Wabbit? Not so wascally
So if there's one thing we know about Bleu Olive chef Sam Papanikas and his appetizers, it's this:
Elmer Fudd TOTALLY APPROVES.
Last night a number of 417's most food-savvy readers (and a couple members of our staff) were treated to a four-course meal from Papanikas at January's 417 Cooking Class. The appetizer: pan-seared rabbit cakes. Here's what they had to say...
Dori Allen Grinder (marketing director):
"It was delicious! It had a smoky flavor that I was not expecting. I would even eat it again! I must admit I kept hearing the Beverly Hillbillies theme song play in my head. Especially the line... 'out shooting up some food'."
Katie Pollock (editor):
"It definitely tasted more like chicken than like anything else I've tried, but gamier. Not so gamey that it was unpleasant, but it definitely tasted a
little more straight-from-the-wilderness than Tyson chicken does. I have never been a huge fan of crab cakes... too dry and bread-crumby for me...
but I really loved the rabbit cakes. They were like a step up from crab cakes and were pretty juicy. The rabbit was definitely not scary, though. I
thought for sure that I'd be thinking about Thumper the entire time, but the little guy didn't even enter my mind. It was delish."
Debbie Ophoven (ad representative):
"I tried the rabbit. I never had before but the Chef, Sam, said it tasted like chicken only maybe a little gamier. I tried—it was in a cake with
stuffing like a crab cake. Honestly it tasted a lot like a crab cake without the crab flavor. The most flavor was with the sauce that it came with which was just delish."
P.S. Katie, we hear, does an excellent a capella rendition of The Beverly Hillbillies theme. We simply must get her to perform at the next Cooking Class.
Our question to you: Where can you buy rabbit in 417-land? Harter House? Mark Twain National Forest? Please do share in the comments.
Matt Lemmon, web editor
