Downtown’s recently opened “Soul Fusion” eatery Stonetown on Prospect Avenue has been making friends fast thanks to an interesting menu that mixes Southern comfort foods with some unexpected tastes. One of those out-of-the-ordinary dishes might just make alligator fans of all of us.
“This is actually one of our most popular items,” manager Adrian Lindsay says of the mini gator burgers. While common throughout the South, spotting gator meat in these parts is as uncommon as seeing the toothy animal in the flesh (or whatever it is you call that skin).
The first and most important reason why Stonetown’s gator tastes so good is the meat, which doesn’t arrive frozen as usual. “We have Florida panhandle gator flown in fresh once a week,” Lindsay explains.
Stonetown grinds the gator meat and seasons it with a blend of spices before forming it into small patties. The burgers are grilled and served on a soft brioche bun with roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions and house-made spicy “Bayou mayo.”
“The gator actually has a sausage texture, and tastes like a mixture of sausage and catfish,” explains Lindsey. “There really is no gamey taste at all.”
The lunch portion ($7.95) includes two burgers while the dinner portion ($10.95) offers three. Both plates are served with fresh cut sweet potato fries.
This article appears in Aug 21-27, 2013.
Looks tasty, but I don’t think two or three mini burgers are going to cut it. How about bringing out a 1/3 or 1/2 pound gator burger? Then we’d be talking!