Skyler Gauthier

On a menu brimming with beloved beef options, it takes an exceptional preparation for a game dish to stand out. “I wanted to introduce game as a red meat alternative, but sometimes it can be a hard sell for our guests,” says Skyler Gauthier, Chef Partner at ranch-to-table restaurants Haywire and The Ranch at Las Colinas. He created the Roasted Bison Filet for a special event, and it was so well received, it earned a spot on the menus at both concepts. “I figured bison could be the happy medium I was looking for that was still very approachable.”

Bison tenderloin is cut into steaks before application of a rub of garlic, herbs and coffee. “The rub is there to accentuate the flavor of the bison, not overpower it,” says Gauthier. “The coffee balances the richness of the meat and plays off the smoke from the mesquite grill.”

For Gauthier, it’s the finishing touch of a blueberry demi-glace that makes this dish shine. “There is just something about bison and blueberry that complement each other so well,” he says. “Couple that with the rich veal glacé that is the base and the coffee in the rub, and it just harmonizes as a complete dish.”