Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Return to Saskatoon

Diligent foodreaders may recall my trip last December to Saskatoon, a fantastic wild game restaurant improbably located in a strip mall on Haywood Road, between Cecil's Shoe Repair and Physical Graffiti South Tattoo.

Tonight I went back for seconds. And friends, they were anything but sloppy:

three slices, bread with cinnamon butter
house salad with vinaigrette
grilled zucchini and corn
garlic mashed potatoes
kangaroo a l'orange

First things first: as much as I enjoyed last year's grilled yak, the kangaroo was even better. It had the appearance and texture of beef, but it tasted more like an exotic poultry (ostrich, of which I've eaten exactly two bites ever, comes to mind). The sweet orange demi-glaze nicely complemented the kangaroo's natural flavor without overpowering it. Best of all, my mom was totally grossed out by the whole thing, so more 'roo for this guy!

I do have a few minor criticisms. First, my cut of kangaroo meat did not include a discernible pouch (which, in a perfect world, would have been filled with Stove Top stuffing). Second, Saskatoon's wild game sausage appetizer did not include kangaroo sausages, which Wikipedia refers to, adorably, as "kanga bangas."

Speaking of Wikipedia, here is a fun, possibly true fact I learned today:

"There has been recent discussion from the kangaroo meat industry about attempting to introduce a specific culinary name for kangaroo meat, similar to the reference to pig meat as ham and pork. In 2005 the Food Companion International magazine, with support from the Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia, ran a competition hoping to find a name that wouldn't put diners off when they saw it on a menu...

"The three-month competition attracted over 2700 entries from 41 nations, and the name australus was decided on December 20, 2005. Other finalists for the name included kangarly, maroo, krou, maleen, kuja, roujoe, rooviande, jurru, ozru, marsu, kangasaurus, marsupan, jumpmeat, and M.O.M. (meat of marsupials)."


There you have it, foodreaders. Tonight I dined on jumpmeat!

My mom had the scallops.