Wild Turkey Food

'Extreme Chef' Recap: Sneak Preview Episode

The Food Network’s dynamic Extreme Chef revolves around three chefs who undergo torturous adventures while cooking under extreme circumstances in each episode. In the sneak peek episode last night, the chefs arrived in Landers, California, to find themselves in an Old West ghost town.

Executive Chef Kevin Meehan of Café Pinot in Los Angeles, Malibu Seaside Chef Gina Clarke and Executive Chef Paul Menta of Amigo’s Tortilla Bar in Key West were the willing participants in a game that stressed every muscle, challenged cooking styles and paired unlikely (and often unpleasant) ingredients.

In their first task, the chefs were directed to three wooden boxes from which they retrieved their proteins. Anyone who has ever watched Animal Planet, or knows anything about reptiles, would immediately recognize these crates as similar to those containing live creatures.

Inside the boxes the chefs found the rattlesnake meat for their dishes, meat which had been killed, skinned, and placed in a burlap sack. Unfortunately for the chefs, the burlap sack was placed in the midst of five non-venomous, but otherwise live snakes. All of the chefs rose to the occasion, including Chef Clarke, who Chef Menta had referred to as “Malibu Barbie” earlier in the show.

Rattlesnake is a stringy, gamey protein that host Marsh Mokhtari explained tastes more like pork than chicken. Chef Marco Canora of Hearth Restaurant and Terrior Wine Bars in New York City, who claimed an extra helping of culinary fame on Food Network’s The Next Iron Chef , served as the judge for the rattlesnake challenge.

Chef Menta prepared a rattlesnake buco, which turned out to be an epic failure. Using a meat grinder, he included the bones of the rattlesnake in the mixture which he claimed would add flavor. It’s often wise to use bones in stews and other dishes where you need intense flavor fast, but for rattlesnake buco? Not so much. Chef Menta was shot down in judging when Chef Canora pulled several of the bones from his mouth and flicked them off of his fingers onto the ground.

Chef Clarke set out to prepare a rattlesnake Spanish frittata. Without a whisk, she used the handle of a spatula. As the eggs cooked at a snail’s pace, she switched gears and made a rattlesnake scramble. It didn’t impress Chef Menta who said for a show like Extreme Chef , scrambled eggs was a weak dish.

By the end of the first (what can only be described as “reward”) challenge, victory went to Chef Meehan, who prepared an inventive rattlesnake mille-feuille, which means a layered, composed dish, with a rattlesnake patty, whiskey-soaked French toast, topped with an egg sunny-side up. In winning, Chef Meehan won his choice of three knives for the next competition and the right to assign the other inferior knives to his competitors.

The Wild Turkey: Food, fun and spirits since 1978 | Dallas, TX ...

For true local flavor, nothing beats Dallas’ Wild Turkey.                                         

The restaurant and bar serves up a variety of favorites like their popular hamburgers, pot roast, chicken fried steak and even all-you-can-eat fajitas.

Family owned and operated since 1978, the Wild Turkey sits unassumingly, almost camouflaged in the mostly industrial neighborhood on Walnut Hill Lane. It provides a dinner-and-drinks refuge for those that live and work nearby, as well as those just passing through.

As a bar, the Wild Turkey is a big draw on game days, as well as just casual weekend afternoons. Upon entry, patrons get the feeling of walking into a log-cabin style retreat with worn and polished orange wooded panels and exposed beams. Along the walls, the Wild Turkey features paraphernalia highlighting a rich local history, including photos and sports memorabilia harkening back to the early days of Dallas Cowboys football and Mavericks basketball teams.

The bar features several televisions for game watching. Plus, it hosts a large front patio with a misting system that sprays a fine mist into the air to keep patrons cool during the hot summer months. With pool tables, video games and mini golf games, there are enough activities to keep everyone in high spirits.

A generous happy hour runs every day from 3 to 7:30 p.m. and offers a wide range of beverages from beer to cocktails, including daily manager specials, plus free chips and salsa. Most patrons take advantage of the $2 domestic pints and $7.50 pitchers.

The restaurant side of the Wild Turkey is just as popular as its bar. The menu offers a good selection of comfort food favorites, as well as truly Texan dishes like Armadillo Eggs (crispy fried balls of bacon, Monterey Jack cheese and purred artichoke hearts) or custom fare like the sandwich namesake—The Wild Turkey (a double-decker smoked turkey breast sandwich topped with lettuce and a special dressing between slices of wheat toast). The menu is served all day and even all night for those with the late-night munchies. 

HelloMetro Tip:  The Wild Turkey can serve as great spot for game watching parties or after work get-togethers. Calling the restaurant at least 24 hours in advance, patrons can request a reservation of a front glassed in room near the bar that seats about 15. For bigger groups, the restaurant has a back room that can be reserved and seats about 50, but can work with even larger crowds.

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