Rattlesnake Fritters, Radio and Karl Rove

Rattlesnake Fritters, Radio and Karl Rove

I was on my way in to the KLBJ-AM studios recently for a Food Friday show. No sooner had I walked in the door of the newsroom than I was confronted with the site of a half-dozen live diamondback rattlesnakes being handled by several ballsy snake wranglers in town for the rattlesnake roundup. I was truly stunned and an expletive that most surely would have been banned from the airways slipped out of my mouth. I have eaten Jeff Blank’s Rattlesnake Fritters at Hudson’s on numerous occasions and have found them to be delicious: the taste being very much like chicken. But I had never encountered a rattler live and in person until that morning.

“Go ahead and feel his rattle” said one of the wranglers. And without waiting for a response, he brought this five foot snake to about a foot away from me. I looked into the snake’s eyes and met the malevolent stare of this cold-blooded assassin. I took a deep breath and reached out to touch the skin above his rattle. I figured it was about as close as I would ever come to shaking hands with Karl Rove. And the snake’s skin was actually quite dry and rather smooth; not at all unpleasant. Of course all the while I was silently praying that the wrangler’s grip on the snakes head and jaw did not slip.

Bottom line: it was an interesting experience. Yet the week after that, as we dined at the sumptuous Octotillo restaurant at the Lajitas resort near Big Bend, I had the opportunity to once again sample rattlesnake fritters. I passed. There’s something about looking your meal in the eye that can change your perspective on future dining choices. Guess I better stay away from cows, pigs and lambs or I’ll be forced to become a vegan!

The Wine Spectator Grand Tour

One of my favorite events is coming up on May 5th: Wine Spectator Magazine’s Grand Tour at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas. This 3-hour extravaganza at the hotel’s Grand Ballroom brings in some of the world’s best winemakers for an evening of tasting and discovery. One can roam past different booths offering the wares of Chateau Palmer, Caymus, Penfors, Dom Perignon, Petrus, Chateau la Tour on to newer wines with great promise like Chateau St. Michelle’s Canoe Ridge or Ernie Ells’ Stellenbosch Cabernet.

I also had my first taste of Treana Paso Robles at the Grand Tour. The wine had been decanted for over an hour and was magnificent.

We usually make this annual pilgrimage with our friends Carol and Art San Miguel. And this year my youngest daughter (soon to graduate from St. Edward’s) Lauren gets her first crack at this amazing evening. She’s excited and I’m excited for her. There’s nothing quite like remembering what the beginning of your wine education was like. Hopefully it will instill in her the kind of passion we all share for the grape.

As always, I will file a detailed report from the event with pictures and commentary. Look for it around the 11th of May.