My BIL thought we should go to Denver for his birthday. The one thing he wanted to do while he was there was to eat Rocky Mountain Oysters. So, STOP READING HERE if you’re grossed out easily. Yes, there are pictures.
I did a little research to find out where we should go for such a delicacy. There a re few places that come up when you search, each prepared/sliced/served in different ways. But, the one that had the most bragging rights was the Buckhorn Exchange. It’s Denver’s oldest steakhouse and also a bit of a history museum and taxidermy showcase – and their house specialty is Rocky Mountain Oysters. We got reservations and dragged our spouses along for the ride (this sounds much easier than it actually was in real life).
The restaurant itself is pretty amazing. Two stories and literally hundreds of animal busts and heads on the walls of every room, including the restrooms. Full size mounts are in pretty much every room, so you really get a feel for the wildlife in here. Which is apropos, since the menu also contains a much larger variety of meats than your run-of-the-mill steakhouse. Beef, buffalo, elk, lamb, chicken, pig, quail, duck, game hen, salmon, alligator, and rattlesnake. Impressive.
We were really there for one thing, but we decided to get a sampling of appetizers, in case we were unable to actually eat the aforementioned Rocky Mountain Oysters. We got some fried alligator tail, sirloin game tips (beef, buffalo, and elk), and a half order of RMOs. And of course a couple of cocktails to make sure we were good and loose for game time.
The fried alligator was absolutely fantastic. I have always been a fan, but these folks know their way around a fryer and they were cooked perfectly. You didn’t just taste the fried part, you tasted the meat, as well.
The Sirloin tips were really quite good, as well. Served with mushrooms, and a different sauce each day, these had a great smoky flavor. My only complaint is that it’s always difficult to tell what kind of meat you’re eating when it’s all mixed together like this. Thankfully, every bite I had was delicious, so not really much of a complaint, after all.
The RMOs came out with some horseradish dipping sauce, but since my sister and I are solidly from the Midwest, we also had some ketchup. Sad, but true. If we were thinking, we should have ordered BBQ sauce, since it would have been a totally different flavor. These RMOs are served sliced thin and in relatively large pieces, good for dipping. The fry on these things are really thorough, so you’d be hard-pressed to know that’s what you were eating. Both of our spouses ate a few of them, and more than we expected, so we’ll call it a win. They are actually quite delicious. I’d for sure eat these again, but I’d have to have help since a half order filled an entire basket.
When we were done with them, our server came back around and asked how things were. She was pleased with our progress of fried foods, clearly. She said that she always has to ask, but would we like to see the RMO before it gets sliced and fried. Only two of us said yes, which must high enough on the percentage threshold for her to bring one out for us to gawk at. These things are huge. Bigger than my hand (as shown in the picture). And, now that we’ve eaten a half order, we know how the original uncooked ball translated to the fried version. Really a fun way to see it, but I could tell this thing shouldn’t sit on our table for too long as some people at the table were visibly horrified. Still glad we saw the after and before versions!
Rocky Mountain Oysters may not be everyone’s jam, but if you’re near the Rocky Mountains, you should probably just try them, even as a dare/bet. You may just end up liking them. After all, the folks at Buckhorn Exchange have been mastering this art for more than a hundred years. Really happy we got to try some local delicacies!
