Game on – Menu choices get wild

With fall menus in full effect and winter ones soon on their way, there's a trend that's quickly taken hold in the city - game such as bison, wild boar and venison has taken centerstage.

It’s never been easier to try game in Toronto. In fact, many of our restaurants have it on their menus year 'round.

Here's just a small sampling of current menu items available:
 

Brand new restaurant Antler by chef Michael Hunter boasts a menu full of deer, rabbit, venison, bison and wild boar options.

Le Select Bistro’s Cuissot de Chevreuil ($32.95) features seared Red Deer haunch served rare, with squash puree, sea buckthorn berries, damson plum and wine sauce.

Pangaea offers two venison dishes - Venison (Ont) Wellington ($45) with pâté feuillette, dill potatoes, pickled baby carrots, parsley root purée, venison jus; andVenison Cannelloni ($34) braised shoulder, smoked loin, winter squash, charred onion, sage, pickled squashberries. Rabbit also makes an appearance on the dinner menu with the Rabbit & Foie gras ($40) entrée - pan-seared ballotine, sautéed napa cabbage, portobello mushrooms, pearl onions, seared foie gras & rabbit consommé.

Elk can currently be found at Globe Bistro (Elk Loin $39 - Smoked fingerling potatoes, carrot purée, roasted plums, kale, juniper gastrique) Boehmer (Elk Tartare $18 - Quail egg, red pepper aïoli, crostini) and even at The Works, with their lean domestic elk burger.

You don’t have to spend a lot or go out for a fancy dinner to access game either - Wild Burger offers rabbit, ostrich and kangaroo burgers, and Toronto’s first Aboriginal food truck - #YouAreWelcome – has Curried Elk and Sweet Potato as an option.

Should you be inspired to serve game at home, there are a number of butchers in town that carry them (such as The Healthy Butcher).

Once you’ve mastered that, perhaps you’ll want to expand your cooking skills and pick up some turtle, musk ox and camel, available at Whitehouse Meats.