Rating the Home Restaurant

Monday, April 26th, 2010

Some see antlers in this photo, I see venison steaks sautéed in garlic and butter.

Although my dad would never be mistaken for a Renaissance man (he’s never folded a load of laundry in my lifetime), I did grow up in a household where both Mom and Dad enjoyed sharing the cooking responsibilities.  Those meals often focused on wild game and fresh-caught fish, and rarely utilized conventional recipes. 

Over time, my family developed a mandatory ritual prior to being excused from the table at the completion of every meal – RATE IT.  That’s right; whether it was venison stew or a northern pike omelet, my brother Matt, Mom, Dad and I were compelled to give each and every dining experience a rating from 1 to 10.  It was a fun way for all of us to learn about food and flavors.

As I read Anthony’s fantastic blog about rating the difficulty in hunting each game bird, I thought back to my folks’ own rating roots.  So, to add the St.Pierre family twist to Anthony’s piece, I’ve offered my wild game rating for a few different animals’ flesh as table fare, along with a brief description on my favorite preparation.

Game                          Rating from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest)                     Dish

Pheasant                      8 – avoid drying out and its pink flesh is succulent    Pheasant in orange sauce

Ruffed Grouse            8 – almost translucent white flesh is very mild           Sauté in butter

Venison/deer               10 – my favorite meat on the planet              Sauté w/garlic pepper & butter

Duck                           8 – breasted / 9 – plucked / 10 – teal          Grilled skin down on cast iron skillet

Goose                          6 – a little gamier than duck                              Meredith’s goose stroganoff

Sandhill Crane            10 – “ribeye of the sky” or “flying fillet”            Red meat cooked just like venison

Bobwhite Quail           7 – great flavor, but a lot of work for a little meat      Roasted with apple cider glaze

Hungarian Partridge    8 – cross between pheasant & ruffed grouse               Sauté in butter

Wild Turkey                7 – a leaner version than what you’ll find at Cub        Deep Fried

Timberdoodle              5 – “flying liver” is not my favorite                             Looking for a good recipe

Sharp-tailed Grouse    4 – envious of the timberdoodle                                  Still looking for a good recipe

Mountain Goat            8 – full of flavor, but not over-powering                     Roasted

Mountain Lion            9 – pinkish meat is a crowd-pleasing surprise              Lion jambalaya

Elk                               9 – slightly different than venison, little tougher        Sauté w/garlic pepper & butter

Black Bear                  6 – pretty tough, but excellent flavor                          Roasted in red wine & pepper

Snapping Turtle           8 – white meat that’s a little chewy                             Pan fried

Frog Legs                    7 – white meat that’s a little chewier than turtle          Fried

I haven’t had a chance to try moose or the wide variety of quail and grouse species, but they are definitely on my short list.  How would your ratings differ from my palate?