Winter has traditionally been treated as "game season" by those who create restaurant menus, their line of reasoning being that the robust flavors of "wild" meats are a good match for appetites sharpened by cold weather. Thus a number of area restaurants are celebrating "game season" with special menus on which elk, bison, bear, and partridge have places. The...
The Student Prince at 8 Fort St., Springfield
Winter has traditionally been treated as "game season" by those who create restaurant menus, their line of reasoning being that the robust flavors of "wild" meats are a good match for appetites sharpened by cold weather.
Thus a number of area restaurants are celebrating "game season" with special menus on which elk, bison, bear, and partridge have places.
The Student Prince Cafe and Fort Restaurant in Springfield observes a 75-year-old-plus tradition this February as they offer their game menu all month long, and the Munich Haus in Chicopee plans two game feasts, one in February and a second in March.
The wild viands for these game events are, of course, no longer "hunted." Federal regulations require that game offer by commercial eateries be farm-raised.
An amazing variety of game products are available in today's food service supply chain, with options ranging from buffalo and venison to alligator, kangaroo, and caribou.
With mainstream protein choice like beef, pork, and chicken becoming increasingly costly, some independents and chain restaurants are experimenting with making game into something more than a special occasion selection.
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers has, for instance, a new line of premium burgers in test; a bison burger is one of the options being developed.
Culture and food preferences might prove to be an obstacle to such mainstream forays into game meats, however.
Over the years a number of entrepreneurs have tried to introduce horsemeat, a popular protein option in parts of Northern Europe, to American consumers, only to fail miserably in their efforts.