Stephen Montoya
Don Artemio executive chef Rodrigo Cardenas holds a rattlesnake tamale with mole.
The delicious aroma of various styles of foods prepared by some of the city’s best chefs took over Mule Alley last week for the second annual Rattle Battle, hosted by chef Tim Love. Freshly cooked dumplings, two versions of tamales, and an interesting curry served in a tiny pot with a lid were some of the menu items that had attendees talking with their mouths full.
While an event like this is always an exciting way to introduce new styles of cuisine for locals to taste, there’s nothing quite like the taste of a dish that contains a creature that would just assume bite you, as look at you.
As the name suggests, this year’s Rattle Battle championed the key ingredient of rattlesnake. Fifteen local chefs from Cowtown eateries like Paloma Suerte, Don Artemio, and Teddy Wongs, all did their best to combine their flavor knowledge with this unique protein.
After the dust settled on this snake-inspired showdown, Lonesome Dove chef John Holloman was donned the winner with his duo of TX Whiskey infused peach, rattlesnake Sorbet, served with Texas "Shotgun" Shells, smoked rattlesnake, hatch chile, elote, and spiced crema.
Talk about a plate with a bite, right?
Lonesome Dove may have brought home the “W,” but that doesn’t mean the other 15 participants didn’t bring their “A” game. For those of you who didn’t have a chance to get a taste of this year’s Rattle Battle cuisine, we’ve compiled a full list of the dishes as inspiration for your next culinary experiment. Here’s a hint, if you can’t get rattlesnake, you can try to recreate a version of these dishes using a different protein. Chances are you just might impress the hardest critic you know – yourself.
Rattle Battle Chefs 2024
Stephen Montoya
Creole-style "Snake Cake" served on a fried ripened tomato with sauce ravigote created by Jon Bonnell.
- Rodrigo Cárdenas (Don Artemio) Dish: Rattlesnake Tamale with Mole (Winner of Dish Most Authentic to their Restaurant)
- Juan Rodriguez (Magdalena’s) Dish: Smoked Rattlesnake Indian Curry with Serrano Yogurt and White Rice (Winner of Best Presentation)
- Kemel Rodriguez (Paloma Suerte) Dish: Rattle Battle Biscuits and Gravy (Winner of Best Presentation)
- John Holloman (Lonesome Dove) Dish: Rattlesnake DUO: TX Whiskey infused peach, rattlesnake Sorbet, Texas "Shotgun" Shells with smoked rattlesnake, hatch chile, elote, and spiced crema (Winner of 2024 Rattle Battle)
- Taylor McCreary (Tannahill’s Tavern) Dish: Rattlesnake Ragu
- Trevor Sales (Brix Barbecue) Dish: Rattlesnake Glizzy - Smoked and seared house-made rattlesnake hot dog, fresh baked pearl snap kolache bun, grilled sweet onion, Texas Twang mustard sauce (Winner of Most Creative)
- Christian Lehrmann (Tinies, Side Saddle Saloon) Dish: Green Chile Rattlesnake Tamale with salsa matcha, cotija cheese, and pickled serrano
- Jeffery Thompson (Heim BBQ) Dish: Snake Bit Texas Twinkies
- Jon Bonnell (Bonnell's, Waters, Buffalo Bros, Jon's Grille) Dish: Creole-style "Snake Cake" served on a fried ripened tomato with sauce ravigote (Top 3 Fan Favorites )
- Zach Lewis (Atico) Dish: Rattlesnake Dumpling with sweet chili oil and cucumber salad (Top 3 Fan Favorites)
- Geno Cordova (Dickies Arena) Dish: Rattlesnake and Shrimp Gyoza with ponzu and crispy garlic chili oil (Last year’s winner)
- Grant Morgan (97 West) Dish: Rattlesnake Smoked Corn Fritters with Creole Mustard Remoulade and Chow Chow
- Antonio Votta (Bowie House) Dish: Rattlesnake Brandade Fritters with Peri Peri and Black Olive
- Luke Gretchen (Woodshed Smokehouse) Dish: Tag 'Em Rattlesnake Tacos with Venom Sauce
- Patrick Ru (Teddy Wongs) Dish: The Spicy Dragon
