If you're a little squeamish when it comes to eating wild game, then think of Bama Bucks as a bustling, family-friendly steakhouse with a deer park in the front and lots of interesting animals in a zoo-like setting surrounding it.
If, however, you're more adventurous when it comes to sampling new dishes, then this place is a must-try. From what I can tell, it's pretty much the only restaurant in Alabama that bills itself as a "wild game restaurant." The tagline is "Taking Life by the Horns," and I can assure you that horns are pretty much everywhere you look.
Bama Bucks is a few miles south of Boaz on Bryant Road in the tiny town of Sardis City. You should definitely plan to arrive before dark in order to enjoy all the animals. It's a great place to go with children and grandchildren. The buildings have been made to look old and rustic, but they aren't. Bama Bucks was established in 1998. There are tile floors, log-like walls, a huge stone fireplace, and examples of taxidermy on every wall. Jack Daniels' barrels and products are worked into the decor and sold in the General Store, but Bama Bucks is currently in a dry county, so no alcohol is served. The working beehives inside the store are fascinating, and the antiques tractors and cars on the grounds are in pristine condition.
This is a G-rated place as evidenced by the vintage TV series playing in all the corners. "Dick van Dyke," "The Rifleman," "Little House on the Prairie," and "Andy Griffith" were on when we visited.
Steve and I subscribe to the "let's try something new" philosophy many times when we go to a new-to-us restaurant, so we definitely had that in mind when we were seated at Bama Bucks.
For our appetizer, we chose the Duck Blind, which was a roasted duck and veggie quesadilla. There were 7 other options, so don't worry if duck doesn't strike your fancy.
He ordered the Roasted Airline Pheasant Breast with sweet potato fries and asparagus. A pheasant breast is white meat, in case you were wondering, and he said the fries were some of the best he'd eaten. He liked the touch of cinnamon.
I ordered the New Zealand Red Deer Grilled Tenderloin with garlic potatoes and asparagus.
Both of us thoroughly enjoyed our dinner choices. The grounds are immaculate. It's a very nice place.