Game on!

[snacky_cat]

I think we need a wild game thread, wherein people can point out all the restaurants in town that do really good game. I will start with a brief report on the Wild Game Extravaganza at Seb's, which runs until Nov. 19th, Wednesdays through Saturdays.

The special Wild Game is a list of 6 or 7 entrées not normally found on the menu. A possible non-complete list includes a pheasant breast, a goose roulade, an elk medallion, a buffalo strip loin, a caribou and juniper berry sausage, and duck. Of course their descriptions are much more mouth-watering. Since I have a terrible memory I figured I'd only bother to try remembering the animal, and not all the accompaniments Prices range from $13-$15.

The regular evening menu does contain some game dishes in the "amuse geule" category, so even if you miss the game festival, you can still go back to try: cumin-scented buffalo cakes with an apple-tomato relish, 5-spice duck spring rolls with cilantro lime trempette, and braised venison steak on a bed of fresh watercress with cranberry jus. (No, my memory did not suddenly improve. I cheated with the help of the online dinner menu.

Mr Cat wanted the buffalo cakes to start and the buffalo loin for dinner at first, but decided that was too much buffalo for him (is there really such a thing as much buffalo? Surely not!) so he switched his appetizer order to the 5-spice duck spring rolls. Oh my GAWD, were these ever delicious. You have to love a spring roll that says "@#$% you" to vegetables and other filler, and is stuffed with nothing but sweet, sweet, gently spiced duck meat. A mere $9 gets you 5 very generously sized rolls (inch thick, 4 or 5 inches long, not those pinky-sized night market ones). The cilantro lime dip is great, but you could eat these all on their own. I managed to get a few bites of the buffalo strip loin ($15) which was phenomenal! Wow, I don't know what it was cooked in, but it had a wonderful light sweet taste to is and was cooked perfectly. I didn't have my camera, but it would have made great steak porn. Man, it was good. Go get yourself some before the 19th!

I had a corn cakes and prosciutto salad to start with. It was quite tasty - sort of like corn latkes - but it was overshadowed by those awesome duck spring rolls, which Mr Cat was nice enough to share most of! My main course was the spice rub elk medallion cooked in a shallot and Madeira reduction, served over blue potatoes and roasted baby carrots. It was incredibly good - less of a sweet flavour than Mr Cat's buffalo, and the shallton and Medeira reduction was fantastic - I put as much as I could of it over my potatoes too.

Overall, great game items. We are going to try to get back there one more time before the game festival ends (gotta have the buffalo again!) so I'll report back with more data. The prices were amazing (four glasses of wine, two appetizers, two entrees, one dessert and one americano came to $80 after tax, before tip) and the service there is always lovely and sweet. It's just as awesome a place at dinner as it is at breakfast!

So, pipe up. Which local restaurants have great game dishes on their regular menus or are having special game nights? I'm thinking Stormin Norman's, Aurora's super-yummy venison and fennel sausage, the Don Francesco game menu mentioned in another thread.

Give us info, people! I want to eat my way through the North American ungulate population and I need your help?

Oh - another question! Chef Neil - do game animals have hanger steak muscles?

[canucklehead]

So, pipe up. Which local restaurants have great game dishes on their regular menus or are having special game nights? I'm thinking Stormin Norman's, Aurora's super-yummy venison and fennel sausage, the Don Francesco game menu mentioned in another thread.

Give us info, people! I want to eat my way through the North American ungulate population and I need your help?

←

Chambar has had various forms of Venison on their menu for a while now. The carpaccio and roasted loin - from personal experience, are truly excellent.

Edited November 11, 2005 by canucklehead (log)

[LordBalthazar]

Don Francesco's on Burrard (right across from the Sutton) is a great place to go for Wild Game. I posted a write-up on a recent visit a couple of weeks ago -

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=76998

Oh, and we did go back last week in my ongoing bid to try everything on their Wild Game menu. I had the Broiled Wild Boar with a red wine, blackberry jelly, apple, onion, nut, and brown sugar sauce. To be honest, it read better than it tasted. However, they were accompanied by a game meat stuffed ravioli in a butter and sage sauce that was truly remarkable. My wife had the Duck a la Vignarola for two (for one - she brought home the sizable leftovers). And my friend ordered the night's winner: Roast Reindeer Loin in a wild blueberry and port wine reduction. Simply awesome.

Edited November 12, 2005 by LordBalthazar (log)

[Pacific Rim Grille]

You have covered most if not all of Vancouver Downtown. Out in the suburbs you can try Duck, Wild Game Chorizo, Elk, Muskox or even Wild Boar at the Rim.

Menu posted at:

www.pacificrimgrille.com

Of all Duck and Elk are probably the best. Wild boar, as Balthazar points out, sounds better than it is, however it does have distinctive flavour and texture and that's what I like about it.

Happy Huntilng!

Suave

[bigdaddy]

In the valley...our braised bison shortrib with port reduction is a house specialty.

Other regulars - orechiette with venison sausage & chanterelles, atlantic scallops in wild boar bacon. Sometimes muskox and elk.

Is duck really considered "wild game"?

cheers,

[Pacific Rim Grille]

Yeah well, what the Duck? Is it wild? How wild is it? How wild is the bison? really? (Ihave seen farms of Buffalo, Elk and Deer in Northern BC). Venison coming from farms in Cariboo Region, or even Wild Boar farmed in 100 Mile House area?

Frankly, I am not sure any of our "wild game" stuff is "wild". One thing I know for sure is that Duck tastes pretty wild to me, dark, gamy, deep.

Sincerely would have a challenge to serve duck hunted in my teenage years (was it ever good though0, never mention wild boar liver after 10 hour hunt in minus 25 degree Celsius and snow up to your arms )

Duck, just as quail or partridge deserves "WILD" brand in my book (and if I am wrong do not eat eat is a wild, just have a regular:) )

And so - it is "a game" to my taste.

What about pheasant? I have seen no bird of this kind in awhile. Can you get it on the menu locally or no longer?

I am thinking of checking out these bison ribs - are they...pretty wild...tender...fatty... or just darn good???!!!

Cheers

Chef Suave

[LordBalthazar]

What about pheasant? I have seen no bird of this kind in awhile. Can you get it on the menu locally or no longer?

←

Don Francesco's has a Roasted Pheasant Breast a la Toscana: "Stuffed with Pancetta, herbs and spices, topped with a sauce of game stock and dry vermouth. Served on ham and spinach risotto". Haven't had the opportunity to try it yet.

[*Deborah*]

I think that "game" is any animal that is hunted, such as deer, duck, pheasant, etc.

"Wild" implies not farm-raised.

I would think that most of the game we tend to eat in restaurants is just game, and not wild...although I knew an Italian Chef in Philadelphia who would serve the venison he personally caught. And I think a boar, once.

[bigdaddy]

I think that "game" is any animal that is hunted, such as deer, duck, pheasant, etc.

"Wild" implies not farm-raised.

I would think that most of the game we tend to eat in restaurants is just game, and not wild...although I knew an Italian Chef in Philadelphia who would serve the venison he personally caught. And I think a boar, once.

←

That explanation makes sense to me...

I'm quite sure that in BC (as with fish) you are not allowed to serve game

personally caught with a hunter's license alone.

Pheasant and other game birds are definitely available. The price on a lot

of game is prohibitive though...last quote I got for caribou tenderloin was close to $70/kilo.

[BCinBC]

Caribou at Bearfoot, one of the best meats I've tried in recent memory. I posted about it somewhere around here but too lazy to search for it just now. The catch is that you have to get the prix fixe ($50), and then ordering the caribou adds $20 or so on top of that fixe'd prix, but if you find yourself in that position, then go for it. Plus you can horrify children afterwards by telling them of how you ate a piece of Rudolf, then show them a red Xmas light and say you saved the nose.

[PaoPao]

When we were at EAT Vancover earlier this year we came across Hills Foods Ltd. who specialize in providing all types of Wild Game. I haven't called them yet but their whole menu looks really interesting.