Jason Nealy
Executive Chef, Magnolia Hotels, Dallas
“Because our clientele doesn’t much go for wild game, I introduce unusual dishes in other ways. For example, one of my most popular and unusual dishes is a green tea smoked chicken breast served with a cactus pear vinaigrette with mixed baby field greens. It looks pretty, and maybe that’s why more women order it than men. I also offer a dry chipotle-rubbed rib eye with Tabasco onion rings, which, perhaps not surprisingly, more men order than women. Another item that drew raves was a slow-cooked baby back rib, sliced and rolled in buttermilk, seasoned, and fried. Of course, not all of my unusual creations are a success. One experiment that didn’t work out was a Caribbean Jerk chicken with a Southwestern pineapple relish and a mango salsa. The flavors were there but they just didn’t mix and match properly. You never know exactly how something is going to turn out, and it’s part of the fun of creating new dishes.”

Michael Cairns
Executive Chef, Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa, Phoenix
“Rattlesnake is an item that we prepare for some of our Western cookouts, such as rattlesnake chile and rattlesnake empanadas. I recently used it for a Cub Scout cookout as part of their wilderness training. We showed the Scouts how to skin it, cutting the meat off the bone and seasoning it with rosemary and garlic. Next, we wrapped it in aluminum foil and put it right in the campfire. Having rattlesnake on the menu does raise some eyebrows, but we know that many of our guests want a chance to experience it. We also offer javelina bacon, which comes from a small pig-like creature that roams the Sonoran Desert here. It is very tasty but gamey, like a wild boar. We also offer antelope and bear meat in the springtime. One of our unusually prepared dishes is our escargots, which are fed exclusively on basil; they even smell like basil. We also make a turnover with them. I think keeping an open mind is important. One time a friend of mine said she didn’t like foie gras, so I told her it was cappuccino mousse, instead. She ate it and declared it ‘Unbelievable!’ Of course, don’t try that with a customer!”

Stephen Sandquist
Chef de Cuisine, Crow’s Nest, Captain Cook Hotel, Anchorage, Alaska
“First, certain foods that were once considered strange are getting less strange now. I still consider some Korean food strange, but I don’t cook Korean cuisine. We don’t get into items such as rattlesnake because we’ve found that they usually sit in the freezer until it’s time to throw them out. We do Halibut cheeks, which might be considered unusual. It’s the cutout of the fish’s cheek and it’s stringier than the rest of the Halibut, more like the texture of a scallop and very tasty. We run calves’ brains or sweetbreads specials every now and then. Speaking of sweetbreads, at a property that I worked for once in Chicago, a new server we had hired brought in her entire family for dinner. They ordered the sweetbreads, thinking it was a vegetarian dish. The server’s vegetarian sister ate them and thought they were delicious! After the family finished eating, I came out to see how they liked everything and they asked what a sweetbread was. Of course, I explained and they were pretty shocked, especially the vegetarian sister!”

Chris Brown
Chef of Roux Bistro, Sheraton Hotel, New Orleans
“Being in New Orleans, we use a lot of indigenous seafood, as well as other local specialties. For example, we created an appetizer sampler that, in addition to the spicy Louisiana ham sausage, known as an Andouille sausage, it included smoked and grilled alligator sausage, rabbit sausage, and duck sausage—served with a variety of spicy mustards, pickled okra, and green beans. That popular dish remained on our menu for almost a year. Right now, we’re offering a crawfish beignet, a rendition of the famous Café du Monde specialty doughnut. We mix beignet batter with fresh crawfish tails, green onions, garlic, a special Creole seasoning mix, drop it in a deep fryer, and serve it with remoulade sauce. It’s a definite hit. Of course, not all creations are a hit … or even understood. For example, back in the late ‘80s, when Nouvelle Cuisine was all the rage, I worked for a five-star French restaurant, and we offered a truffle en croute. This appetizer featured shaved white truffles served in a short dough coating with a center of foie gras. It was deep fried and served in a bowl with truffle au jus. It was the most expensive appetizer on the menu—about $45 at the time— and, yet, more than once we had a customer return it half-eaten, complaining that “The truffle was great…but you left in the pit!”

Pam Leigh is a frequent contributor to HOTEL F&B.