Jan. 16 (Bloomberg) -- I ate bird stomach, lamb's brain, hearts, thymus gland, intestine, and the livers of veal, chicken and goose in the past 14 days.

What an offal fortnight.

Where did I sample such treats? At the new Ariyoshi, which serves Japanese small plates in Union Square, and at Momofuku Ssam Bar, whose revamped menu is drawing sizable crowds. Both offer animal organs aplenty.

(To be fair, I cheated a bit and got the lamb's brain and foie gras at Mario Batali's Babbo.)

But what I really wanted was shirako -- cod sperm. In Japan, the milky fluid is an expensive delicacy. In the U.S., the dish was featured on NBC TV's ``Fear Factor.''

``It's not in season,'' a receptionist at Ariyoshi said, dashing my hopes of sampling that creamy cod-milt.

So I managed to cope with raw veal-liver sashimi ($6.50). Dip the paper-thin slices of icy meat into a peanut butter- like sauce for a nutty, slithery indulgence.

In the mood for something else? Don't worry, over 200 dishes are offered at this 70-seat izakaya -- a Japanese pub that serves salty, savory snacks for patrons to wash down with beer or sake.

At Ariyoshi, blond-wood tables and a sushi counter fill most of the long, high-ceilinged venue. Soft chandelier lighting imparts a gentle golden hue.

Then there's the bar up front. That's where I sat.

And what would a bar be without a plasma screen? Kiefer Sutherland was hunting down traitors in ``The Sentinel,'' while I munched on fried smelt. A better source of entertainment was a young businessman sleeping -- face down -- at a table in back.

Affordable Plates

The grub is cheap: Skewered meats cost about $2 each. Grilled chicken hearts tasted like a slightly oily sirloin. Gizzards -- the muscular part of a bird's stomach -- had a tough, al dente snap. If any poultry died for lack of an organ transplant last week, I am to blame.

Less adventurous types may order sushi, but that's missing the point. My expatriate colleagues tell me that izakayas in Japan don't serve much raw fish with rice.

If you can, take along a Japanese speaker to navigate the menu; neither of the young, female bartenders spoke much English, nor did a fellow bar patron in a Mets jersey who broke out a machine translator to help me. (Good thing I left my Yankees cap at home.)

Those bartenders appeared happy when I tried raw tuna with natto (fermented, sticky soy beans -- $7.50) and a snowy mash of tiny boiled fish ($4). Language barriers aside, they deserve credit for trying to chat up this solo diner, and I don't blame them for sharing a couple of beers with that native speaking Mets fan.

In this pub, everyone drinks.

Ariyoshi is at Broadway and 12th Street. Information: +1- 212-388-1884.

Pork Belly Redux

David Chang's Momofuku Ssam Bar is finally a viable alternative to his stupendously popular Momofuku Noodle Bar. That's the good news. The bad news is that East Villagers already know this.

Noodle Bar is famous for making patrons wait up to two hours -- often outside in the cold -- for seats in the cramped, stuffy venue.

The tasty payoffs include house-made ramen and highly addictive steamed buns that Chang stuffs with pork belly.

In August, Ssam Bar opened a few blocks away from its sister spot. It served Asian-style burritos from a Chipotle- like assembly line. Seating was self-service. I wish you could have seen all the empty tables.

New Menu

On Jan. 2, following four months of late-night tests, a revamped menu of small plates and table service was introduced. The pork-belly buns were made available. A few nights later, it was standing room only.

At least there's enough room to wait inside. The long, stone-floored rectangle of a restaurant is much larger than the sadistically tiny Noodle Bar.

Take a seat at the boxy brown-wood bar that runs the length of the dimly lit dining room. Order a glass of sparkling shiraz and kick back a half dozen oysters with kimchi consomme ($15).

Organ Specialist

An entire section of the menu is titled ``offal.'' A chef is successful when he can pack a restaurant that touts animal entrails.

I continued my organ tasting with spicy braised tripe larded with bacon ($13), grilled sweetbreads (creamy white thymus glands, $14) -- and a banh mi sandwich (head cheese, chicken liver pate and ham terrine on a baguette with cilantro, $9).

Of course, those brick-size Korean-American burritos, or ssam, are still available.

For good measure, I polished off an order of those famous steamed buns ($9). They taste even better at Ssam bar, where you actually have room to breathe.

Momofuku Ssam Bar is at 207 Second Ave., at 13th Street. Information: +1-212-254-3500 or http://www.momofuku.com.

(Ryan Sutton is a writer for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer of this story: Ryan Sutton in New York at rsutton1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: January 16, 2007 14:14 EST