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Photo by Stephanie Breijo
The Roosevelt's brisket with toast, pickles and a smear of horseradish mustard
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Photo by Stephanie Breijo
The Ledbury team proudly posing after another successful Quail Hunt event
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Photo by Stephanie Breijo
Metzger Bar & Butchery's citrus-brined chicken with walnuts and smoke-roasted grapes
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Photo by Stephanie Breijo
The Roosevelt's Thomas "T" Leggett served up the Over & Under Punch, made with Bulleit Bourbon, pineapple, Oloroso sherry, lemon, green tea and a mace tincture.
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Photo by Stephanie Breijo
Saison's pozole with pork, hominy, cabbage, red onion, cilantro and lime, with recipe below
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Photo by Stephanie Breijo
Metzger's salad of baby chicories with apples, mustard, speck, and sheep's milk cheese
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Photo by Stephanie Breijo
The Roosevelt's duck, cabbage and rice stew simmering on the grill
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Photo by Stephanie Breijo
Perfect fall weather for Ledbury's annual hunt
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Photo by Stephanie Breijo
The scene felt rugged, but refined. (Here's looking at you, Orapax.)
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Photo by Stephanie Breijo
Metzger's citrus-brined chicken on the grill
Most of the guests at Ledbury's 4th Annual Quail Hunt last Saturday didn't walk away with satchels of game from a morning in the fields; instead, they received handfuls of oysters, small plates from some of the best chefs in the city, and unlimited cocktails from top bar managers at Saison, The Roosevelt and Metzger Bar & Butchery. Goochland's Orapax Hunting Preserve served as the picturesque setting for the morning's hunt, which was limited to a small number of invitees — as well as the afternoon's "gather" party for the broader but still curated guest list — providing fields, tall grass and the tree-lined curvature of its 30-acre lake. Under a large white tent, Richmond's Sleepwalkers played a live set while Ledbury family, friends and partners took in the full-on-fall festivities, which included a bonfire.
On the fashion side, bespoke blazers, hunting jackets and tall leather boots were all the rage, with a few capes and handkerchiefs thrown in for good measure. On the culinary side, some of RVA's best chefs and bar managers fixed up and mixed up dishes and cocktails, respectively, offering seasonal small plates and drinks perfectly suited for the occasion. Metzger Bar & Butchery's Brittanny Anderson offered a salad of baby chicories with apples, mustard, speck, and sheep's milk cheese, and citrus-brined chicken with walnuts and smoke-roasted grapes, in addition to a platter of cookies and hand pies from the restaurant. The Roosevelt's Lee Gregory simmered a duck, cabbage and rice stew on the grill, plus provided brisket with toast, pickles and a smear of horseradish mustard, all with the help of his friend and Southbound partner, Joe Sparatta of Heritage. Manning a small-but-mighty grill, Saison's Adam Hall, Justin Ayotte and Sara Kerfoot served up both a pozole with pork, hominy, cabbage, red onion, cilantro and lime (recipe for that, below) and a torta with grilled and marinated pork, black bean spread, lettuce and Oaxaqueño cheese on a bolillo roll.
At the bar, The Roosevelt's Thomas "T" Leggett served up the Over & Under Punch, made with Bulleit Bourbon, pineapple, Oloroso sherry, lemon, green tea and a mace tincture; Saison's James Kohler mixed the Gypsy Dreams with Bulleit Rye, Dolin Rouge, Fernet, Campari and a cinnamon tincture; and Metzger's Kjell Anderson whipped up The Hopped Honey Bob White (eliciting a trio of "Bob White!" exclamations from behind the bar, when ordered) featuring Bulleit 10-Year, Chinook-hopped fir honey and grapefruit bitters. (All recipes for these cocktails available here, by the by.)
White Stone Oyster Co. shucked the crowd never-ending oysters on the half shell, Ardent Craft Ales pulled its Sweet Potato & Sage Ale from an onsite tap and Champion Brewing Co. offered cans of its Shower Beer, a Czech-style pilsner. And of course Bulleit Bourbon — a partner in the event — offered tastings of its classic "Frontier Whiskey," its rye, and its 10-year-aged whiskey out of the back of its compact, traveling Woody trailer.
My only regret from the afternoon-turned-late-evening wasn't, sadly, not spending more time by the bonfire; it was, predictably, not eating more than I did. Fortunately, Chef Hall from Saison provided his recipe for pozole, so we can all bring a taste of this event to our own homes in the colder months ahead.
Saison's Pozole
Serves 6 to 8
By Adam Hall of Saison
Ingredients:
9 Ancho chiles
9 dried Guajillo chiles
4 dried Arbol peppers
8 cloves of garlic, minced
1 white onion, sliced
2 tablespoons of toasted cumin, ground
2 tablespoons of Mexican oregano
1 gallon of pork or chicken stock
1 deboned pork butt, cut into 1-inch cubes
16 ounces of Maiz Mote Pelado (dried whole hominy), cooked per container's instructions
1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil or lard
Salt, pepper and apple cider vinegar, to taste
Method:
Begin by preparing the mote per its packaging suggestions. Set aside. If possible, throw on some gloves, then remove the stems and seeds from all chiles. Rip the chiles roughly by hand and add to a medium-sized pan with the oil or lard, and the onion and garlic, and sweat them over medium-high heat until transparent. Add the cumin and oregano, and sweat until fragrant. Then, add 3 cups of stock, and bring the contents of the pot to a simmer. Remove it from the heat and puree this mixture until smooth, then pass it through a fine strainer. Working in batches, in a large pot over medium-high heat, season the pork cubes with salt and pepper, brown them, and reserve each batch as it finishes. Over medium-high heat in that same large pot, combine the pork, mote, chile mixture and all remaining stock, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 1 hour. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and apple cider vinegar, to taste. Garnish with cabbage, chopped onion, cilantro, avocado and/or egg, and serve.
