Wild game? Three Southland restaurants that indulge your hankering
At Josie Restaurant, French-trained Josie LeBalch grills quail wrapped in bacon over wood and serves the dainty birds with grilled radicchio sweetened with a splash of balsamic vinegar, along with escarole, golden raisins and toasted pine nuts. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
Buffalo burger with Gruyère slipped into the middle and garnished with caramelized onions and mushrooms. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
Wood pigeon en crépinette with pig’s head and Savoy cabbage in salmis sauce. The game menu at Patina changes according to what chef Charles Olalia gets in on a particular day or week. (Bethany Mollenkof / Los Angeles Times)
Hare à la Royale with roasted chestnuts, celery root and poivrade sauce. (Bethany Mollenkof / Los Angeles Times)
Truffle stuffed pheasant with sweet potato variation and salmis jus. (Bethany Mollenkof / Los Angeles Times)
Country pâté of red legged partridge, red cabbage and black truffle served with pickled condiments. (Bethany Mollenkof / Los Angeles Times)
New Zealand elk tenderloin with brandied cherries, braised cipollini onions, stuffed crimini mushroom and vanilla butternut squash. Saddlepeak’s old stone and timber hunting lodge in the Santa Monica Mountains is the perfect setting to feast on the season’s game. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
