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Game on Fine Dining Menus


Tsulli1

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How do you feel about game entrees (or courses) on fine dining menus?

Do you seek these out and specifically order them in an attempt to sample something different?

Alternatively do you shy away from these items due to thoughts of bambi and thumper or perhaps due to fears of "overly-gamey" tastes?

What favorites are out there?

Specifically I'm thinking about venison, elk, wild boar, bison, pheasant, quail, rabbit etc.

Also a very interesting article in the NY Times about "wild game" and the fact that its rarely wild on U.S. menus.

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How do you feel about game entrees (or courses) on fine dining menus?

Do you seek these out and specifically order them in an attempt to sample something different?

Alternatively do you shy away from these items due to thoughts of bambi and thumper or perhaps due to fears of "overly-gamey" tastes?

What favorites are out there?

Specifically I'm thinking about venison, elk, wild boar, bison, pheasant, quail, rabbit etc.

Also a very interesting article in the NY Times about "wild game" and the fact that its rarely wild on U.S. menus.

I seek it out whenever I can--venison, wild boar, pheasant, quail, grouse, etc. It's even better when allowed to hang (rot) for a bit. :)

I order squab whenever I see it, but I wish more high-end restaurants would expand their game offering.

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I am inevitably disappointed with game on restaurant menus because real game is illegal (at least in Canada, to the best of my knowledge). As far as I can tell, all pheasant, deer, boar, elk etc. is farmed, and I usually don't find the taste distinctive enough to warrant the extra cost. Give me a pastured pork over a corn-fed ultra lean (and probably wet-aged) deer anyday.

Martin Mallet

<i>Poor but not starving student</i>

www.malletoyster.com

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How do you feel about game entrees (or courses) on fine dining menus?

Do you seek these out and specifically order them in an attempt to sample something different?

Alternatively do you shy away from these items due to thoughts of bambi and thumper or perhaps due to fears of "overly-gamey" tastes?

What favorites are out there?

Specifically I'm thinking about venison, elk, wild boar, bison, pheasant, quail, rabbit etc.

Also a very interesting article in the NY Times about "wild game" and the fact that its rarely wild on U.S. menus.

I've had luck with it. One of my favorite restaurants in Dallas (Abacus) always has some sort of "game meat" on it. I've had both vennison and ostritch there. They do a nice job with it. Makes me happy to see that sort of thing on the menu.

Of course, it's not WILD game. It's farmed/ranched. Still, it's "unique" enough.

Jeff Meeker, aka "jsmeeker"

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I like to order things I dont see often - last night it was venison. Very happy to see it on the menu, and even happier while eating it.

"Idaho Bambi", it was. Didnt get species info.

"You dont know everything in the world! You just know how to read!" -an ah-hah! moment for 6-yr old Miss O.

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I LOVE game. I go for it whenever I can because of its "distinctive" flavor and the fact that I never cook it at home.

At the age of six I wanted to be a cook. At seven I wanted to be Napoleon. And my ambition has been growing steadily ever since. ‐ Salvador Dali

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I love game, and it's common on menus in this part of the world. In fact, I love it so much that I always get a little sad at this time of the year when the season is drawing to a close.

Personally I'd take venison/pheasant/partridge/woodcock/rabbit/hare over spring lamb any day of the week.

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I love game, and it's common on menus in this part of the world. In fact, I love it so much that I always get a little sad at this time of the year when the season is drawing to a close.

Personally I'd take venison/pheasant/partridge/woodcock/rabbit/hare over spring lamb any day of the week.

Have any good examples of menus featuring Game in Dublin?

It's been many years since I've visited.

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Finding non-seafood real game in American restaurants is quite rare as opposed to finding unusual species. The only time I know that I ate real wild shot game was when I had woodcock prepared for me by a chef friend at his restaurant. That was not on the actual menu. It was fantastic. I definitely seek out wild game when I can while in Europe.

John Sconzo, M.D. aka "docsconz"

"Remember that a very good sardine is always preferable to a not that good lobster."

- Ferran Adria on eGullet 12/16/2004.

Docsconz - Musings on Food and Life

Slow Food Saratoga Region - Co-Founder

Twitter - @docsconz

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I love game, and eat it every chance I get. I am fortunate to live 6 miles from a deer farm, so I make it all the time. Elk is tops in my book.

A restaurant in Boulder called Flagstaff House offers a lot of game. On one visit, I had a grilled game tasting platter. It included venison, elk (wapiti), bear, quail, kangaroo, squab, and one other I forget. It was fantastic, and an honest bargain at $55. The restaurant has a monster wine list also, as well as a beautiful view of the city below...

Edited by adegiulio (log)

"It's better to burn out than to fade away"-Neil Young

"I think I hear a dingo eating your baby"-Bart Simpson

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Have anyone tried kangaroo meat?

Life is short: Break the rules...Forgive quickly...Kiss slowly...Love truly...Laugh uncontrollably...And never regret anything that made you smile. Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we should dance...
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I used to be the Sous Chef at a local Australian-inspired restaurant, and we managed to get some Kangaroo Loin and Rump. Since the city I live in is located in the middle of the Canadian Prairie, it all came in frozen, cryovacked and with a lot of blood. The meat is rather gamey tasting, really lean yet has a decent flavour. We made a rump stew that was quite delicious, and the loin we ended up larding with bacon. Not my favourite, but like I said, you'd have to be in Australia to get the real experience.

I'm a huge fan of wild game, and sadly, as someone stated above, there are laws against serving it in restaurants in the country. We do get some great (organically) farmed elk in Manitoba, as well as Boar and tons of Bison. At the restaurant I work at, we currently serve Wapiti Elk wrapped in caul fat, and served with a blackberry gastrique, sauteed swiss chard, roasted parsnips and red wine cheddar potato croquettes.

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Have anyone tried kangaroo meat?

At the dinner last weekend that I referenced above, there was kangaroo sate as an appetizer. Although they weren't quite as hot as I would have liked, they were very tender and tasty, with a spicy peanut sauce. Yum.

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Dakota's, in the Gaslamp district of San Diego, used to offer a daily mixed grill which sometimes included game (rabbit, quail, etc). I checked their online menu which doesn't list it so I'm not sure if they still offer it.

At my workplace's Christmas party one year, we had "wild" appetizers which included rattlesnake, ostrich, alligator and turkey "Rocky Mountain Oysters". :blink: I've also had Buffalo Burgers which were quite good.

I think it says a lot about a restaurant that offers game on their menus. It says they're not afraid to step outside of the box, that they take chances and that they know what they're doing in a kitchen.

 

“Peter: Oh my god, Brian, there's a message in my Alphabits. It says, 'Oooooo.'

Brian: Peter, those are Cheerios.”

– From Fox TV’s “Family Guy”

 

Tim Oliver

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I love game too, and try to have it whenever possible. I especially love game birds - I had quail yesterday, and saw venison on the main course menu, but passed it over in favour of some really delicious beef. I'm lucky to get a good supply in both Ireland and Spain, but like Simon said, we'll have to wait a while for the next round. Game is one of the reasons that I love winter so much!

I've heard of a restaurant in Cork (but there are probably others) that does a special game tasting night in the depths of winter, I'd love to try that.

Edited by Niamh (log)
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