🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <94102.081334EH8879A@auvm.american.edu>, Elliott Hoang wrote:
> You know what?  I was at Tony's and Joe's on Valentines Day for Dinner and trie
> d some alligator.  For some reason, probably they cooked it, the alligator meat
> tasted just like chicken.  I didn't know if I was being ripped off or not.  How
> can you tell the difference?  I never had alligator before and the waiter
> recommended it as an appetizer.  Has anyone experienced alligatore meat before?
> Is it supposed to taste like chicken?
> ---

I've had alligator down in New Orleans several times, and it really depends
on how the gator meat is prepared.  Gator tail is a lot like chicken,
although IMO it's a bit tougher and not as good.  Gator sausages, on the
other hand, can vary widely, and I've had some that were quite distinctive.
The best gator sausage I've had was surprisingly low on grease (gator meat
tends to be quite greasy), and had a definite hint of sage, but allowed
the natural flavors of the meat to dominate.  Good stuff, but unfortunately,
the gator fad wore off in N.O. about three years ago.  Now, most of the gator
sausage you can get tastes a lot like smoked sausage or cheap, grocery store
Kielbasa (not the real stuff).  Ah well.

-- Jonathan Crawford

P.S. FWIW, the gator sausage at the Lousiana Swamp Romp at Merriweather last
year wasn't too bad -- greasy, but flavorful.