take her someplace more casual for a first date, then to the upstairs at Dancin’ Jimmy’s if the first date went well.

The upstairs had a piano player, and the manager sang classic tunes along with the piano. Probably not in the job description, but an added bonus. After dinner, we got a tour of the venue’s VIP rooms. They took us through a storage area to get there and we saw a poker table! Not a modern poker table, mind you, like the Blind Bear has, but the kind of poker table you might have seen if you’d stowed away on a pirate ship in 1676. It was beautiful! Only thing was, the glass top was broken, so they’d have to get it repaired. The manager asked if we thought if they should do a poker night, and we recommended Thursday as a good day to do it. We’ll see if it happens but I would love to play on that table.

If you don’t like chicken livers, there are plenty of other things to try on the menu. Check this place out when you’re in the mood for something classy. You will not feel like you are on Beale Street, yet you can look out the windows (or, go out on the balconies, even) and take it all in. Dancin’ Jimmy’s is in the old Pat O’Brien’s building, on Beale between Third and Fourth.