Saskatoon

If I could give a NEGATIVE 5 I would.
I should have listened to Sophie H. and Phin S. — unfortunately, I read their inputs as we were sitting in agony.
The whole experience was terribly horrendous from food to service to atmosphere.
I will say, «Get the hell out if you are in there!» and if you are thinking of going, don’t…simple as that.

We went to Saskatoon using a Groupon certificate tonight. I hate to say it, but it was the worst dining experience we’ve had here in Atlanta. Here are the highlights — they have a short, but decent wine list with a very reasonable markup. The sausage sampler plate is pretty good for an appetizer. This is where the good stuff ends… the atmosphere in this place makes you feel like Gordon Ramsay is going to step in at any moment (Kitchen Nightmares) — it’s supposed to be about eating wild game but there are black and white striped awnings on the outside and frilly sheer window treatments hanging in the inside. Then you have fine linens on the table, and neither the hostess nor busboys don’t know enough to clear the extra service away from the table when there is only a party of two. I will get to the highly abrasive head waiter later on in this review.
As I mentioned earlier, the starter was good — although the server had no idea what were the differences in sausages (yikes)! The so called homemade bread tasted like it was a couple of days old and I am saying a few prayers (like Gordon Ramsay) that I don’t get sick on the flavored butters they offered (tasted rancid).
Onto to the main course — my husband had ordered the Emu which was on the special insert menu — but was told later on that sorry the Emu nor the Ostrich came in today but the Remington Duck was absolutely phenomenal… so he ordered the Duck and I got the Game Sampler plate with roasted red potatoes. As I mentioned earlier, the wine was pretty good (thankfully) we drank about 75% of the bottle (we waited about an hour for our entrees — and again nobody was in the place) when the waiter finally came to the table to tell us that the Duck does takes awhile… finally our food arrived and my trio of game (lamb, bison, venison) was done perfectly — however, the skin on mashed potatoes were not to be found, a heap of instant yes, instant potatoes were on our plates. My husband had such a hard time cutting into the duck — and it was duck legs — we both thought it was going to be duck breast — our bad for not confirming. Anyway it was pretty tough and covered in this ginger demi-​glacé that sort of looked like glop all over the duck. When the waiter finally arrived, my husband challenged him on the so called ‘best potatoes we’ve ever had in our lives’ — he said something about the restaurant running out of the roast potatoes and him making these by hand — yeah pouring the instant flakes in a bowl and adding the hot water takes a tremendous amount of effort.
Now to the very abrasive waiter who was simply put a bully. He used his outside tone of voice in this intimate area (okay the restaurant was empty). He seemed like he had an answer for everything — instant mashed potatoes — really??? Rubbery duck — really?
I really need to say — if you think about trying this place — DON’T! Trust me — if you are like me and had bought a GROUPON — throw it out — the $ 20 is just not worth it — it’s a shame as the concept is awesome and I think Atlanta could do well with such a place — but it needs so much work that I don’t think this place will be long for life.

I wouldn’t have known about this place if it wasn’t for Scoutmob, and since I have never had wild game before, this sounded pretty awesome. We went there with my girlfriend’s family for her birthday and unfortunately, it didn’t meet my expectations.
Let me start by saying I thought the food was good. Not the best thing I’ve ever eaten, but it was all cooked perfectly and had decent flavor. I had ostrich, tried the gf’s elk, tried a bite of venison ribs, and had some antelope sausage and some other stuff for appetizers — nothing was awful, but nothing was blowing me away. If this was just based on food, I’d probably go back for another meal at some point down the road — but I’d walk, not run back.
Where things went wrong was with the service and the overall ambiance of this place. The location was weird and didn’t draw much attention to itself. If I had driven past it on any other day, I either wouldn’t have noticed it or just assumed it was something similar to a Ted’s Montana Grill. Inside was… basic. I guess I was hoping for a little darker lighting and a feel of an old steakhouse. I mean, you’re getting ready to taste/​eat wild game, which for most is a first. The girl who seated our party took away my place setting (I parked and let the other 4 in my group go ahead… the reservation was for 5), so right off the bat, you could tell people were confused. Our waiter was energetic and knowledgeable about the menu, but he was clearly the only seasoned waiter there, because I caught him reaming out one of the other waiters for something and he was bouncing all over the place, which wasn’t overly crowded. Two couples were seated behind our table and no one attended to them for at least 15 minutes, which made me uncomfortable hearing them complain the whole time. Our food came out with relative ease and no problems, but our waiter forgot the bottle of wine we ordered with dinner… oops. Kind of a big deal. He was nice enough to honor the Scoutmob deal and let me keep it for another return visit as an apology.
Overall, it was just a letdown. Maybe this place will succeed simply because they are serving something different and people will want to enjoy the novelty for a bit, but I don’t see it sustaining too long before the service and atmosphere ruin the concept for patrons. I will go back and use the Scoutmob deal again, but only because of that. If I didn’t have it to use again, I definitely wouldn’t go back.

We stopped in here on a Monday night eager to try some wild game that im not used to eating. The place had a good amount of people in it and definitely has the feel of a lodge.
They have a number of interesting appetizers and after trying to decide between the buffalo and ribeye I went with the elk tenderloin. It came out pretty rare which is the way I like it. It was really good.
We also got the rainbow trout which was nicely seasoned and very good. Service was real friendly even though our waiter was a bit bogged down.
I thought the place was great and look forward to coming back again to try some other adventurous dishes.

It makes me sad to have to give then only two stars.
The service was wonderful. I adored our waiter, he was pretty much the only part of the dining experience that was worth it. The food was novel, and that was about it. You go for the ability to say «I’ve eaten ostrich, or I’ve eaten Kangaroo». Unfortunately that is all you can say about it.
You don’t want to talk about how everything actually tasted because it was just a resounding «meh.» Although! I do have to say I liked the elk I was served. I just wish the plate actually came out with what the menu said should be on it. There were no wild mushrooms to be had, and I have a feeling that is because there were no wild mushrooms to be had. I got the impression that the kitchens had their cuts of meat and some not so good garlic mashed potatoes. And that was it.
The wine was good, and the company was wonderful. A pleasant evening of conversation, but not really of eating. Which is so sad. I really wanted to like this place. I really did.

It pains me to write this because I know the owners/​managers mean well, but I just don’t think they get it. Nothing has changed in the 4 months since I wrote my first review. I probably wouldn’t have come back if I hadn’t purchased two Groupons for dinner and the second one expires in December.
Katie W. and I came here for Date Night and even though I love spending time with her, 2.5 hours is a really LONG dinner. We were promptly seated for our 7:45 reservation. We were acknowledged semi-​promptly by our server. It literally took 20 minutes for someone to take our order and our salads didn’t arrive for another 25 minutes after that!
The food is lackluster and really salty. Well, except for the house salad, which we both remarked had a tasty mint flavor.
I was craving lamb, so I ordered the lollipops to start. The best description I can give is that it was like a McRib on a real bone. #fail
My main course was the pork tenderloin served with skin-​on potatoes. As soon as they laid the plate in front of me I could smell the canned brown gravy they poured all over the place.
There were 6 other couples in the dining room and 1 or 2 people at the bar. Hardly busy, yet no one seemed to have time for us. It was funny because we heard the server remind a couple to make reservations to avoid the big crowds… and he was serious. Either the joke’s on us or everyone who works here is delusional. I honestly can’t tell. Regardless, I don’t have any reason to come back and unless they change course I doubt many others will return either.

What about Saskatoon would make me break my vow of laziness now? Was the food so outstanding that I could not hold back the Unilocal of joy bursting forth from my lips? Or was it so insidiously bad that wrathful mutterings beat their way forth despite my best intentions?
Admittedly it was neither of these things. It was, sadly, mediocre, worthy of neither heartfelt delight or black hatred. The reason I am reviewing is because I made the mistake of booking our table through Unilocal and now I have a gremlin nagging me on my front page that my next review awaits. Well done gremlin, rather than slay you outright I have succumbed to your subtle pressure. Rejoice, you non-​existent hordes, who wait eagerly upon my reviews as the Greek the pearls of wisdom from their oracles.
The décor of Saskatoon is fashioned in the likeness of a hunting lodge accented with rustic additions and flair. It was a nice ambiance considering their focus is upon wild game. Our waiter was spectacular, providing amusement and entertainment throughout the course of our evening in addition to brilliant service. Disappointingly this standard was belied by the quality of the culinary offerings we received.
The wine was a good start, I believe it was a Swanson chardonnay which was not overly oaky and had crisp high notes that I relished. The appetizers were acceptable, the wild game sausages probably the most interesting of the trio we tasted, though uninspired. Ultimately the entrees were forgettable, the most memorable part being the novelty of consuming ostrich and kangaroo rather than any flavors or textures. The mashed potatoes lacked complexity and my wife was devoid of mushrooms despite their inclusion on the menu.
It was my hope that the unique meats on offer at Saskatoon would be a revelation, something that would open my eyes to a new world of wild game. It was my disappointment that this was not the case and in time my memories of the evening, pleasant because of the lovely company and great service, would ultimately exclude any of the fare that I consumed.

2 stars for the FOOD! 4 stars for the SERVICE!
Came here last night for a friend’s birthday celebration and even though it was Sunday, the place was a ghost town. We were the only table seated and it stayed that way for the rest of the evening. This joint won’t be around for too long folks so if you were curious… come quick!
They pretty much were out of stock on beer. We were offered 3 different beers and they only had 1 bottle of each. Fail of epic proportions. We ordered different apps. The mussels, wild game sausages, and crab cakes. Meh!
The entrees were also on the bland, boring, and just overall baaaaad. The menu stated that the protein would arrive with garlic mashed potatoes and also a medley of mushrooms. The mash was garlicless and the mushrooms were literally not on the plate. i wouldn’t even care, but why have it on the menu if you’re not going to put it on?
The best part of the evening was actually our server. He was funny, entertaining and did his job well. I hope he ends up somewhere more successful cuz he’s clearly too talented for this place…

This is the most depressing restaurant I have ever been. It is blatantly on the verge of going out of business (and apparently it is literally about to go out of business). It was STRANGELY empty– I felt like there was something we didn’t know. They seem to have stopped trying. It’s like airplane food (and it’s about the level of service you get on an airplane).
I could go on and on, but I just want to put it behind me. For the love of God, go somewhere else.

Underwhelming.

I came here on a Saturday night on a date with my girl. Like others have said, the place was fairly empty (at least for a Saturday night).
First off, I want to say that I think that the food here was pretty good. My date and I were able to try the ostrich, venison, lamb, and duck. Of all those meats, I’d have to say that their lamb was the most delectable. Each of our dishes came with their standard mashed potatoes — which we both decided to stick with. I feel like for the price, the plates didn’t come with a whole lot of food (which can be expected in high priced restaurants I suppose). The potatoes, however, seemed real heavy and got us both filled.
My date nearly broke out in tears when she found out that the waiter didn’t box her food. She ate about half of it and assumed he would box it up, but it never came back to the table. The waiter was new and I could see him sweating when we asked if our food was boxed. I have trouble holding anything against him though, he was a real nice waiter and gave us good service otherwise.
Free parking in the parking garage next door. :)
We used a Groupon while we were at Saskatoon. If you’re looking for something different and have never tried wild game before, I would recommend at least one visit for yourself. Otherwise, I don’t think I’ll ever go back unless there’s some sort of deal going on.

3.5
So I came here on Valentine’s day, which was right after they opened (when their website still looked like some horrible mid-​90s site). I figured it’d probably be a good way to eat out, try the place and also beat the Valentine’s day crowds. Five months later, as I finally get around to finishing this review, I see from the other reviews that they still stay pretty empty — definitely not a good sign. Judging from more recent reviews, the quality may have gone down too.
One of the things that prompted me to finish this review was seeing a 0 (out of 5) star review from Creative Loafing. While Saskatoon isn’t blazing any culinary trails, I think a ⁰⁄₅ review is overly harsh and doesn’t really match my experience.
CL’s complaints:
* Sausages were not made in house — didn’t have them.
* Entrees came out cooked way past specification — didn’t happen to us.
* Bad polenta — this is true in my experience.
* Bad molten chocolate cake — didn’t have this either.
So, of CL’s main gripes, really I only agree on the polenta. It was dry and spoongy as they claim and wish I hadn’t ordered it. But I did think the Kangaroo and Elk entrees were tasty, and they weren’t overdone. The Caesar salad was fine, nothing special, and the Bailey’s Cheesecake was also tasty if unexceptional as well. The service was very good (although the servers were definitely not busy).
Perhaps part of the problem is expectation. I see Saskatoon as a mid-​range steakhouse where you can get a little welcome variety of proteins. I didn’t have as high expectations as I would for a chef-​driven restaurant. From the perspective of «steak house where I can order kangaroo», my experience was reasonable. Even judged against a higher standard, I can’t square my own experience with CL’s ⁰⁄₅ review.
But whether or not CL’s review is fair, it seems like the writing is on the wall with this place. If they’re nearly empty all the time, I don’t see how they can stay in business.

Went here on a Friday night. The diningroom was not very busy and there was a big party in the back.
As far as we could tell they do not have valet parking. There is a parking structure next door and it seems to be OK.
The place is fairly anonymous and I suspect that may be reason why there are relatively few guests here.
They are a game/​wildlife restaurant and have a pretty good selection. Both the regular menucard and the specials are pretty impressive.
We had the sausage sampler (venison, duck, and rabbit) as a starter. The sampler gives you a very good impression of the type of food you can get here. The meats are tasty and quite diverse and a great experience.
We had Elk and Ostrich as the main dishes. They come with mashed garlic potatoes as a standard. There is also beans on the side and the Ostrich came with a small puff pastry and broccalini. We ordered extra sweet potato fries as a side. Both dishes were really tasty and the meats were tender. It is safe to say that you are in for a culinary treat at the Saskatoon.
We had a bottle of Tintara shiraz (2006) with the meal. The wine is a special offer they have in July and it is a really good wine. I would recommend it.
Most tabels have two servers assigned. Both our servers were very knowledgeable about the food and the differences and had good recommendations on the preparations and style of cooking for maximum taste. Overall a really nice experience.
I would have given it 5 stars if it were not for a few minor things. We did not get steak knives for the meat and the fries they delivered were regular fries rather than sweet fries and when we got them, they were overcooked.
We will certainly come back to try this place again.

My girlfriend and I went out on my birthday. We had a good experience here. We had never been to a place that served wild game and were impressed. I had the Elk, and she had the Lamb. Both meals were excellent. The service was awesome.
What really impressed us was at the end, our waiter brought us a piece of cake with a candle in it. He told us that since they were new they did not have a birthday procedure but he winged it and made us feel great.
We will definitely be back and the food was excellent.

It is about time that Atlanta got a restaurant that focuses on wild and exotic game. It was definitely a niche that was missing, but now that it is here, I hope it sticks around for many years to come.
My first visit (and there will be more) to Saskatoon was on Thursday. The restaurant, which is only three weeks into its run, seems to be off to a good start on all levels. The food quality was high, the diversity of unique and standard offerings did not leave one wanting, the space is «lodgey» and a little rustic and staff and management beyond competent and pleasant. But the key for me was the food and the uniqueness of the offerings.
I found the food to be excellent and the choices better than expected. The concept of the restaurant is wild and exotic game which is clearly and prominently singled out on the menu. The menu itself offers a good selection of appetizers, a few choice salads and a handful of fish/​seafood dishes, wild game dishes and «tame» game dishes if you will. There is something on this menu for everyone. Although it would be unlikely for me to ever come here and order fish or a basic steak, I would be curious as to the execution of those dishes vis a vis the game dishes, which, mind you, were exquisite.
We started out the meal with a few appetizers which were both tasty and executed well. One of the special appetizers that evening was alligator bites, which we gave a go. I rarely see alligator served in a way other than fried and, lo and behold, it was no different here. What I did find in this instance versus all the other times I sampled alligator was that Saskatoon’s alligator was the most tender and tasty I have ever had. A simple dish for sure, but, again, executed well. It was accompanied with a beautiful home made mustard based dipping sauce that enhanced the dish rather than smother it. The other appetizer we sampled was the wild game sausage mixed grill consisting of venison, rabbit and duck sausage. All three sausages were cooked to perfection and carried their own distinct and full bodied flavors enhanced by the chef’s knowledge of proper spice technique. As this will be a rotating appetizer which will be regularly updated by the chef based upon availability of ingredients, I look forward to trying it again on my next visit.
After finishing our appetizers we were really excited for the main course. Narrowing down the choice was tough, but, ultimately we decided on the Kangaroo and Elk entrees. Now if you have never had kangaroo meat, it is a real treat. The fact that it was offered shocked me as I have never seen it on an American menu before and the last time I ate it was in Cairns, AU in 2000. Almost ten years have passed, but, when I tasted it here, it brought back all that Australian goodness that I remembered. Kangaroo is a slightly stronger tasting meat than what some may be used to, but it is incredibly tender when prepared properly. This was no exception. The same goes for the Elk. Prepared to perfection, flavored and spiced perfectly and really juicy and tender (along the lines of a NY Strip steak). Unlike Kangaroo which is low in fat content, Elk is high in fat which really adds to the flavor. The only thing I would have changed on this dish was the sauce that sat under the elk. It was tangy and rich and if too much wound up on a piece of the elk it tended to overpower the flavor. Otherwise, the dish was perfect.
Of course no meal is complete without dessert. In this case there were five offerings but compared to the appetizers and mains were a little «tame,», but, ultimately held their own.
In the end, we were not there for dessert, but for exciting wild and exotic game. This is exactly what we got. I absolutely look forward to my next visit to see what new, fun and exciting meats they have in store for me.

I went for a late (8pm) dinner on Friday night (2÷19÷10) and took three friends. I’ve been to the original Greenville, SC location and recommend it highly to anyone passing through, so I’d been excited about visiting this new location.
Since Saskatoon bills itself as a hunting lodge /​wild game restaurant, I figure it might help if I mention that one of my friends is a vegetarian (the seafood-​eating variety), and she had a great time.
The restaurant itself is beautifully done. As Alison B. mentioned, the patio is huge — I got a few photos and will post those shortly, but I agree that it will be wonderful when warmer weather arrives. The bar was empty when we were there, but it seemed decently stocked with what you would expect from a full bar, but missing some of the touches that I would expect from a hunting lodge — not much of a whiskey/​scotch selection — but it also might not have been that visible when we took a quick peek. The wine list had a lot of variety to it, and prices were quite reasonable — we had a couple of

Checked it out with the lovely Alayne H. last Friday and we had a mixed bag experience, but there were enough shimmers of light that I would likely go back again.
The ambiance is pretty nice; a warm, rustic «lodge-​light» feel to the dining room which is nicely segmented via the use of a stacked stone fireplace and a low wall dividing the space. The bar was the most crowded part of the restaurant and will likely remain so as the small plates list contained many of the best menu items. There is also a huge covered patio which will be lovely during warmer weather.
The food highlights were the amazing wild boar flatbread (thin, crispy crust with delicious sauce), wild sausage sampler with homemade BBQ sauce– yum! and her homey and decadent whisky bread pudding. Gruet sparkling wine –one of my favorite always reliable and delicious domestic sparklers– was on the wine list for $ 12/​glass (outrageous!) but only $ 30/​bottle (bargain!)
Lowlights included a winter tomato salad (tasteless and mealy– shouldn’t even be on the menu this time of year!) and a beef filet which was ordered med rare and delivered between med well and well done.
The service was at once effusive and clumsy. There were many people who were attending to our table but the timing was off: we asked to have the courses served in a leisurely way, but they came out of the kitchen a bit stacked on each other’s heels which may have even contributed to the steak being served too well done as it was done and ready to serve before we were finished with the salad course. Our server told us it had been sitting in the service window, so with that knowledge, we said go ahead and bring it even though the table was still full of plates. One other service note: we asked for the leftovers from the starters to be boxed up and the two little boxes were brought back to us in a giant brown paper grocery bag and the bag put on top of the table before the entrees had even arrived. It was a distracting and a rookie move which no one afterwards corrected despite 3 – 4 people coming to check on the table, so we took it off the table ourselves after 5 – 10 minutes.
The GM was a clear presence on the floor and stopped at every table, so did the chef. As the restaurant had just opened, I absolutely understand the staff in the kitchen and on the floor will need to work out some kinks, so that is why I am giving it a 3 stars for now with the potential to move up with better service execution.