THE GLUTTON

On Feb. 14 a young Glutton’s appetite turns to love. Let the masses have their prix fixe meals and dowdy candy boxes. The Glutton’s heart starts at her stomach, so she prefers an adventurous lover who’s not put off by a little organ meat.

At Kokekokko (downtown L.A.) -- a fairly authentic yakitori house named after the sound made by a Japanese chicken -- the grilled skewer meal offers diners a gustatory tour through the chicken. Bookended with the tame stuff -- breasts and thighs -- the series of skewers features chicken livers (the Glutton’s least favorite organ because of its creamy, grainy consistency and sharp, funky taste), chicken gizzard (chewy and springy, this stomach organ has a snap that makes it great fun to chew) and chicken hearts. Tougher than other muscle meat but not as tough as gizzard, the hearts are coated in a thin, soy-based sauce and taste . . . just like chicken. And if your heart is set on heart, be sure to arrive early, as it often runs out by 9 p.m.

Beef hearts are another matter. They taste bland and inoffensive, but they’re much chewier and tougher. Lola’s Peruvian Restaurant (Glendale, Van Nuys) makes tasty anticuchos, silver dollar-sized hunks of heart marinated in a semi-spicy citrus sauce, then grilled and skewered. Is that a metaphor? Le coeur a ses raisons que la raison ne connait pas. Pascal said it, but the Glutton ate it.

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-- theguide@latimes.com