Bison is roaming back onto restaurant menus
(From the Washington Post)
Chef Peter Smith first encountered Gunpowder Bison last November, when he and chef Bryan Voltaggio were paired up on the entree course for FreshFarm Markets' annual benefit, the Farmland Feast. Smith prepared sassafras-smoked bison rib-eye crusted in coffee, which shared a plate with Voltaggio's braised bison short rib with celeriac puree and dehydrated figs.
"The stuff was amazing," said Smith, who was inspired to experiment with bison recipes and has created various interpretations at his downtown restaurant, PS 7's, in recent weeks.
Likewise, Voltaggio says he "fell in love" with bison meat. He included the short ribs on his fall tasting menu at Volt, his Frederick restaurant, and plans to add some type of bison -- most likely the short ribs -- to the regular menu this spring. "I worked at a steakhouse for years," says Voltaggio, who opened the District's Charlie Palmer Steak in 2003, "and bison never caught my eye. Now I'm finding myself intrigued by it."
Both chefs say their interest in bison has as much to do with its local origins as with the meat itself. "The fact that the farm is so close is definitely a driving factor," says Smith.
That's just as Gunpowder Bison & Trading would have it.
Gunpowder is a relatively small operation. Headquartered on 70 acres just north of Baltimore, in Monkton, with an additional 120 acres nearby, it has a herd of only 200 at any given time. But in an era of restaurant menus that enumerate not only every ingredient in a dish but also where that ingredient was grown, the six-year-old farm's marketing strategy is helping to position its product as the ultimate locavore protein.
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