If you’re tired of the same old meat choices, then dinner at Craft Food & Beverage Company may be the answer. The Seven Mile Beach restaurant and bar is offering a menu of game meats and alternative cuts every Tuesday, giving adventurous diners the option to try something a little bit different.
Dubbed “Wild Craft,” the menu includes buffalo, wild boar, frog, venison, bison, kangaroo and rabbit. The menu changes weekly and also includes more unusual cuts on occasion, such as sweetbreads – the thymus gland (from the throat) and pancreas gland (from the heart or stomach) usually sourced from calves or lambs. Typically on offer are two appetizers and two entrees, each with recommended beer pairings.
Game meats, along with alternative cuts not ordinarily used, have been enjoying a revival during the last few years as gourmands continue to expand their experience. The revival has been led, in part, by a number of prominent chefs who have championed the use of game, as well as the emerging trend of “nose-to-tail dining,” which has gained momentum over the last few years as people have turned to less expensive, forgotten cuts.
Craft’s Executive Chef Dylan Benoit said the restaurant decided to introduce the game meat night not only to offer something completely different, but to also challenge people’s established preconceptions regarding what they will and will not eat.
“We want to offer guests something they may have never had the opportunity to try, so even if it’s not their favorite dish on the menu, at least they can say they tried it and they enjoyed it,” Benoit said.
“Wild Craft night is something we have been talking about since before Craft opened. The style of food we do here is familiar to most, but unique in its flavors and presentation, taking old favorites and putting a new twist on them.”
Benoit said the response to the Wild Craft menu has been positive, with many people being open-minded.
“When people come in and have the opportunity to try something new, it’s exciting,” Benoit said. “It transforms the meal from sustenance to experience.”
He added, “Buffalo has been a massive hit. The first week we put a buffalo burger on the menu, we ran it for lunch that day as well. It ended up being our highest selling feature to date. The wild boar ribs were also a big hit. They were smoked and grilled, with a St. Louis barbecue sauce. You can’t really go wrong with that.”
Careful planning goes into the creation of each week’s menu as it is dictated by the availability of meats from the suppliers that the restaurant works with. In addition, cooking game meat can also be challenging.
“The red meats and pork tend to be significantly leaner than traditional beef or pork, so the meat drying out poses a real threat,” Benoit explained. “But you can use different techniques, such as braising, basting and sous vide to prevent the meat from becoming dry.”
As well as the novelty of enjoying something you may never have tried, game meats have the added bonus of being healthier. They tend to be much leaner, are typically raised without added hormones or antibiotics, and because game meats are far less common, the farms on which they are raised are often much smaller, meaning better animal welfare standards.
My experience
During a recent visit, my guest and I enjoyed a sampling of frog legs, which were wrapped in phyllo pastry and served with a cucumber riata and mint sauce; veal sweetbreads on brioche toast, served with a mushroom ragout, pearl onion and celery leaves; buffalo hot dog with bacon jam, whole grain mustard and frizzled onions; venison burger with aged Irish cheddar and beer battered onion wings; and wild boar rack with a Dijon crust, served with creamy cheddar mash, garlic kale and whiskey apples. I had not eaten any of them before, so I was eager to be open-minded and give them a try.
Ordinarily, I don’t eat veal for ethical reasons – and the idea of sweetbreads, well, let’s not even go there. However, this was without a doubt one of the best dishes of the evening. Indeed, it was so good, I could have easily had a second helping. The frog legs, however, were a struggle. Even though they tasted similar to chicken, I just couldn’t get the image of the slimy green creatures (which send me running for the hills every time I encounter one) out of my head.
My guest, however, happily devoured them. The buffalo hot dog and venison burger were divine – everything you would expect from an exceptionally good hot dog and burger. The wild boar rack had quite a strong “gamey” taste, which I wasn’t too keen on at first, but when paired with the sweetness of the whiskey apples and the creamy mash were delicious. We quickly polished them off.
Benoit said he is hoping to expand the meat options and is currently working with suppliers to source game foul, such as goose and guinea fowl, as well as antelope and elk.
“We like to offer something you can’t get elsewhere in Cayman, whether it’s our food or our beers. When you come to Craft, you get a unique experience and that’s why we started Wild Craft night,” Benoit said.
The Wild Craft menu is available every Tuesday from 6-10 p.m.
‘Into the Wild’ class
Chef Dylan Benoit is hosting an “Into the Wild” cooking class on Sept. 24, 6-8 p.m. at Bon Vivant, Camana Bay.
The class, priced at $65, will cover how to prepare, season and cook game meats. The class is part of a four-part series, “Methods to Master,” which will cover some of the key culinary basics, including knife skills, seasoning, poaching and resting meats.
For more details on all the classes, and to reserve your spot, visit bonvivant.ky.
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