In what's become an annual tradition for us, Andy and I attended our third Wild Game & Mushroom Dinner at The Forebay at The Hershey Lodge last weekend. Read about last year's dinner.
Hershey times this special menu - available for three weeks - with fall hunting season, though the game - often boar, rabbit, elk - isn't from local hunts. Menus are available alongside the regular offerings at the Hershey Grill and The Forebay, both located at The Hershey Lodge.
We love The Forebay, which I've long called one of the area's best-kept secrets, so per our tradition we chose to visit there, but the Hershey Grill's Wild Game & Mushroom menu looks equally enticing (I'm very tempted to go back for the Braised Venison Shank).
Normally, we try to order different items from prix fixe menus so we can sample a little of everything, but this charcuterie appetizer sounded too good to share -- and came highly recommended from our server.
It featured Pheasant Merlot Sausage, Smoked Elk Carpaccio, Venison Jerky and House-Made Pickles. The jerky had a nice spice and pleasant chewiness. The carpaccio was delicate and delicious, and the house-made pickles maintained a satisfying crunch. My favorite was the pheasant merlot sausage, which had a citrus element and was sliced thin. We sneaked a little of the house-made mustard, which had come alongside fresh-baked soft pretzel rolls at the start of our meal, on to it, and it was divine.
For our main entrees, I finally let Andy order the elk loin. Usually, I order this myself, unable to turn down well-prepared venison. Andy often can be more adventurous with game dishes since he grew up on them, so it works out. However, this time I chose the smoked duck breast.
Andy raved about his grilled elk loin (and of course I stole a taste for myself). It stands up to any beef steak -- so those of you who are wary of game, elk is a great place to start, especially prepared by the Hershey chefs.
My duck breast was almost ham-like in texture, which I wasn't expecting (hey Sara, read "smoked duck breast"), but it, along with the chorizo hominy chili, roasted fingerling potatoes and fall vegetables, was delicious. Honestly, the only thing missing from my dish was mushrooms. I'd love to see a lot more mushrooms in all of these dishes.
For dessert, we shared both featured desserts - a pumpkin cheesecake and Coffee S'Mores Pie.
They both were, as you might imagine, sinfully sweet. The marshmallow topping on the S'Mores Pie was rather outstanding - a very creative dessert. The pumpkin cheesecake sounded run of the mill, but it was excellent and not at all too heavy (as cheesecake is wont to be).
The Wild Game & Mushroom Dinner at The Forebay is $30 for three courses. The menus are available now through Nov. 14. Call (717) 534-8601 for reservations or more information.
Read about the first Wild Game & Mushroom Dinner, as featured in The Patriot-News.
