Went to a Fancy Place Over Weekend


 
LMichaels

LMichaels

TVWBB 2-Star Olympian
So last October my sister was nice enough to really splurge and buy me a $100 gift card to a place in downtown Rockford called Abreo. Nice place, very attentive. Very nice wine and liquor list. Weird menu. I think there was maybe 15 total things on it including "small plates" (which I guess are appetizers?).
Prices astronomical too.
I had elk tenderloin with dried blueberry sauce on grilled polenta, side was a veg concoction of honey roasted Brussel sprouts and something else in there. The meat was very good, I ate the sprouts but the flavor of honey was too much for me as I don't like bee spit on anything.
Wife had butternut squash ravioli. My only issue(s) other than the honey was the meat was just a teensy bit light on salt but tender and very tasty. And no salt shaker on the table so assumed if I had asked I would have insulted the chef. I ate every scrap. and finally the location and prices. Downtown Rockford IL is NOT a place I feel safe in at all. Having had more than a couple run ins with bums and god knows what.
And the prices. OMG! We had a $100 gift card. It still cost me another $60 on TOP of that! So yeah it was a wonderful place but I won't be back. We did enjoy it though and thankfully no confrontations.
If it was in a better location I would likely have the urge to splurge on it though

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What matters most is that you enjoyed it.
Not a fan of game per se. I always wondered that if venison/deer were as great as all the hunter types swear by, why isn't it on menus in more restaurants...or any restaurants for that matter?
 
The elk meat was outstanding. Unlike venison no "gamey" or off flavor. More akin to bison. Of course this was farm raised (all their products are organic and locally sourced and they include a list of every thing and it's local sources on the menu). So this is the second time I have eaten elk and loved it both times. Again I have no idea how it compares to a wild elk. Because for sure if it tasted even remotely like venison YUUUUKKKOOOO in my book.
Now I have not been lucky enough to try farm raised venison. So perhaps if it too was farm raised it might be palatable as well
 
Joe Anshien said:
What is Elk like? I have never tried it.
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wild elk is like very high quality lean beef. clean flavor but it needs fat when cooking it. my neighbor goes on an annual bow hunt in CO for elk. he's invited us over a few times to enjoy his grindings as burgers. he has the butcher add in beef fat to get the burgers to hold together and even then, when cooked, the taste if very clean and lean. i am not a fan of venison due to its gaminess and elk has none of those flavor attributes. just don't overcook elk would be my recco. you might have a local butcher that carries elk. it's worth a try if you're open to new proteins. i've never had farm raised elk so i cannot comment on that.
 
Had my little S&W Bodyguard .380 with. Just would prefer to have dinner in a place I don't feel compelled to be "strapped" :D
 
If it makes you feel any better, in New York City there are plenty of restaurants where it is a couple of hundred a person for a basic dinner. No idea about Chicago.
 
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