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The Dish: Rattlesnake sausage
Where to Get It: Fat Shorty’s, 3035 Clarendon Blvd, Arlington; (703) 243-5660; fatshortys.com
Price: $8.50 for a sandwich, $10 for a one-sausage platter, $14 for a two-sausage platter
What It Is: A sausage made of rattlesnake, rabbit, pork, jalapeno, and pepper.
What It Tastes Like: Chicken, but tougher. The dish is lighter than an all-pork sausage and has nice snap, pairing well with the grilled onions and peppers.
The Story: Fat Shorty’s “exotic” menu section includes alligator and wild boar. “It’s just good, and we figured many people have yet to try it,” says chef Rahman “Rock” Harper. “Part of our appeal is to give people what they’ve never had before.” Because 100 percent rattlesnake would be dry (and expensive), the restaurant mixes it with pork and rabbit.
How to Eat It: The sausage comes on a platter or on a toasted bun with grilled onions, sweet red peppers, hot peppers, or sauerkraut.
Photo by Mary Kong-DeVito