I've always been curious about the annual Wild Game Festival at Henry's End. For historical reasons.
I'm used to game meat. Every time I go to Sardinia, Italy[1], I would eat some sort of game. Usually wild boar; some times fowl. The curious thing is that hunting season is in the winter, and I am usually there in the summer. How do I manage to eat fresh wild boar when it is illeg...aheam! "unusual" to hunt it in the summer? According to my relatives, it would seem that wild boars have suicidal tendencies. I've heard tales of wild boars jumping in front of a car, then being finished off with a monkey wrench, and skinned with a Swiss Army knife in the bathroom of a public camp site. Whatever the origin of the meat, the end result has always been spectacular.
Roadkill never tasted so good.
Henry's End is rather nondescript, and the overall vibe is a welcoming "old school, no frills". The only notable feature is a neon sign/skyline behind a transparent plexiglass cover mounted on one of the walls. It looks like a relic from the '70s that probably has now achieved national landmark status.
The wine selection is rather impressive, with 25+ white wines and 70+ reds[2]. My choice for the evening, however is a bottle of Aventinus (12% ABV): a wonderful doppelbock with a dark ruby color, a creamy head, and a yeasty-bready-fruity taste.
As appetizer, my dining companion and I shared the Pheasant Ravioli ($10.95; $21.95 as main course) with caramelized fennel and pistachio nuts. The ravioli were nicely presented in a dense, creamy sauce. The filling was very flavorful, and the flavor of pistachio balances nicely the delicacy of the pheasant. The end result, however, was a bit too dry.
For main course, I had the Mixed Game Grill ($33), which included Herb Crusted Elk Chop, Wild Boar Belly, and Rabbit Sausage. The dish is served with a Madeira-and-veal stock demi-glace that is a rich orange in color and slightly sweet. The elk was excellent: elk meat is very lean and tender, and the wonderful crust[3] enhanced the flavor without overwhelming it, while at the same time maintained the meat nice and juicy[4]. The Wild Boar Belly was nice and fatty, very tender and juicy. The Rabbit Sausage, however, was bland and didn't live a lasting impression.
The Elk Chop dish ($36.95) that my dining companion had, came with the same demi-glace as the Mixed Game Grill. I found a bit surprising that they would use the same sauce for the two dishes; in fact, that sauce might have overwhelmed the flavor of the rabbit sausage.
Unfortunately the Wild Game menu does not include any more items that I have seen listed in the past and I would have loved to try, like BBQ Rattlesnake Salad, Antelope Au Poivre, and Reindeer. venison is gone too. Nevertheless, kudos to Henry's End for serving a solid, albeit limited, selection of game meat.
Keep your excitement and expectations at bay and you won't be disappointed.
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[1] The land of my ancestors.
[2] The cheapest ones at a very reasonable $35-36 a bottle.
[3] A mixture of breadcrumbs, capers, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, Tabasco, chives, thyme, tarragon, rosemary, parsley, and anchovy.
[4] Ask to have the elk medium rare. read more