Event Report:
Hunter’s Dinner August Stag at V. Mertz
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V. Mertz was the site of our August stag. Usually always the gold standard for cuisine, they had a problem with the two rib courses, one wild boar and one elk. I suspect that the chef didn’t understand how lean the meat of wild animals can be. No fat to add extra flavor. There was little meat to begin with on the elk rib, and it was tough to get off the bone. Except for this, the rest of the menu was wonderful, as were the vine pairings. Check out the Event Report.
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Tom Murnan
Young Jerry had just introduced his very blond and glamorous girl friend to his family. “What do you think, Mom?’ he whispered proudly. “Some dish, huh?” “That she is!” the mother agreed, “but is she kitchen-tested?”
Best of the Cockle Bur compiled & edited by Harry B. Otis, 3rd President 1973-1974
The Omaha OCTOBER 2023
Event
Report: Hunter’s Dinner August Stag at V. Mertz
Written
Just ahead of hunting season, we had an anticipatory dinner feast of three different game species: rabbit, wild boar, and elk. The rabbit and boar were sourced from Prairie Harvest in South Dakota. In addition to these courses, we enjoyed Duck Croquettes as part of our charcuterie spread. Advanced Third Level Somm Matthew Brown explained that some special aging and curing were used with the food as well as a different approach to wine pairings. Two wines accompanied the three game entrees, each wine the opposite of the other. For example, a Zinfandel from California was compared to a Syrah from Cornas, next to Châteauneuf-du-Pape in France.
The star of the evening proved to be the Braised Rabbit with Handmade Pappardelle, Jimmy Nardello Pepper and Rosemary. The rabbit was slow braised in a rabbit stew sauce. The opposing wines were Adriano Barbaresco, Nebbiolo 2014 and Bergstrom “Cumberland Reserve” Pinot Noir 2018. While the Barbaresco had a very earthy nose, and a bit restrained and dry style, it was pretty soft. Unexpectedly, the Pinot Noir was more forceful, fruity and over the top. Rabbit is a delicate dish, so the better match to me seemed to be the Barbaresco, which was more subtle and enhanced the rabbit rather than overwhelmed it like the Pinot did.
Both the other two entrees were rib dishes, one wild boar, and the other elk short rib. These were much less interesting to me, due to their lean style with little fat for flavor. For example, the wild boar had sauce baked on. The elk rib was all crusted sauce and scant meat. The biggest problem with these two dishes was the scarcity of the meat and how hard it was to get it off the bone, even with using the hands-on method and gnawing with the teeth.
No such problem existed with the dessert, a “Campfire Cobbler” of Peach, Bourbon, Cinnamon Crumble and Vanilla Ice Cream. The Guiraud Sauternes 2009 was a spot on good match.
by Tom Murnan, Photos by Tom Murnan & Ron Policky
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