Buffalo Gal

Bison, it's what's for dinner.

Once upon a time, wild bison roamed a good portion of the newly formed state of Wisconsin, at least until they were almost hunted to extinction. Over the last ten or fifteen years, close to three dozen bison ranches have been established in the state. But until now, I'd never actually eaten any.

The Cornerstone Restaurant in Genesee Depot is a "must stop" place when I drive out to the quilt shop. The menu, wine list and bakery case are incredible, considering the entire place seats about seventy people. I dropped my machine off for service today, and headed over to the Cornerstone. One of the listed specials for May was a Bison Burger.

Why not try it? It's billed as "America's Original Red Meat:, and is incredibly healthy: 25% fewer calories than either chicken or beef, as well as one quarter the amount of fat as beef (1/3 as much as chicken) and lower cholesterol figures, to boot.

What I wasn't prepared for was the flavor. Oh.my.goodness. With the lower fat count I expected it to be a bit on the dry side (think turkey burgers), but not so. They don't add much seasoning to the meat - salt and pepper and not much else - but it doesn't need it, with a hearty flavor on its own.

I've already figured out that the local high end grocery carries frozen ground bison; I'll price it out this weekend. If it isn't too far out of line compared to ground turkey, it will become my new go-to for home made burgers.