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Metrovino's Greg Denton Wins Wild About Game 2011

While vegetarians did their VegFest thing at the Convention Center this weekend, meat-lover high-tailed it to Welches, Ore.'s Resort at the Mountain for the 11th annual Wild About Game cook-off, an all-around celebration of gamey meat thrown by local purveyor Nicky USA. In the "mystery ingredient"-style competition (each chef randomly drew a different kind of meat to use), Metrovino chef Greg "Wacky" Denton took home the top prize for his s'more-inspired duck dish, which featured (deep breath, folks) duck, charred wrapped giblet sausage, toasted foie gras marshmallow whip, cocoa sauce, graham cracker struesel, and campfire smoke (presented to the judges under a glass bowl).

Judging — handled gamely by Saveur food editor Dana Bowen, cookbook author/game expert Janie Hibler, and Eater's very own national editor Raphael Brion — came down to the wire, with Denton pulling out the win over Beast's Naomi Pomeroy by a single point. (In an "aww" moment, Pomeroy announced that "there's no one I'd rather lose by a point to than Greg" upon accepting her prize.) Third place was a tie between Urban Farmer's Matt Christensen and Little Bird's Erik Van Kley.