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Taylor Bassett and Josh Cleaton of The Savory Grain prepare fried quail stuffed with figs, prosciutto and mozzarella, topped with a chipotle-bourbon butter and Ames Hot Southern Honey and served with gouda corn grits and sauteed kale. (Photo by Jay Paul)
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Fried quail stuffed with figs, prosciutto and mozzarella, topped with a chipotle-bourbon butter and Ames Hot Southern Honey and served with gouda corn grits and sauteed kale (Photo by Jay Paul)
If all the many varieties of poultry, is there any more underrated or more underutilized than quail?
Distinctive and delicious, the all-dark-meat bird is eminently versatile. “Grill it, smoke it, sauté it, fry it,” says Josh Cleaton, who, along with co-chef Taylor Bassett, oversees the kitchen at The Savory Grain. “It’s hard to go wrong.”
WHERE TO TRY IT
Quail is on the menu year-round at The Savory Grain in The Fan, and the preparation switches up seasonally and at the moment, you’ll find it stuffed with figs, prosciutto and mozzarella; fried; and paired with hot honey, grits and kale.
Another restaurant, the Southeast Asian street food sensation Mekong, serves it two ways — in a se mi chim cut (egg noodles with roasted quail) and lacquered and grilled, a staple of Vietnamese cafés around the world.
Pan-roasted quail turns up often at Millie’s Diner, the funky fine-dining bistro near Shockoe Bottom — in a recent preparation, the lemongrass-marinated bird is partnered with charred eggplant, roasted fennel and tomato gastrique.
Sen Organic Small Plate, a gem of a Vietnamese café in Carytown, showcases quail in its signature pots: a spiced, baked bird in a ceramic bowl teeming with squash noodles, beets and sweet potatoes.
WHERE TO BUY IT
Antibiotic-free, humanely raised birds from Manchester Farms — a favorite source for many chefs — are regularly available at Belmont Butchery, as well as at Richmond-area Kroger and Publix stores. You can also order everything from whole birds to bacon-wrapped, boneless strips straight from their website (manchesterfarms.com).
IF YOU REALLY WANT TO DIY IT
If you have a hunting license, well, then you can go and source your own. Quail hunting has a long and noble tradition in Virginia. The season runs from Nov. 11 through Jan. 31.
The easiest place to shoot, though, is at a hunting preserve, where the season is longer (September through April) and there are no bag limits. Orapax, just 40 minutes outside of Richmond in Goochland, is one of the busiest in the state.
